OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha returns home to start a six-game home stand beginning with a non-conference doubleheader against North Dakota Tuesday. First pitch for tomorrow's doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. at Westside Field at Westbrook.
Last week, the Mavericks went 3-1, opening with a 6-4 win over Iowa State Thursday in Ames. The Mavericks then visited Western Illinois for a three-game Summit League series, sweeping a Saturday doubleheader, 7-3 and 2-0, and falling 14-8 on Sunday.
The Mavericks are 23-22 overall this season and are in second place in the Summit League standings with a 9-2 mark.
Leading Off
The Omaha offense leads the Summit League in almost every category. The Mavericks lead the league in doubles (73), extra base hits (141), hits (349), home runs (55), runs (274), RBI (251), slugging percentage (.505), triples (13), total bases (613), and walks (135). The Mavericks also lead the league in shutouts (6).
The 2016 Mavericks
Senior Sydney Hames leads the Mavericks with a .360 batting average, .673 slugging percentage, and 101 total bases. Hames also leads the team in hits (54) and doubles (8). She ranks in the Summit League top five in hits (54), assists (110), slugging percentage (.673), total bases (101), and RBI (38). She is third in the league in batting average (.364) and homeruns (12).
Junior Nicole Warren leads the Summit League in runs scored (44), RBI (42), assists (117), homeruns (13), triples (3) and total bases (102). She has also swiped six bases on the season. The shortstop has a .293 batting average this season and a .650 slugging percentage.
Senior catcher Campbell Ditto is hitting .349 on the season with eight home runs and 24 RBI. Ditto had her first multi-homer game of her career blasting two dingers at Western Illinois on April 16 and launched a grand slam against IPFW on April 3. Ditto earned Summit League Player of the Week honors on April 18 for her performances against Iowa State and Western Illinois. Defensively, she has thrown out 10 runners attempting to steal.
Freshman Kourtney Pock is third on the team and sixth in the league with a .343 batting average including 10 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.
Junior outfielder Lia Mancuso leads the team with a .447 on-base percentage. Mancuso has a .333 batting average in 42 games this season with two triples, six doubles, two homeruns, 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 a 12-10 record with a 5.28 ERA in 135.1 innings pitched firing 12 complete games and four shutouts. The right-hander leads the league in appearances (33) and starts (27). Roecker is second in wins and innings pitched and is fourth in strike outs (71). 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 31 appearances (12 starts). Clanton is 9-9 on the season with a team-low 5.10 ERA with 58 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 677-254-1. 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.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Series Record: Omaha leads the all-time series with North Dakota, 50-4. Last season, the Mavericks swept a doubleheader from UND, 8-0 (5 innings) and 7-6.
UNO holds a 6-0 mark against UND since the transition to Division I.
Scouting the Fighting Hawks:
North Dakota is 15-26 overall this season and are in sixth place in the Big Sky Conference with a 3-7 mark. UND defeated North Dakota State, 4-1, on April 13 to end a 29-game winless streak against the Bison.
Nicole Babrowski is fifth in the NCAA with 36 walks on the season, and also ranks 12th with a 0.87 walks-per-game average. Babrowski is sixth in the Big Sky with a .479 on-base percentage. Additionally, Babrowski leads the Big Sky with 16 stolen bases on the year. She has doubled her career total for stolen bases, as she entered the season with 16 career stolen bases and now totals 32.
Redshirt sophomore pitcher Kaylin VanDomelen leads the Big Sky with 118 strikeouts this season, and ranks fourth in the conference with a 2.82 ERA; her 118 strikeouts currently ranks ninth all-time in program history. VanDomelen is also tied for sixth in program history with 12 wins on the season while leading the Big Sky, and ranking 28th in the nation, with four shutouts on the year.
The UND softball team returns 12 letterwinners and welcomes nine new faces to the squad for 2016, which includes eight freshman and one sophomore transfer.
North Dakota returns two players that were named All-Big Sky Conference honorable mention at the end of the 2015 season: third basesman Shelby Hard and outfielder Nicole Babrowski.
Last season, sophomore Shelby Hard led the Fighting Hawks in batting average (.333), runs (30), hits (53), homers (15) and RBI's (37). Hard's 15 home runs last year set a program single-season record.
Senior Nicole Babrowski returns as North Dakota's lead-off hitter, she held a .299 average last season, recording 44 hits in 147 at bats.
UND also returns senior first baseman Emily Bell, who was named All-Big Sky Honorable Mention in 2014. Bell held a .261 average last season and was second on the team in both home runs (9) and RBI's (36).
Keys to Victory
Last week, Omaha won two games in which it initially trailed and dropped a game where it scored first. Through 45 games this season, the Mavs are 11-6 when scoring in the first inning and 16-5 when scoring first.
Omaha is 20-2 this season when out hitting its opponents and 12-2 when hitting two or more home runs. In the series opener at Western Illinois, Omaha belted five home runs in its 7-3 win.
The Mavericks can close out games this season holding a 12-0 mark when tied or leading after six innings. Digging a bit deeper into the season, the Mavericks are 23-2 when leading after five innings.
On Deck
This 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.
