Game Notes
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RAMADA INN UNI-DOME CLASSIC
Location: Ames, Iowa 
Complex: Bergstrom Indoor Training Facility 
Hosts: Northern Iowa/Iowa State

    The UNO softball team will begin its first season of Division I play at the Ramada Inn UNI-Dome Classic in Ames, Iowa this weekend. The tournament had originally been scheduled to be played at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Northern Iowa's campus, but a mechanical failure in the dome forced the tournament to be moved to Ames. The Mavericks will play four games on the weekend, starting with an 8 a.m. game against Green Bay on Saturday. UNO will then play Valparaiso at 10 a.m. on Saturday, before finishing up with North Dakota and Northern Iowa on Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. The tournament is closed to the public due to construction on Iowa State's campus.

Mavs Aim for Third Different Conference Tournament Title in Five Years
    In 2012, the UNO Maverick softball team will have a rare opportunity to capture a third conference tournament title in the last five years playing in three different conferences. That's because the Mavs - who won a Division II North Central Conference title in 2008 and a Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association title in 2011 - will spend one year in the four-team Great West Conference before moving on to The Summit League in 2013. The Mavs will get their chance at the Great West Conference Tournament on May 13-14 in Farmers Branch, Texas. Before then, the Mavericks will make the most of their first year as a Division I softball program, beginning with four Division I tournaments in a five-week span.
    UNO travels to the Ramada Inn UNI-Dome Classic in Ames, Iowa (Feb. 11-12), the Hornet Invitational in Montgomery, Ala. (Feb. 17-18), the Coastal Carolina Tournament in Conway, S.C. (March 2-4) and the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. (March 11-15).

Great West Conference Welcomes UNO for 2012 Season
    The University of Nebraska Omaha softball program has accepted a one-year invitation to join the Great West Conference as an associate member for the 2012 season. The Mavericks, in the midst of reclassifying from NCAA Division II to the Division I Summit League, will be a part of the four-team Great West Conference for one year before beginning Summit League regular-season conference play in 2013.
    “We are very excited to be able to play in the Great West Conference this upcoming season,” Head Coach Jeanne Scarpello said. “This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes to not only be able to compete for a trophy next season, but also to earn weekly and all-conference awards. Although we won't be able to battle for a spot in the NCAA Tournament this year, we are thrilled that our great class of seniors will have a chance to end their careers in a competitive tournament atmosphere.”
    UNO joins Houston Baptist, North Dakota and Utah Valley in the Great West Conference for softball. The Mavs replace South Dakota, who left the GWC after the 2011 season to begin regular-season conference play in The Summit League in 2012. The four teams will all gather in Farmers Branch, Texas, on March 23-25, 2012, for an event in which each team will play the other three teams to determine seeding for the GWC Softball Championship, which will take place May 13-14 in Farmers Branch, hosted by Houston Baptist.

New Division, New Conference, New Home
    In addition to the jump to Division I and the one-year contract with the Great West Conference, the Mavericks will also call a new ballpark home in 2012. The Mavs will begin play at the brand new Westside Field at Westbrook on March 20, when Nebraska visits for a 3 p.m. game. In all, UNO will host six opponents at its new digs, four of which will be doubleheaders. South Dakota and North Dakota will be the only Summit League foes the Mavericks host this year, doubleheaders on April 4 and 22, respectively.

Mavs' Young Pitching Staff Will Grow Up Quickly in 2012
    As if jumping from Division II to Division I wasn't enough, the UNO softball team will also have to replace two All-American pitchers who graduated after the 2011 season - Beth Haley and Lindsey Slocum - UNO's Nos. 1 and 2 options for the past two seasons. Early on, the Mavs' will turn to their lone returner, sophomore Dana Elsasser. The Hershey, Neb., native was 10-1 last year with a 1.18 ERA. Elsasser threw four shutouts and completed seven of her 12 starts. The Mavs added two new pitching prospects in the offseason in junior college transfer Ashton Hughes (Western Nebraska Community College) and freshman Kat Barrow (Kearney, Mo.). The trio will replace Haley and Slocum, who combined for a 37-10 record last year and 82.2 percent of the Mavs' innings pitched.

Offensive Firepower Returns for UNO
    Senior catcher Lauren Larson will lead the way offensively after hitting .320 last year and knocking 10 home runs out. Larson was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year as well with a .977 fielding percentage behind the plate. The Mavs will also lean on Katelyn Hinton and Amber Lutmer at the plate. Hinton hit .288 last year and drove out seven home runs and had 13 doubles to rank second on the team and scored a team-high 40 runs. Hinton was a second-team All-MIAA selection last season, as was Lutmer, who led the Mavs in home runs as a true freshman with 11 and in RBIs with 42. Lutmer finished with a .312 batting average. Emma Wright, Molly Negrete, Lindsay Redding and Mollie Jones also return as veterans from last season.

Injury Bug Bites Mavs
    The Mavs will be without last year's starting middle infield to begin the season. Senior shortstop Molly Feichtinger, the Mavs' leading hitter last year with a .423 batting average, has battled nagging offseason injuries and will be out of the lineup indefinitely to start the season. Senior Ashley Lynch, the Mavs' starting second baseman last year, is recovering from an offseason arm injury and her return date is also uncertain.

Mavericks Add Five New Talents in 2012
    Six student-athletes are new to the UNO program this season. Kat Barrow (RHP, Kearney, Mo.), Mara Eeman (OF, Ralston, Neb.), Lindsay Gilliland (OF, Liberty, Mo.), Tonya Peterson (IF, Omaha, Neb.) and Kiley Thalken (IF, Bennington, Neb.) will all join the team as freshmen. In addition, junior college transfer Ashton Hughes (RHP, Regina, Saskatchewan) will be a first-year Maverick in 2012.
    “Not only are these six players athletic, but they are also quality students in the classroom,” Scarpello said. “We look forward to working with all of these young ladies. They all have strong work ethics along with a strong desire to win. They are a perfect fit to keep the winning tradition here at UNO going and take us to another level. We believe that each of these players has the potential and ability to make a strong impact in their first year as Mavericks, and we feel very fortunate that they have chosen to play for UNO.”

Bright Future Ahead with 2013 Signing Class
    University of Nebraska Omaha softball head coach Jeanne Scarpello has signed seven recruits to national letters of intent to join the Mavericks in the 2012-13 school year. All seven of the Maverick signees are high school seniors, representing Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
    “We're very excited to be bringing in seven quality student-athletes,” Scarpello said. “With this being our first Division I signing class, we wanted to find high-caliber players that will compete hard and help us battle for Summit League titles down the road. All of the girls come from successful high school or club teams, and they will all bring a competitive attitude to our team. They will be a great fit at UNO, and we believe that each one has the potential to make a big impact for us.”
    The Mavs picked up four signees from their home state. Tania Carroll and Bailey Schulenberg, state champion teammates at Lincoln Southwest, will bring their all-state credentials to the Maverick outfield. Sydney Hames, an all-state product of Bennington, will join the Mavericks, as will Yutan native Tara Trede, who broke numerous school records at Bishop Neumann High School.
    UNO also picked up three out-of-state recruits. Kansas City, Kan., native Jesslyn Buie was a standout hitter and starting pitcher at Saint James Academy, and she will join fellow Kansan Campbell Ditto, of Wamego, who was homeschooled through high school but brings an impressive resume of athletic accomplishments. The final member of the class is Kayla Wyatt, a pitcher from Purcell, Okla. Wyatt is Purcell High School's all-time winningest pitcher with a 90-18 record and 16 career no-hitters.