FLORENCE, Ala. (April 1, 2026) – The University of North Alabama baseball team brings Central Arkansas to Florence for the second conference weekend at Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium.
  
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast. The Thursday night game is streamed through ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray and his partner, Greg Larnerd. The Friday and Saturday games will be streamed through Roar Lions Productions with Grant Wakefield on the call.

North Alabama vs Central Arkansas – Military and First Responders Day
Thursday, April 2, 2026
7 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
 
North Alabama vs Central Arkansas – Furry Friend Friday and BLACK OUT
Friday, April 3, 2026
4:00 p.m.
Live Stats |Radio | Tickets
 
North Alabama vs Central Arkansas – Faith and Family Night and Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 4, 2026
1 p.m.
Live Stats | Radio | Tickets

NOTES
  
THE RUNDOWN: The UNA baseball team fell in seven innings to UAB at Young Memorial Field by a score of 10-0 on Tuesday. North Alabama had two hits for the game from Dylan Coleman and Will Millard. This is the lowest hit total for the season and only the second shutout in 2026.  Hunter Bell made his season debut today as he opened the first two innings, allowing a single hit and one run in seven batters faced. Luke Davenport, a typical weekend starter, made his first appearance out of the pen this season with an inning of work in the fourth. He allowed only one hit and struck out one batter during his time on the hill. Nash Rippen extended his on-base streak to 25 games after being hit by a pitch in at-bat, while Will Millard's streak extends to 23 games with his hit.
 
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 30th through 32nd all-time meetings between the two programs dating back to 1982. Since then, UNA is 15-14 in this matchup, going 9-2 before the Division I transition. The Lions had never won a game in Conway until last season when UNA swept them to end the season. Before 2025, the Lions had one win over Central Arkansas which came in 2022 in Florence, Ala. After the five wins over Central Arkansas last season, the Lions raised their Division I win total to six.

SCOUTING THE BEARS: Central Arkansas enters this series with a 14-15 record with one conference series win against Bellarmine. So far, the Bears have seen EKU, Bellarmine and Austin Peay in divisional play. The last two conference series have been played at Bear Stadium in Conway with UCA earning an 8-0 shutout over the Govs this past Saturday before falling in the deciding game on Sunday. This past week, pitcher Denver Hamilton was chosen as the ASUN Pitcher of the Week for his heroics against APSU. The Bears are 4-8 away from Conway with but has a notable win over Vanderbilt in Nashville, 5-4.
 
CLOSE QUARTERS: The Bears enter the game with a 4-5 conference record, while North Alabama owns a 5-4 record — a game's difference. UNA sits in third place in the Gold Division while UCA sits in fourth. The Lions have sat as high as first place this season while the Bears have steadily climbed into fourth. Last season, UNA took five games from UCA which was imperative to making the ASUN Tournament for the first time in school history. On the final weekend of play, the Lions held a 13-14 conference record while the Bears had a 12-15 record. UNA swept UCA to solidify their place as the third seed in the ASUN Postseason Tournament.
 
WALK-OFF WARRIORS: Last season as Mike D. Lane Field was under construction, the Lions played the opening conference series in Birmingham at Young Memorial Field against Central Arkansas. The Lions went 2-1 for the series but both wins came in walk-off fashion thanks to Petey Craska in game one and Leighton Jenkins in game three – both hits sailed over the Bears' centerfielder to score the winning run. The Lions have one walk-off in this season, thanks to Petey Craska in the Friday, March 20 win over EKU.
 
PROMOTIONS: North Alabama has a slew of promotions happening for the weekend series with Central Arkansas. On Thursday, the Lions are granting free admission to all active and former Military and First Responders with their ID or badge. On Friday, fans can bring their favorite paws to the park for Furry Friend Friday and join UNA in wearing black for the game. Lastly, Saturday's game is Faith and Family Night, and the team will also host an Easter Egg Hunt post-game on the field with over 1,000 eggs to be found.
 
UP NEXT: After the short week, the Lions will host UT Martin on Tuesday for the fourth consecutive game at Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium at 4 p.m. That game serves as Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.