BASEBALL
Bonfield named to SEC preseason team
Arkansas junior outfielder Luke Bonfield was named to the All-SEC preseason baseball team Thursday.
Bonfield was a second-team selection last season, batting .304 with 8 home runs and a team-leading 39 RBI.
The SEC also released its coaches' preseason poll Thursday. Arkansas was picked to finish fifth in the SEC West, receiving 27 points. LSU was tabbed to win the West, earning 13 of the division's 14 first-place votes, and received 72 points. Texas A&M had the other first-place vote from the West. Mississippi and Mississippi State were picked to finish third and fourth in the West, respectively, while Alabama and Auburn were tied for sixth.
The coaches picked Florida to win the SEC East Division. Florida received 70 points and 10 first-place votes. South Carolina earned four first-place votes and 61 points. Rounding out the East Division preseason poll were Vanderbilt (third), Georgia and Kentucky (tie for fourth), Tennessee (sixth) and Missouri (seventh).
Tickets remain for UALR banquet
The UALR baseball team has tickets available for its First Pitch Banquet to be held at 6:30 p.m. today at the Jack Stephens Center.
Guest speaker for the event will be Walt Coleman, an NFL referee whose family has donated 10 acres of land near UALR's campus on which the school plans to build a new baseball field. A 10-acre property previously donated by the family is the current site of the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex, where the school's soccer and track and field teams compete.
Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by calling (501) 565-8257.
UALR went 26-28 last season and finished third in the Sun Belt standings. This year, the Trojans were picked in a poll of conference coaches to finish third in the Sun Belt West Division.
FOOTBALL
Episcopal Collegiate hires Carter
Episcopal Collegiate hired Michael Carter this week as its new football coach.
Carter replaces Richie Marsh, who stepped down last month. Marsh will still coach baseball at the Little Rock private school.
Episcopal Collegiate finished 1-9 in 2016, with its victory coming because Rose Bud forfeited on Sept. 30.
Carter coached at Conway Christian from 2011-2016, leading the Eagles to a 9-3 record and a second-round Class 2A playoff appearance last season. He was previously at DeWitt and Baptist Prep (then Arkansas Baptist) as a head coach and an assistant at Little Rock Christian.
-- Jeremy Muck
SOFTBALL
UCA loses season opener
Central Arkansas committed five errors and left nine runners on base in a 9-3 loss to South Alabama on Thursday night in Mobile, Ala.
Kayla Gomness (0-1) allowed 5 earned runs in 42/3 innings while walking 2 and striking out 4. Ellie Reaves relieved her in the fifth inning, giving up one earned run and striking out one.
Kate Myers and Lauren Brooks each had an RBI single for the Bears. Jessie Hoover recorded a sacrifice fly.
Sports on 02/10/2017