No. 15 Bronchos Open MIAA Play Thursday

No. 15-ranked Central Oklahoma opens its bid for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championship Thursday when the Bronchos host Northwest Missouri to begin a two-day, four-game league homestand.

UCO, 16-1 and riding a 12-game winning streak, takes on the Bearcats (3-5) in a 1 p.m. doubleheader Thursday before meeting Missouri Western (10-7) for a 1 p.m. twinbill Friday. The games were originally scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, but were moved up due to the threat of weekend rain.

The Bronchos were tabbed for a second-place finish in the preseason MIAA poll, while NWMSU was picked fourth and the Griffons fifth.

"This is a tough conference and it's important to get off to a good start," head coach Cody White said. "Both these teams have given us a lot of problems the last few years, so I know we need to be at our best."

The Bronchos haven't lost since falling to No. 2 Texas A&M-Commerce in the final game of the season-opening Arkansas Tech Invitational on Feb. 3, with their current 12-game winning streak the longest since winning 13 straight in 2014.

Central is boosted by a robust offensive attack. The Bronchos are batting a league-leading .351 and average 8.2 runs per game, which ranks seventh in Division II.

Five players are hitting over .350, with JoBi Heath, Carli Jones and Hazel Puempel all hitting .418 or better.

Heath leads the way with a .436 average that includes 10 doubles, four home runs and 25 runs batted in. She leads Division II in doubles while ranking second in sacrifice flies (three) and seventh in RBI.

Jones is batting .434 with six doubles, three homers and 18 RBI and Puempel is at .418 with six doubles, 17 RBI and five stolen bases.

Lexy Dobson (.396, 15 RBI) and Bailey Thompson (.353, three triples, five steals) are also over the .350 mark.

Sydney McLeod and Bailey McKittrick have been the pitching ringleaders for UCO, having combined for a 14-1 record.

McLeod is 7-1 with a 1.97 earned run average and 30 strikeouts in 39 innings, while McKittrick is 7-0 with a 2.33 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 42 innings. Lauren Gibson is 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA.

The Bronchos went 1-2 against Northwest Missouri last season, losing both games of the regular season doubleheader before winning in the MIAA Postseason Tournament.

The Bearcats are hitting .311 as a team and are led offensively by Kaitlyn Weis (.480, four homers, 11 RBI) and Jaedra Moses (.429). Regan Thompson (2-1, 2.51 ERA) paces the pitching staff.

Central won two of three games against Missouri Western a year ago, splitting the regular season twinbill and then winning in the MIAA Postseason Tournament.

The Griffons carry a .313 team average, with Morgan Frost (.424, six doubles, 15 RBI) and Emma Hoffard (.382, five doubles, 12 RBI) leading the way. Kaili Hinds is the top pitcher, carrying a 4-1 record and 1.96 ERA.

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Players Mentioned

#8 Lexy Dobson: OF; 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R

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

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

#15 Carli Jones: 1B; 5' 7"; Senior; L/R

#22 Bailey Thompson: OF; 5' 4"; Senior; L/R

#27 Bailey McKittrick: P; 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R

#35 Sydney McLeod: P; 5' 10"; Junior; -/L

#28 Hazel Puempel: UT; 5' 9"; Junior; L/R

Players Mentioned

#8 Lexy Dobson
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R
: OF

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

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

#15 Carli Jones
: 5' 7"; Senior; L/R
: 1B

#22 Bailey Thompson
: 5' 4"; Senior; L/R
: OF

#27 Bailey McKittrick
: 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R
: P

#35 Sydney McLeod
: 5' 10"; Junior; -/L
: P

#28 Hazel Puempel
: 5' 9"; Junior; L/R
: UT