Mavericks, Jackrabbits Set for Summit League Showdown
Apr 20, 2017 | Softball
Leading Off
The Omaha softball team visits South Dakota State for a three-game Summit League series this weekend, April 21-22 at the Jackrabbit Softball Stadium in Brookings, S.D. First pitch for Friday's opener is set for 4:30 p.m., followed by a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Omaha is 11-25 (2-4 Summit League) overall after dropping a non-conference game to Missouri Wednesday afternoon, 7-4.
• UNO opened the road portion of its Summit League schedule April 8-9 by winning two of three games at South Dakota.
• The Mavericks have played four teams receiving national votes this season. In tournament play earlier this season, Omaha defeated No. 16 Utah but lost a doubleheader to No. 9/10 Oklahoma and a single game to No. 16/17 LSU. Last Wednesday, UNO fell 7-4 to #RV Missouri.
• Fifteen players have seen playing time for the Mavericks' this season, with seven players making their first career starts.
• Senior Lia Mancuso is hitting a team-leading .345 entering the week and has a team-high 13 stolen bases.
• The 2017 season marks Omaha's second with full NCAA Division I postseason eligibility for the Summit League and NCAA Tournaments.
• DJ Sanchez is in her first year leading the Omaha softball program.
• The Mavericks opened the year with 27 straight road games.
• UNO returns seven letter winners, including four position starters: Mancuso, senior Lizzie Noble, junior Kelly Pattison and senior Nicole Warren. Senior Abbie Clanton and sophomore Laura Roecker return to the circle this season for the Mavericks.
• Three All-Summit selections highlight the Mavericks' returning corps: Mancuso, Roecker and Warren.
• Omaha was picked second in the Summit League preseason Coaches' Poll.
Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State enters the weekend series with 16-28 (3-6 Summit League) overall record after a 12-7 victory over Fort Wayne on April 16.
Ali Herdliska leads the team with a .351 average through 44 games. Herdliska also leads the team with 16 doubles and 30 RBI. Brittney Morse tops the SDSU lineup with seven home runs. Ashlyn Bender (8-10, 3.54 ERA) and Abby Dean (8-13, 3.71 ERA) have combined for 51 appearances and 39 starts this season.
Head coach Krista Wood is in her third season at SDSU with a 62-91 record and holds a 332-244 career mark through 11 seasons. This weekend series marks the 97th all-time meeting between Omaha and South Dakota State. The Mavericks leads the series 79-16-1.
Next UpOmaha wraps up its road schedule with a three-game Summit League series against IUPUI. First pitch for Friday's doubleheader game will be at 1 p.m. CT, Saturday's single game is set to start at 10 a.m.
