Game Notes
Live Stats
The UNO softball team will host Nebraska in a single game at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Westside Field at Westbrook. The Mavs and Huskers will be meeting for the second and final time this year, as Nebraska beat UNO 2-1 in Lincoln on March 20. Live stats will be available at OMavs.com.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students, and gates will open at 5 p.m. UNO students get in free with their MavCard. The outfield grass berm will be open for fans to watch the game from for free, but a ticket must be purchased to use the facility's bathrooms and concession stands.
All parking is free at Westside Field at Westbrook. The main parking lot is just west of the field, but overflow parking is available east of the field at Westbrook Elementary School. Two ticket booths will be set up, one at the main entrance and one in right field for fans parking in the elementary school lot.
Series History
UNO leads the all-time series 21-16 since the Maverick program started in 1970. The first 36 games between the two programs came from 1970-82. The Huskers beat the Mavs on March 20, 2-1, in Lincoln. UNO held a 1-0 lead through three innings, but the Huskers scored twice in the fourth to take the lead.
Scouting Nebraska (26-16, 8-4 Big Ten)
The Huskers, who started the season at No. 20 in the NFCA Top 25 Poll, have won six of their last eight games. Nebraska is led by Gabby Banda, who is hitting .383 with 13 doubles and 35 runs scored. Ashley Guile hits .345, and Brooke Thomason is batting .330 with a team-high six home runs and 42 RBIs. Ashley Hagemann is the Husker ace with an 18-13 record and a 2.82 ERA. Hagemann has completed 25 of her 29 starts. In the last meeting between UNO and NU, Hagemann allowed four hits and one run.
Lutmerjack
Amber Lutmer hit back-to-back grand slams in an 11-0 win over South Dakota on April 4. Her eight RBIs in the game matched the school record, which has been reached four times in school history, most recently by Jenifer McDowell in 2007. Lutmer has hit nine home runs and has 24 RBIs in her last seven games. The sophomore has upped her team-leading home run total from two to 11 in the last two weeks and now ranks eighth in school history in career home runs with 22.
Mavs Among Nation's Best in ERA
Although UNO can't officially count in NCAA statistics because of its transition to Division I, the Mavericks would rank 10th nationally with a 1.41 ERA. Oklahoma leads the nation with a 0.80 ERA. Dana Elsasser ranks fifth nationally with a 1.10 ERA.
Leading After Four
When leading after four innings this year, the Mavericks are 17-0, a testament to the pitching staff's performance when playing with a lead. The Mavs have only lost once when leading after three innings. That came at Nebraska on March 20. UNO led 1-0 through three innings, but the Huskers came back to win, 2-1.
Mavs Clinch No. 2 Seed at Great West Conference Tournament
The Mavericks posted a 3-3 record at the Great West Conference Cluster, good for the second overall seed in the conference tournament to be played May 13-14 in Farmers Branch, Texas. Playing three doubleheaders in three days against the other conference teams, the Mavs came out with the second-best record in the group. Utah Valley went 5-1 to earn the top seed. Houston Baptist and North Dakota each went 2-4, with HBU taking the tiebreaker and the No. 3 seed. North Dakota will be the fourth seed. The conference tournament will be played like a double-elimination regional. UNO will play Houston Baptist in the first round. The Mavs swept Houston Baptist at the GWC Cluster, 5-0 and 3-2 (8 innings).
Mavs Aim for Third Different Conference Tournament Title in Five Years
In 2012, the Mavs 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.
Mavs' Young Pitching Staff Will Grow Up Quickly in 2012
As if jumping from Division II to Division I wasn't enough, UNO 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, drove out seven homers and had 13 doubles to rank second on the team. She also 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. All-MIAA honorable mention pick Ashley Lynch, Mollie Jones, Molly Negrete, Lindsay Redding and Emma Wright also return as veteran hitters from last season.
Injury Bug Bites Mavs
The Mavs will be without last year's starting shortstop and leading hitter, Molly Feichtinger, to begin the 2012 season. The senior is out indefinitely to recover from nagging offseason injuries. Feichtinger, the Mavs' leadoff hitter last year, had a team-best and MIAA-best .423 average and was an All-MIAA Second-Team and All-Region Second-Team selection.
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 this 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.
Mavs Picked Fourth in GWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
UNO was picked to finish fourth in the Great West Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The league's last two champions - Houston Baptist and North Dakota - shared the top spot in the rankings with 12 points apiece. Utah Valley came in third with 11 points, while newcomer UNO tallied five points in the poll. The Mavs will play one year in the Great West Conference before beginning Summit League play next season. The 2012 Great West Conference champion will be crowned at the GWC Softball Tournament held May 13-14, at Farmers Branch, Texas, 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 28, when Nebraska-Kearney visits for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. In all, UNO will host six opponents at its new digs, four of which will be doubleheaders. South Dakota will be the only Summit League foe the Mavericks host this year in a doubleheader on April 4.
Mavericks Add Six 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."
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.
Next Up
On Sunday, UNO concludes its home schedule with a 12 p.m. doubleheader against Great West Conference foe North Dakota. Sunday is Senior Day for the Mavericks. UNO will honor its six seniors between games.
