Bronchos Ready For Championship Finals

UCO Takes On Pace Thursday In First Round Of Double Elimination Tournament

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Central Oklahoma continues its quest for the national title this week when the Bronchos journey to Chattanooga for the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.

The Central Region champion and fourth-ranked Bronchos, 51-9 on the season, open the double-elimination tournament Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (Eastern) against East Region winners and No. 14 Pace (46-11) inside Frost Stadium at Warner Park on the Tennessee-Chattanooga campus.

UCO is the No. 3 seed in the tournament, while the Setters from Pleasantville, New York are the No. 6 seed. Defending champion and No. 1-ranked UT-Tyler (57-5) is the top seed, followed by No. 5 Tampa (45-10), UCO, No. 11 North Georgia (48-14), No. 20 Saginaw Valley State (48-13), Pace, unranked Shippensburg (36-10) and No. 9 Western Washington (45-11).

Other first-round pairings Thursday have UT-Tyler facing WWU, North Georgia going against SVSU and Tampa playing Shippensburg. The four winners play again Friday in the only two games scheduled, with the UCO-PU winner taking on the Tampa-SU winner at 1:30 p.m.

Four games are on tap Saturday and up to four more Sunday before the final two teams advance to a best-of-three series May 27-28 to determine the national champion.

"We have a little bit more experience this time around," said head coach Cody White of the Bronchos, who are making their second Championship Finals appearance in three years. "Last time we went we were just happy to be there and this time we're going to try to make some moves and do some damage.

"We're going to be on a mission. We've got to stay confident and continue to work hard and continue to keep the mindset that we've had. If we do those things we're going to have a shot to do some great things."

The Bronchos are making their fifth trip to the Division II Softball Championship after previously qualifying in 2006, '12, '13 and '23, capturing the title in 2013.

UCO AGAINST THE FIELD: The Bronchos will be facing plenty of new opponents this week, having played just two of the other seven teams in the field.

UCO is 1-1 against UT-Tyler and lost to North Georgia 6-3 in the second round of the 2023 Championship Finals.

UCO IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS: The Bronchos are 9-6 in four previous appearances in the Division II Softball Championship Finals.

UCO went 1-2 in 2006, 2-2 in 2012, 4-0 in 2013 to win the national title and 2-2 in 2023.

2006: Lost to Cal State-Bakersfield (6-1), beat Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (2-0), lost to Emporia State (4-3).

2012: Beat Flagler (4-2), beat Southern Connecticut (6-4), lost to UC San Diego (4-3), lost to UC San Diego (2-0).

2013: Beat Armstrong Atlantic (5-2), beat Molloy (7-1), beat Armstrong Atlantic (14-1), beat Kutztown (5-2).

2023: Beat Nova Southeastern (5-1), lost to North Georgia (6-3), beat Cal State-San Marcos (10-6), lost to Grand Valley State (3-2).

Overall, the Bronchos are making their 20th national tournament appearance, including the 17th in Division II and the fifth straight. UCO has a 49-36 national tournament record – 40-30 in regional action and 9-6 in the Championship Finals.

UCO's Division II playoff record by season:
2002: (1-2)
2005: (2-2)
2006: (5-2 – 4-0 in South Central Regional, 1-2 in Championship Finals)
2008: (1-2)
2010: (0-2)
2012: (7-4 – 5-2 in South Central Regional, 2-2 in Championship Finals)
2013: (9-0 – 5-0 in Central Regional, 4-0 in Championship Finals)
2014: (1-2)
2015: (1-2)
2016: (1-2)
2017: (1-2)
2019: (3-3 – lost in Central Super Regional to Augustana)
2021: (1-2)
2022: (3-3 – lost in Central Super Regional to Rogers State)
2023: (7-3 – 5-1 in Central Regional, 2-2 in Championship Finals)
2024: (1-2)
2025: (5-1 – won Central Regional)

ABOUT LAST WEEK: UCO claimed the Central Regional crown last weekend at home in a tough three-game Super Regional battle with No. 6 Augustana.

The Bronchos took the opener 1-0 behind Terin Ritz's two-hitter before the Vikings bounced back for a 5-1 second-game win.

UCO prevailed 5-1 in Game 3 as Rylee Lemos drove in two runs. Jordyn Pipkin threw 2.2 shutout innings before Ritz took over and went the final 4.1 frames to earn the win.

UCO IN THE POSTSEASON: The Bronchos are 8-1 in postseason action this month, having gone 3-0 in winning the MIAA Tournament and 5-1 to capture the Central Regional title.

Ariah Mitchell is batting .440 (11-for-25) with two doubles, one triple, one homer and 10 RBI in those nine games. Ritz has a .400 average (10-for-25) with three homers, two doubles and 13 RBI and Rylee Lemos is at .379 (11-for-29) with eight runs and six RBI.

Ritz has also shined in the pitching circle, having accounted for all nine decisions while starting eight of the nine games. She has a 0.90 earned run average and has thrown five shutouts while allowing just 33 hits and seven runs in 54.1 innings with a mere five walks.

SEASON RECAP: UCO was No. 25 in the preseason NFCA poll, then jumped up to 13th after beating four eventual national tournament qualifying teams in the season-opening Gulf Shores Invitational. The Bronchos moved into the top 10 in the sixth poll of the season on March 11 and have remained there since.

UCO's 51 wins are tied with the 2013 national championship team for the second-most in school history, trailing just the 2023 squad that won 54 games in finishing 54-9.

The Bronchos are 16-1 in neutral-site games this season. UCO finished 25-4 at Gerry Pinkston Stadium this season and had a 10-4 road record.

The Bronchos went 20-4 to capture their sixth MIAA regular season title (2013, '17, '19, '21, '23, '25) and then outscored three teams 20-1 to claim the MIAA Tournament title for the fourth time (2017, '19. '23, '25).

Ritz was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after a dominating performance. She went the distance in the pitching circle all three games, giving up just one run and 12 hits with 12 strikeouts and no walks in 19 innings. Ritz was also a terror at the plate, going 5-for-9 with two home runs, two doubles and eight runs batted in.

Lemos, Mitchell, second baseman Rylee Anglen and designated player Kennedy Clark joined Ritz on the all-tournament team.

UCO had six players earn All-MIAA honors, headlined by Ritz's selection as Player of the Year. Outfielder Lemos was also a First Team selection as well as Defensive Player of the Year, while shortstop Emily Deramus earned Second Team honors.

Anglen, Clark and outfielder Brooklyn Ryan garnered honorable mention recognition. Anglen and Lemos were also named to the Gold Glove Team.

Ritz and Lemos were also First Team selections to the NFCA and D2CCA All-Central Region teams. Ritz was named Central Region Player of the Year by D2CCA.

ABOUT UCO'S OFFENSE: The Bronchos are batting .330 as a team in averaging 8.43 hits and 6.72 runs per game, having scored 10-plus runs 13 times.

UCO ranks in the top 20 nationally in 12 offensive categories – second in hit by pitch (60), fourth in sacrifice flies (28), fifth in runs (403), fifth in RBI (372), 10th in RBI per game (6.23), 10th in on base percentage (.416), 10th in slugging percentage (.521), 12th in triples (school record-tying 23), 13th in runs per game (6.72), 15th in average (.330), 17th in hits (506) and 19th in home runs (50).

Seven players are hitting .308 or better to lead a balanced offensive attack, led by Ritz.

The senior slugger is batting a team-high .412 while also leading the Bronchos in doubles (18), homers (18), RBI (77), total bases (146), slugging percentage (.859) and on base percentage (.507). She ranks third nationally in RBI, sixth in homers, seventh in slugging percentage and 11th in total bases.

Ritz has a phenomenal .455 average (25-for-55) with 25 RBI when batting with two outs. She's had 22 multi-RBI games.

Ritz ranks tied for second in RBI (two behind the record of 79), tied for fourth in homers and tied for eighth in doubles on UCO's single-seasons lists. She owns a UCO career record 109 walks and is in the top 10 in four other categories – second in homers (51, four off the record), fourth in RBI (211), eighth in runs (163) and eighth in hits (224).

Lemos has had a team-high 21 multi-hit games and tops the Bronchos in hits (75) and runs (69). She's batting .394 with 13 doubles, 11 homers, eight triples, 46 RBI and a team-best 20 stolen bases. Lemos ranks fifth nationally in runs and seventh in triples.

The junior leadoff hitter is tied for second in triples and tied for third in runs on UCO's single-season lists. Lemos owns a share of the school career record for triples with 17 while also ranking third in runs (187), third in hit by pitch (30), fourth in steals (62) and 10th in hits (216).

Mitchell is batting .375 with nine doubles, two homers and 42 RBI and owns a .459 average (28-for-61) with runners in scoring position. The freshman is second on the team in two-out RBI with 18.

Clark has a .335 average and is batting a staggering .778 (21-for-27) with a runner on third and less than two outs. The junior has seven doubles and 40 RBI along with a team-high 31 walks and six sacrifice flies, which ranks ninth in Division II.

Ryan is batting .327 with eight doubles, four triples, three homers and 21 RBI, while Anglen is at .311 with nine doubles, three triples, 32 RBI and is 16-for-16 in stolen bases. Deramus has driven in 50 runs with 17 doubles, eight homers and a .308 average.

Deramus ranks in UCO's top 10 in five career categories – fifth in doubles (52), ninth in homers (30), ninth in runs (147), ninth in assists (327) and tied for 10th in RBI (137).

ABOUT UCO'S PITCHING: The Bronchos own a 1.97 team ERA while allowing 5.5 hits and 2.25 runs a game. UCO ranks fourth nationally in shutouts with 21 and is also 11th in team ERA.

Six pitchers have seen action in the circle this spring, with Ritz, sophomore Shelby Beard and senior Sydney Ward having combined for 52 of the team's 60 starts.

Ritz has been the workhorse in the postseason and paces the staff with a 23-4 record and 1.51 ERA in 30 games with 27 starts. She's thrown 19 complete games with 10 shutouts, which is fifth-best in Division II and tied for fourth on UCO's single-season list. She's struck out 137 and walked just 25 in 172.0 innings.

The right-hander has 77 career wins, which is tied for the school record, and she owns the mark for career winning percentage at .830 with a 77-16 record. Ritz is also fourth in shutouts (21), fifth in innings (577.2) and fifth in strikeouts (381).

Beard is 12-3 with a 2.18 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 70.2 innings. She's appeared in 18 games with 12 starts and has five complete games.

Ward has a 10-2 record and 2.52 ERA in 83.1 innings. She's pitched in 21 games with 15 starts and has six complete games with four shutouts.

Pipkin made just her sixth start of the season in UCO's game three Central Super Regional win over Augustana, pitching 2.2 shutout innings. She's 6-0 with a 2.19 ERA in 17 games and 44.2 innings.

ABOUT UCO'S DEFENSE: The Bronchos lead Division II in team defense with a stellar .982 fielding percentage and rank 19th in double plays with 24. UCO has committed just 29 errors in 60 games and has had 37 errorless games, including streaks of nine and 11 straight.

Anglen leads the team in assists with 115 from her second base post, eight ahead of Deramus at shortstop. Deramus has 100-plus assists every year of her career (115 in 2023, 105 in '24 and 107 this season).

ABOUT THE COACH: In his 12th season as UCO's head coach is Cody White, who is nearing the 500-win plateau with a stellar 497-169 record as the winningest coach in program history.

White has led UCO to 10 Division II national tournament appearances, two 50-win seasons, nine 40-win seasons and five regular-season MIAA titles. He's had five of the six winningest seasons in school history (54 in 2023, 51 this year and 48 three times – 2017, 2019, 2022).

White, associate head coach Jon Hunter, assistant coach Jordan Dixon and graduate assistant Jacee Minter were named MIAA Coaching Staff of the Year this season. Hunter has been with White for each of the 497 wins since 2014.

ABOUT PACE: The Setters started the season slowly and were 6-8 at one point, but have gone 40-3 since then and reeled off 27 straight wins during one stretch.

Pace captured the Northeast 10 Conference title with a perfect 20-0 record, won three straight games to claim East Regional I crown and then rebounded from a first-game loss to beat Wilmington in the best-of-three East Super Regional to earn its first-ever trip to the Division II Championship Finals.

The Setters feature a stout pitching staff, entering the final week of the season leading Division II in shutouts (27) while ranking second in team ERA (1.20). Opponents manage just 4.05 hits and 1.65 runs a game.

East Region Pitcher of the Year Gisselle Garcia leads the way with a 28-4 record, six saves and 0.69 ERA, having appeared in 42 games with 32 starts. She's tossed 27 complete games with 20 shutouts and has 365 strikeouts in 232.2 innings.

Garcia leads the country in shutouts while ranking second in strikeouts, second in ERA, fourth in innings pitched, fourth in wins and fifth in complete games.

First-team All-East Region selection Alyssa Smart is 10-2 in the circle with a 1.41 ERA, which ranks 16th nationally. She's thrown 109.0 innings in 26 games, having allowed 77 hits.

Offensively, Pace is hitting .295 as a team in averaging 7.54 hits and 4.37 runs a game.

Riley Jenkins leads the way with a .372 average, nine doubles and 32 RBI, while Willa Poplawski is hitting .345 with 12 doubles, four homers and 39 RBI. Second-team All-East Region third baseman Brianna Shea is batting .299 with six doubles, three triples, two homers and 32 RBI.

The Setters rank second nationally in sacrifice bunts with 92 and are sixth in fielding percentage (.976).

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Players Mentioned

#9 Rylee Anglen: IF; 5' 3"; Junior; L/R

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

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

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

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

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

#7 Brooklyn Ryan: OF; 5' 4"; Sophomore; R/R

#13 Sydney Ward: P; 6' 1"; Senior; R/R

#14 Kennedy Clark: C/1B; 5' 7"; Junior; L/L

#22 Ariah Mitchell: UT; 5' 4"; Freshman; L/R

Players Mentioned

#9 Rylee Anglen
: 5' 3"; Junior; L/R
: IF

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

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

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

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

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

#7 Brooklyn Ryan
: 5' 4"; Sophomore; R/R
: OF

#13 Sydney Ward
: 6' 1"; Senior; R/R
: P

#14 Kennedy Clark
: 5' 7"; Junior; L/L
: C/1B

#22 Ariah Mitchell
: 5' 4"; Freshman; L/R
: UT