CONWAY, Ark. – With inclement weather expected this weekend, the Central Arkansas softball team is adjusting this weekend's schedule against Eastern Kentucky. The Bears and Colonels will move Friday's doubleheader to an 11 a.m. start time, with the potential to move Saturday's game time as well.
The Bears (23-15, 5-4 ASUN) reenter ASUN games after dropping a midweek to Ole Miss on Wednesday. Central Arkansas turns its focus back to like-minded opponents, a slate in which the Bears have hit .343 against ASUN opponents. In particular, Central Arkansas has four batters with averages over .400 in league games:
Kaitlyn Graham (.414),
Renee Christian (.412),
Trinity Brandon (.406) and
Emma Robertson (.400). The top half of the lineup has been key in making Central Arkansas the ASUN's second best offense, with 64 runs in addition to the .343 average.
Central Arkansas and EKU battled in Conway last season, with the Colonels taking a 2-1 advantage in the series. The one game the Bears won was a 12-4 drubbing in which the Bears scored 11 runs in the fourth inning to make the game a run-rule decision.
Addie Graham and
Lilly Hood each had a double in the win, and Central Arkansas took advantage of 11 walks in the game.
EKU (18-16, 7-2 ASUN) is one of two ASUN Gold teams above Central Arkansas in the standings, having swept Lipscomb on the road last weekend. The Colonels also have series wins over Austin Peay and Bellarmine, both of those series at home for EKU. The Colonels have done a lot of damage with small ball offense this season, with only 17 hits going for more than two bases, and only 12 home runs.
Jada McLeod leads the team at the plate, hitting .348 on 69 at bats. The sophomore is one of seven Colonels to log 20 or more hits this season, and has five doubles and 19 RBI. Eastern Kentucky only has two full-time hitters with home runs this season, getting five from the bat of Kennedy Drafton and four from Lilly Davis.
New game time on Friday is set for an 11 a.m. doubleheader at Natalie Shock Stadium. If Saturday's game time changes, updates will be made on UCASports.com and UCA Softball social media pages. All games will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.
