LEADING OFF
The Mavericks are back at home after a weekend canceled by weather. Omaha was set to play doubleheaders against Iowa State and BYU in Ames, Iowa last weekend (Mar. 18-19). The Mavericks will host cross-town rival the Creighton Bluejays tomorrow night at 5:00 p.m. and the University of St. Thomas this weekend. Omaha will play three against the Tommies between Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader games will begin at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

QUICK HITS

• Omaha played its first two home games of the season last Wednesday, Mar. 15 against Nebraska. The Huskers defeated the Mavericks in both games, winning by scores of 2-1 and 11-3.
• Right fielder Rachel Weber enters the contest on a seven-game hitting streak. Through 21 starts, the graduate student has tallied five multi-hit games and a team-high 20 RBI.
• Rachel Weber doubled twice in game one of the double-header, and once again in game two on Wednesday. Weber now has eight doubles on the season, tied for second-most in the Summit League. As a team, the Mavericks have doubled 40 times this season, the most of any Summit League team.
• Lynsey Tucker singled and scored the lone Maverick run in the first game against the Huskers. Tucker leads the team with 24 hits and seven multi-hit games.
• In the circle, Kamryn Meyer continues to dominate the Summit League. Through seven starts, Meyer has an ERA of 1.36, an opposing batting average of .174, 94 strikeouts, and two home runs allowed, all League-bests.
• The Omaha softball team was tabbed second in the 2023 Summit League Preseason Poll Wednesday morning, the league announced. Kamryn Meyer and Lynsey Tucker were selected as Athletes to Watch.
• 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 CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS
Head Coach: Krista Wood Career: 238-164 (Eight Years) Creighton: First Year

The Bluejays come to Connie Claussen Field after an 0-3 weekend at Villanova. Creighton dropped the first two games by one run each, losing 4-3 and 8-7 on Friday. On Saturday, Villanova completed the sweep with a 10-4 victory. Creighton is second in the Big East in both batting and pitching. The Bluejays have a team batting average of .282, and an ERA of 3.45. The Mavericks lead the all-time series 3-2 in the Division I era. The first meeting between Omaha and Creighton at Connie Claussen Field went 10 innings, with the Mavericks defeating the Bluejays 3-2. The last time the teams met was in 2022 at the CU Sports Complex. Omaha defeated Creighton by a score of 9-3, tallying 10 hits, including three doubles and a home run.

BLUEJAYS TO WATCH
• Cayla Nielsen leads the Bluejays with a batting average of .418 over 23 starts. Along with the second-best batting average in the Big East, Nielsen has the second-most doubles in the conference with seven on the season.
• Alyssa Gappa leads the Big East in doubles with 10 through 26 starts. Gappa has a batting average of .338 and 17 RBI on the year. Madeline Vejvoda is second in the Big East with 28 hits in 27 games. Vejvoda has scored 19 runs this season.
• In the circle, Payton Akers leads the Bluejays. Akers has an ERA of 2.14, striking out a team high 49 batters. Over 42.1 innings, Akers has allowed 27 hits, the fewest among all Creighton starters. Natalia Puchino has an ERA of 2.28 over 64.1 innings. Puchino has a team-high seven wins on the year, including four complete games and two shutout outings.

SCOUTING THE ST. THOMAS TOMMIES 
Head Coach: Jennifer Bagley Trotter Career: 14-36 (One Year) St. Thomas: Same

The Tommies enter conference play after a midweek doubleheader with California Baptist. St. Thomas has lost nine of its last ten games, with a win over Samford last weekend at the Ole Miss Invite. Through 25 games, St. Thomas leads the Summit League in stolen bases with 31 in 39 attempts.

TOMMIES TO WATCH
• Brooke Ellestad leads the Tommies in batting (.384), hits (28), doubles (6), home runs (4), and RBI (19). She leads the Summit League with an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.104.
• Avery Wukawitz has collected 24 hits in 24 starts. Wukawitz has an average of .343 with a team-high 17 runs.
• Isabelle True has made 14 starts for St. Thomas with a 7.95 ERA and 18 strikeouts. Ella Cook has a 3.90 ERA over eight appearances with a team-high 28 strikeouts.