Mavericks Head to MIAA Crossover North
Mar 17, 2011 | General, Softball
Game Notes
PREVIEW
The No. 23 UNO softball team (14-4) heads to the MIAA Crossover North tournament this weekend in Springfield, Mo. The Mavs will play six games against MIAA conference foes, two each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All games will be played at the Cooper Softball Complex and do not count toward the conference standings.
On Friday at 2 p.m., the Mavericks open play against Central Missouri (9-7, 2-0). The Mavs follow that up with a 4 p.m., game against Southwest Baptist (1-5, 0-2). On Saturday, UNO returns to the diamond to take on Pittsburg State (4-7, 0-0) at 10 a.m. At 12 p.m., UNO meets Missouri Southern (11-7, 0-0).
The Mavs close out tournament play on Sunday, beginning with a 10 a.m., game against defending co-MIAA champion, Emporia State (12-5, 0-0), and ending with a 12 p.m., game against Lincoln (5-7, 1-1).
UNO has won four straight after dropping three of its previous four. The Mavericks started the season 9-1 and climbed to as high as No. 8 in the NFCA Top 25 poll after starting the season ninth.
ANSWERING WITH SHUTOUTS
After going 1-3 at the 2011 Best Western Premier Spring Fling with three losses to unranked teams, the Mavericks put forth a demonstrative response the following weekend, going 4-0 by a combined run total of 27-2. UNO shut out Northeastern State twice last Saturday in Emporia, Kan., then shut out Missouri-St. Louis, 9-0, before closing the weekend with a 6-2 win in the second game of the doubleheader. The Mavs have earned three straight shutouts twice already this season. Before this year, the last time UNO accomplished three or more shutouts in a row was in March of 2006 when they shut out four straight opponents.
FRESHMEN OFF TO A FAST START
UNO's two freshmen are off to very impressive starts in their Maverick careers. Amber Lutmer has made a name for herself at the plate. The Millard West grad has hit a team-best six home runs while notching a team-high .688 slugging percentage. Lutmer is batting .313 to rank third on the team and has 15 RBI, which ranks second. Lutmer has started all 18 games this year for the Mavericks.
In the circle, Dana Elsasser has provided the Mavs with a steady third arm behind MIAA Pitcher of the Year Beth Haley and All-American Lindsey Slocum. Elsasser is 5-1 on the year with a team-low 0.59 ERA. Elsasser has started six games and completed five of them with a team-high three shutouts. The Hershey, Neb., native has limited opponents to a .129 batting average, while allowing just under one hit for every two innings pitched.
MAVS PICKED TO WIN MIAA IN PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The defending MIAA co-champion UNO softball team was voted preseason No. 1 in the 2011 MIAA Softball Coaches Poll.
The Mavericks picked up eight of 12 first-place votes and collected 118 points to edge fellow defending MIAA co-champion Emporia State's 114 points. The Lady Hornets received the other four first-place votes.
UNO finished 50-13 last season and participated in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional. The Mavericks started off this season ranked No. 9 by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
MAVERICKS EARN NO. 9 RANKING IN NFCA PRESEASON POLL
The UNO softball team will begin the 2011 season in the top 10, as the Mavericks earned the No. 9 ranking in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll.
Nebraska-Omaha, which finished last season 23rd in the rankings with a 50-13 record, received 230 points in the poll. UNO was eliminated from the postseason at the NCAA South Central Regional.
The Mavericks return All-American pitcher/outfielder Lindsey Slocum and all-region pitcher and MIAA Pitcher of the Year Beth Haley. Slocum and Haley combined to start 51 of 63 games in the circle for UNO last season and will be counted on to hold opponents at bay early in the season, as the Mavs adjust to replacing last year's top hitter, Treightin Yates, as well as three other starters.
In addition to the experience of the pitching staff, UNO returns all-conference honorees Molly Feichtinger, Alli Hukill and Katelyn Hinton, as well as everyday starter Emma Wright.
The only other MIAA team in the preseason rankings is No. 19 Emporia State, who finished 13th last year and shared the MIAA regular-season title with the Mavs.
Last year's national runner-up, Valdosta State, earned the No. 1 ranking, as the Blazers return 13 players. North Georgia is second and defending national champion, Hawaii Pacific, is third despite receiving 10 out of 16 first-place votes.
SLOCUM NAMED A FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN IN 2010
UNO pitcher/outfielder Lindsey Slocum picked up her second All-American award of the 2010 season after being named to the 2010 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II First Team.
It was the second first-team nod for Slocum. She also was named a 2010 Daktronics First-Team All-American, just the 18th Maverick to earn the honor and the first since 2008.
Slocum posted a 1.95 ERA while earning a record of 21-3 in 31 appearances. She pitched a team-high 172 innings, allowing 140 hits and 56 runs, 48 earned, while striking out a team-best 173 and walking just 29.
Opponents batted .218 against her. Slocum ranked third in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in ERA in league games at 2.07 and third in wins with 18.
At the plate, Slocum led the team with 61 RBI and was second on the team with a .371 batting average. The Omaha native scored a team high 49 runs and finished second on the team with 73 hits and 12 home runs. Slocum ranked sixth in the MIAA in hits and second in RBI.
PREVIEW
The No. 23 UNO softball team (14-4) heads to the MIAA Crossover North tournament this weekend in Springfield, Mo. The Mavs will play six games against MIAA conference foes, two each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All games will be played at the Cooper Softball Complex and do not count toward the conference standings.
On Friday at 2 p.m., the Mavericks open play against Central Missouri (9-7, 2-0). The Mavs follow that up with a 4 p.m., game against Southwest Baptist (1-5, 0-2). On Saturday, UNO returns to the diamond to take on Pittsburg State (4-7, 0-0) at 10 a.m. At 12 p.m., UNO meets Missouri Southern (11-7, 0-0).
The Mavs close out tournament play on Sunday, beginning with a 10 a.m., game against defending co-MIAA champion, Emporia State (12-5, 0-0), and ending with a 12 p.m., game against Lincoln (5-7, 1-1).
UNO has won four straight after dropping three of its previous four. The Mavericks started the season 9-1 and climbed to as high as No. 8 in the NFCA Top 25 poll after starting the season ninth.
ANSWERING WITH SHUTOUTS
After going 1-3 at the 2011 Best Western Premier Spring Fling with three losses to unranked teams, the Mavericks put forth a demonstrative response the following weekend, going 4-0 by a combined run total of 27-2. UNO shut out Northeastern State twice last Saturday in Emporia, Kan., then shut out Missouri-St. Louis, 9-0, before closing the weekend with a 6-2 win in the second game of the doubleheader. The Mavs have earned three straight shutouts twice already this season. Before this year, the last time UNO accomplished three or more shutouts in a row was in March of 2006 when they shut out four straight opponents.
FRESHMEN OFF TO A FAST START
UNO's two freshmen are off to very impressive starts in their Maverick careers. Amber Lutmer has made a name for herself at the plate. The Millard West grad has hit a team-best six home runs while notching a team-high .688 slugging percentage. Lutmer is batting .313 to rank third on the team and has 15 RBI, which ranks second. Lutmer has started all 18 games this year for the Mavericks.
In the circle, Dana Elsasser has provided the Mavs with a steady third arm behind MIAA Pitcher of the Year Beth Haley and All-American Lindsey Slocum. Elsasser is 5-1 on the year with a team-low 0.59 ERA. Elsasser has started six games and completed five of them with a team-high three shutouts. The Hershey, Neb., native has limited opponents to a .129 batting average, while allowing just under one hit for every two innings pitched.
MAVS PICKED TO WIN MIAA IN PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The defending MIAA co-champion UNO softball team was voted preseason No. 1 in the 2011 MIAA Softball Coaches Poll.
The Mavericks picked up eight of 12 first-place votes and collected 118 points to edge fellow defending MIAA co-champion Emporia State's 114 points. The Lady Hornets received the other four first-place votes.
UNO finished 50-13 last season and participated in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional. The Mavericks started off this season ranked No. 9 by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
MAVERICKS EARN NO. 9 RANKING IN NFCA PRESEASON POLL
The UNO softball team will begin the 2011 season in the top 10, as the Mavericks earned the No. 9 ranking in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll.
Nebraska-Omaha, which finished last season 23rd in the rankings with a 50-13 record, received 230 points in the poll. UNO was eliminated from the postseason at the NCAA South Central Regional.
The Mavericks return All-American pitcher/outfielder Lindsey Slocum and all-region pitcher and MIAA Pitcher of the Year Beth Haley. Slocum and Haley combined to start 51 of 63 games in the circle for UNO last season and will be counted on to hold opponents at bay early in the season, as the Mavs adjust to replacing last year's top hitter, Treightin Yates, as well as three other starters.
In addition to the experience of the pitching staff, UNO returns all-conference honorees Molly Feichtinger, Alli Hukill and Katelyn Hinton, as well as everyday starter Emma Wright.
The only other MIAA team in the preseason rankings is No. 19 Emporia State, who finished 13th last year and shared the MIAA regular-season title with the Mavs.
Last year's national runner-up, Valdosta State, earned the No. 1 ranking, as the Blazers return 13 players. North Georgia is second and defending national champion, Hawaii Pacific, is third despite receiving 10 out of 16 first-place votes.
SLOCUM NAMED A FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN IN 2010
UNO pitcher/outfielder Lindsey Slocum picked up her second All-American award of the 2010 season after being named to the 2010 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II First Team.
It was the second first-team nod for Slocum. She also was named a 2010 Daktronics First-Team All-American, just the 18th Maverick to earn the honor and the first since 2008.
Slocum posted a 1.95 ERA while earning a record of 21-3 in 31 appearances. She pitched a team-high 172 innings, allowing 140 hits and 56 runs, 48 earned, while striking out a team-best 173 and walking just 29.
Opponents batted .218 against her. Slocum ranked third in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in ERA in league games at 2.07 and third in wins with 18.
At the plate, Slocum led the team with 61 RBI and was second on the team with a .371 batting average. The Omaha native scored a team high 49 runs and finished second on the team with 73 hits and 12 home runs. Slocum ranked sixth in the MIAA in hits and second in RBI.
Players Mentioned
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IF/OF
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IF/OF
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OF
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C/IF
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LHP/OF
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C/IF
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C/IF
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