CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's softball team prepares for its third Atlantic Sun Conference series of the season when it faces Central Arkansas for a three-game series, Friday-Sunday, at Faris Field in Conway, Arkansas. Game 1 of the series is set for 6 p.m., Friday, and followed by 1 p.m. contests both Saturday and Sunday.
Austin Peay (20-13, 2-4 ASUN) is coming off a 7-2, Wednesday win at Murray State. Junior outfielder Brie Howard tallied her 16th and 17th home runs of the season in addition to her 52nd RBI of the season. Howard's 17 home runs this season are second all-time in a single season, while her 52 RBI are tied with Danielle Liermann – current APSU assistant coach and 2019 alumnae – for the most in a single season still with 20 games remaining in the regular season. On the season, Howard leads the ASUN and ranks fourth nationally in home runs, while her RBI also pace the league and ranks fifth in Division I.
Katie Raper follows Howard in home runs with 11, ranking fourth in the AUSN and 38th nationally. Raper's .761 slugging percentage is fifth in the conference and second on the team, trailing only Howard's program-record .870.
The Governors fell in their last ASUN series to North Alabama, 2-1, after taking Game 1 in five innings and dropping the following two.
Central Arkansas (21-13, 3-3 ASUN) sits one game ahead of the Govs in the ASUN Gold Division standings. In the Bears' last outing, they dropped an 11-2 decision at #9 Arkansas. Last weekend, the Bears won their first series of the ASUN slate against Lipscomb, 2-1. UCA earned 10-2 and 9-0 wins against the Bisons in game one and two, respectively, before dropping a 12-7 decision in the finale.
Central Arkansas enters the weekend series leading the ASUN in double plays (25, second in Division I), doubles (66, ninth in DI), fielding percentage (.975, 22nd in DI), on-base percentage, sacrifice flies, and triples (12, 15th in DI).
Last season, the Govs went 2-4 against UCA with one win across both series.
Following its games against the Bears, Austin Peay begins a seven-game home stretch, beginning with a three-game series against Bellarmine April 3-4, at Cathi Maynard Park.
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