OMAHA, Neb. – After two weeks of Summit League play, the Maverick softball team will take a break from league action for a nonconference midweek doubleheader with Drake on Wednesday, April 6. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Westside Field at Westbrook.
Omaha is coming off a three-game sweep of Summit League foe Fort Wayne over the weekend. The Mavericks had 39 hits, including 10 home runs, as they scored 57 runs in the three-game set. In the series opener, Omaha topped the IPFW 17-6. The Mavericks finished the sweep by defeating the Mastodons 19-1 (5 innings) and 21-11 (5 innings) on Sunday.
Omaha, who are 17-19 on the season and own a 5-0 mark in the conference standings, hold a 12-19 record in nonconference action.
Leading Off
The Omaha offense leads the Summit League in almost every category. The Mavericks lead the league in doubles (52), extra base hits (100), hits (267), home runs (40), runs (219), RBI (200), slugging percentage (.475), triples (8), total bases (455), and walks (114). UNO also leads the league in shut-outs with four.
The 2016 Mavericks
Senior Sydney Hames leads the Mavericks with a .383 batting average, .708 slugging percentage, and .432 on-base percentage. The third baseman ranks first in the league in hits (46), RBI (32), total bases (85), and home runs (10). Hames also ranks second in slugging percentage, and assists (86), and third in batting average.
Junior Nicole Warren leads the Summit League in runs scored with 33, is second in RBI (31), and third in home runs (9). Warren has a .258 average this season and has two triples.
Freshman Kourtney Pock is second on the team with a .338 batting average including six doubles and six home runs with 26 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.
Freshman Laura Roecker leads Omaha in the circle with an 8-9 record and a team-low 5.42 ERA over 103.1 innings pitched. The right-hander leads the league in games started (21), is second in wins and is fourth in strike outs (54). Roecker has earned two Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors this season on March 14th and 28th.
Senior catcher Campbell Ditto is hitting .299 on the season with five home runs and 16 RBI. Ditto hit a grand slam over the weekend against IPFW. Defensively, she has thrown out seven runners attempting to steal.
Abbie Clanton leads the team with 26 appearances (nine starts). Clanton is 7-7 on the season with a 5.62 ERA with 47 strikeouts, including firing a no-hitter at Northern Colorado on March 8. Over the weekend, she appeared in all three Omaha wins (one start), finishing with a 2-0 record. Clanton allowed only one run on four hits in 10.1 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts and posting a 0.68 ERA. In her lone start, she pitched a complete game allowing only one run on three hits. Clanton earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors for her performance last weekend against Fort Wayne.
The Mavericks are led by 17th year head coach Jeanne Scarpello. Scarpello is the program's winningest coach with a career mark of 671-251-1. 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.
Drake Bulldogs
Series Record: Drake owns a 5-3 series record over Omaha. The Mavs and Bulldogs split the two meetings last year at the Colorado State Classic with Omaha winning the first game 8-4 and Drake winning game two 5-1.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Drake comes into the midweek matchup riding a seven game winning streak and have a 19-11 overall mark and are 9-0 in Missouri Valley action. The Bulldogs play Iowa State on Tuesday evening, before coming to Omaha for Wednesday's doubleheader.
Drake is led by Kennedy Frank with a .364 batting average, eight dingers, 24 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Megan Sowa has a .313 batting average with a team high 28 RBI and nine doubles.
Sophomore pitcher Nicole Newman is the reigning Missouri Valley Pitcher of the Week. Newman appeared in all three games last weekend against Southern Illinois going 2-0 with one save and a 0.91 earned run average with two earned runs allowed along with 28 strikeouts and eight walks. On the season, she is 14-5 with one save in 20 appearances (17 starts) with a 2.26 ERA and 149 strikeouts. Mariah McKinnon has made 10 starts on the season, going 5-5with a 5.89 ERA and 19 strikeouts.
Rich Calvert enters his 14th season leading the Bulldogs program. Last season, Drake finished with a 32-21 overall record and was 19-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Keys to Victory
Through the first 33 games of the season, several things have proven to be indicators of Omaha's success. The Mavericks hold an 11-3 record when scoring first and sit at 11-1 on the year when outhitting their opponent. Additionally, the Mavericks are 8-0 when leading after six innings and 6-3 when scoring six or more runs.
On Deck
Omaha returns to Summit League play this weekend with a three-game series with a doubleheader against South Dakota State April -10. The Mavericks and Jackrabbits start off with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon. Sunday's contest is set for an 11 a.m. first pitch.
Clanton, Hames Earn Summit League Weekly Awards
Abbie Clanton was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week, while teammate Sydney Hames was tabbed Summit League Player of the Week for their performances during the week of March 28-April 3.
Clanton earned her first career Summit League Pitcher of the Week honor by appearing in all three Omaha wins (one start) over the weekend at Fort Wayne, finishing with a 2-0 record. She allowed only one run on four hits in 10.1 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts and posting a 0.68 ERA. In her lone start, Clanton pitched a complete game allowing only one run on three hits.
Hames picked up her second Summit League Player of the Week award this season by hitting .700 (7-for-10) over the weekend. She finished the week with a .800 on-base percentage and a 1.700 slugging percentage along with three home runs and seven RBI without striking out.
