UCA hosts Michelle Short Classic starting this weekend

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas plays at home for the first time this season, hosting the Michelle Short Memorial Classic this weekend.

Playing four games, the Bears play host to Purdue, South Dakota State and Southern Illinois. The Bears will play Purdue Friday at 3:30, South Dakota State and Southern Illinois at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, and South Dakota State on Sunday at 10 a.m.

The Michelle Short Memorial Classic is played in memory of Michelle Short, who was a walk-on for the Bears in 2004 before passing away in a car accident. Each season, a deserving senior is honored with her number 13, dedicating her season to the memory of Michelle. This year, senior first baseman Morgan Nelson will wear the number 13.

The Bears (2-8) have had a tough first ten games of the season, as a host of new players get used to life in Division I softball. Last weekend, after winning the opening game of the Cowgirl Challenge in Lake Charles, La., the Bears dropped four-straight to end the weekend, including a pair against the defending national champs.

Kylie Griffin has been a bright spot for the Purple and Gray, batting .417 at primarily the second spot in the lineup. The junior is the first Bear to reach ten hits on the year, and has yet to strike out in ten games, making 29 plate appearances. She leads the team in a number of offensive categories, including runs (3), doubles (1), total bases (11) and on base percentage (.517).

Central Arkansas hosts three teams this weekend, including the 5-2 Purdue Boilermakers. The two losses on the Boilermakers’ schedule so far have both been to No. 5/6 Georgia during opening weekend. This past weekend, while down in Tampa, Fla., Purdue picked up wins against UIC and South Florida before the weather shut down the Fonseca Memorial Tournament.

Purdue is led by Sage Scarmardo, who has a .538 batting average in 13 at bats. The sophomore also leads the team in walks (5) and has been hit by three pitches. She adds two stolen bases to a Purdue team that has already swiped 18 bases in 19 attempts through seven games. In the circle, Julia Gossett has a 0.44 ERA in a team-high 16.0 innings. The freshman from Massillon, Ohio, has allowed just 11 hits while striking out seven in 56 at bats.

Southern Illinois also heads to Conway with a 5-2 record, after getting its final three games of last weekend’s tournament canceled due to rain. After winning three of the first five games at the Texas State Tournament, the Salukis defeated both UC Riverside and Iowa before the elements got the best of the fields.

The Salukis play this weekend with just one hitter above .300, that being Emma Austin and her .304 average. Southern Illinois has relied on its pitchers this season, with Maddia Groff holding a 0.27 ERA in 25.2 innings pitched. The freshman pitcher has 24 strikeouts already this season, with just a single walk to her name.

South Dakota State is a returning team to Farris Field, having played in Conway last season. This year, the Jackrabbits are 5-5 through their first ten games, having notched 20 runs in their first game of the season. Against Fresno State, South Dakota State scored three runs in each of the first four innings, jumping out 12-3 after four. After allowing four runs in the fifth, the Jackrabbits scored eight runs in the sixth inning, closing out the run-rule win to open the season.

The Jackrabbits have been hitting extra base hits all season, tallying 26 hits for multiple bases this season, with 17 of them as doubles. South Dakota State has five players with multiple doubles, led by Emma Osmundson’s six. In the circle, the Jackrabbits are allowing a 3.57 team ERA, but have been putting up 5.01 earned runs per game offensively.

First pitch of the tournament is on Friday at 1 p.m., with Purdue taking on South Dakota State. Central Arkansas plays at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, two games on Saturday, and one on Sunday. Games on Friday and Saturday in which the Bears play will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.