UCO Hosts Newman Saturday

No. 19-ranked Central Oklahoma wraps up a six-game homestand Saturday when the Bronchos host Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rival Newman for a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Gerry Pinkston Stadium.

UCO is 28-6 on the season and 7-1 in league play, while the Jets from Wichita, Kan. are 9-15 and 3-5.

The Bronchos haven't played since splitting a league twinbill with Missouri Western last Saturday.

"It was good to have a little break this week," head coach Cody White said. "We were able to get a couple of days off to rest up, but we also got a lot of work in and were able to focus on the areas that really need improving."

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO lost its first home game of the season after 17 consecutive victories last Saturday with a 3-2 first-game loss to Missouri Western before rebounding to take the nightcap 5-4.

The Bronchos rank in the top 10 nationally in five categories – third in fielding percentage (.980), fifth in double plays (18), sixth in walks (125), seventh in on-base percentage (.433) and ninth in triples (16).

Central is hitting .342 as a team while averaging 8.8 hits and 6.7 runs a game.

Nine players are above the .300 mark, with sophomore Jacee Minter (.433) and junior Amelya Huggins (.430) leading the way.

Minter ranks fourth in Division II in runs batted in (41) and is fifth in doubles (15) in addition to having six home runs and two triples. She needs one double to move into UCO's single-season top-10 list.

Huggins has eight doubles, a team-high eight homers and 29 RBI, giving her a .835 slugging percentage. She's fifth nationally in on-base percentage (.586) and seventh in walks per game (0.91), having drawn 31 free passes – six off the school single-season record.

Huggins has a sizzling .579 average (11-for-19) in eight MIAA games and has reached base in 27 consecutive games.

Junior Shayla Harper ranks second in Division II in triples with seven, which is second on UCO's single-season list and two off the record. She tied a single-game school record with two triples in a win over Northwest Missouri last weekend.

Central owns a 3.23 team earned run average. The team is giving up 2.7 runs and 5.6 hits per contest.

Sophomore Kylee Lynch continues to be the workhorse. The left-hander is 14-1 with two saves and a 2.26 ERA and just 17 walks in in 103 2/3 innings.

Opponents are hitting just .198 against Lynch, who ranks sixth nationally in wins.

Junior Bailey McKittrick is 1-0 with one save and a 1.17 ERA in limited action, having thrown 15 1/3 innings in seven games. Sophomore Isie Cox is 7-3 with a 4.64 ERA.

ABOUT THE JETS: Newman averages 9.4 hits and 5.8 runs a game behind a .327 team average.

Gianna Navarro is hitting .424 with eight doubles and 15 RBI to lead the Jets, while Lindsay May is batting .392 with three homers and 17 RBI.

Janine Gutierrez tops the pitching staff with a 4-3 record and 4.34 ERA.

UCO owns a 7-1 lead in a series that started in 2000. The teams split a doubleheader last year in Wichita, Kan.

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Players Mentioned

#27 Bailey McKittrick: P; 5' 7"; Sophomore; R/R

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

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

#14 Isie Cox: P/UT; 5' 8"; Sophomore; L/L

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

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

Players Mentioned

#27 Bailey McKittrick
: 5' 7"; Sophomore; R/R
: P

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

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

#14 Isie Cox
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; L/L
: P/UT

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

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