Lions Baseball (30-18, 13-8 SLC) returned to action Friday, May 3 on the road against Central Arkansas for a three-game Southland Conference series after being rained out of a match against Tulane last Tuesday.
Losing two of three matches versus the Green Wave earlier in the season, the team was ready to face Tulane again but felt prepared for a series win at UCA, putting them one step closer to the contest for the conference title.
“I think any time you get a chance to play it’s going to better you because you can always learn from every game that you play in,” said Jameson Fisher, freshman catcher/infielder. “As far as being ready, I think we’re going to be as ready as we were even if we would’ve played Tulane, but getting the opportunity to play Tulane, I feel like we could have learned a few more things. I feel like we’re definitely prepared. Anytime you go away you have a lot of time on the road to think about the weekend’s goals. You get the chance to walk into somebody’s field and somebody’s home and upset them, which always presents an exciting challenge.”
With three weekends of conference play left, the Lions are optimistic about eliminating mistakes and earning the conference title and the opportunity to compete in the SLC tournament.
“There are some things that we need to improve on but we’re working hard now, and it’s a good time to start to figure those things out,” said Alex Marse senior infielder. ” We’re only one game behind first and we’ve got three weekends left. Three big weekends that we’re tied with so if things start clicking it will be a great time for us to come hot and win the conference championship.”
The Lions gained victories in the first two games of the series against the Bears, but fell short one run in the final game of the series losing 1-2.
Head coach Jay Artigues noted the challenges of playing on the road and the importance of the win for the Lions.  
“I was really proud of our guys this weekend,” said Artigues. “Central Ark[ansas] is a tough place to play and winning the series was big for us. It’s always a challenge playing on the road.”
As the season winds down, the Lions will work to gain consistency and prepare for the conference championship and SLC tournament.
“We come out every day; we work on everything,” said Jordan Hymel, senior pitcher. “We have great hitting; we have good pitching and good defense. We’ve just got to put it all together, trust in the system, stay positive and that’s what’s going to keep us on top.”
Artigues expressed excitement in the final conference series of the season including Sam Houston State, which will determine the conference champions, followed by McNeese State.
“We’re definitely excited about the home stretch of our conference season,” said Artigues. “Sitting one game out of first place we know the opportunity we have in front of us. Series like these will help prepare us for the SLC tournament. We’re excited and anxious for the series.”
The upcoming games of the season will be broadcast live on KSLU 90.9 FM. For a recap of the series at Central Arkansas, information and stats, visit www.lionsports.net.