Softball 4/30/2026 9:00:00 AM

Bronchos Host Newman Friday on Senior Day

No. 18 UCO Will Honor Four Seniors Between Games of the Doubleheader

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma closes out the regular season Friday when the No. 18-ranked Bronchos host Newman for a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Senior Day at Gerry Pinkston Stadium.

UCO is 39-12 for the season and 16-6 in league play, while the Jets from Wichita, Kansas are 10-40 and 4-18.

It's the final home game for four Central seniors – Rylee Anglen, Kennedy Clark, Rylee Lemos and Sherri Mason – who will be honored between games of the doubleheader.

"This weekend will be bittersweet as we honor our four seniors who have given so much to this team and the program," head coach Sam Maples said. "I couldn't be more proud of the way our team works and it starts with those four setting the tone.

"Heading into this series I am confident in the determination I have seen from the team this week, especially after last weekend and seeing how close we are. We're looking forward to Friday's matchup and thanking our seniors."

The Bronchos are third in the conference standings heading into the final week, trailing Missouri Southern (18-4) and Pittsburg State (17-5). The top 10 teams advance to the MIAA Softball Championship that will be held May 6-9 in Emporia, Kansas.

UCO is also third in the all-important NCAA Central Regional rankings, which is made up of teams from the MIAA, the Great American Conference (GAC) and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The champions of all three conference tournaments plus five at-large teams qualify for the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Clark earned MIAA Hitter of the Week honors for her performance last week as UCO went 2-2 on the road against Pitt State and Missouri Southern. The senior from Richmond, Texas went 5-for-12 with two home runs and eight runs batted in for the weekend.

The Bronchos continue to feature one of the top offenses in the country, batting .353 as a team while averaging 7.14 runs and 9.47 hits a game.

All nine starters are hitting above .300, led by junior Brooklyn Ryan at .400. She's riding a 13-game hitting streak while topping the team in at bats (170), hits (68), sacrifice hits (12) and stolen bases (17).

Sophomore Jenna Jobe has a .392 average with 20 doubles – sixth on UCO's single-season list – and 26 RBI, while freshman Haley Gallo is at .387 with 17 doubles along with team highs in homers (12), RBI (60) and slugging percentage (.768).

Gallo's 60 RBI is a freshman school record and is tied for ninth on the single-season charts.

Lemos is batting .384 with team highs in runs (54), triples (six) and on base percentage (.480). The senior from South Coffeyville, Oklahoma has added 17 doubles, nine homers and 58 RBI and ranks in UCO's career top 10 in 10 different categories, holding records for runs (252) and triples (23).

Others over the .300 mark are sophomore Brooklyn Lyles (.345), freshman Hannah Demoff (.343), Clark (.338), Mason (.323) and Anglen (.305).

Clark has been on a tear lately, having hit .522 (12-for-23) with four homers and 17 RBI in the last seven games.

The Bronchos own a 2.92 team earned run average while giving up 3.35 runs and 5.78 hits a game.

Freshman Carleigh Kinnaird and junior Shelby Beard continue to carry the bulk of the pitching load, with rookie Madison Hamilton having come on strong down the stretch.

Kinnaird is 16-4 with three saves and a 2.86 ERA in 132 innings. She's appeared in 30 games with 21 starts and has thrown nine complete games while striking out 144.

Beard has a 19-6 record and 3.08 ERA in 33 games with 27 starts. She has 12 compete-game outings and has fanned 109 batters in 134 innings.

Hamilton has the lowest ERA at 2.41 in 49.1 innings. She's 3-2 in 19 games with three starts and has 37 strikeouts.

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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