Bronchos Set To Open Season Saturday

No. 20-ranked Central Oklahoma opens the 2022 season this weekend when the Bronchos make the long trek to the Houston area for the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational.

UCO will play five games in three days at the Scrap Yard Sports Complex in Conroe, Texas, meeting four foes from the Lone Star Conference – including the No. 1 team in NCAA Division II -- and one from the Great American Conference.

The Bronchos open at 11 a.m. Saturday against Texas Woman's, then take on Texas A&M International at 3 p.m. Central returns Sunday to face St. Mary's at 4 p.m. and top-ranked Texas-Tyler at 6 p.m. before wrapping up at 1 p.m. Monday against No. 16 Southern Arkansas.

Tournament play was originally scheduled to start Thursday, but was pushed back two days by weather issues.

"We're excited about getting the season going," said head coach Cody White, who is 301-124 entering his ninth year at the helm. "It will be a challenging weekend, but we've been working hard to get ready.

"The girls are looking forward to seeing outside competition after scrimmaging against each other the past few weeks. We've got big expectations for the season and I'm anxious to see what we can do."

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO has seven position starters and two pitchers back from last year's 36-14 team that won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association title for the third time in five years. The Bronchos appeared in the Division II national tournament for the 13th time since 2002, including the sixth under White.

Central is led by eight players who earned All-MIAA recognition last year, including a pair of second-team picks in senior second baseman Tarin Dubler and sophomore outfielder Jacee Minter.

Dubler hit .299 with seven doubles, three home runs and 22 runs batted in last year while committing just six errors. Minter was one of the league's top power hitters, batting .316 with 12 homers, 10 doubles and 37 RBI.

Junior third baseman Shayla Harper, senior shortstop Brighton Gilbert, junior catcher Amelya Huggins, sophomore utility Taylor McKittrick and sophomore pitcher Kylee Lynch were all honorable mention All-MIAA selections in 2021.

Harper hit .311 with a conference-best 15 homers and 36 RBI, while Gilbert had a .288 average and made only six errors in the field. Huggins batted .309 with seven doubles, McKittrick .317 with 10 doubles and Lynch went 19-6 in the circle with a 2.87 earned run average and just 30 walks in 144 innings.

Senior outfielder Lexy Dobson was named MIAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season. She carries a .333 average in 185 career games at UCO.

The Bronchos follow this long road trip with two straight weekend events at home, playing 10 games at Gerry Pinkston Stadium in that stretch. The UCO Festival will be Feb. 11-13 and the Broncho Invitational Feb. 17-20.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: St. Mary's, Texas A&M International, Texas-Tyler and Texas Woman's are all members of the Lone Star Conference, the league UCO belonged to from 1987-2011. Southern Arkansas is in the Great American Conference.

TWU went 7-26 last season, including 6-22 in the league. The Bronchos have a 13-7 lead in the series, but the Pioneers claimed a 2-1 win in 2020 in the last meeting between the two.

TAMUI was 26-19 overall in 2021 and finished 18-12 in the conference. Central owns a 12-1 series advantage over the Dustdevils and claimed a 4-0 decision in the two teams' last meeting in 2019.

St. Mary's finished 21-23 last year, including a 15-15 mark in LSC play. The Rattlers have a 14-7 series lead over UCO, including an 11-8 victory in 2020 in the last meeting.

UT Tyler went 33-7 overall last year and captured the LSC title with a 27-3 record. The Patriots weren't eligible for the Division II national tournament while finishing a three-year transition period from Division III, but are ranked No. 1 entering the 2022 campaign.

Tyler made four straight appearances in the Division III World Series from 2015-18 -- winning the national championship in 2016 -- before beginning the transition phase. This will be the first-ever meeting between UCO and the Patriots.

SAU finished 29-10 in 2021, winning the GAC crown with a 22-5 mark in advancing to the national tournament. The Muleriders eliminated UCO from last year's Central Regional with a 5-4 victory and have a 4-3 lead in the series.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#4 Tarin Dubler: IF; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

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

#25 Amelya Huggins: IF/C; 5' 5"; Sophomore; R/R

#11 Shayla Harper: IF; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

#23 Taylor McKittrick: IF; 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R

#12 Jacee Minter: OF; 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R

Players Mentioned

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

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

#4 Tarin Dubler
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: IF

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

#25 Amelya Huggins
: 5' 5"; Sophomore; R/R
: IF/C

#11 Shayla Harper
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#23 Taylor McKittrick
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R
: IF

#12 Jacee Minter
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R
: OF