OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha softball team heads south to Montgomery, Ala. for five games at the ASU Hornet Tournament, Feb. 26-28. Competition for UNO begins on Friday with a game against Akron at 2 p.m., followed up with a game against Eastern Kentucky at 4 p.m.
The Mavericks then take on Howard at 9 a.m. on Saturday, before playing the host school Alabama State at 5 p.m. Omaha then finishes the weekend with a game against Gardner-Webb on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Following the Mavericks
Live stats links for the week can be found on the softball schedule page of OMavs.com. Unfortunately, some spring tournaments do not provide live stats.
Fans can follow the Mavericks all season long on Twitter (@UNOSoftball) and Facebook (/UNOSoftball) for all the latest news, notes, and behind the scenes photos. Follow @omavs for the latest on all 15 Omaha Athletics programs.
The 2016 Mavericks
Omaha is 4-6 on the season after a 1-4 weekend at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic in Kissimmee, Fla. The Mavericks topped Elon 2-0 and lost to College of Charleston (5-1), Jacksonville State (3-1), No. 10 Georgia (13-0, 5 innings), and No. 1 Florida (9-0, 5 innings).
This season, Sydney Hames leads the team at the plate with a .364 batting average, four home runs, and 11 RBI. Nicole Warren is next on the team with a .267 average with three homers and nine RBI. She is 2-for-3 in stolen base attempts. Lizzie Noble is tied with Warren with a .267 average.
Freshman Laura Roecker has six starts this season to lead the team. Roecker holds a 2-2 mark with a 6.32 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 20 walks. Abbie Clanton leads the team with eight appearances (two starts). Clanton is 2-2 on the season with a 7.88 ERA with eight strikeouts. Noble is 0-2 this season in five appearances. She has made two starts on the year, against No. 10 Georgia and No. 1 Florida, and is 0-2. Noble has an 8.87 ERA with five strikeouts.
Scouting the Opposition
Akron
Akron is 2-8 on the season after a 2-3 weekend at the Furman/Upstate Tournament in Greenville, S.C. The Zips defeated Savannah State and Furman, but lost to Savannah State, South Carolina Upstate, and Furman.
Alyssa Nicholas leads the team with a .345 batting average and is tops on the team with one home run and five RBI. Kayla Schlosser and Carley Childress each are hitting over .300 this season. Schlosser is hitting .320, while Childress is at .318.
Erin Seiler leads the team with a 2-4 record in six starts. Seiler has a 2.05 ERA and 23 strikeouts. Nicole Best and Paige McMenemy each are 0-2 this season. Best has a 3.36 ERA, while McMenemy has a 4.20 ERA.
Julie Jones enters her 10th season leading the Zips program. Last season, Akron finished with a 25-26 overall record and was 9-10 in the Mid-American Conference.
Series History
This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Alabama State
Alabama State is 3-9 on the season after a 2-3 weekend at the Black & Gold Tournament. The Hornets opened tournament play last weekend with wins over Nicholls State and UMBC, but lost to Nicholls State, Middle Tennessee, and UMBC to wrap up tournament play.
Jenna Mae Thorne leads the way for ASU with a .400 average, including three doubles and five RBI. Kendall Jones is hitting .364 with a team best two home runs. Alexia Boggess leads the team with seven RBI. Thorne and Brittney Wilson each have two stolen bases to lead the team.
Melissa Christmann leads the team with a 2-4 record in eight appearances (five starts). Christmann has a 6.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts. Charlene Castro has a team-best 4.50 ERA in seven appearances and a 1-0 record. Maddie Phelps leads the team with 19 strikeouts with a 4.83 ERA and a 1-4 record.
The Hornets are led by second-year head coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson. Last season, Alabama State finished 21-33 overall and 11-6 in the SWAC Eastern Division. ASU reached the SWAC Championship series last season.
Series History
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Omaha and Alabama State. The Mavericks lead the all-time series over the Hornets, 2-1.
Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky has opened the 2016 softball season with a 6-2 record. The Colonels went 3-1 at the Total Control Invitational in Chicago, Ill. last weekend. EKU topped Illinois-Chicago, Green Bay, and Lipscomb, but fell to Loyola-Chicago.
EKU has two batters hitting over .400 this season. Paige Murphy leads the way with a .458 average. Murphy is also the team leader with five stolen bases and 11 runs scored. Kayla Joyce is batting .448 with two doubles and seven RBI. Hannah Clark leads the team with two home runs and 10 RBI.
Haley Flynn leads the Colonels in the circle with a 5-1 record in seven appearances and three starts. Flynn also had a 3.79 ERA with 29 strikeouts. Alex Sallberg has a team-low 1.68 ERA in seven appearances including four starts. Sallberg is 1-1 this season with two saves and 25 strikeouts.
Jane Worthington is in her 24th season at the helm of the Eastern Kentucky softball program.
Series History
This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Gardner-Webb
Gardner-Webb is 6-4 this season and went 3-1 at the Runnin' Bulldog Tournament last weekend. They went 2-0 against Hartford and 1-1 against Hampton.
The Runnin' Bulldogs feature four batters who are hitting .400 or better. Leading the way is freshman, Kaylee Wacaster with a .515 batting average and six stolen bases. Wacaster has a team-best 17 hits and 15 runs scored, including six doubles, a triple, and a home run. Scarlett Harris has a team-high three home runs with 11 RBI and a .484 average. Amanda Gomes has 11 RBI and two homers to go along with a .467 average. Megan Gibbons is hitting .429 on the year.
In the circle, Mackenzie Thompson had a 4-0 record and 1.81 ERA in five appearances, including four starts. She has 15 strikeouts with 10 walks on the year. Summer Darnell is 2-1 over four appearances (three starts) with 16 strikeouts.
Tom Cole is entering his 17th season leading the Gardner-Webb softball program and is the school's winningest softball coach.
Series History
This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Howard
Howard has not played a game this season.
The Bison are led by Al'Asia Davis who was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Softball All-Conference Second Team. The Seattle, WA native had a standout year in 2015, leading the MEAC in runs scored (46) and doubles (17) while finishing second in batting average (.449), hits (57, tied) and on base percentage (.548). Davis led Howard in each category and helped the Bison reach the MEAC Tournament for the first time since 2011.
Lauren McCoy is in her seventh season leading the Bison softball program.
Series History
This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Up Next
The Mavericks head west for the Colorado State tournament next weekend in Fort Collins. Omaha will play Colorado State and Idaho State twice. UNO will play Idaho State on Saturday, March 5 at 11 a.m. (CT), before taking on the host Colorado State at 1:30 p.m. (CT). The Mavs will take on the same two teams on Sunday starting with ISU at 10 a.m. followed by a 3 p.m. game against CSU.
