OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha softball team is back in action this weekend at the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan. The Mavericks open the tournament against Northern Iowa on Friday at 9 a.m., then play Missouri State at 2 p.m. On Saturday, Omaha takes the diamond against Missouri State at 4:30 p.m. and follows immediately after with UMKC at 7 p.m. The Mavs close out the tournament on Sunday against Kansas on ESPN3 at 2 p.m.
The 2016 Mavericks
Omaha is 8-13 on the season after a doubleheader sweep of Northern Colorado on Tuesday. The Mavericks defeated the Bears by scores of 8-1 and 9-0, including junior Abbie Clanton tossing a no-hitter in the 9-0 victory.
This season, junior Sydney Hames leads the team at the plate with a .373 batting average, five home runs, and 18 RBI. Junior Nicole Warren is hitting .314 this season and leads the Summit League with 7 home runs and 25 RBIs. Freshman Alexis Parker has appeared in 11 games with 7 starts. She is hitting .333 this season with a triple and three RBI. Junior Lizzie Noble has a .273 average this season with two triples, two home runs, and 11 RBI.
Freshman Laura Roecker has 12 starts this season to lead the team. Roecker holds a 4-6 mark with a 6.29 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 44 walks. Roecker has gone the distance four times and turned out two shutouts. Clanton leads the team with 16 appearances (three starts). Clanton is 3-4 on the season with a 5.46 ERA with 22 strikeouts, including firing a no-hitter at Northern Colorado on March 8. Noble is 1-3 this season in nine appearances.
The Mavericks are led by 17th year head coach Jeanne Scarpello. Scarpello is the program's winningest coach with a career mark of 662-245-1. Coach Scarpello led UNO to the 2001 NCAA Division II National Title and was part of the NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year. During the Division II era, she was a two-time MIAA Coach of the Year (2010, 2011) and a four-time NCC Coach of the Year (2001, 2004, 2006, 2008). Her teams made 12 straight NCAA DII Tournament appearances (2000-2011) while earning eight conference regular-season championships and five conference tournament championships. Coach Scarpello picked up her 500th career win on Feb. 20, 2011 against Texas A&M International.
Scouting the Northern Iowa Panthers
Northern Iowa is 15-6 on the season after a 4-1 weekend at the Wooo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Ark. The Panthers defeated Wright State, Arkansas, and Buffalo (twice), but fell to Arkansas in a rematch.
The top two hitters for Northern Iowa are Alyssa Buchanan and Chelsea Ross. Buchanan leads the team with a .516 average and has three home runs and 15 RBI. Ross owns a .400 average and is tops on the team with 21 RBI, and is tied for the team lead with 3 homers. Samantha Olson comes in with a .361 average and is tied for a team-high with eight stolen bases.
The duo of Buchanan and Ross are the top two pitchers for the Panthers as well. Buchanan leads the team with an 8-1 record in 10 appearances with a 2.28 ERA and 29 strikeouts. Ross has a team high 13 appearances with 12 starts and seven complete games. She is 6-3 on the season with 75 strikeouts and 2.78 ERA.
Ryan Jacobs enters his 9th season leading the Panthers program. Last season, UNI finished with a 22-28 overall record and was 15-11 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Scouting the Missouri State Bears
Missouri State is 9-8 on the season after a 2-2 weekend at the Cancer Awareness Tournament in St. Louis, Mo. The Bears defeated UMKC and Southeast Missouri, but lost to St. Louis and Northern Illinois.
Madison Jones leads the team with a .413 batting average and is tops on the team with 19 hits. Kaitlin Beason leads the team in homers with three and RBI with 16.
Beason also leads the Bears in the circle, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.00 ERA and three complete games. Erin Struemph leads the team in appearances with 11 (seven starts) and has a 4-5 record with a 3.37 ERA and a team-high 61 strikeouts.
Holly Hesse enters her 28th season leading the Bears program. Last season, Missouri State finished with a 30-25 overall record and was 17-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Scouting the UMKC Kangaroos
UMCK is 5-9 on the season after a 2-2 weekend at the Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament in St. Louis, Mo. The Kangaroos defeated St. Louis and SEMO, but fell to Missouri State and Northern Illinois.
Katie Kelley leads the team with a .366 batting average and is tops on the team with 16 RBI. Brooke Parker leads the team with seven stolen bases.
Amber Grove leads the 'Roos with a 4-3 record in seven starts. Grove has a 4.63 ERA and 31 strikeouts. Lacie Bullard has made four appearances (two starts) and has a team best ERA of 1.43.
Meredith Smith Neal enters her 10th season leading the Kangaroos program. Smith Neal is the winningest coach in UMKC softball history with an all-time record of 187-283.
Scouting the Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas is 11-8 on the season after a 4-0 weekend at the Southern Illinois Tournament in Carbondale, Ill. The Jayhawks have blasted 24 home runs this season, the most homers by a team in the Big 12 Conference. Kansas has driven in 92 runs in 2016 with 46 of those runs crossing home plate because of a home run. Four Jayhawks are hitting above .300, contributing to KU's .266 average at the plate, as sophomore infielder Daniella Chavez leads the way with a .400 batting average. Chavez also leads the team with six dingers and 22 RBI. Junior infielder Chaley Brickey is hitting .379 with five long balls and 10 RBI.
Freshman Ania Williams leads the team with a 4-2 record and a 2.41 ERA. Williams has 17 strikeouts and has thrown three complete games. Sophomore Andie Formby has been equally as good as Williams, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.44 ERA. Formby leads the team in strikeouts with 37. Senior Monique Wesley is perfect this season with a 3-0 mark and a 3.00 ERA. Wesley has 17 strikeouts this season.
Megan Smith enters her 7th season leading the Jayhawk program. In the victory over Southern Illinois, Coach Smith recorded her 200th win at the helm of the Kansas program. The Jayhawks have recorded 30 wins in each of the last five seasons under head coach Megan Smith. Kansas' 40 wins last season were the most victories claimed by KU in the Smith era, and the most wins by a Jayhawk team since 1997.
Up Next
The Mavericks will face in-state rival Nebraska for a midweek bout in Lincoln on March 16. The matchup is scheduled for a 5 p.m. (CT) start at Bowlin Stadium.
Next weekend, Omaha travels to Missoula, Mont. for the Griz Classic on March 19 and 20. Omaha will take on Nevada at noon (CT) on Saturday, followed by playing host Montana at 2:15 p.m. (CT). On Sunday the Mavs will have rematches against Nevada and Montana on Sunday, playing the Wolfpack at 11:30 a.m. (CT), followed by the Grizzlies at 4 p.m. (CT).
