Bronchos Open League Play Friday

Central Oklahoma returns to action after a lengthy break and opens its Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association schedule this weekend when the Bronchos host a pair of doubleheaders.

UCO, which is 10-11 on the season, takes on Northeastern State (12-6) in a 2 p.m. doubleheader Friday before going against No. 15-ranked Rogers State (17-6) in a 2 p.m. twinbill Saturday. The defending conference champion Bronchos haven't played since Feb. 23.

"It's been a great break for us," head coach Cody White said. "We took a couple of days off last week to get refreshed and have had some really good practices since then.

"Our girls are ready to get back at it. This will be a big weekend for us and we'll be playing two really good teams, but we're excited about the challenge."

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO is batting .294 as a team and has four players over the .300 mark, including two who are hitting at least .430.

Outfielder Hazel Puempel leads the Bronchos with a sensational .468 average. The senior standout has eight doubles, two home runs and 17 runs batted in along with 10 stolen bases.

Junior shortstop Brighton Gilbert is hitting .432 with a conference-high 32 hits. Junior outfielder Lexy Dobson is at .333 with seven doubles and two triples, while senior third baseman Haley Pomplun is batting .303.

Freshman Kylee Lynch paces the pitching staff with a 5-3 record and 1.88 earned run average. She's struck out 40 batters and walked just six in 59.2 innings.

Corrina Rivas is a tough-luck 4-6 with a 2.41 ERA. The junior transfer has thrown a team-high 64.0 innings, having fanned 33 and walked 19.

ABOUT THE RIVERHAWKS: NSU has a .291 team average and league-leading 2.28 team ERA.

Sierra Crick is hitting .435 with four doubles and 11 RBI to lead the RiverHawks. Allie Elbon has a .339 average with four homers and 15 RBI, while Jess Schuler is batting .319 with seven doubles.

Gail Young paces the pitching staff with an 8-2 record and 1.36 ERA, having thrown nine complete games.

ABOUT THE HILLCATS: Rogers State is off to an impressive start in its first year as MIAA members, having risen to 15th in the national rankings. The Hillcats have a .285 team average and 2.51 team ERA.

Makayla Bowman is batting .474 with six doubles, three homers and 21 RBI to lead the offense. Danelle Day is hitting .324 with eight doubles and 27 RBI, while Elexis Watson is at .329 with four homers and 23 RBI.

Pitcher Andrea Morales is 13-1 and has struck out 113 batters in 94.1 innings, leading Division II in wins and ranking second in strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .188 against her.

UP NEXT: UCO makes its first conference road trip next week, traveling to Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern for back-to-back doubleheaders on March 13-14.

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Players Mentioned

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

#5 Brighton Gilbert: IF; 5' 5"; Junior; L/R

#11 Haley Pomplun: UT; 5' 8"; Senior; R/R

#28 Hazel Puempel: OF; 5' 9"; Senior; L/R

#13 Corrina Rivas: P; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

#22 Kylee Lynch: P; 5' 8"; Freshman; L/R

Players Mentioned

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

#5 Brighton Gilbert
: 5' 5"; Junior; L/R
: IF

#11 Haley Pomplun
: 5' 8"; Senior; R/R
: UT

#28 Hazel Puempel
: 5' 9"; Senior; L/R
: OF

#13 Corrina Rivas
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: P

#22 Kylee Lynch
: 5' 8"; Freshman; L/R
: P