Softball 4/25/2019 8:46:00 AM

Central Ends Regular Season On The Road

Top-ranked Central Oklahoma will try to secure the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season championship this weekend when the Bronchos end the regular season with back-to-back road doubleheaders.

UCO, 38-4 on the season and 20-2 in the league, travels to Joplin, Mo. Friday to take on Missouri Southern (19-20, 10-12) in a 2 p.m. twinbill before moving on the Pittsburg, Kan. Saturday for a 12 p.m. doubleheader against Pittsburg State (23-24, 11-11).

The Bronchos lead second-place Missouri Western (30-17, 17-5) by three games going into the final weekend, needing a combination of two wins or two MWSU losses to take the title outright. UCO has captured two regular-season MIAA crowns in its seven years in the league, winning in 2013 and '17.

The Gorillas are tied for seventh and the Lions are 11th in the conference standings as both battle to qualify for the eight-team MIAA Postseason Tournament that will be held in Edmond May 1-4.

"One of our goals at the start of the season was to win the conference championship and we've got a chance to do that, but it's certainly not going to be given to us," head coach Cody White said. "It's going to be a tough weekend going against two teams battling to make the conference tournament, so we're going to have our work cut out for us."

Central owns an 11-1 series lead over the Lions since joining the conference in 2013 and are 10-4 against the Gorillas in that same span.

The Bronchos continue to lead the league in both team batting (.348 average) and team earned run average (2.31).

Junior Sydney McLeod (1.97) and freshman Bailey McKittrick (1.99) rank 1-2 in ERA. McLeod is 16-2 in 20 starts and has seven complete games, while McKittrick is 19-2 and has completed 11 of the 17 games she's started.

Offensively, UCO ranks in the top 10 nationally in four categories – fourth in doubles per game (2.12), sixth in on-base percentage (.434), eighth in average and 10th in runs per game (7.33).

Five starters are batting above .350, with three over the .400 mark.

Sophomore Lexy Dobson leads the team with a .421 average that includes nine doubles and junior Hazel Puempel is at .414 with 16 doubles, 45 runs batted in and a team-best .524 on-base percentage.

Senior JoBi Heath is hitting .407 and tops UCO in doubles (20), home runs (11), RBI (56) and slugging percentage (.800). She's third nationally in doubles and fourth in RBI.

Senior Bailey Thompson is batting .368 and ranks fourth in Division II in triples with seven, while senior Carli Jones is at .357 with 11 doubles, six homers and 33 RBI.

Missouri Southern has a .310 team batting average and the Lions are second to UCO in team ERA at 3.28.

Makaila Leonhard (.359) and Josie Tofpi (.358) pace the offense. Taurean Guzman is 10-8 and a 2.28 ERA to lead the pitching staff.

Pittsburg State is hitting .283 as a team and has a 4.08 team ERA.

Kala Holder (.408, nine homers, 34 RBI) and Katy Kukowski (.331, 11 homers, 34 RBI) are the offensive ringleaders for the Gorillas, while Halle Brim is 13-12 with a 3.02 ERA to highlight the pitching staff.

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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

#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

#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