CONWAY -- Central Arkansas enters the Southland Conference Tournament today at Bear Stadium as the league's hottest team, winning six consecutive to close the regular season.
Bryce Biggerstaff is a big part of the reason why.
UCA's senior right-hander was 3-5 with a 6.43 ERA after losing to Northwestern (La.) State on April 25, but he has rebounded in May. Biggerstaff has allowed 2 runs over 26 innings in his past 3 starts, all compete-game victories.
His first two May starts came at Bear Stadium, where he gave up 1 run on 10 hits and struck out 6 in a 2-1 victory over Oral Roberts in 10 innings May 2 and 1 run on 3 hits with 6 strikeouts in a 9-1 victory over Incarnate Word on May 10. In his final regular-season start, Biggerstaff didn't allow a run while scattering 4 hits and striking out 3 in a 14-0 seven-inning victory May 15 in New Orleans.
UCA's six-game winning streak earned the Bears the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament. The Bears (29-21) face No. 3 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (30-25) at 7 p.m. today in the opening round.
"He's stepped up when we've needed him the most," Coach Allen Gum said. "These last three starts have been really, really consistent. He's thrown great. He competes and gets the big outs.
"If it wasn't for him, I don't know if we would be in this position right now."
Biggerstaff, a former Central Arkansas Christian standout, was the Bears' Sunday starter last season behind Caleb McClanahan and Jeffery Enloe. He went 6-5 with a 3.01 ERA, striking out 60 and walking 19 in 107 2/3 innings, and threw a no-hitter against Jackson State.
Being part of a rotation with McClanahan and Enloe was beneficial for Biggerstaff, a third-team All-Southland selection who is 6-5 with a 2.89 ERA this season.
"They were two stud pitchers," said Biggerstaff, who transferred to UCA in 2011 from NCAA Division II Southern Arkansas, where Gum coached before coming to Conway. "Just watching those guys, the way they competed on Friday and Saturday, it was unbelievable how they worked hitters."
Biggerstaff was UCA's winning pitcher in an Southland Tournament elimination game last season against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi en route to the school's first conference championship. He also earned a victory in relief against Mercer in the NCAA Tournament as the Bears went on to lose to regional host Mississippi State in the championship game.
"He knows how to pitch," Gum said. "He knows how to win and comes up with big pitches at the right time. He's fearless on the mound."
The winner of today's game will face Nicholls State or McNeese State at 7 p.m. Thursday, while the losers of those games will face each other at noon. UCA is on the opposite side of the bracket that features No. 1 seed Sam Houston State (40-15), which is ranked No. 25 in this week's Baseball America poll.
Biggerstaff is confident in his team's chances of repeating as tournament champions.
"We like the side of the bracket we're on," Biggerstaff said. "We like our chances against anybody."
UCA is hosting the Southland Tournament for the first time in school history. The Bears are 18-7 at Bear Stadium this season, with Biggerstaff compiling a 4-2 record at home.
Biggerstaff hopes being at home will be to UCA's advantage.
"We're going to have our fans here. We love that," he said. "We get to sleep in our own beds at night. It's a lot better than having to be on the road."
Southland Tournament
WHEN Today-Saturday WHERE Bear Stadium, Conway RADIO KUCA-FM, 91.3, in Conway (UCA games only) WEBSITE southland.org
TICKETS All-Tournament pass $35 adults, $25 children (ages 3-12). Single day pass $14 adults, $10 children. Southland Conference students admitted free with student ID. Tickets available at UCA Ticket Office, by phone at (501) 852-2234 and online at ucasports.com/tickets
TODAY’S GAMES No. 5 SE Louisiana (33-23) vs. No. 4 NW (La.) St. (31-24), 9 a.m. No. 8 Lamar (31-23) vs. No. 1 Sam Houston St. (40-15), noon No. 7 McNeese St. (28-26) vs. No. 2 Nicholls St. (32-24), 4 p.m. No. 6 UCA (29-21)vs. No. 3 TAMU-Corpus Christi (30-25), 7 p.m.
Sports on 05/21/2014