OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha softball team steps out of conference play for the final time this season Monday afternoon against UMKC. First pitch from Kansas City, Mo. is set for 2 p.m. with game two set for a 4 p.m. start.
The Mavericks and Kangaroos met earlier this season at the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan. with UNO winning, 4-3. In that game, Laura Roecker pitched a complete game allowing three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts. Omaha scored the game winner in the bottom of the seventh as Campbell Ditto scored on a Kourtney Pock single to center.
Omaha has won five of its last six games and 15 of the last 19 games. The Mavericks are 28-23 on the season and sit in second place in the latest Summit League standings.
The 2016 Mavericks
Omaha features five players who have a batting average over .300 this season and five players who have hit seven or more home runs.
Senior third baseman Sydney Hames leads the Mavericks with a .374 batting average, 64 hits and 13 doubles. She ranks in the Summit League top five in batting average, hits, doubles, assists (124), RBI (46), slugging percentage (.690), total bases (118), runs scored (36) and home runs (13). This season Hames has twice been named the Summit League Player of the Week.
Freshman designated player/first baseman Kourtney Pock is second on the team and fourth in the league with a .351 batting average including 10 doubles and eight home runs with 35 RBI. Two of her eight 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 has a .333 batting average in 48 games this season with two triples, nine doubles, three homeruns, and 17 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.
Senior catcher Campbell Ditto is hitting .324 on the season with nine home runs and 25 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.
Junior shortstop Nicole Warren leads the Summit League in runs scored (53), RBI (52), assists (133), home runs (17), triples (3) and total bases (123). She has also swiped six bases on the season. The shortstop has a .303 batting average this season and a .703 slugging percentage.
Sophomore outfielder Kelly Pattison leads the team with nine stolen bases in 10 attempts. Pattison also has seven home runs and 26 RBI.
Freshman Laura Roecker leads Omaha in the circle with a 15-11 record with a 4.87 ERA in 159.2 innings. Roecker has thrown 15 complete games and four shutouts. The right-hander leads the league in appearances (37) and starts (31). She is second in wins and innings pitched and is fourth in strike outs (91). Roecker fired a no hitter on April 6 at home against Drake, for the second UNO no hitter of the season. The freshman has earned two Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors this season on March 14th and 28th.
Abbie Clanton is second on the team with 34 appearances (14 starts). This season, Clanton has an 11-9 record with a 5.04 ERA and 60 strikeouts. The junior fired a no-hitter at Northern Colorado on March 8. She earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors on April 4 for picking up two wins in three appearances with a 0.68 ERA. Clanton is third in the league in wins, shut outs, and appearances.
The Mavericks are led by 17th year head coach Jeanne Scarpello. Scarpello is the program's winningest coach with a career mark of 682-255-1. 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.
UMKC Kangaroos
Series Record: Omaha leads the all-time series with UMKC, 5-3. This season, Omaha defeated UMKC at the Jayhawk Invitational on March 12, 4-3.
Scouting the Kangaroos:
UMKC is 21-20 this season, including a 10-3 mark in Western Athletic Conference action. The Kangaroos wrap-up their season with an eight-game homestand starting with WAC foe New Mexico State. UMKC trails NMSU by one game in the most current conference standings.
The Kangaroos have five players who are hitting over .300 this season. Kendra Leach leads the team with a .379 average. Leach had five doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 22 RBI on the season. Katie Kelley gets things done at the plate and in the circle for UMKC. Kelley has a team-best 10 doubles, six homers and 41 RBI. Brooke Parker hits at a .333 clip and a team leading 21 stolen bases.
Amber Grove leads the team with a 12-8 record with a 4.79 ERA and 83 strikeouts. Kelley is 8-10 with two saves on the season with a team-best 88 strikeouts and a 3.24 ERA.
Meredith Smith Neal is in her 10th season at the helm of the UMKC softball program. Smith-Neal is 205-293 in her career with the Kangaroos.
Keys to Victory
This season Omaha has outscored the opposition 325-295. This season, UNO is 22-4 when scoring six or more runs and 23-7 when holding the opposition under five runs.
One of the biggest factors in Omaha's success this season is scoring first. The Mavs are 20-5 when putting the first run on the scoreboard. If the opposition gets on the board first, UNO is only 8-18.
The Mavericks gain more and more confidence when leading after four innings. This year, they are 19-1 when leading after four innings and 13-0 when leading after six innings.
Hitting is key for the Mavs. They are 24-2 when outhitting the opponent, but only 4-21 when getting outhit. Omaha is 16-2 when they hit two or more home runs, but only 5-14 when they do not go deep.
Omaha has scored 61 runs in the third inning this season, the biggest run total of any inning. They have put up 58 runs in the fourth and 55 runs in the fifth inning as well.
On Deck
Omaha will conclude its regular season with a league showdown at North Dakota State this weekend. The battle of the top two teams in the Summit League will take place in Fargo, N.D. with a doubleheader on May 6 starting at 2 p.m. and a single game on May 7 beginning at 11 a.m.
