HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana softball team will celebrate Senior Day in conjunction with a three-game Southland Conference series versus Central Arkansas at North Oak Park.
 
The series between the Lady Lions (26-17, 12-6 Southland) and the visiting Bears (21-23, 7-11 Southland) opens with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Friday and concludes on Saturday at noon. Live stats and video (LionVision subscription required) for the series will be accessible at www.LionSports.net.
 
Prior to Saturday's game, SLU will honor the senior class of Caitlyn VanHemelryck, Rebecca Skains and Jaquelyn Ramon, as well as student assistant William Hess. A crawfish boil will be held after the game ($5 per person – alumni eat free).
 
"We're proud of the way Caitlyn has battled it out throughout her career," Southeastern head coach Rick Fremin said. "Ramon was our first recruit when I got here and she's gone above and beyond in doing everything we asked of her. Rebecca is the heart of our lineup and has filled a big role for us this season. I'm proud of all three of them and they'll be missed."
 
Southeastern is tied for fourth in the league standings heading into the series, while UCA is in eighth place. The Lady Lions need two wins, a win and a Houston Baptist loss or two HBU losses to secure a spot in next month's Southland Conference Tournament.
 
The Lady Lions opened the week's action with a doubleheader sweep of Jackson State on Tuesday. Southeastern earned a pair of 7-0 victories in the sweep, as Karlee Kraft, Ali McCoy and VanHemelryck combined for the sixth no-hitter in program history in the nightcap.
 
This weekend's series features the top hitting teams in the Southland Conference, as SLU leads the league with a .318 batting average, compared to UCA's .297 batting average. Ramon leads the Lady Lions with a .369 batting average, a league-high 40 runs and 24 walks. Caroline Manzer (.361), Skains (.361), Ella Manzer (.360), Madisen Blackford (.341), Mima Doucet (.333), Lindsey Rizzo (.327) and McCoy (.323) are the plus-.300 hitters in the SLU lineup.
 
UCA counters with five plus-.300 regulars, led by Libby Morris (.368), who also paces the squad with nine home runs and 41 RBI. Kayla Crutchmer (.365), Cylla Hill (.346), Kaylyn Shepherd (.341) and Erin Blackburn (.338) are the Bears other top hitters.
 
Skains leads Southeastern with 17 doubles and 40 RBI, while Madisen Blackford has a team-high four home runs. Bobbi Smith sits atop the Southland leaderboard with five triples.
 
The Lady Lions will be looking to add to their Southland single-season record and Division I-leading total of 189 stolen bases. Ramon's 54 stolen bases leads the nation and the Channelview, Texas native is currently 10^th in Division I history with 175 career steals. UCA features two of the league's stolen base leaders in Crutchmer (33) and Oakley Sizemore (20).
 
Both teams have deep pitching staffs, as both the Lady Lions (2.85 team earned run average) and Central Arkansas (3.83 ERA) have used eight different pitchers in 2019. Both staffs also have unquestioned aces, as SLU's Alley McDonald (10-5, 1.88 ERA, 1 save) and Rio Sanchez of UCA (8-8, 2.72 ERA) have been the leaders of their respective staffs.
 
Tanner Wright (5-5, 2.98 ERA), Sophie Hannabas (5-4, 3.97 ERA, 1 save) and Kraft (4-0, 1.88 ERA) are the other primary arms for Southeastern. Jordan Johnson (3-1, 4.11 ERA), Kamryn Coleman (3-5, 3.33 ERA), Rachel Haberman (3-4, 4.64 ERA), Ellie Reaves (1-3, 4.16 ERA, 2 saves) and Kailla Searcy (3-2, 4.25 ERA) have all seen significant action in the circle for the Lady Lions.
 
This weekend's series marks the end of an eight-game home stand for the Lady Lions. On Tuesday, SLU closes out non-conference play with a 3 p.m. contest at Southern.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Softball, follow @SLUlionsoftball on Twitter and Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
 
HOME RUN CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the softball program are encouraged to join the Home Run Club. Lady Lion softball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Home Run Club and S Club (softball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern softball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events (softball, baseball, football and basketball), effective with the start of the 2018 football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.