No. 9 Bronchos Host Newman Saturday

Central Oklahoma Brings 19-Game Win Streak Into The Weekend

EDMOND – No. 9-ranked Central Oklahoma returns to Gerry Pinkston Stadium Saturday to host Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rival Newman in a 2 p.m. doubleheader for its only games of the week.

The Bronchos are 26-6 on the season and 8-0 in league play, while the Jets from Wichita, Kan. are 14-18 and 2-6. UCO has won 19 games in a row, its longest streak since winning 20 straight in 2019.

"It's been a good week for us," head coach Cody White said. "We were able to give the team a couple of days off to rest and heal up, then we came back and had some good practices to get ready for the weekend.

"Every game is important and we have to keep working at getting better every time we step on the field. That's what we focused on this week."

The Bronchos end an eight-game homestand next Tuesday against Southeastern Oklahoma in the final non-conference games of the regular season.

No. 3-ranked Rogers State (10-0) and UCO are the only remaining unbeaten teams in the conference.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO swept a pair of MIAA doubleheaders last weekend, beating Missouri Western (9-3, 6-5) and Northwest Missouri (4-0, 11-6).

Junior pitcher/first baseman Terin Ritz earned MIAA Hitter of the Week honors after batting .417 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in. She also went 2-0 in the circle with a 1.50 earned run average and just one walk in 14 innings.

Sophomore outfielder Rylee Lemos has a .462 average with six doubles, five triples, two homers and nine stolen bases in UCO's 19-game winning streak. Ritz has hit .452 with eight homers and 27 RBIs in the same stretch.

Lemos now leads the team with a .415 average for the season. She's reached base in 32 consecutive games, takes a 17-game hitting streak into the weekend and is batting .577 (30-for-52) when leading off an inning.

Ritz is batting .404 with a team-high 12 homers, seven doubles and 41 RBIs, including a team-best 14 with two outs. She's also drawn 17 walks and leads UCO in both slugging (.863) and on-base (.500) percentage.

Four other regulars are batting above .340 – senior outfielder Jacee Minter (.375), sophomore shortstop Emily Deramus (.365), junior third baseman McKenna Johnson (.349) and senior outfielder Shayleigh Odom (.342).

Minter tops the team in RBIs (43) to go along with 10 homers, six doubles and three triples. The two-time All-American has moved into second place on UCO's career homer list with 44 while also ranking third in doubles (56) and RBIs (198).

Deramus has a team-leading 11 doubles, seven homers and 25 RBIs, though she is expected to miss at least two weeks of action with a foot injury suffered last weekend.

Johnson has five doubles and 17 RBIs and Odom eight doubles, two homers and 17 RBIs.

Ritz and junior Jordyn Pipkin continue to be UCO's main pitchers, with freshman Shelby Beard having contributed some key outings in the circle.

Ritz is 13-2 with a 1.38 ERA, having tossed eight complete games in 16 starts with just 14 walks in 91 innings. Ritz has moved into a tie for eighth on the school's all-time wins list with 46 and is on the verge of moving into the top 10 in career innings pitched.

Pipkin is 9-3 with a 2.82 ERA and five complete games in 15 starts. She's walked only 23 batters in 72 innings.

Beard has appeared in 12 games with one start and is 3-0 with one save and a 2.02 ERA. She's struck out 22 batters in 27.2 innings.

ABOUT THE JETS: Newman split a home doubleheader with Missouri Western in its last outing.

The Jets average 8.0 hits and 4.7 runs a game behind a .284 team average while giving up 9.9 hits and 6.5 runs a contest.

Hayley Bonython is hitting .407 with 11 doubles, five homers and 30 RBIs to lead the offense, while Malie Noda has a .319 average with two doubles and 18 RBIs.

Jackie Gold is 7-6 with a 3.55 ERA and seven complete games to pace the pitching staff.

UCO owns an 11-1 lead in the series and has won the last five meetings between the two.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#11 Shelby Beard: P; 5' 9"; Freshman; R/R

#22 McKenna Johnson: IF; 5' 6"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

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

#11 Shelby Beard
: 5' 9"; Freshman; R/R
: P

#22 McKenna Johnson
: 5' 6"; Junior; R/R
: IF