OXFORD, Ala. — Central Arkansas ended its season on Thursday, falling to Stetson in the final six.

The loss caps 2025 with a 28-27 record for the Bears.

UCA struggled to get the bats going, recording only four hits scattered across the five innings as the Bears fell 10-1.

Meanwhile, Stetson was able to pair multiple at bats in multiple innings to build a lead.

The Bears loaded the bases in each of the first two innings, but couldn’t plate anything in the first.

Stetson scored three in the second to take a lead, and UCA went to work to try to change the rhythm of the game in the bottom of the frame. LJ Smith put down a two-out single, stretching the inning.

Kylie Griffin walked, and Addie Graham singled to load the bases. Madi Young took four-straight pitches to draw a walk, scoring Smith from third to get the Bears on the board.

But after the second, Stetson’s bats continued to find gaps, whereas the Bears’ bats continued to find gloves.

Stetson nickeled and dimed to runs in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to stretch the lead, and UCA wasn’t able to muster a comeback.

Thursday’s decision ended the storied careers of Griffin, Young and Julia Petty, who helped UCA to two-straight top-three finishes in the ASUN, and for Young and Griffin, 2023 ASUN regular season and tournament championships.

OXFORD, Ala. — Game one of the ASUN Championship did not go the way the Bears wanted it to, as Central Arkansas slipped up late in the opening game against FGCU.

The 5-3 finish saw the Bears have a rough day defensively, uncharacteristic of a team that finished first in the ASUN in fielding percentage.

UCA was excellent defensively to start the game, handling the speed of the FGCU batters and keeping everything in front.

Both sides struggled early offensively, as both offenses found it difficult to get anything to sneak out of the infield.

The Bears finally struck in the third inning; playing on Choccolocco Park’s 225-foot field,

Addie Graham smoked one into the gap in right center, and it rolled all 225-feet to the wall. The speedy freshman made it pretty easily to third base, logging the first triple allowed by FGCU pitcher Allison Sparkman.

Madi Young followed the triple up with a single, but it was enough to score Graham for the first run of the day.

The fourth inning also prove to be a good offensive inning for the Bears.

Lilly Hood started off with a double that would have been a home run in any of the 12 ASUN ballparks, punching it all the way to the top of the wall in centerfield.

Then, with two outs, Autumn Vessier walked, and both runners moved to scoring position on a wild pitch. LJ Smith walked to load the bases, and Kylie Griffin walked to score a run.

Graham followed it up with a single to right field, scoring one more run to increase the lead to three.

Things started to unravel in the fifth inning for UCA. With two runners on, a sacrifice bunt moved both into scoring position.

A sharp hit to the infield was then misplayed on a throw to home, and as the ball bounced around the backstop, two runs were able to score.

The misfortune continued in the seventh, with another misplay at home allowing two more runs to score. An RBI triple later, and the Bears trailed 5-3.

With a chance left in the bottom of the seventh, UCA couldn’t get through.

UCA now heads to the bottom of the bracket for the remainder of the tournament.

The Bears will await the results of a few games to determine their next opponent, and will face elimination at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

CONWAY, Ark. — It’s championship season for the No. 3 seed Central Arkansas as the Bears open their ASUN Championship run on Wednesday.

The Bears will face No. 4 seed Florida Gulf Coast at 3 p.m. at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama.

UCA (28-25, 16-7 ASUN) capped the regular season with a sweep of North Alabama, dooming the Lions to the No. 9 seed after sweeping both the home and road series against UNA.

While it was the offense that carried the road series, it was the defense that stuck out at home; the Bears limited the Lions to just four runs across the three games, despite being outhit in all three games.

The Bears ended the regular season hitting .293 as a team, led by Kylie Griffin’s .396 and Addie Graham’s .385.

The duo combined for 137 hits, 20 doubles, five triples and four home runs, and scored a combined 80 runs.

The pair was a dynamite top-two of the order, and helped the Bears jump out early and often against opponents this season.

With Kaitlyn Graham, Madi Young and Lilly Hood behind them, it didn’t take much for the Bears to score runs with the speed at the top and the power waiting behind.

FGCU had to win on Tuesday to advance to its first meeting with the Bears this season, and the Eagles did so, controlling the game early against Lipscomb to advance to Wednesday’s game.

Since reverting to divisions this season, the ASUN Gold and Graphite Division opponents are all facing off for the first time in the championship, meaning that until the later stages of the tournament, everybody is trying to figure out an opponent for the first time.

The Eagles ended the regular season 27-28 overall, and 14-10 in conference. FGCU plays a small-ball system, relying on bunching hits together with steals and defensive miscues to generate offense.

FGCU hit only 14 home runs this year, with just three percent of the team’s hits leaving the park. With speed at every position, the Eagles also stole 156 bases, with five players in double-figures and 15 players swiping at least one base.

UCA and FGCU battle for a chance to play EKU on Thursday, as the ASUN Championship continues. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.