OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha softball team continues Summit League play this weekend, hosting South Dakota State in a three-game series.
The weekend series begins with a doubleheader at noon on Saturday and concludes with a single game at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Fans can track all the action through live stats linked at OMavs.com.
The Mavericks look to win a third straight weekend series in conference play, after sweeping a three-game set at Fort Wayne last weekend and taking two from IUPUI two weeks ago.
Omaha split a midweek, nonconference doubleheader with the Drake Bulldogs on Wednesday. Powered by three home runs and a no-hitter from freshman Laura Roecker, the Mavericks topped the Bulldogs in five innings, 8-0. In game two, Drake scored four runs in the top of the fifth and two more in the sixth for a 10-4 win.
Omaha is 18-20 overall this season and have a 5-0 mark in Summit League play.
Leading Off
The Omaha offense leads the Summit League in almost every category. The Mavericks lead the league in doubles (60), extra base hits (114), hits (285), home runs (43), runs (231), RBI (211), slugging percentage (.490), triples (11), total bases (496), and walks (116). UNO also leads the league in shut-outs with five.
The 2016 Mavericks
Senior Sydney Hames leads the Mavericks with a .373 batting average, .690 slugging percentage, and .424 on-base percentage. The third baseman ranks first in the league in hits (47), RBI (33), total bases (87), home runs (10) and assists (97). Hames also ranks second in slugging percentage and third in batting average.
Junior Nicole Warren leads the Summit League in runs scored with 36, and is tied for first in RBI (33) and home runs (10). Warren has a .267 average this season and has two triples.
Freshman Kourtney Pock is second on the team with a .333 batting average including seven doubles and six home runs with 27 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 .317 on the season with five home runs and 17 RBI. Ditto hit a grand slam last weekend against IPFW. Defensively, she has thrown out eight runners attempting to steal.
Freshman Laura Roecker leads Omaha in the circle with a 9-9 record and a team-low 5.33 ERA over 109 innings pitched. The right-hander leads the league in games started (22), is second in wins and is fourth in strike outs (55). Roecker 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 tied for the team lead with 27 appearances (10 starts). Clanton is 7-8 on the season with a 5.92 ERA with 49 strikeouts, including firing a no-hitter at Northern Colorado on March 8. Last 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 672-252-1. 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.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Series Record: Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota State 77-15-1. Last season, the Mavericks dropped two of three games against the Jackrabbits in Brooks, SD. UNO won the opener 13-7, before falling 9-6 and 10-2 (6 innings).
Scouting the Jackrabbits:
South Dakota State comes into the weekend series with a 13-22 overall mark and are 1-2 in Summit League play. The Jackrabbits split a midweek doubleheader with North Dakota dropping the first game 6-3, before taking the second game 5-3.
SDSU is led by Christian McKone with a .351 batting average, 34 hits and 18 stolen bases. Ali Herdliska has a .327 batting average with a team high 10 home runs and 30 RBI.
The Jackrabbits are paced in the circle by Ashlyn Bender who is 5-14 in 22 appearances (20 starts) with a 4.13 ERA and 49 strikeouts. Bender has gone the distance 16 times while tossing one shut out. Bryana Clark has made 14 starts in 18 appearances on the season, going 7-7 with a 4.59 ERA and team high 55 strikeouts.
UNO alum Krista Wood enters her second season leading the Jackrabbits program. Last season, SDSU finished with a 23-29 overall record and was 7-11 in the Summit League.
Keys to Victory
Through 35 games of the season, several things have proven to be indicators of Omaha's success. The Mavericks hold a 15-3 record when scoring first and sit at 15-1 on the year when outhitting their opponent. Additionally, the Mavericks are 10-1 when leading after five innings and 14-3 when scoring six or more runs.
On Deck
Omaha will travel to Ames, Iowa for a midweek matchup against Iowa State on April 14 at 3 p.m.
The Mavericks will continue Summit League play next weekend with a three-game series in Macomb, Ill. against Western Illinois. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 16 starting at noon and will conclude the series on Sunday with a single game at 11 a.m.
