Leading Off
Omaha softball continues its undefeated start to 2023 action at the Texas Classic this weekend. The Mavericks will play three opponents over the three-day stretch in Austin, Texas. The games played against Texas can be streamed via ESPN+ and the Longhorn Network.

Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 17
vs. Incarnate Word at 12:30 p.m.
at Texas at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18
vs. Incarnate Word at 10  a.m.
at Texas at 3 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 19
vs. Loyola Chicago at 10 a.m.

Quick Hits
• For the first time since the 2014 season, Omaha softball is off to an undefeated start. The Mavericks swept the UNI Dome Tournament and sit at 5-0. In 2014, Omaha began the season 8-0.
• Lynsey Tucker had a big weekend at the plate hitting .588 over five games. She finished with 10 total hits, including two doubles. Tucker tallied four runs, three RBI, and two stolen bases.
• Rachel Weber was all power for the Mavericks. She finished with five hits. All were multi-base with three doubles and two homers. She had a slugging percentage of .933 over five games.
• In the circle, Kamryn Meyer did what she does best. Over 13.2 innings of work, Meyer retired 21 batters. She pitched one complete game over four appearances. Meyer posted a .51 ERA and recorded two saves.
• Sydney Nuismer also had a big weekend for Omaha in the circle. Nuismer finished 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA. She struck out nine batters over 13.1 innings.
• Abby Flanagan debuted for Omaha over the weekend. Flanagan also earned her first win against UNI.
• The Omaha softball team was tabbed second in the 2023 Summit League Preseason Poll Wednesday morning, the league announced. Meyer and Tucker were selected as Athletes to Watch. 
• The Mavericks will play in four non-conference tournaments to start the year. The tournament action wraps with a game against the 2022 National Champions. Omaha will play Oklahoma on Sunday, March 12 to wrap up the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Mississippi State.
• Head coach Mike Heard enters his second season at the helm. He compiled a 32-14 overall record in his first year. Over his seven-year head coaching career, Heard sits at 184-110.

SCOUTING THE TEXAS LONGHORNS
Head Coach: Mike White
Career: 606-168-4 (14 Years)
Texas: 163-57-2 (Five Years)

The Longhorns enter the weekend ranked No.9/13 after opening the season 3-1-1. The season opened with an 11-1 win over No. 23 Missouri. The Longhorns fell to No. 8 Northwestern before beating Illinois and tying No. 20/17 Kentucky. Earlier this week, Texas beat Lamar, 8-2. 

LONGHORNS TO WATCH
• The Longhorns have three players hitting .500 to start this season. Leighann Goode leads the three of them with eight total hits. She has nine runs and three RBI. Katie Cimusz is also hitting .500 with two doubles and a homer.
• Mac Morgan has pitched 12.2 innings to lead the Longhorns. Morgan has a 1.66 ERA and six strikeouts during that stretch. She's made three appearances, two starts, and one complete game to sit at 1-0 on the year.

SCOUTING THE INCARNATE WORD CARDINALS
Head Coach: Kim Dean
Career: 138-141 (Seven Years)
UIW: 18-38 (Two Years)

The Cardinals are 3-2 following the opening weekend of action. They earned wins against Green Bay and Eastern Illinois, but dropped two to Grand Canyon. Ahead of 2023 action starting, UIW was tabbed eighth in the Southland Preseason Poll. They finished last season 15-36 overall.

CARDINALS TO WATCH
• Ryleigh Mata hit .500 over the first five games for the Cardinals. She totalied eight hits, three RBI, and two runs. Mata had an on-base percentage of 1.056.
• Aaliyah Garcia picthed a full 10 innings for UIW. She made two appearances and one start and logged one complete game. Garcia didn't give up a single earned run and is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA.

SCOUTING THE LOYOLA CHICAGO RAMBLERS
Head Coach: Alicia Abbott
Career: 44-71 (Five Years)
LC: Same

The Ramblers opened 2023 action at the Paradise Classic in Florida and posted a 2-3 record over opening weekend. They dropped their first two games but challenged No. 23 Mississippi State only falling by one run. Loyola's two wins at the tournament came against Florida Atlantic (3-1) and Stony Brook (6-3). The Ramblers were tabbed eighth in the A-10 Preseason Poll earlier this year. 

RAMBLERS TO WATCH
• Hannah Nalley leads the Ramblers with five hits this season. She's hitting .333 with a .708 slugging percentage. Nalley has also scored one run.
• Peyton Pepkowski has clocked the most time in the circle for Loyola and has pitched 16.0 innings. Pepkowski has a 1.75 ERA to go with a 2-1 record. She's retired 12 batters so far this year.