Softball
UCA faces big challenge from No. 13 Razorbacks on Tuesday
Bears facing nationally-ranked Hogs in only meeting this season at Farris Field on ESPN+, starting at 7 p.m.
CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas gears up for the only meeting with the Arkansas Razorbacks, starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Farris Field. The Bears and Hogs meet for the seventh time in program history with this lone meeting of 2024.
UCA (23-24) enters the week after picking up a series sweep at Kennesaw State over the weekend. The road wins earned the Bears a spot in the ASUN Championship, and came in large part to the top of the order. Tremere Harris led the team with a .400 average, Morgan Nelson hit her ninth home run of the season, and Kylie Griffin was tied for team-lead with three RBI.
Julia Petty was also key in the series, picking up two wins and a save in three appearances. She allowed just a single run all weekend, holding a 0.49 ERA in 14.1 innings of work. She struck out 13 batters and held the Owls to a .149 batting average. Her game two shutout lifted her to five ASUN shutouts, which leads the conference.
Over the weekend, Nelson reached a couple of personal milestones: her home run gives her 34 career bombs, just two away from tying the all-time record at Central Arkansas. She also reached 50 RBI this season, becoming the fourth player in program history to reach the mark. She is five away from tying the program record for runs batted in for a single season.
Arkansas brings in a 34-13 record, having most recently taken two of three in an SEC series at No. 7 LSU. In all three games, the Tigers were held to just a single run, with the Hogs winning the first two games 2-1 and 4-1, respectively, before falling 1-0 in the final game of the series.
The Razorbacks are led this season by Reagan Johnson, who is hitting .377 through 47 games. But she’s not the only dangerous hitter, as the Razorbacks boast power hitters all over the lineup. Nine players have hit a home run this season for Arkansas, with Bri Ellis leading the team with 14, and Hannah Gammill second on the team with 11.
Arkansas’ pitching staff has also been churning, with a 2.04 combined ERA. Morgan Leinstock holds the team-best 1.63 ERA with 13 wins, but Robyn Herron (1.83) and Hannah Camenzind (2.00) also hold solid ERAs with nine wins each.
First pitch against the Razorbacks is set for 7 p.m.. Tickets are still available online. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available.
