Leading Off
The 6-5 Omaha Softball team head to Texas to battle in the Lion Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M Commerce. The Mavericks are slated with five games in a three-day stretch from Friday, Feb. 23 through Sunday, Feb. 25. 

Weekend Schedule
Friday
vs. Tarleton State at 11 a.m.
vs. Texas A&M Commerce at 4 p.m.

Saturday
vs. Abilene Christian at 9 a.m.
vs. Tarleton State at 2 p.m.

Sunday
vs. Abilene Christian at 9 a.m.


Quick Hits
• The Mavericks went 2-4 at the Bear Down tournament, bringing their overall record to 6-5 on the 2024 campaign. 

•  In the batter's box, junior transfer Sydney Thomason shined in the season's opening weeks. She currently leads the team with a .406 batting average. In her 32 at-bats, Thomason has recorded eight runs, 13 hits, six RBIs, two doubles, one triple, and four home runs. Notably, Thomason scored two back-to-back home runs in the game against Long Beach State. Her four home runs ranks her 13th among all Division 1 players. 

•  Sydney Ross has a team-high 10 RBIs with only six hits in 23 at-bats. Behind the plate, Ross has had 50 putouts, and caught five runners stealing. With five, Ross is the second best in the country for catching stealing. 

• In the national rankings, as a team, Omaha ranks 29th for double plays per game. With .55 per game, the Mavericks are ranked 100th out of 247 teams for home runs per game.

•  In the circle Kamryn Meyer recorded her 800th career strikeout against Northern Iowa. With 37 strikeouts, Meyer is ranked 12th in the country. 

• Sydney Nuismer has recorded one complete game shutout ranking her 18th in the country. 

• The Omaha softball team enters the 2024 season as the defending Summit League Tournament Champions. In the Summit League Championship the Mavericks best SDSU 1-0. With the program's first-ever D1 Championship title, they earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. In the Baton Rouge Regionals, they beat Prairie View A&M, marking the school's first-ever win in an NCAA game by a female program at.

• The Mavericks were tabbed second in the 2024 Summit League Preseason Poll with three first place votes. Omaha finished last season 33-17 overall and 15-5 in conference play.

• Meyer returns to the circle for Omaha and was named a Preseason Athlete to Watch. Meyer was named to last season's All-Summit League First Team, All-Tournament Team and Summit League Tournament MVP leading the league in ERA (1.26) and strikeouts (283). Last season she became the Mavericks' all-time leader in strikeouts and is currently at 778. In the circle she made 35 appearances and 26 starts, pitching 18 complete games with five shutouts. Meyer finished the season with an 18-8 ledger in 189.1 innings of work.

• Tucker joins Meyer on the Preseason Athlete to Watch list for the second straight year. Tucker was named to the All-Summit League First Team and All-Tournament Team after starting in all 50 games at second base where she hit .364 with 60 hits, including eight doubles. Last season she tallied a team-high 60 hits with 20 RBI a .430 slugging percentage and was 14-for-15 on stolen bases. Tucker notched a .844 OPS in 165 at-bats with an on-base percentage of .414.

• On the mound last season, Meyer has pitched a statistical masterpiece of a season. Her 1.21 earned run average and 242 strikeouts leads the Summit League. Meyer was the winning pitcher in 14 of the Mavericks 29 regular season victories. The Senior ace also became the Mavericks all-time strikeout leader this season surpassing Cheris Kuster's 698 K's. A record that stood for 16 years. A 2023 three-time Softball Peak Pitcher of the week, Meyer's career strikeout total sits at 737.

• Omaha will play in five non-conference tournaments to start the year. The tournament action concludes in Omaha as the Mavericks host the Connie Claussen Classic at the beginning of March. 

• The Omaha softball team returns 16 letterwinners, including seven starters. Key starters returning include Kamryn Meyer, Sydney Ross, Lynsey Tucker, Sydney Nuismer, Maggie O'Brien, Marra Cramer, Emma Durr, and Ava Rongisch.

• Head coach Mike Heard enters his third season at the helm. He compiled a 65-31 overall record in his first two year. Over his eight-year head coaching career, Heard sits at 217-127.

SCOUTING Tarleton State Riders
Head Coach: Mark Cumpian

Tarleton State enters the weekend with a 6-4 overall record. Their last win was against Mississippi Valley State where they defeated them 9-0 in five innings. 

RIDERS TO WATCH
• Kelci Hill has a team-high .467 batting average, having had 14 hits off 30 at bats. She's scored a team high nine runs and hit in six RBIs. On the field, she had made 17 catches, 12 putouts, and five assists. 

• Junior pitcher, Alexa Rehmeier as pitch 14.1 innings. She has made 13 strikeouts, while allowing 16 hits, six runs, and 14 walks. 

SCOUTING THE Texas A&M Commerece Lions
Head Coach: Brittany Miller

To open the campaign, the Lions have gone 4-7 overall. They picked up their first four wins in their first tournament, but went 0-5 in the last five games played. 

LIONS TO WATCH
• Tehya Pitts leads the Lions with a .444 batting average in 27 at bats. She's recorded 12 hits, one triple, and five runs. On the defensive side, she's made 22 catches, 18 putouts, and four assists. 

• The Mavericks will most likely see Maddie Muller, the Lion's leading pitcher. Muller has pitched 31 innings, notching 15 Ks, but allowing 30 hits and 14 runs. She has allowed 15 walks and made 11 errors, including three wild pitches. 


SCOUTING THE Abilene Christian Wildcats
Head Coach: Abigail Farler

The Wildcats have had a slower start to the season, going 4-6 overall. They opened the season 0-5 at the Dr. Diana Natalicio Memorial Tournament. Last weekend they hosted where they picked up their four wins against Houston Christian, Marist College and New Mexico. 

WILDCATS TO WATCH
• The team's leading batter, Kaydee Bennett, as a team-high .500 batting average in her 28 at-bats. Off 14 hits, Bennett has scored seven runs off two doubles, two triples, and one home run, in addition to notching six RBIs. On the field, she has made 35 catches, 19 putouts, and one assist.  

• Junior pitcher, Lina Russo, has pitched in 18.2 innings making 15 strikeouts. Russo has allowed 23 hits, 23 runs, and made 17 errors including six pitches that hit batters.