UCO Hits The Road For Key MIAA Games

No. 17 Bronchos Face No. 2 Pitt State and No. 12 Missouri Southern Friday and Saturday

PITTSBURG, Kan. – No. 17-ranked Central Oklahoma faces a huge challenge on the road this weekend when the Bronchos visit a pair of highly-ranked MIAA rivals.

UCO, 37-10 on the season and 14-4 in league play, goes to Pittsburg, Kansas Friday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader against No. 2 Pittsburg State (43-2, 15-1) before moving on to face No. 12 Missouri Southern (39-7, 14-4) in a 1 p.m. twinbill Saturday in Joplin, Missouri.

The Gorillas are atop the conference standings with two weeks remaining, while the Bronchos and Lions are tied for second. The 10-team MIAA Softball Championship is set for May 6-10 in Emporia, Kansas.

"This weekend is going to be so much fun," head coach Sam Maples said. "Pitt State and Missouri Southern both have weapons offensively and in the circle.

"We have been busy preparing this week and I love the mindset of our team right now. They're focused, they're in the moment and they're enjoying the game."

UCO ends the regular season next week, hosting Newman for a Senior Day doubleheader at 1 p.m. Friday, May 1 at Gerry Pinkston Stadium.

UCO put together back-to-back dominating performances on the road last weekend in sweeping doubleheaders from Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State. The Bronchos outscored the two teams a combined 55-19 while banging out 71 hits.

That lifted Central's team average to a robust .363, which ranks sixth in Division II. The Bronchos continue to lead the country in doubles with 106 while also ranking in the top 10 in on base percentage (third, .449), slugging percentage (fourth, .575), runs (fifth, 348), runs batted in (fifth, 323), hits (fifth, 457), scoring (sixth, 7.54) and walks (sixth, 179).

Four players are now hitting .400 or better – junior Brooklyn Ryan (.408), freshman Haley Gallo (.403), senior Rylee Lemos (.400) and sophomore Jenna Jobe (.400).

Ryan is riding a nine-game hitting streak, having batted .500 (17-for-34) with 11 RBI and 10 runs in that span. She has 12 doubles, 28 RBI and a team-high 17 stolen bases for the season. Gallo has batted .551 (16-for-29) with five doubles, 14 runs and 11 RBI in last last eight games. The rookie slugger has driven in a freshman school-record 58 runs to go along with 17 doubles and 11 homers. Lemos is on an 11-game hitting streak, having gone 20-for-40 (.500) with 16 RBI in that stretch. She ranks 10th nationally in runs with 52 to go along with 15 doubles, nine homers, six triples and 57 RBI for the year. Jobe's 20 doubles are second-best in Division II and rank sixth on UCO's single-season list.

The rest of the regular lineup is hitting .330 or better – sophomore Brooklyn Lyles (.365), senior Sherri Mason (.348), freshman Hannah Demoff (.344, five homers), senior Kennedy Clark (.331, 48 RBI) and senior Rylee Anglen (.330, team-high 29 walks).

UCO owns a 2.83 team earned run average behind the dynamic duo of freshman Carleigh Kinnaird and junior Shelby Beard. Kinnaird has a 15-3 record with three saves and a 2.66 ERA in 123.2 innings. The rookie has struck out 141 batters while appearing in 28 games with 19 starts, having thrown nine complete games. Beard is 18-5 with a 3.01 ERA in 30 games with 25 starts. She has 11 complete games and has fanned 105 in 123.1 innings.

Freshman Madison Hamilton has come on strong and is now 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 41.1 innings. She's appeared in 17 games with three starts.

Lemos continues to make her mark on the UCO record book, currently ranking in the top 10 in 10 career categories. The returning All-American owns records for runs (241) and triples (23) while having moved into second in stolen bases (74) and hit by pitch (38). Lemos also ranks fourth in hits (278) and doubles (57), sixth in at bats (744), seventh in RBI (158), eighth in games played (230) and 10th in homers (29).

Pittsburg State is riding a nine-game winning streak and features perhaps the most potent offense in Division II. The Gorillas lead the country in average (.394) and on base percentage (.479) while ranking in the top five in 10 other categories, including second in runs per game (8.98).

All-American Heather Arnett leads the way. She tops the nation in hits (98) and runs (71) and is second in average (.557) while having had at least one hit in all 45 games this season, a Division II record. She also has 12 doubles, seven triples, 38 RBI and 38 steals. Three other players are hitting above .400 – Kadyn Trochim (.473, 17 doubles, 64 RBI), Alleyna Rushing (.442, 23 RBI) and Lexi Davis (.403, 14 doubles, 61 RBI).

PSU has a 2.36 team ERA with Emma Crabb and Lexi Franklin pacing the pitching staff. Crabb is 14-1 with three saves and a 1.76 ERA, having struck out 81 batters in 91.2 innings. Franklin has a 12-0 record and 2.75 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 89 innings.

UCO has a 27-22 lead in a series that started in 1983. The Bronchos swept last year's regular season doubleheader, winning 4-3 and 2-1.

Missouri Southern has won three straight heading into a Friday doubleheader with Newman before hosting the Bronchos. The Lions lead the MIAA with a 2.15 team ERA behind Kiki Pickens and Emily Davis. Pickens is 16-3 with a 1.87 ERA, having thrown eight complete games. She's struck out 131 in 112.1 innings. Davis is 15-4 with nine complete games and a 1.88 ERA in 126.1 innings, having fanned 124.

MSSU is hitting .337 as a team, with Bailey Dillon's .423 average leading the way. She also has eight doubles, three homers, 23 RBI and 39 stolen bases. Taylor Nuckolls is hitting .384 with 15 doubles, 35 RBI and 21 steals, while Katie Gray is at .379 with 14 homers, 12 doubles and 43 RBI.

The Bronchos have a 39-9 advantage in a series that started in 1985.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#13 Brooklyn Lyles: IF; 5' 10"; Sophomore; R/R

#21 Sherri Mason: UT; 5' 4"; Senior; R/R

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

#22 Haley Gallo: OF; 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R

#15 Madison Hamilton: P; 5' 5"; Freshman; R/R

#28 Carleigh Kinnaird: P; 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

#13 Brooklyn Lyles
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; R/R
: IF

#21 Sherri Mason
: 5' 4"; Senior; R/R
: UT

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

#22 Haley Gallo
: 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R
: OF

#15 Madison Hamilton
: 5' 5"; Freshman; R/R
: P

#28 Carleigh Kinnaird
: 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R
: P