Mavs Head to SEC Land for Tiger Invitational
Feb 13, 2014 | Softball
The Omaha softball team visits SEC territory this weekend when it travels to play in Auburn's Tiger Invitational on Saturday and Sunday. The Mavs open play on Saturday against Marshall at 1 p.m. and Auburn at 3:30 p.m. The Mavs face Loyola Chicago on Sunday at 9 a.m. and close play with a non-conference game against Summit League member Western Illinois at 11 a.m. All games will be played at Auburn's Jane B. Moore Field. All games will have live stats available at OMavs.com. A ive webcast will be available for the Auburn game.
The Teams
Omaha went 3-2 at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah last weekend. The Mavs defeated Weber State (7-0), Utah Valley (4-0) and Idaho State (6-3). Omaha's losses came to Southern Utah (5-1) and Utah State (6-0). Allie Mathewson is hitting .429 with a team-best .579 on-base percentage. Freshman Lia Mancuso hits .417 and is the only Maverick with a hit in each game this season. Campbell Ditto has three home runs already with a .333 average. Dana Elsasser is 3-0 in the circle with a 1.29 ERA.
Marshall hasn't played a game yet this season. The Thundering Herd won the Conference USA Tournament last season and advanced to the NCAA regional in Lexington, Ky. Marshall finished 36-22 but lost six seniors from that squad. Kaelynn Greene led the team last season with a .354 average and was 13-of-15 in stolen bases. Shaelynn Braxton had a team-high five home runs and 18 RBI in conference play.
Auburn is 4-1-1 overall and won the Plainsman Invite last weekend with a 4-1 record. The Tigers defeated North Dakota State (11-3, 6 inn.), Morehead State (12-0, 5 inn.), Louisiana-Monroe (9-2) and Tennessee Tech (8-4). Only Notre Dame defeated the Tigers, 3-2 in eight innings. Kasey Cooper leads the team at .474 with one homer and four RBI. Auburn has smacked 11 homers so far with McKenzie Kilpatrick accounting for three of them and nine RBI. Lexi Davis is 2-1 with a 1.18 ERA. Marcy Harper is 2-0 with a 5.25 ERA.
Loyola Chicago went 1-3 at the Rosemont Rumble last weekend. The Ramblers beat UIC and fell to Illinois, Western Illinois and IUPUI. Olivia Bell hit .400 with three RBI and two runs. Lauren Moore hit .308 with a pair of doubles. Brittany Gardner made three pitching appearances and went 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA.
Western Illinois went 4-0 at the Rosemont Rumble last weekend. The Leathernecks posted wins over Loyola Chicago, Drake, Eastern Illinois and UIC. Teagan Walsh hit .563 with four doubles and nine RBI. Megg Kelly hit .538 with a home run and five RBI. Three different pitchers started games and earned wins for Western Illinois.
Series History
UNO has never played Marshall, Auburn or Loyola Chicago. The Mavericks are 4-2 all-time against Western Illinois. UNO took two of the three games last year on April 27 at Westside Field at Westbrook.
Up Next
The Mavs are in San Antonio next weekend for the UTSA Tournament. Omaha will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTSA twice, along with Bryant University.
Maverick Notes
• Dana Elsasser went 3-0 in her three starts at the Red Desert Classic. She posted a 1.29 ERA with two shutouts and completed all three games. On the week, Elsasser pitched 21.0 innings with 11 hits allowed, three earned runs, five walks and 21 strikeouts. She allowed only one extra-base hit all weekend and held her opponents to a .151 batting average. Elsasser began the season with 19.1 straight scoreless innings pitched.
• Campbell Ditto started her sophomore season with a bang, hitting .333 with three home runs in five games. Ditto was 5-for-15 at the plate with team highs of five RBI and five runs scored and a 1.000 slugging percentage. She tallied three homers through the first four games and also added a double while drawing two walks and a hit by pitch.
• Senior first baseman Amber Lutmer ended the 2013 season on a 33-game reached base streak and reached safely in the first five games of the 2014 season to extend her streak to 38 games. The Omaha native has reached base in every game played dating back to Feb. 23, 2013.
• Freshman Lia Mancuso was the only Maverick to record a hit in all five games at the Red Desert Classic. The Omaha native hit .417 and had one hit in every single game while scoring three runs. She also drew two walks and a hit by pitch to produce a .533 on-base percentage, second-best on the team.
• Allie Mathewson led the Mavs at the Red Desert Classic with a .429 batting average and .579 on-base percentage. She had six singles in 14 at bats and drew a team-high five walks.
• Sydney Hames had a strong start to her sophomore season with a .400 batting average last weekend, as well as three RBI.
• There were two defensive starting spots open this season after third baseman Molly Negrete and right fielder Lindsay Redding graduated. Sophomore Sydney Hames, the designated player last year, won the starting third base job to begin the season, while freshman Lia Mancuso grabbed the right field position. Mancuso and Hames were two of the Mavs' top three hitters at the Red Desert Classic. Nicole Warren filled in as the designated player with Hames now at third base.
2014 Begins With Scarpello's 600th Win
UNO head coach Jeanne Scarpello reached her 600th career win in the season-opening 7-0 victory over Weber State on Feb. 7. Scarpello, the all-time winningest coach in UNO softball history, now has an all-time record of 602-190-1 in her 15th year as the head coach of the Mavs.
Standout Seniors
UNO's senior class is small in numbers, but is critical to the Mavs' success. Pitcher Dana Elsasser and first baseman Amber Lutmer are both in their final seasons at UNO, and both will wind up among the greatest Mavericks of all-time. Elsasser, the Mavericks' ace the past two seasons, was arguably the most dominant pitcher in the Summit League as a junior with a league-best 0.62 ERA in conference games. Elsasser's career 1.50 ERA ranks fourth-best in school history, and her .197 opponent batting average is second-best. Her 47career wins rank tied for 10th in school history and her 27 shutouts are eighth. Lutmer has proven to be one of the top power hitters in UNO history, and she has numerous career offensive records in her sights. She has 35 career homers and needs 10 to break Leslie Svoboda's school record of 44. Lutmer has 135 career RBI and needs 58 to break Svoboda's mark of 192 (Lutmer's season best is 47). Lutmer is sitting on 83 walks and with eight more would be the new school-record holder, surpassing Svoboda's 90 free passes.
The Teams
Omaha went 3-2 at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah last weekend. The Mavs defeated Weber State (7-0), Utah Valley (4-0) and Idaho State (6-3). Omaha's losses came to Southern Utah (5-1) and Utah State (6-0). Allie Mathewson is hitting .429 with a team-best .579 on-base percentage. Freshman Lia Mancuso hits .417 and is the only Maverick with a hit in each game this season. Campbell Ditto has three home runs already with a .333 average. Dana Elsasser is 3-0 in the circle with a 1.29 ERA.
Marshall hasn't played a game yet this season. The Thundering Herd won the Conference USA Tournament last season and advanced to the NCAA regional in Lexington, Ky. Marshall finished 36-22 but lost six seniors from that squad. Kaelynn Greene led the team last season with a .354 average and was 13-of-15 in stolen bases. Shaelynn Braxton had a team-high five home runs and 18 RBI in conference play.
Auburn is 4-1-1 overall and won the Plainsman Invite last weekend with a 4-1 record. The Tigers defeated North Dakota State (11-3, 6 inn.), Morehead State (12-0, 5 inn.), Louisiana-Monroe (9-2) and Tennessee Tech (8-4). Only Notre Dame defeated the Tigers, 3-2 in eight innings. Kasey Cooper leads the team at .474 with one homer and four RBI. Auburn has smacked 11 homers so far with McKenzie Kilpatrick accounting for three of them and nine RBI. Lexi Davis is 2-1 with a 1.18 ERA. Marcy Harper is 2-0 with a 5.25 ERA.
Loyola Chicago went 1-3 at the Rosemont Rumble last weekend. The Ramblers beat UIC and fell to Illinois, Western Illinois and IUPUI. Olivia Bell hit .400 with three RBI and two runs. Lauren Moore hit .308 with a pair of doubles. Brittany Gardner made three pitching appearances and went 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA.
Western Illinois went 4-0 at the Rosemont Rumble last weekend. The Leathernecks posted wins over Loyola Chicago, Drake, Eastern Illinois and UIC. Teagan Walsh hit .563 with four doubles and nine RBI. Megg Kelly hit .538 with a home run and five RBI. Three different pitchers started games and earned wins for Western Illinois.
Series History
UNO has never played Marshall, Auburn or Loyola Chicago. The Mavericks are 4-2 all-time against Western Illinois. UNO took two of the three games last year on April 27 at Westside Field at Westbrook.
Up Next
The Mavs are in San Antonio next weekend for the UTSA Tournament. Omaha will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTSA twice, along with Bryant University.
Maverick Notes
• Dana Elsasser went 3-0 in her three starts at the Red Desert Classic. She posted a 1.29 ERA with two shutouts and completed all three games. On the week, Elsasser pitched 21.0 innings with 11 hits allowed, three earned runs, five walks and 21 strikeouts. She allowed only one extra-base hit all weekend and held her opponents to a .151 batting average. Elsasser began the season with 19.1 straight scoreless innings pitched.
• Campbell Ditto started her sophomore season with a bang, hitting .333 with three home runs in five games. Ditto was 5-for-15 at the plate with team highs of five RBI and five runs scored and a 1.000 slugging percentage. She tallied three homers through the first four games and also added a double while drawing two walks and a hit by pitch.
• Senior first baseman Amber Lutmer ended the 2013 season on a 33-game reached base streak and reached safely in the first five games of the 2014 season to extend her streak to 38 games. The Omaha native has reached base in every game played dating back to Feb. 23, 2013.
• Freshman Lia Mancuso was the only Maverick to record a hit in all five games at the Red Desert Classic. The Omaha native hit .417 and had one hit in every single game while scoring three runs. She also drew two walks and a hit by pitch to produce a .533 on-base percentage, second-best on the team.
• Allie Mathewson led the Mavs at the Red Desert Classic with a .429 batting average and .579 on-base percentage. She had six singles in 14 at bats and drew a team-high five walks.
• Sydney Hames had a strong start to her sophomore season with a .400 batting average last weekend, as well as three RBI.
• There were two defensive starting spots open this season after third baseman Molly Negrete and right fielder Lindsay Redding graduated. Sophomore Sydney Hames, the designated player last year, won the starting third base job to begin the season, while freshman Lia Mancuso grabbed the right field position. Mancuso and Hames were two of the Mavs' top three hitters at the Red Desert Classic. Nicole Warren filled in as the designated player with Hames now at third base.
2014 Begins With Scarpello's 600th Win
UNO head coach Jeanne Scarpello reached her 600th career win in the season-opening 7-0 victory over Weber State on Feb. 7. Scarpello, the all-time winningest coach in UNO softball history, now has an all-time record of 602-190-1 in her 15th year as the head coach of the Mavs.
Standout Seniors
UNO's senior class is small in numbers, but is critical to the Mavs' success. Pitcher Dana Elsasser and first baseman Amber Lutmer are both in their final seasons at UNO, and both will wind up among the greatest Mavericks of all-time. Elsasser, the Mavericks' ace the past two seasons, was arguably the most dominant pitcher in the Summit League as a junior with a league-best 0.62 ERA in conference games. Elsasser's career 1.50 ERA ranks fourth-best in school history, and her .197 opponent batting average is second-best. Her 47career wins rank tied for 10th in school history and her 27 shutouts are eighth. Lutmer has proven to be one of the top power hitters in UNO history, and she has numerous career offensive records in her sights. She has 35 career homers and needs 10 to break Leslie Svoboda's school record of 44. Lutmer has 135 career RBI and needs 58 to break Svoboda's mark of 192 (Lutmer's season best is 47). Lutmer is sitting on 83 walks and with eight more would be the new school-record holder, surpassing Svoboda's 90 free passes.
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