OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha softball team wraps up its week on the road, returning to Summit League play taking on Western Illinois this weekend in a series at Mary Ellen McKee Stadium in Macomb, Ill.
The Mavericks and the Leathernecks square off in doubleheader action on Saturday afternoon, beginning at noon with the second game scheduled for 2 p.m. The teams then wrap up the series on Sunday with a single game beginning at 11 a.m.
Omaha is 21-21 on the season and are in second place in the Summit League standings with a 7-1 record.
Leading Off
The Omaha offense leads the Summit League in almost every category. The Mavericks lead the league in doubles (64), extra base hits (124), hits (322), home runs (48), runs (257), RBI (235), slugging percentage (.493), triples (12), total bases (554), and walks (128).
The 2016 Mavericks
Senior Sydney Hames leads the Mavericks with a .364 batting average, .671 slugging percentage, and 94 total bases. The third baseman ranks first in the league in total bases. Hames is second in hits (51), assists (103), slugging percentage (.671), homeruns (11), and RBI (36). She is also third in batting average (.364) and fourth in doubles (10).
Junior Nicole Warren's 41 runs scored, 37 RBI and 113 assists lead the Summit League. Warren is second in the league with two triples, 11 home runs, and 89 total bases. She has also swiped six bases on the season. The shortstop has a .292 batting average this season and a .618 slugging percentage.
Freshman Kourtney Pock is second on the team and fifth in the league with a .344 batting average including eight doubles and six home runs with 28 RBI. Two of her six homers this season have been grand slams. Pock earned back-to-back Summit League Player of the Week awards on March 14th and 21st.
Senior catcher Campbell Ditto is hitting .336 on the season with six home runs and 21 RBI. Ditto had a grand slam against IPFW on April 3. Defensively, she has thrown out nine runners attempting to steal.
Junior outfielder Lia Mancuso leads the team with a .427 on-base percentage. Mancuso has a .311 batting average in 39 games this season with two triples, six doubles, and 10 RBI. Mancuso's first career homerun was one to remember as it was of the walk off variety at home against South Dakota State on April 10.
Sophomore Kelly Pattison leads the team with eight stolen bases in nine attempts. Pattison also has six home runs and 24 RBI.
Freshman Laura Roecker leads Omaha in the circle with an 11-9 record and a team-low 5.33 ERA in 124.2 innings pitched firing 11 complete games and four shutouts. The right-hander leads the league in appearances (31) and starts (25). Roecker is second in wins and is fourth in strike outs (66) and innings pitched. She fired a no hitter on April 6 at home against Drake, for the second UNO no hitter of the season. Roecker has earned two Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors this season on March 14th and 28th.
Abbie Clanton is second team with 29 appearances (11 starts). Clanton is 8-9 on the season with a 5.49 ERA with 56 strikeouts, including firing a no-hitter at Northern Colorado on March 8.
The Mavericks are led by 17th year head coach Jeanne Scarpello. Scarpello is the program's winningest coach with a career mark of 675-253-1. 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.
Western Illinois Leathernecks
Series Record: Omaha leads the all-time series against Western Illinois, 9-4. Last season in Omaha, the Leathernecks took two of three games to end the 2015 season. WIU took Saturday's single game by the score of 5-3 and split Sunday's doubleheader losing game one to UNO, 10-5, and winning the finale, 2-1.
Scouting the Leathernecks:
Western Illinois is currently 10-26 (3-3 Summit League) and sit in fourth place in the Summit League standings heading into the weekend. Last time out, WIU lost a non-conference doubleheader to SIU-E by the scores of 3-0 and 4-1. In league play, they have taken two of three games from South Dakota State, but dropped two of three at South Dakota.
Offensively, Kelsey Marlow is leading the way for the Leathernecks with a .327 batting average. The sophomore is slugging .482 with 36 hits, 10 doubles, 18 RBI and is currently on an 11 game hitting streak. Karissa Kouchis is batting .320 with 39 hits, 16 runs and three doubles.
In the circle, Emily Ira has compiled a 5-11 record with 104 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.07. Kacyee Hart is 2-11 on the season with a 6.78 ERA and 36 strikeouts.
Holly Van Vlymen is in her 11th season at the helm of Western Illinois softball. Van Vlymen owns a 232-282-2 career mark and has been named Summit League Coach of the Year three times.
Keys to Victory
Omaha bucked a trend on Thursday afternoon against Iowa State. The Mavericks were 5-17 on the season when the opposition scored first, but UNO scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning for the win.
This season, Omaha is 15-4 when scoring first and 18-2 when they outhit the opposition. The Mavs are 16-3 when scoring six or more runs.
On Deck
The Mavericks welcome North Dakota to Westside Field at Westbrook for a non-conference twin bill on Tuesday, April 19. The doubleheader is set to start at 4 p.m. Next weekend, Omaha returns to Summit League play with a three-game set against South Dakota. On Saturday, April 23, UNO and USD will play a doubleheader set to start at noon. Between games, Omaha will honor seniors: Tara Trede, Sydney Hames, Bailey Schulenberg, and Campbell Ditto. Sunday's single game will start at 11 a.m.
