LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock enters the final week of the regular season, a stretch which includes four games against in-state opponents. The first of those four will be held Tuesday, May 15, as the Trojans head north of the Arkansas River to Dickey-Stephens Park, hosting Central Arkansas in the final game of the Rock 'N Roar rivalry.
The Trojans enter the week with an overall mark of 26-23 and will be looking to snap a three-game losing skid, dropping the series at 19th-ranked Coastal Carolina over the weekend. Central Arkansas enters Tuesday's game at 31-20 on the year.
Rock 'N Roar
Tuesday's game marks the final game of this year's Rock 'N Roar rivalry between the two schools and the first meeting since the second week of the season when the Trojans defeated the Bears 6-5 in 11 innings in Conway back on February 20. The two teams were scheduled to play game two of the series on April 3 at
Gary Hogan Field, but the game was rained out.
Trojans in the Midweeks
Tuesday's game at Dickey-Stephens marks Little Rock's final midweek game of the 2018 season, a stretch in which the Trojans have gone 6-5.
Nick Perez has been the Trojans' best performer during the week, batting .423 with four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI in midweek games this season.
Marcus Ragan has also experienced some success, batting .318 with six RBI and stealing eight of nine base attempts.
Kale Emshoff is batting .278 as well with
Troy Alexander (seven) and
Matt Merino (six) leading the Trojans in RBI in midweek games.
Hayden Arnold is scheduled to get the start for the Trojans in North Little Rock and looks to build on his impressive freshman campaign. The Rison native has appeared in 19 games with three starts, going 1-2 on the year with a 3.64 ERA, ranking fifth on the team. He has struck out 43 (fourth-best on the team) in 42.0 innings pitched, walking 20.
Last Time Out
Little Rock dropped three games at 19th-ranked Coastal Carolina over the weekend, slipping to second in the Sun Belt West Division. Little Rock's pitching had strong showings against the league-leading Chanticleers, holding Coastal to just 11 runs in three games, but the Chanticleer pitching was up to the task as well, limiting the Trojans to just four runs over the three-game span.
Coastal Carolina pulled away late for a 4-0 win in game one Friday, then raced out to an early 5-1 lead in game two before holding off a late Trojan run to take the 6-4 decision. Game three was a defensive struggle as the Chanticleers scored one in the seventh, breaking through the scoreless tie and outlasting the Trojans for a 1-0 victory.
Scouting the Bears
Central Arkansas has put together an impressive season thus far in 2018, sitting at 31-20 overall and 17-10 in the Southland Conference, currently sitting third in the conference. The Bears have lost their last two games, falling at home to Southeastern Louisiana, but won the previous eight leading games heading into the series.
As a team, UCA is batting .291 with six players batting .300 or better, led by Hunter Strong's .359 average with 18 doubles, five home runs and 43 RBI. Coby Potvin is batting .339 for the Bears with 18 RBI while Rigo Aguilar is right behind at .330 with 37 RBI on 60 hits.
Tyler Smith ranks second on the team with 41 RBI, aided by six home runs, with Josh Somdecerff and Keaton Presley both holding the team lead with seven home runs. On the mound, the Bears boast a 4.14 ERA, limiting the opposition batting average to .264. Gavin Stone is projected to get the start for UCA, registering a 1-2 record and a 5.89 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched this season.
The Home Stretch
Following the annual game at Dickey-Stephens Park Tuesday, the Trojans prepare for the final Sun Belt Conference series of the 2018 season, hosting rival Arkansas State at
Gary Hogan Field. The series against the Red Wolves gets underway Thursday, May 17, at 6 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. first pitch Friday and a 1 p.m. start Saturday in the regular season finale.
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