Mavs Hunt for Wins at UTSA Mid-Major Classic
Feb 20, 2014 | Softball
The Omaha softball team will play five games against three opponents when it heads to San Antonio for the UTSA Mid-Major Classic this weekend, hosted by the University of Texas-San Antonio. The Mavs begin play on Friday with a 9 a.m. game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and a 4:30 p.m. game against UTSA. On Saturday, the Mavs again face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 9 a.m. and follow immediately against Bryant at 11:30 a.m. On Sunday, the Mavs wrap up play against host UTSA at 11:30 a.m. Live stats for all games will be available at OMavs.com. Sunday's game against UTSA will have a live audio feed available at OMavs.com.
The Teams
Omaha stands at 6-3 after a 3-1 weekend at the Auburn Tiger Invitational last week. The Mavericks are led by leadoff hitter Allie Mathewson, who is hitting .500 with two home runs, nine runs and a team-best .605 on-base percentage. Freshman Lizzie Noble, after earning her first three starts last weekend at the Tiger Invitational, is hitting .429 with a homer and five RBI. Another freshman, Lia Mancuso, is batting .400 with eight runs. Sydney Hames adds a .355 average with seven RBI. Ace Dana Elsasser possesses a 4-1 record with one save and a 1.77 ERA. She has completed all five of her starts this season and has 34 strikeouts to just nine walks. Amber Lutmer and Campbell Ditto each have a team-high three home runs.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is off to a 2-7 start with wins over Stephen F. Austin and New Mexico State. The Islanders went 1-4 at the Troy Cox Classic last weekend in Las Cruces, N.M. Dani Tefft hits .583 with six runs scored to lead the Islanders. Brittney Morse hits .375 with three home runs and four RBI. Liz Carter is 2-3 in the circle with a 4.20 ERA.
UTSA is 4-6 entering the tournament. The Roadrunners opened the season with four straight wins - three over Lamar and one over 15th-ranked Texas (4-2) in Austin. The Roadrunners then went 0-5 at the UTSA Classic from Feb. 14-16 and lost to Texas State, 8-0, on Wednesday. Megan Low leads the team with a .360 batting average, four home runs and 12 RBI. Nicole Merill is 2-2 with a 2.94 ERA and three complete games.
Bryant will be competing for the first time this season when it takes the field at the UTSA Mid-Major Classic. The Bulldogs were 21-22 last season and 10-10 in the Northeast Conference. Bryant has back seven position starters and two returning pitchers.
Series History
UNO is 2-0 all-time against Bryant. The last meeting came in 2005 with the Mavericks taking a 6-0 win on March 18 in Orlando. The Mavs have never played UTSA or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Up Next
The Mavs head to Orlando, Fla., next weekend for the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic from Feb. 28-March 2. Omaha will play some of its biggest name opponents of the season in Maryland, Syracuse, Illinois State, Fordham and Notre Dame.
Maverick Notes
• With two more wins, the UNO softball program will reach 1,400 all-time victories. The Mavs currently have an all-time record of 1,398-608-5 in their 46th year as a program for a winning percentage of .696.
• Last weekend, the Mavericks battled delayed flights and an adjusted tournament schedule but still managed a 3-1 record at the Auburn Tiger Invitational. The Mavs posted wins over Marshall (9-6), Loyola Chicago (9-2) and Western Illinois (11-7, 8 inn.). UNO's only loss was 4-2 to host Auburn.
• Allie Mathewson hit .563 (9-for-16) with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI and six runs scored to lead the Mavericks. The junior center fielder posted a 1.063 slugging percentage and .632 on-base percentage and was 1-for-1 in stolen bases.
• Amber Lutmer reached base in every game on the weekend to extend her consecutive reached base streak to 42 games dating back to last season. The streak nearly came to an end in the final game against Western Illinois, but Lutmer smashed a grand slam in the eighth inning to lift the Mavs past the Leathernecks and keep her streak intact.
• Dana Elsasser went 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA on the weekend and appeared in three of the four games. She recorded 13 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .143 batting average in 14.2 innings pitched. On Sunday, she pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the 9-2 win over Loyola Chicago.
• Kat Barrow and Cheyenne Baxter each picked up their first wins of the season on the weekend. Baxter pitched 3.0 innings in relief in the win over Marshall, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Barrow also got her win in relief, throwing 7.2 innings against Western Illinois and allowing three earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
• Freshman Lizzie Noble hit .500 and had her first career home run to go with five RBI on the weekend. Her .917 slugging percentage was second on the team, behind only Mathewson.
• The Mavs experimented with moving Tara Trede to the bottom of the batting order, and it worked with the sophomore second baseman hitting .400 with five runs scored.
• Freshman Lia Mancuso continued her strong start to her career by hitting .375 and drawing a team-high six walks for a team-best .643 on-base percentage. She also stole two bases in two attempts, as did Trede, to lead the Mavs to a 6-for-6 weekend in stolen bases.
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 1.22 ERA ranks fifth-best in school history, and her .195 opponent batting average is second-best. Her 48 career wins rank 10th in school history and her 27 shutouts are tied for fifth. 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 37 career homers and needs eight to break Leslie Svoboda's school record of 44. Lutmer has 142 career RBI and needs 51 to break Svoboda's mark of 192. Lutmer is sitting on 86 walks and with five more would be the new school-record holder, surpassing Svoboda's 90 free passes.
The Teams
Omaha stands at 6-3 after a 3-1 weekend at the Auburn Tiger Invitational last week. The Mavericks are led by leadoff hitter Allie Mathewson, who is hitting .500 with two home runs, nine runs and a team-best .605 on-base percentage. Freshman Lizzie Noble, after earning her first three starts last weekend at the Tiger Invitational, is hitting .429 with a homer and five RBI. Another freshman, Lia Mancuso, is batting .400 with eight runs. Sydney Hames adds a .355 average with seven RBI. Ace Dana Elsasser possesses a 4-1 record with one save and a 1.77 ERA. She has completed all five of her starts this season and has 34 strikeouts to just nine walks. Amber Lutmer and Campbell Ditto each have a team-high three home runs.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is off to a 2-7 start with wins over Stephen F. Austin and New Mexico State. The Islanders went 1-4 at the Troy Cox Classic last weekend in Las Cruces, N.M. Dani Tefft hits .583 with six runs scored to lead the Islanders. Brittney Morse hits .375 with three home runs and four RBI. Liz Carter is 2-3 in the circle with a 4.20 ERA.
UTSA is 4-6 entering the tournament. The Roadrunners opened the season with four straight wins - three over Lamar and one over 15th-ranked Texas (4-2) in Austin. The Roadrunners then went 0-5 at the UTSA Classic from Feb. 14-16 and lost to Texas State, 8-0, on Wednesday. Megan Low leads the team with a .360 batting average, four home runs and 12 RBI. Nicole Merill is 2-2 with a 2.94 ERA and three complete games.
Bryant will be competing for the first time this season when it takes the field at the UTSA Mid-Major Classic. The Bulldogs were 21-22 last season and 10-10 in the Northeast Conference. Bryant has back seven position starters and two returning pitchers.
Series History
UNO is 2-0 all-time against Bryant. The last meeting came in 2005 with the Mavericks taking a 6-0 win on March 18 in Orlando. The Mavs have never played UTSA or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Up Next
The Mavs head to Orlando, Fla., next weekend for the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic from Feb. 28-March 2. Omaha will play some of its biggest name opponents of the season in Maryland, Syracuse, Illinois State, Fordham and Notre Dame.
Maverick Notes
• With two more wins, the UNO softball program will reach 1,400 all-time victories. The Mavs currently have an all-time record of 1,398-608-5 in their 46th year as a program for a winning percentage of .696.
• Last weekend, the Mavericks battled delayed flights and an adjusted tournament schedule but still managed a 3-1 record at the Auburn Tiger Invitational. The Mavs posted wins over Marshall (9-6), Loyola Chicago (9-2) and Western Illinois (11-7, 8 inn.). UNO's only loss was 4-2 to host Auburn.
• Allie Mathewson hit .563 (9-for-16) with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI and six runs scored to lead the Mavericks. The junior center fielder posted a 1.063 slugging percentage and .632 on-base percentage and was 1-for-1 in stolen bases.
• Amber Lutmer reached base in every game on the weekend to extend her consecutive reached base streak to 42 games dating back to last season. The streak nearly came to an end in the final game against Western Illinois, but Lutmer smashed a grand slam in the eighth inning to lift the Mavs past the Leathernecks and keep her streak intact.
• Dana Elsasser went 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA on the weekend and appeared in three of the four games. She recorded 13 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .143 batting average in 14.2 innings pitched. On Sunday, she pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the 9-2 win over Loyola Chicago.
• Kat Barrow and Cheyenne Baxter each picked up their first wins of the season on the weekend. Baxter pitched 3.0 innings in relief in the win over Marshall, allowing two earned runs on four hits. Barrow also got her win in relief, throwing 7.2 innings against Western Illinois and allowing three earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
• Freshman Lizzie Noble hit .500 and had her first career home run to go with five RBI on the weekend. Her .917 slugging percentage was second on the team, behind only Mathewson.
• The Mavs experimented with moving Tara Trede to the bottom of the batting order, and it worked with the sophomore second baseman hitting .400 with five runs scored.
• Freshman Lia Mancuso continued her strong start to her career by hitting .375 and drawing a team-high six walks for a team-best .643 on-base percentage. She also stole two bases in two attempts, as did Trede, to lead the Mavs to a 6-for-6 weekend in stolen bases.
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 1.22 ERA ranks fifth-best in school history, and her .195 opponent batting average is second-best. Her 48 career wins rank 10th in school history and her 27 shutouts are tied for fifth. 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 37 career homers and needs eight to break Leslie Svoboda's school record of 44. Lutmer has 142 career RBI and needs 51 to break Svoboda's mark of 192. Lutmer is sitting on 86 walks and with five more would be the new school-record holder, surpassing Svoboda's 90 free passes.
Players Mentioned
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