No. 13 Bronchos Go To Midwestern State Wednesday

No. 13-ranked Central Oklahoma returns from a lengthy break Wednesday when the Bronchos travel to Wichita Falls, Texas to take on former conference rival Midwestern State in a doubleheader.

First-game action starts at 3 p.m. at Mustangs Park.

UCO, 12-2 on the season and riding a 10-game winning streak, hasn't played since Feb. 21. The Mustangs (1-10) dropped two games at Northeastern State on Sunday. The two teams were long-time rivals in the Lone Star Conference, with MSU still a member of that league.

"We're looking forward to getting back at it" said head coach Cody White, who is 313-126 in his ninth year at the helm. "We played 14 games the first 17 days of the season, so it was good for us to have a break.

"Unfortunately we haven't been able to get much practice time outside because of the weather, but we'll be ready to go Wednesday."

Central moved up three spots in this week's NFCA Division II poll, going from 16th to 13th with 200 points in balloting of 16 head coaches from around the country. Texas-Tyler remained No. 1, while Rogers State came in at No. 8 as the only other MIAA team in the top 25.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: Central's 10-game winning streak is its longest since 2019. The Bronchos have outscored those 10 opponents a combined 66-15 with four shutouts.

Defense is once again a team strength, with the team having just eight errors in 14 games for a .980 fielding percentage that ranks 16th in NCAA Division II. Central hasn't committed an error in six straight games.

Offensively, UCO is batting .337 as a team while averaging 6.9 runs and 8.6 hits per game.

Sophomore outfielders Jacee Minter and Shayleigh Odom lead the way, with that dynamic duo having combined for 43 of the team's 87 runs batted in through 14 games.

Minter has a team-high .467 average with seven doubles, three home runs and 21 RBI. Odom is batting .441 with four doubles, three homers and a team-leading 22 RBI.

Senior shortstop Brighton Gilbert is hitting .395 with a team-best five stolen bases and junior catcher Amelya Huggins is at .364 with four doubles.

The Bronchos are allowing 5.9 hits and 3.2 runs a game.

Kylee Lynch paces the pitching staff with an 8-0 record and 1.82 earned run average. The sophomore left-hander has thrown six complete games in nine starts with two shutouts, having allowed just 35 hits in 54 1/3 innings with eight walks.

Freshman Terin Ritz is 4-1 with a 5.86 ERA. She's struck out 25 batters in 27 2/3 innings.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS: Midwestern State has lost eight straight after dropping a road doubleheader to Northeastern State on Sunday.

The Mustangs are batting .233 as a team while averaging 3.4 runs and 5.5 runs a game. Ashley Turner (.424, three homers, 10 RBI) and Bailey Brenek (.407, five doubles) lead the way.

UCO owns a 31-24 lead in the series and has won the last eight meetings, including a 9-0 run-rule victory Feb. 11 in Edmond. Lynch threw a five-inning two-hitter in that contest, while Minter and Gilbert both went 3-for-3 at the plate.

UP NEXT: The Bronchos follow Wednesday's twinbill with a weekend trip to Springfield, Mo. for the Drury Classic. UCO will play four games in two days at that event.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#6 Shayleigh Odom: OF; 5' 1"; Sophomore; L/R

#99 Terin Ritz: P/1B; 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#6 Shayleigh Odom
: 5' 1"; Sophomore; L/R
: OF

#99 Terin Ritz
: 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R
: P/1B