UCO Hosts Jennies Thursday For League Twinbill

No. 2-ranked Central Oklahoma puts a 14-game home winning streak on the line Thursday when the Bronchos host Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rival Central Missouri for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.

UCO is 31-3 on the season and leads the league with a 13-1 mark, while the Jennies are 23-13 overall and third in the standings at 9-3.

The Bronchos were originally slated to play Southwest Baptist Friday and UCM Saturday, but rain forecasts for Saturday forced a schedule change that has the Jennies coming to town first. UCO will still play the Bearcats Friday, meeting for a 1 p.m. twinbill.

"Central Missouri has been played really well lately and they beat us twice at their last year, so we know it's going to be two tough games for us," head coach Cody White said. "They've got a lot of balance on offense and have two of the best starting pitchers in the league."

Central Missouri is hitting .322 as a team, which is third-best in the MIAA. Jessica Sader is batting .386 with four home runs and 29 runs batted in to lead the team, while Lauryn Deer is hitting .367 with 19 stolen bases.

Gentry Wishard is 6-3 with a 1.76 earned run average to top the pitching staff, with Alexa Bradley has a 10-3 record and 2.77 ERA.

The Bronchos continue to lead the conference in both team batting average (.352) and ERA (2.41). UCO is also among the NCAA Division II national leaders in several categories, ranking second in doubles per game (2.32), fifth in runs per game (7.74), on-base percentage (.537), average and slugging percentage (.537).

Three players are batting over .400 – sophomore Lexy Dobson (.407), junior Hazel Puempel (.405) and senior Carli Jones (.402).

Dobson has nine doubles and 21 RBI, Puempel13 doubles, four homers and 39 RBI and Jones six doubles and 30 RBI. Jones (.512) and Puempel (.511) lead the team in on-base percentage.

Senior JoBi Heath adds a .393 average and continues to lead the nation in doubles (20) while ranking eighth in RBI (46). Senior Casady Webb is batting .370 with five homers and 33 RBI on the season and has a sizzling .476 average in 14 conference games.

Freshman Bailey McKittrick and junior Sydney McLeod have done the bulk of the pitching for UCO, having combined for 29 wins.

McKittrick ranks 13th nationally with 16 wins and is 16-1 with a 1.91 ERA and just 36 walks in 99 innings. McLeod is 13-2 with a 2.04 ERA and has walked only 27 batters in 75.1 innings.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#7 Casady Webb: UT; 5' 5"; Senior; R/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

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

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

#7 Casady Webb
: 5' 5"; Senior; R/R
: UT

#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