OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha softball team will be back in action this weekend, March 16-18, when it travels to the Woo Pig Classic for five games.
The Mavericks open tournament play on Friday, March 16 against Tulsa and Saint Francis. UNO continues tournament play on Saturday against Iowa State and Arkansas before wrapping up the Woo Pig Classic with a second matchup against the Razorbacks on Sunday.
Follow the Mavericks
Links to live stats and video are available on OMavs.com. Fans can also get in-game updated via Twitter by following @OmahaSB.
The Starting Lineup
• Omaha enters the sixth weekend of the season with a 12-14 record following a 3-3 trip to the East Coast last weekend.
• UNO's home opener against Nebraska on Tuesday was rescheduled due to weather and field conditions.
• The Mavericks are 4-9 all-time against the four other teams in the tournament. UNO is 3-7 against Iowa State, 1-1 versus Saint Francis and 0-1 vs. Tulsa. Omaha has never faced Arkansas
•
Kelly Pattison enters the weekend on a seven-game hitting streak and leads UNO with eight multi-hit games.
• Pattison also leads the team with six multi-RBI games.
•
Jessica Nelson and
Emily Klosterman have seven and six multi-hit games, respectively.
• Earlier this season,
Emma Dargy reached base in 16-straight games.
Natalie Mostek also reached base in 10-straight games.
• Pattison (.469) and Nelson (.301) are the top two hitters for the Mavericks this season.
•
Sydney Hampton leads Omaha with an 8-6 record in 17 appearances (seven starts) and a 2.80 ERA.
• Omaha leads The Summit League in stolen bases (34), times hit by a pitch (23) and walks (75). The Mavericks are second in ERA (4.23) and home runs (11) and third in RBI (84).
• Eighteen players have seen playing time in the Mavericks' first 15 games, with seniors
Jessica Nelson and
Crystal Pablo; juniors
Taylor Conkling,
Demi Dobbs,
Savannah Fisher,
Sarrah Mains and
Faith Romero; and freshmen
Aubrey Hacke,
Sydney Hampton and
Halley Jones all making their first career starts.
• UNO's will have a balanced roster in 2018, featuring 10 upperclassmen along with nine underclassmen.
• In the 2018 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Mavericks were picked to finish fifth by the league's head coaches.
• Omaha returns six letterwinners in 2018, including four position players with starting experience and one starting pitcher.
• UNO's roster features 13 newcomers, including two seniors, five juniors and six freshmen.
• Omaha plays 31-straight road games before its home-opener against Wichita State on March 20.
• UNO hosts eight home games at Westside Field at Westbrook this season.
• During the fall 2017 semester, Omaha reported a 3.30 team grade point average (GPA). Five Mavericks earned a spot on the Dean's List, including three student-athletes on the Chancellor's List.
• The Mavericks finished the 2017 season with a record of 15-30 (6-8 Summit League) and finished fifth in the league standings.
Scouting the Tulsa Golden Hurricane
The Golden Hurricane enters the weekend with a 15-10 record, winning three of their last five games. On Tuesday, Tulsa lost a 7-6 decision to Missouri State before rebounding to defeat Illinois State 6-1 on Wednesday.
Julia Hollingsworth and Shelby Estocado are batting .440 and .410, respectively, to lead Tulsa. Estocado had a team-leading five homeruns and 23 RBI, while Hollingsworth has stolen nine bases.
Scouting the Saint Francis Red Flash
The Red Flash open tournament play with a 14-12 record. Earlier this season, SFU and UNO split a pair of games at the Mizuno Classic in Stillwater, Okla.
Sierra McKee and Madison Cabell are batting .278 and .275, respectively, to lead the Red Flash. Cabell has seven homers and 19 RBI to pace SFU. Jordan Seneca is a perfect 11-of-11 this season in stolen bases.
Saint Francis has only used two pitchers this season, Abby Trahan and Adrian Smith. Trahan is 11-8 with a 2.55 ERA and 103 strikeouts, while Smith is 3-4 with a 3.32 ERA.
Scouting the Iowa State Cyclones
The Cyclones come into the weekend with a 15-13 mark. ISU had its four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday against North Texas (9-6).
At the plate, Sami Williams leads the Cyclones with a .394 average, seven home runs and 17 RBI. Kaylee Bosworth has driven in 15 RBI, while Kaila Konz has swiped 11 bases.
In the circle, four pitchers have seen action for Iowa State. Brianna Weilbacher is 7-3 with a 2.13 ERA and 67 strikeouts. Emma Hylen owns a 5-4 record with a 2.98 ERA and 42 punch-outs.
Scouting the Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks enter the weekend with a 16-5 overall mark but have lost four straight games.
Four different hitters are batting over .300 for Arkansas this season. Autumn Buczek leads the way with a .394 average. Hannah McEwan is hitting .391 with five homers and 29 RBI.
In the circle, Mary Haff leads the way with a meniscal 0.51 ERA and a 9-2 record with two saves. Autumn Storms owns a 6-3 mark with a 2.79 ERA and 48 strikeouts.
On Deck
The Mavericks home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20 against Wichita. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Westside Field at Westbrook.
