OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha softball will be back in action this weekend, March 8-11, when it travels to the East Coast for six games.
The Mavericks will play a single against Coppin State on Thursday, March 8, in Baltimore, Md. UNO then heads to Hampton, Va., to take part in the Blue-White Classic March 9-11. Omaha will face LaSalle and host Hampton on Friday before matchups against Albany and another against the Explorers on Saturday. The event will close with one more contest against the Great Danes on Sunday morning.
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 fifth weekend of the season with a 9-11 record following a 2-3 weekend at the Mizuno Classic in Stillwater, Okla.
• UNO has never faced any of the teams it's scheduled to play this weekend.
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Emily Klosterman leads the team with five multi-hit games and is batting .217 with four doubles and six stolen bases.
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Crystal Pablo and
Kelly Pattison each have three multiple-RBI games this season.
• Pattison leads the team with a .333 average, two home runs, 10 RBI and a .533 slugging percentage.
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Sydney Hampton leads Omaha with a 6-4 record in 13 appearances (five starts) and a 2.88 ERA.
• Omaha leads The Summit League in stolen bases (24) and times hit by a pitch (18). The Mavericks are second in walks (54) and home runs (eight).
• 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 28-straight road games before its home-opener against Nebraska on March 13.
• 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 Coppin State Eagles
The Eagles enter the week with a 2-5 record, winning two of their last three games. Last weekend, Coppin State topped Fairleigh Dickinson (7-6) and Saint Peter's (12-10) in the Coppin State Classic.
Nia Bowie is the team leader with a .563 batting average (9-for-16), two triples and eight RBI. Patricia Soria is hitting .450 (9-for-20) with four doubles and seven RBI.
In the circle, Madison Didion is 2-0 with a 6.38 ERA and 23 strikeouts. Megan Brogden has a 0-2 mark with a 14.19 ERA.
Scouting the LaSalle Explorers
Under first-year head coach Brooke Darreff, LaSalle owns a 2-7 record. The Explorers have lost three of their last five games with wins coming over Buffalo and Loyola-Chicago.
Emily Conway is the team leader with a .250 average (6-for-24) with three doubles and four RBI. Enna Schweigert has a team-high two home runs.
LaSalle has had four pitchers throw this season, Morgan Orlowski (0-2) and Marlo Roadcap (1-3) have combined for eight appearances (six starts). Orlowski has a 3.44 ERA with eight strikeouts, while Roadcap owns a 4.77 ERA with a team-leading 17 punch-outs.
Scouting the Hampton Pirates
The Pirates have started the season with a record of 7-9, and hold a 7-4 mark at home. Hampton swept a doubleheader against Virginia on Tuesday.
At the plate, DaSha Hill leads the team with a .514 average (18-for-35) and stolen bases (13-for-13). Cassidy Blackwell is hitting .349 with a team-best 15 RBI.
Hampton has used three pitchers this season, including Allyson Babinsack, Allie Hotetz and Emily Sevilla. Babinsack (2-6, one save) and Hotetz (3-3) each have thrown 46.1 innings in 2018. Babinsack has a team-low 3.32 ERA while Hotetz leads the program with 23 strikeouts.
Scouting the Albany Great Danes
The Great Danes head to Virginia for the Blue-White Classic with a 3-7 mark on the year and have won just one of its last five entering the fifth weekend of the season.
Amelia Ely leads the team with a .227 average (5-for-22) with two doubles, a home run and three RBI. McKenzie Bum adds a team-high three doubles and four RBI.
In the circle, four pitchers have seen action this year for Albany. Celeste Verdolivo is 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 16 strikeouts. Devin Durando (0-4) has a 3.67 ERA with 10 strikeouts.
On Deck
The Mavericks home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13 against Nebraska. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Westside Field at Westbrook.
