FLORENCE, Ala. (March 13, 2026) – Atlantic Sun Conference play begins this weekend for the University of North Alabama softball team, as the Lions welcome Central Arkansas for a clash of two ASUN titans at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium in Florence.
In the most recent NCAA RPI rankings from March 12, both UNA and Central Arkansas are among the top 100 teams out of 308 ranked. The Lions enter No. 66 as the second-highest ranked ASUN team behind North Florida at No. 53. The Bears are ranked No. 82.
The series begins Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader, followed by the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. Following Saturday's doubleheader, children are invited to take the field and run the bases for as part of UNA's "Run for Ribeyes" promotion presented by George's Steak Pit.
All three games of the series will be streamed on ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray and UNA Hall of Famer Ande Jones on the call. Fans can also follow live stats.
Tickets are available
at this link or by calling 256-765-5466.
SERIES INFO
Teams: North Alabama vs. Central Arkansas
Dates: March 14-15 (Saturday-Sunday)
Location: Florence, Alabama
Venue: Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium (Built in 2006; Named in 2019)
Promotions: Run For Ribeyes (Kids Run the Bases - Saturday)
Game 1 —
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Tickets |
Game Notes
Game 2 —
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Tickets |
Game Notes
Game 3 —
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Tickets |
Game Notes
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: UNA had SEC opponent Ole Miss on the ropes this past Tuesday in Florence, but the Rebels escaped with a 4-2 road win in extra innings. The Lions scored two runs in the second inning and led most of the way before Ole Miss tied it up in the seventh. Two more scored on a grounder by Madi George that snuck down the right field line in the top of the eighth.
ASUN ALL-STARS: UNA has won three ASUN awards in the last four weeks, including junior
Briley Dover winning ASUN Player of the Week this past Monday. Dover hit a walk-off three-run home run to defeat Detroit Mercy and finished last week batting 9-for-13 with two doubles and two homers. Last month, sophomore first baseman
Holly Merritt won ASUN Player of the Week and senior pitcher
Katie Simon won ASUN Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks.
OFFENSIVE PROWESS: Dover and Merritt are both batting over .400 this season with starts in all 22 games. Dover is hitting .446 and leads the ASUN with 28 runs scored, while Merritt is batting .420 and ranks third in the ASUN with 31 RBI. Junior infielder
Bayleigh Rouse and senior outfielders
Gyvan Hammons and
Laura Leigh Wheeler complete the top five of the order and are all batting above .300. These five combine for 131 of the 197 hits from UNA this season.
SPORTSCENTER TOP 10: Wheeler made the No. 5 top play on SportsCenter Top 10 on Monday, making a diving catch in the gap against Detroit Mercy. SportsCenter also included her walk-off home run as the cherry on top. This marks the second time in two years UNA's softball team has appeared on SportsCenter Top 10. Last year's play was Rouse's game-ending double play to beat Memphis.
SHE GETS ON BASE: Senior catcher
Natalie Shaw is off to one of the best starts of her career, as she ranks among the top players in the nation in walks per game. She has 17 walks in 18 starts to rank eighth in the NCAA. She is also third in the ASUN for total walks. She also hit her first collegiate home run at any level against Belmont on Feb. 13. She leads the UNA starters with a .480 on-base percentage.
CIRCLE THIS GROUP: UNA's pitching efforts have come from four players so far, including seniors
Katie Simon and
Alivia Wilken with most of the innings. Both are under a 3.00 ERA, including Simon with a 2.56 ERA over 52.0 innings. Wilken sits at a 2.79 ERA over 47.2 innings. The pair combine for a 13-4 record and 73 strikeouts to just 33 walks.
TWIN MAGIC: There are currently 17 teams in Division I softball this season with a set of sisters on the roster. However, North Alabama is the only school among those teams with two sets of sisters — both of whom are twins.
Emily Simon and her sister Katie enter their second seasons with UNA, while
Haley Westhoven and
Lindsey Westhoven are true freshmen. Lindsey is a catcher, while Haley joins the Simon twins as a pitcher.
STREAKS: A few long hitting streaks ended against Ole Miss on Tuesday, including nine-game hit streaks for Hammons and Rouse and a seven-game hit streak from true freshman
Livy Huter, who has become a regular in the middle infield. However, all three are still riding long on-base streaks with Rouse at 18, Hammons at 17 and Huter at 15. Hammons has reached in 10 straight without help from a fielder's choice or error.
SCOUTING THE BEARS: Central Arkansas has an 18-8 record this season and ride a six-game win streak to Florence. Three of those six wins came against Louisiana-Monroe, while two came against Chattanooga. The other was against Tulsa. Five of the six — minus the last game at ULM — were played in Conway, Ark. Familiar face Addie Graham, a preseason all-conference selection, leads the offense with 32 hits and a .400 average. Graduate pitcher Bailie Runner is still at UCA and sports a 2.71 ERA in 54.1 innings.
COACHING CONNECTION: Following the retirement of Jenny Parsons this offseason, Kayla Lucas was promoted to head coach. She was previously an assistant on the UCA staff starting in 2021. Before that, she was the head coach for five seasons at Young Harris College. In her first season in 2016, Young Harris won 32 games to set a new NCAA-era program record. Meanwhile, UNA head coach
Ashley Cozart led the Lions to the Division II National Championship that season with a 60-7 record. One of the seven losses came to Lucas and Young Harris in Gulf Shores, snapping a 10-game win streak to open the season. This will be the first meeting between Cozart and Lucas as head coaches since that 2016 game.
SERIES HISTORY: Central Arkansas has a 19-12 record in the all-time series. The Bears have won seven straight in the series, sweeping both series in 2025 and winning a postseason meeting in 2024. UNA's last win over UCA came in Conway on April 14, 2024. The last time UNA won over the Bears in Florence was March 25, 2023.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
