EDMOND – No. 16-ranked Central Oklahoma continues Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play this weekend on the road against a pair of intrastate rivals.
The Bronchos, 25-6 on the season and 3-1 in league play, travel to Claremore Friday for a 3 p.m. doubleheader against Rogers State (20-10, 4-4) before moving on to Tahlequah Saturday to take on Northeastern State (18-11, 5-3) in a 4 p.m. twinbill.
"Our girls are focused and their preparation has been excellent this week," head coach Sam Maples said. "I love how competitive the MIAA is and every weekend is a challenge. This weekend is especially exciting for our athletes because of the history between our programs. They are ready to compete."
UCO will be back home next weekend to host Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western in back-to-back conference doubleheaders at Gerry Pinkston Stadium.
UCO went 4-1 last week, knocking off No. 12 Oklahoma Christian 5-2 in its first true road game before sweeping a home doubleheader from Washburn and splitting two games with Central Missouri. Freshman Carleigh Kinnaird went 3-0 in the circle for the Bronchos with three complete game outings. She gave up 12 hits and just two runs in 19 innings with 12 strikeouts and threw back-to-back shutouts in wins over WU and UCM. Fellow rookie Haley Gallo was a terror at the plate in the league-opening games, going 5-for-11 with two doubles, one home run and 10 runs batted in.
All nine of UCO's regular starters are batting .310 or better and the Bronchos currently rank in the top 10 nationally in seven categories – first in doubles (72), sixth in on base percentage (.447), sixth in slugging percentage (.563), seventh in RBI (208), ninth in average (.353), eighth in scoring (7.32) and ninth in runs (227). Senior Sherri Mason is batting .422 with eight doubles, three homers and 17 RBI, while junior Brooklyn Ryan is at .404 with seven doubles, 31 runs and 10 stolen bases while riding a nine-game hitting streak.
Four others are hitting over .350 – senior Rylee Lemos (.392), Gallo (.371), sophomore Jenna Jobe (.363) and sophomore Brooklyn Lyles (.354). Jobe leads Division II in doubles with 15. Lemos ranks 10th nationally in triples (five) and 16th in both runs (36) and RBI (39), while Gallo is 19th in RBI (36).
Kinnaird and junior Shelby Beard continue to be the workhorses of the pitching staff, having combined for 29 of 31 starts and 169.1 of 196.0 innings. They have thrown 84.2 innings apiece and both have 12 wins, which is tied for 11th nationally. Beard is 12-3 with a 2.81 earned run average and 82 strikeouts. She's seventh nationally in appearances (21) and 14th in starts (17). Kinnaird has a 12-1 record and 3.06 ERA in 19 games with 12 starts. Her 98 strikeouts rank 17th in Division II.
Lemos continues to climb up the UCO record book in several career categories. Lemos already owns the record for triples with 22 and has moved into second place in runs with 225, just five off the all-time mark of 230 set by Morgan Heard from 2015-18. She also ranks third in stolen bases (72), third in hit by pitch (34), fifth in doubles (53), sixth in hits (256), eighth in at bats (693) and 10th in RBI (140).
The Hillcats are 11-3 at home this season and have won their last three MIAA games after starting the league season 1-4. RSU is led by a stingy pitching staff that features a 2.18 team ERA. Harley Culie is the workhorse, having thrown 105.1 innings with 10 complete games in 16 starts. She's 10-6 with a 2.26 ERA and 114 strikeouts. Kinsley Hill has a 1.53 ERA in 50.1 innings and is 7-1 on the season. Jaden Jordan tops the offense with a .402 average, six doubles, five homers and 18 RBI. Raylin Morgan is hitting .326 with nine doubles, five homers and 23 RBI.
UCO owns a 20-7 lead in the series and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings.
The RiverHawks host Newman Friday before welcoming UCO to town and have already won more games than each of the previous two seasons. NSU is paced offensively by Mattison Hamilton (.375, nine doubles, 21 RBI), Mia Sarwinski (.319) and Annsleigh Morris (.308, nine doubles, 24 RBI). Jensyn Elder tops the pitching staff with a 10-5 record and 3.04 ERA in 85.1 innings. Kerynn TIndel is one of the top relievers in the MIAA with a 1-0 record, four saves and 0.81 ERA in 17.1 innings.
The Bronchos have played NSU more than any other opponent (150 times) and have a 92-58 lead in a series that started in 1976. UCO has won 10 of the last 11 meetings.
