LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock continues its seven-game home stand with the second installment of the Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Governor's I-40 Showdown against Central Arkansas. First pitch against the Bears has been moved up to 2 p.m. due to the expected inclement weather later in the day with the game streaming on ESPN+.
How Sweep It Is
Little Rock extended its winning streak to five games with a weekend sweep of UT Arlington at Gary Hogan Field. The Trojans never trailed in game one, taking a 5-1 victory, then rallied from three-run deficits in both the second and third games to earn a pair of walk-off wins against the Mavericks. Little Rock batted .304 against UTA, matching its season average, with the Trojan pitching staff holding the Mavericks to a 2.89 ERA.
Leading the League
Little Rock enters this week ranked first in the Sun Belt in batting average and 25th nationally, hitting .304 as a team. The Trojans also lead the league in double plays (28), double plays per game (1.00) and doubles per game (2.29), ranking in the top-25 nationally in each of those statistical categories.
Wright on Posey Watch List
Junior catcher Jake Wright was named to the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year watch list earlier this spring. Wright had a solid weekend against UT Arlington, batting .500 (5-of-10) with a pair of doubles and the walk-off home run in game three. Wright led the Trojans with score runs, boasting a 1.000 slugging percentage with a stolen base.
Depend on Smallwood
Sawyer Smallwood has been solid out of the bullpen for Little Rock this season, making appearances in all three games of the weekend series against UT Arlington. Smallwood earned the save in game one and the win in game two, allowing just two hits in 3.2 innings of work with six strikeouts. Smallwood leads the team with a 2.20 ERA in 15 appearances, ranking third on the team in innings pitched (28.2) and strikeouts (33).
Scouting the Bears
Central Arkansas enters Tuesday's game with a 13-17 overall mark and an 8-4 record in Atlantic Sun play, currently sitting tied for first in the league's West Division after a series win over Jacksonville State. As a team, Central Arkansas is batting .247 with a .352 slugging percentage, hitting 16 home runs with 39 doubles. On the mound, the Bears' pitching staff has a team ERA of 5.73, holding the opposition to a .270 batting average with 250 strikeouts in 263.2 innings.
Series History
Little Rock and Central Arkansas have met 52 times since 1979 with the Trojans holding a 30-22 edge in the series. The Bears have taken two-straight, winning in Conway in both 2021 (4-2) and 2022 (3-1) as the last eight meetings between the two teams have been decided by two runs or fewer. The Trojans are 17-10 against the Bears at Gary Hogan Field with head coach Chris Curry 7-9 against the in-state rivals.
Last We Met
Little Rock and Central Arkansas engaged in a pitcher's duel on March 9 at Bear Stadium in Conway as three runs in the first three innings proved to be all the Bears would need to hand the Trojans a 3-1 loss. Sawyer Smallwood was solid in relief for Little Rock, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing just two hits with six strikeouts, but the Trojan offense managed just six hits.
Five Things To Know
• Little Rock continues its seven-game home stand at Gary Hogan Field, sitting at 14-6 on its home turf this season. Through the first 28 games of the year, the Trojans have played 22 inside the state lines of Arkansas, including road games at Conway and Fayetteville.
• The 14 wins for the Trojans at Gary Hogan Field this season is the most for the program since winning 16 in 2019 as the Trojans have 12 scheduled home games remaining. Head coach Chris Curry is 101-77 (.567) during his career at Gary Hogan Field following the three-game sweep.
• The series sweep of UT Arlington was head coach Chris Curry's 43rd series victory during his Trojan career and the 29th in Sun Belt play.
• Little Rock remains one of the nation's top double play teams, turning six over the weekend including three in the series finale Sunday. The Trojans lead the Sun Belt in double plays this year with 28, and coupled with the league-best 43 in 2021, Little Rock has turned 71 over the past 79 games, averaging 0.9 per game.
• The Trojans have put together 21 "big" innings this season in which it has scored three or more runs. Little Rock scored a season-high 10 runs in the first inning against North Alabama (Mar. 13), scoring five or more runs in an inning on four separate occasions.
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