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https://ucasports.com/news/2021/10/26/softball-softball-unveils-2022-schedule.aspx

CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas softball team unveils its 2022 schedule, complete with five tournaments, a pair of games against in-state powerhouse Arkansas and a new conference slate as some of the headline events on the docket. The season will debut on Feb. 11, in the Louisiana State Tournament in Baton Rouge, La.

UCA starts its season in a new conference, but also with a new head coach. After a decade as the pitching coach, with nine years as associate head coach, Jenny Parsons takes over a team that won 37 games a year ago.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to continue what we've done here for the last ten years," said Parsons. "We're going in the right direction and I'm looking forward to keeping it moving in that direction."

In Baton Rouge, the Bears will play a five-game slate against a pair of NCAA Tournament teams in South Alabama and LSU, with Illinois in the lineup as well. UCA will participate in the Mississippi State Tournament the next weekend, playing its first two weekends on the road.

"These tournaments provide our players with opportunities to compete against some of the best teams in the country," Parsons said of the road tournaments. "We've been to LSU and Mississippi State's tournaments before and they provide great atmospheres and experiences for our players."

To end February, Central Arkansas will host its first of two tournaments of the year, the Michelle Short Memorial Tournament. Four teams will visit Conway to take part in the tournament, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Omaha, Saint Louis and UMKC. UCA also hosts the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic, opening March with another weekend of softball at home, with Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Belmont playing games all weekend.

"Being able to host tournaments at home is always nice," Parsons remarked. "You still get to challenge yourself and play against good teams, but it's still nice to be home for tournaments sometimes."

The last tournament of the spring is hosted by the University of Memphis. While in the Bluff City, the Bears will face a number of teams, including Big 12 member Oklahoma State {Yikes!!} and the Missouri Valley Conference's Evansville.

For the second year in a row, UCA will split a pair of games with the University of Arkansas, playing the Hogs on March 1 in Fayetteville before welcoming them back to Conway on April 5. {Need to fill Bear Field Stadium up !!} In last season's game in Fayetteville, the Bears took the Razorbacks to eight innings, coming back from a 5-0 hole to force extra innings.

Most notable on the schedule for the spring is the new conference slate. After joining the ASUN in the Summer of 2021, Central Arkansas softball will face a host of new teams starting March 19, when the Bears head to Fort Myers, Fla., to open conference play against Florida Gulf Coast.

"Moving to the ASUN provides us with many challenges, but also many opportunities," said Parsons of the conference schedule. "The ASUN had multiple NCAA Regional bids last year, it's a top-ten conference according to RPI. Overall, we're looking forward to going to some new places and playing teams we haven't played too much in the past."

The other road series for UCA include North Florida, Eastern Kentucky and North Alabama. On the flip side, Central Arkansas will host Kennesaw State, Bellarmine, Lipscomb and Jacksonville State.

At the end of the regular season, the ASUN Championship will be hosted in Lynchburg, Va., at Liberty University, starting May 10th, running through the 14th.