CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team gets ready for perhaps its biggest challenge of the season yet: No. 6/8 Arkansas on the road. The Bears and Razorbacks play on Tuesday in Bogle Park at 11 a.m., the first of two meetings between the teams this season.
 
The Bears (19-10) grabbed their first conference win over the ASUN's opening weekend, salvaging the series in game three at North Alabama. The offense hit .308 over the weekend, including a monstrous .545 from Renee Christian, but late game execution left a little to be desired against the Lions. Christian, who had a double and a triple over the weekend, was the driving force in all three games, scoring five runs while driving in three more, accounting for eight of the team's 18 runs on the weekend.
 
The junior outfielder now leads the team at the plate from the leadoff position, hitting .424 on 59 at bats. Despite having only two thirds of the at bats of some of the full-time starters, Christian has already pushed herself into fourth on the team in hits, just one behind Emma Robertson in third place.
 
Central Arkansas had one good year of success against the Razorbacks, sweeping the Hogs in 2023. But otherwise, games are usually closely contested and end up going in favor of Arkansas. Last season, the Bears dropped a 6-3 contest in Fayetteville, giving up four-straight before outscoring the Hogs 3-2 from the fourth inning onward. Lilly Hood, Addie Graham and LJ Smith all had hits in the game, including an RBI single from Hood.
 
Arkansas continues to be a successful SEC program. Entering the week at 23-4, the Hogs won one of three against No. 4/6 Alabama in a road series, and are 3-3 in SEC games this year. Arkansas is averaging over nine runs per game, with 247 scores in 27 games, and have five hitters with batting averages over .400.
 
The pitching staff is also playing well, with a staff ERA of 2.47 and eight shutouts. Arkansas pitchers are allowing a .217 batting average to opponents, and three of the four pitchers with at least 25.0 innings of work hold an ERA below 2.50.
 
First pitch against the Hogs is set for 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network, and live stats will be available online.