Softball 3/2/2023 7:30:00 PM

No. 9 UCO Heads To Drury Classic

No. 9-ranked Central Oklahoma hits the road this weekend, traveling to Springfield, Mo. to play four games in the Drury Classic.

The Bronchos, 10-3 on the season, open against Minnesota-Crookston (6-5) at 10 a.m. Saturday before taking on Augustana (2-4) at 4 p.m. UCO returns Sunday to face MIAA rival Nebraska-Kearney (7-11) in a non-conference game at 11:30 a.m., then finishes against the host Panthers (9-9) at 1:30 p.m.

"We didn't play that great Wednesday, so hopefully we'll be better this weekend," said head coach Cody White, whose team swept Northwestern Oklahoma in their last outing. "There are a lot of things we need to improve on and our focus is to get better every time we take the field."

The Bronchos open league play next weekend, going to Emporia State and Washburn for back-to-back doubleheaders.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO returned to action Wednesday after a 10-day break, beating Northwestern Oklahoma 11-3 and 6-3 at Gerry Pinkston Stadium.

Freshmen Rylee Lemos and Emily Deramus sparked the Bronchos at the top of the lineup in the sweep. Lemos went 4-for-7 with three runs scored and two runs batted in from her lead-off spot, while Deramus was 5-for-7 with two runs and two RBI batting second.

Deramus leads the team with a .429 average that includes four homers, three doubles and 16 RBI. Lemos is right behind at .415 with two doubles, nine RBI and six stolen bases.

Senior Shayla Harper is batting .378 with two doubles, two homers and six RBI. Junior Jacee Minter (.317) and senior Amelya Huggins (.300) are also at the .300 mark, with both having driven in 11 runs.

UCO is batting .321 as a team while averaging 8.2 hits and 7.2 runs per game.

Sophomores Jordyn Pipkin and Terin Ritz along with senior Corrina Rivas have seen all the pitching action.

Pipkin is 3-0 with a 2.53 earned run average in 27 2/3 innings, Ritz is 4.00 with a 4.00 ERA in 35 innings and Rivas is 3-2 with one save and a 5.10 ERA in 23 1/3 innings.

The Bronchos have also been solid defensively with a .981 team fielding percentage, having committed just seven errors in 13 games.

ABOUT MINNESOTA-CROOKSTON: The Golden Eagles of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference are 6-5. UM-C averages 7.5 hits and 6.1 runs a game behind a team .276 average while allowing 9.3 hits and 7.6 runs.

Alina Avalos leads the offense with a .472 average, four homers and 14 RBI, while Charlott Dombrowski is hitting .353. Evie Stuck is 2-3 with a 6.33 ERA to top the pitching staff.

This will be the first-even meeting between the two teams.

ABOUT AUGUSTANA: The Vikings of the NSIC are a long-time Division II powerhouse and captured the national championship in 2019 after beating UCO in the Central Super Regional.

Augie is batting .242 as a team, averaging 7.0 hits and 6.0 runs per contest. The Vikings are giving up 9.0 hits and 6.0 runs a game.

Liz Dierks (.417) and Sydney Herbert (.333) lead the offense, while Hailey Houston is 1-1 with a 1.78 ERA as the leading pitcher.

The Vikings have a 14-7 lead in the series. UCO beat Augie twice to win the Central Region II title last year in Edmond.

ABOUT NEBRASKA-KEARNEY: The Lopers are MIAA rivals of UCO, though this weekend's game won't count in the conference standings.

UNK averages 6.6 hits and 4.7 runs a game behind a .252 team average while allowing 8.6 hits and 6.9 runs per contest.

Avery Wood (.435, three homers, nine RBI) and Katie Gosker (.319, five homers, 19 RBI) pace the offense .Sydney Thomason is 3-1 with a 4.11 ERA to top the pitching staff.

The Bronchos own a 20-12 lead in the series, though UNK won two of three meetings last year.

ABOUT DRURY: The host Panthers of the Great Lakes Valley Conference have won their last five games in getting to 9-9 on the season.

Drury has a .257 team average, averaging 6.7 hits and 4.3 runs per game. The Panthers allow 5.9 hits and 3.3 runs an outing.

Sophia Luetticke is hitting .357 with two doubles and one homer as the top offensive threat. Kristina Bettis is 5-5 with a 3.26 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 58 innings to lead the pitching staff.

UCO has a 4-1 lead in the short series. The two teams split two games last year.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#5 Emily Deramus: IF; 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R

#8 Rylee Lemos: OF; 5' 6"; Freshman; L/R

#15 Jordyn Pipkin: P; 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#5 Emily Deramus
: 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R
: IF

#8 Rylee Lemos
: 5' 6"; Freshman; L/R
: OF

#15 Jordyn Pipkin
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; R/R
: P