Game Notes
Live Stats

    The UNO softball team will finish its home slate with Senior Day on Sunday, as the Mavericks host North Dakota in a doubleheader at 12 p.m. at Westside Field at Westbrook. The Mavs will honor their six seniors - Molly Feichtinger, Katelyn Hinton, Mollie Jones, Lauren Larson, Ashley Lynch and Emma Wright - between games. Live stats will be available at OMavs.com.
    Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students, and gates will open at 11 a.m. UNO students get in free with their MavCard. 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.   
 
Series History
    UNO leads the all-time series 43-4, but North Dakota has won all three games the teams have played this year. UND took two games from the Mavericks on March 25 at the Great West Conference Cluster, 3-0 and 6-4. In game one of that doubleheader, UND's Emma Gronseth stifled the Maverick bats to two hits, and in game two UND built a 6-0 lead through two innings and held off a late Maverick comeback attempt.

Scouting North Dakota (17-24, 2-4)
    The Fighting Sioux have been on a roll since sweeping the Mavericks on March 25. Starting with that doubleheader, North Dakota is 9-1 in its last 10 games entering this weekend's games at South Dakota and at UNO. Prior to March 25, North Dakota was 8-23 and had lost nine in a row. Now, North Dakota has won five straight over Division I teams - one against South Dakota State and two each against South Dakota and Green Bay. Kenna Olsen is the top hitter with a .414 average, four home runs and 25 RBIs. Emma Gronseth has a 6.25 ERA and 6-5 record, and Michelle Frank has a 4.52 ERA and an 8-12 record.    

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 eight games. The sophomore has upped her team-leading home run total from two to 11 in the last three 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 ninth nationally with a 1.39 ERA. Oklahoma leads the nation with a 0.92 ERA. Dana Elsasser ranks second nationally with a 0.90 ERA. Elsasser has allowed just one earned run in her last four starts.

Hot Bats
    In the eight games since UNO lost twice to North Dakota, the Mavs have hit .315 at the plate and have outscored opponents 49-11. Amber Lutmer is leading the way with 12 hits - nine of them home runs - and a .545 average. Molly Negrete is hitting .435 since the GWC Cluster, and Lauren Larson is hitting .385.

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.

2012 GWC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rk.    Team (First-place votes)    Points
T1.     Houston Baptist (1)    12
T1.     North Dakota (1)    12
3.     Utah Valley (2)    11
4.     Nebraska Omaha    5

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
    The Mavericks will travel to play South Dakota in a Tuesday doubleheader at 2 p.m.