Leading Off
The Omaha Mavericks are primed for the NCAA Columbia Regional this weekend May 17-19, where they are set to play the Missouri Tigers in game one. Last weekend the Mavericks captured the 2024 Summit League Championship title, making them back-to-back champions and giving them their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. 

GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday 5/17:
Game 1: 2:00 pm – Washington vs Indiana
Game 2: 4:30 pm – Missouri vs Omaha
 
Sat 5/18:
Game 3: 2:00 pm – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4: 4:30 pm – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 5: 7:00 pm – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
 
Sunday 5/19:
Game 6: TBD – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 7: TBD – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)
 
Games are on ESPN+ with Chuckie Kempf and Monica Abbott on the broadcast. 

Quick Hits
    - Omaha enters the Columbia Regional with a 41-13 overall record. Compared to the competition in the region, the Mavericks have the least amount of losses on the season (13) and have the second-most wins (41). 
    - In the Summit League Tournament, Omaha went 5-1. They opened with a 1-0 over Kansas City in game one with a walk-off home run by freshman Haley Wilwerding in the 14th inning. The Mavericks fell to SDSU in game two 2-1, forcing them to play in the elimination game against KC. Sydney Nuismer shutout of the Roos 2-0, sending the Mavericks to their fourth consecutive championship game. 
    - Needing to win two against the Jackrabbits, Omaha beat SDSU in the first game of the championships 5-2 with a go-ahead grand-slam by Alex Olson in the sixth inning. 
    - The Mavericks, in back-to-back years, shut out the Jackrabbits 7-0 in the final game to be crowned champions. 
    - Five Mavericks including Kamryn Meyer, Lynsey Tucker, Ava Rongisch, Sydney Ross, and Maggie O'Brien were named to the 2024 Summit League Tournament team. 
    - Meyer earned Tournament MVP for the second straight year for her 34 innings of work where she recorded a 0.82 ERA. The ace went 3-1 with two complete game shutouts during the tournament. The Queen of Ks threw 34 strikeouts, including a career-high 21 against Kansas City. 
    - In the record-breaking 14-inning game, Meyer threw all 14 innings against the Roos. That game was logged as the longest Summit League tournament game, surpassing the 12-inning record. At 17 strikeouts, Meyer had retired the most batters in a tournament game. At 19 that game, she hit 995 career Ks, making her the all-time Summit League strikeout leader. 
    - During the first game against SDSU, in the second inning, Meyer had thrown her 1000th career strikeout. 
    - The Mavericks average a .283 batting average with a .418 slugging percentage, both ranking first in the Summit League. They've scored 261 runs off 261 hits, including 83 doubles, 16 triples, and 27 home runs. 
    - Defensively, the Mavericks have the nation's fifth-highest fielding percentage of .980. The defense has held opponents to just 144 runs. Omaha is ranked third nationally for their 19 shutouts this season.
    - Omaha finished second in the Summit League for the fourth straight season. The Mavericks finished the regular season 37-12 with a 14-4 conference record. 
    - Since 2013 and for just the second time in the D1 era, Omaha went a perfect 7-0 in conference series victories. Their seven series wins include the two sweeps over North Dakota and North Dakota State.
    - The Mavericks claimed at least one shutout against each of the conference opponents except St. Thomas. 
    - The 2024 season has been filled with broken records, including most wins in a season during the D1 era. 
    - Kamryn Meyer was named the Summit League April Peak Performer of the Month, earning her second consecutive monthly honor and third of her career.
    - Meyer and Lynsey Tucker swept the last Summit League weekly awards after their performances against South Dakota State in the final regular season series. 

SCOUTING the Missouri Tigers
Head Coach: Larissa Anderson 

Mizzou enters hosts the regional with a 43-15 record on the season, going 13-11 in SEC conference play, and 9-5 at home. The team bats a .267 while keeping opponents at .218. On the field, they've recorded a .969 fielding percentage with 48 errors on the season. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
•  Alex Honnold with 64 hits this season, has recorded a .348 batting average. Her hits have included 21 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 35 RBIs, and 43 runs. She also paces the team with a .565 slugging percentage.

• On the mound, Laurin Krings has started in 28 games where she has gone 13-8. In 146 innings of work, she has retired 115 batters and recorded a 2.64 ERA, giving up 72 runs and 140 hits. 

SCOUTING the Washington Huskies
Head Coach: Heather Tarr

The Huskies come to Columbia with a 31-13 overall record, where they went 13-10 in Pac-12 play. On the road, they are 9-6 and 11-3 in neutral sites. The team bats a .322 while holding opponents to a .223. Defensively, they have recorded a .980 fielding percentage with just 23 errors on the season. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
•  Brooke Nelson paces the Huskies with a .345 batting average and .714 slugging percentage off 41 hits. She has recorded 24 runs, 34 RBIs, two doubles, one triple, and 12 home runs. 

• On the mound, Ruby Meylan has put in 119.1 innings of work for a 9-9 record and 2.35 ERA. Meylan has thrown 137 strikeouts and given up 53 runs and 107 hits. 

SCOUTING the Indiana Hoosiers
Head Coach: Shonda Stanton

Indiana will play as the No. 3 seed in the regional with a 40-18 overall record. In Big 10 play they went 12-11. On the road they have gone 12-9 and 14-3 at neutral venues. The team bats a .312 while keeping opponents to a .241. On the field, they have recorded 56 errors on 1645 chances for a .966 fielding percentage. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
•  Taylor Minnick, with a .306 batting average, has recorded 64 hits including 12 doubles, one triple, and 10 home runs. She has notched 53 RBIs and 31 runs.  

• In the circle, Brianna Copeland has put in 184.1 innings of work in her 24 starts and 43 appearances. She has gone 20-11 for a 2.81 ERA off 145 hits and 95 runs allowed. She leads the team with 170 strikeouts on the season. 

Mavericks in the Tournament
The 2024 season marks the second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the Mavericks. 
With their 2023 Conference Tournament Title, the Mavericks qualified for their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in the D1 era. Omaha was placed in the Baton Rouge Regional along with LSU, Louisiana, and Prairie View A&M. 
For the first time in the Division I era, the Omaha Mavericks captured an NCAA Tournament victory defeating the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 3-0. Omaha received solid hitting from their bats and lockdown pitching from Senior ace Kamryn Meyer to come away with the historic victory.
Their win against the Panthers marked not only the softball program's first win but the first win by any women's program in the NCAA Tournament.