The Basics
Game 16
Oral Roberts (7-8, 0-0) vs. Central Arkansas (9-7, 0-0)
Date: March 10, 6:00 PM
Location: Bear Stadium (Conway, AR)
Live Stats: UCA Athletics
Video: ESPN+
 
TULSA, Oklahoma – The Oral Roberts baseball team is set to continue nonconference play at Central Arkansas Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m.
 
Fans can watch the action live on ESPN+ or follow updates on X at @ORUBASE.
 
Last Time Out:
The Golden Eagles are coming off a series win over Arkansas State, taking both games of a doubleheader on Saturday, including a 14-inning, 3-2 series-opening win.
 
Martell Davis led the team with a .357 average, putting up five hits, including two doubles, over the three-game series. Kole Dudding, Hudson Ellis, and Matthew Mainord also added to the extra-base hitting with a double apiece. Dudding also stood out with a three-run go-ahead homer to give the Golden Eagles a 4-3 win.
 
Easton Teel started and threw 6.0 innings in game one for the Golden Eagles, allowing just one run while striking out five batters. Jack Hill picked up a save in game two against A-State, throwing 2.0 shutout innings.
 
Pitching Matchup:  
RHP Luke Puffinbarger (0-0 / 10.12 ERA / 2.2 IP) vs. RHP Patrick Fernandez (1-1 / 7.63 ERA / 15.1 IP)
 
Inside the Series:
In a series dating back to 2007, the Golden Eagles hold a 13-3 record over Central Arkansas. The two last met in 2022, with ORU winning 8-7 in Tulsa.
 
Scouting the Opponent:
Central Arkansas is currently 9-7 on the season, defeating Vanderbilt 5-4 in Nashville before falling to Little Rock 2-1 in a three-game series.
 
UCA took game one against the Trojans 7-1 before falling 8-2 and 7-2 in games two and three.
 
Projected starter Patrick Fernandez, a transfer from Los Angeles Pierce College, has appeared in four games this season, starting three. Last month, the right-hander picked up a win against Northwestern State after throwing 6.0 innings, striking out seven batters while allowing three runs.
 
Offensively, the Bears are led by Nate Negre's .365 batting average. Negre currently ranks second in the ASUN and is 23rd nationally with two triples. Zeb Allen leads the team with 23 hits, fourth in the ASUN, and has seven stolen bases.
 
As a team, the Bears have a .259 batting average with 83 runs on 140 hits, including 23 doubles, five triples, and 13 home runs. They have recorded 16 double plays and have a .974 team fielding percentage.
 
Head coach Nick Harlan has built a 499-342 career record, including a 102-132 mark over five seasons with the Bears.
 
Dudding Dingers
Kole Dudding made an impact early this season, entering to pinch-hit against then-#6 Arkansas. The redshirt sophomore hit a home run more than 400 feet over the left-field wall for his first hit of the season.
 
Following his blast against the Razorbacks, Dudding found a spot in the lineup in the three-game series against Arkansas State, where he hit a go-ahead three-run homer to win game two, 4-3.
 
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