Omaha Closes Out Road Schedule at IUPUI
Apr 26, 2017 | Softball
Leading Off
Omaha softball wraps up its 10-game swing this weekend, visiting IUPUI for a three-game league series, April 29-30. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. CT, followed by game two at 3 p.m. CT. The series finale will start at 10 a.m. CT on Sunday. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Omaha is 13-26 (4-5 Summit League) overall after sweeping a twin bill last Saturday against South Dakota State.
• Four Mavericks hit over .500 at SDSU: freshman Vicky Kinney (.727), seniors Nicole Warren (.556) and Lizzie Noble (.545) and freshman Hailey Bartz (.500).
• Kinney earned her first career Player of the Week honor on Monday.
• Freshman Laura Roecker went 2-0 in three appearances in Brookings last weekend with a 3.42 ERA.
• 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 .349 entering the week and has a team-high 15 stolen bases, while Kinney has the team lead with six homers and 27 RBI.
• 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 IUPUI Jaguars
The Jaguars play a midweek twin bill vs. Eastern Illinois on Wednesday before welcoming Omaha on Saturday. IUPUI enters the week with a 17-26 (7-5 Summit League) mark. IUPUI dropped two of three games last weekend against South Dakota.
Taylor Chitwood leads the Jaguars with a .343 average this season. Maggie Good is hitting .328 with a team-high 11 home runs and 38 RBI. Roni Patterson has nine homers and 33 RBI to go along with a .323 average. Nickole Finch is 10-10 this season with a 4.99 ERA and 108 strikeouts, while Erica Tharp is 7-15 with a 4.60 ERA.
Interim head coach Heather Tarter is in her first season at 17-26 and holds a career mark of 92-86 through four seasons. The series this weekend marks the 11th all-time meeting between Omaha and IUPUI with UNO leading the all-time series 7-3.
Looking Back
The Omaha softball team played four road games last week, opening with a 7-4 loss to Missouri on Wednesday. Nicole Warren led UNO at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Vicky Kinney went 2-for-4 with a double.
UNO resumed Summit League play on Friday, falling 8-4 to South Dakota State. Kinney was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Hailey Bartz was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
The Mavericks topped the Jackrabbits 11-1 in five innings in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. Laura Roecker tossed a complete-game three-hitter in the opener to pick up the win. Kinney was 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. Lia Mancuso (3-for-4, RBI, two stolen bases) and Nicole Warren (3-for-4, one RBI) had three hits apiece.
Omaha completed the sweep of Saturday's twin bill with a 10-4 victory. Roecker went the distance for the win, allowing four runs and three walks with seven strikeouts. Kinney, Noble and Emily Klosterman all homered to lead UNO in the series finale. Klosterman finished the game 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Noble went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Kinney (2-for-4, two RBI), Warren (2-for-3, two runs) and Kaitlynn Hunt (2-for-3) also had multi-hit games.
Reaching the Summit
Entering the sixth weekend of Summit League play, Lia Mancuso is the overall conference leader in batting average (.349) and stolen bases (15), while Laura Roecker leads the conference with three saves.
In Summit League play, Vicky Kinney is the leader in average (.500), on-base percentage (.538) and slugging percentage (.917).
Kinney Named Player of the Week
Vicky Kinney was tabbed Summit League Player of the Week for her performances during the week of April 18-23. It marks the first weekly award of her career.
Kinney recorded a .667 (10-for-15) average during the week with a .688 on-base percentage and 1.133 slugging percentage. She hit .727 (8-for-11) during league play with a .750 on-base percentage and 1.273 slugging percentage. Over the weekend, the Bennington, Neb., drove in seven runs with one double and two home runs in four games while scoring four times.
Next Up
Omaha returns home to start a four-game homestand to close out the regular season. The Mavericks welcome UMKC for a midweek tilt on Tuesday, May 2. First pitch at Westside Field at Westbrook is set for 2 p.m.
