Softball 3/6/2018 10:16:00 AM

Bronchos Take On No. 5 Angelo State Wednesday

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A pair of perennial NCAA Division II powerhouses square off Wednesday when Central Oklahoma treks to San Angelo, Texas to renew an old rivalry with No. 5-ranked Angelo State for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

UCO is 13-5 on the season, while the Rambelles – last year's Division II national runners-up – are 19-1 and riding an 18-game winning streak. ASU is 12-0 at home.

The two teams were long-time rivals while both were members of the Lone Star Conference, which Central left 2011 before joined the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in 2012. This will be the first meeting since the Bronchos beat ASU in the 2012 South Central Super Regional best-of-three series to earn a trip to the Division II World Series.

"This will be quite a challenge for us, but we're excited about it," head coach Cody White said. "Angelo State has been one of the top programs in Division II for a long time and the only way to get better is to take on the best."

UCO has a pretty rich history itself, having made six straight trips to the national tournament and winning the national title in 2013.

Both teams feature potent offenses, with the Bronchos hitting at a .349 clip while ASU has a .348 team average.

Reigning MIAA Player of the Year Carrie Abrams paces UCO with a .467 average and freshman Allie Eicher is also above the .400 mark at .450.

JoBi Heath is hitting .397 with eight doubles, three homers and 12 runs batted in and Morgan Heard has a .386 average with six homers and 18 RBI.

Jayden Chestnut tops the pitching staff with an 8-2 record and 2.12 earned run average. Lauren Gibson is 5-2 with a 3.85 ERA.

The Rambelles have allowed just 25 runs in 20 games and rank fourth in Division II with a team ERA of 1.08. ASU has 10 shutouts among its 19 wins.

Morgan Hill is 10-1 with an 0.58 ERA and Brady Marlett 8-0 with a 1.04 ERA to lead Angelo's pitching staff. Bailey Wallace (.500), Karina Rocha (.432, 11 homers) and Taegan Kirk (.397, 27 RBI) lead the offense.

UCO returns to conference play this weekend, hosting Nebraska-Kearney Friday and Fort Hays State Saturday in back-to-back doubleheaders.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Carrie Abrams: OF; 5' 4"; Senior; L/R

#11 Jayden Chestnut: P; 5' 8"; Junior; R/R

#25 Lauren Gibson: P/OF; 5' 7"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R

#4 Morgan Heard: SS; 5' 9"; Senior; R/R

#13 JoBi Heath: IF/OF; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

#10 Allie Eicher: IF; 5' 7"; Freshman; L/R

Players Mentioned

#9 Carrie Abrams
: 5' 4"; Senior; L/R
: OF

#11 Jayden Chestnut
: 5' 8"; Junior; R/R
: P

#25 Lauren Gibson
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R
: P/OF

#4 Morgan Heard
: 5' 9"; Senior; R/R
: SS

#13 JoBi Heath
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: IF/OF

#10 Allie Eicher
: 5' 7"; Freshman; L/R
: IF