OMAHA, Neb. – A Tuesday doubleheader at Wichita State kicks off a busy week for the Omaha softball team.  Omaha and Wichita State will play two games beginning at 3:00 p.m. Links for live stats and audio will be made available on OMavs.com.  The Mavericks will then return to Summit League action on Friday and Saturday against South Dakota State in Brookings, South Dakota.

Leading off for Omaha

• As a team, the Mavericks are batting .249 on the season, but own a .259 average in Summit League play.
• Omaha is off to its best home start since starting the transition to Division I status in 2011-12 at 6-2.
• UNO has outscored its opponents 134-110 this season which ranks fourth overall in league play.  Among its 16 wins this season, Omaha has recorded four run-rule victories, five come-from-behind wins and two decisions in its favor in extra innings.
• Omaha has smashed 28 homeruns this season and allowed only 13.
• Head coach Jeanne Scarpello is two wins away from earning her 650th career victory in 16 seasons of leading the Maverick program.

D.Y.K.?  (Did You Know?)

1.      Despite going 0-1 last week, pitcher Kat Barrow pitched 11.2 innings with a 0.60 ERA and nine strikeouts.

2.      Pitcher Jaylee Hinrichs was 1-1 last week with a 2.25 ERA with nine strikeouts.  She pitched a complete game shut-out against NDSU on Saturday.  It was the first time in 30 games that the Bison were held without a run.

3.      Freshman Megan May hit .429 over three games last week with a double and a homerun and two RBIs.

4.      Lizzie Noble hit .444 against NDSU over the weekend with a homerun and four RBI.

5.      Nicole Warren had a homerun and two RBIs over the weekend against the Bison.

About the Mavericks

Omaha hits the road for five games this week, including a weekend affair with Summit League foe South Dakota State.  The Mavericks wrapped up their first home stand of the season with a 6-2 mark. 

Three Mavericks are hitting above .300 and senior Allie Mathewson leads the offensive charge with a .307 average.  Mathewson also leads the Mavericks in runs scored (24), hits (31), total bases (52), slugging percent (.515), and stolen bases (10).  Lia Mancuso is right behind Mathewson with a .306 average and five stolen bases.  Tonya Peterson clocks in with a .304 average with a team high 21 RBIs.  Campbell Ditto leads the squad with six homeruns, while Nicole Warren has five on the season.  Mathewson and Peterson are also one-two in slugging percentage.  Lizzie Noble has 19 RBIs this season, while Ditto has 17.

Collectively, the Mavericks are hitting .249 with 29 doubles, four triples, 28 homeruns and 128 RBIs.  Omaha has a .410 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332.  UNO is 33-for-38 in stolen base attempts and has drawn a total of 77 walks.  The Mavericks' pitching staff has posted a 2.93 ERA, good for the third-lowest mark in the league, in 198 innings of work while striking out 140 and allowing 63 walks.  In the circle, Omaha has five shut-outs and threw back-to-back shutouts against Fort Wayne on March 21-22.

Mastering the Summit

• Catcher Campbell Ditto is sixth in the Summit League with six homeruns and second in walks with 18.
• Allie Mathewson is seventh in the league with 24 runs scored, eighth in homeruns with five, seventh in stolen bases with 10, and tenth with 30 hits.
• Tonya Peterson leads the league with 20 walks and is seventh in the league with 21 RBIs.
• Lizzie Noble has 19 RBIs this season, which ranks ninth in the Summit League overall stats.
• Pitcher Kat Barrow has an overall ERA of 1.66, which leads the Summit League.  She also owns a 0.26 in-conference ERA, which also leads the league.
• Barrow ranks third in games won (7) and complete games (10).  She is fourth in the league with 71 strikeouts.
• Pitcher Jaylee Hinrichs is third in the league with seven wins and three shut-outs on the season.  Hinrichs ranks seventh in the league with 52 strikeouts.

Series Information

This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Omaha and Wichita State.  The Mavericks own a perfect 3-0 mark against the Shockers. 

Last season, UNO defeated Wichita State 5-4 in eight innings at Westside Field at Westbrook.  Amber Lutmer hit a bases-loaded walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth allowing Lia Mancuso to score for a 5-4 win over Wichita State.

A Look at the Shockers

Wichita State has a 17-18 overall record and a 2-7 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.  In the last ten games, the Shockers own a 2-8 record.

The Shockers feature four players who are batting over .300, including Brittany Fortner who owns a .409 average this season.  Fortner is tied for the team lead with 11 doubles, six home runs, and 26 RBIs.  She also owns a .691 slugging percentage.  Cacy Williams is batting .306 with six homers and 22 RBIs, while Liz Broyles is hitting .350 and 26 RBIs.  In the circle, Katie Malone owns a team best 9-8 record and two saves with a 4.12 ERA in 122.1 innings pitched and 84 strikeouts.  Jenni Brooks is 5-8 this season with a 3.87 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched.

Kristi Bredbenner is in her fourth year leading the Wichita State softball program.  Bredbenner currently owns an 85-112 mark with the Shockers.  Prior to joining the Wichita State program, she started her coaching career at Truman State before moving to Emporia State for six years.  Bredbenner owns a career coaching mark of 411-213 in 11 seasons as a head coach.

On Deck

The Mavericks will return to Summit League action on April 3-4 against South Dakota State in Brookings, South Dakota.  Friday's doubleheader is slated for a noon start with game two set for a 2:00 p.m. start.  Saturday's match-up with the Jackrabbits will start at 11:00 a.m.