GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After winning another series but seeing the end of their perfect season, the nation's top-ranked Colorado Mesa University Mavericks (37-1, 27-1 RMAC) will try to clinch a third straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title when they host the Colorado Christian University Cougars (36-7, 26-4 RMAC) in a showdown of the RMAC's top two teams.
 
Doubleheaders are slated for Noon on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday.
 
Saturday's games will include Swing for Life promotions to benefit CMU Alumna and breast cancer survivor Kathy Howa's fundraising efforts for the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
 
On Sunday, the Mavericks' four seniors (Brooke Hodgson, Maggie Manwarren, Zoe Pakes, Abby Toller) will be honored prior to Sunday's doubleheader, their final regular season home games of their careers.
 
The Mavericks won the first three games of last weekend's series with Regis and outscored the Rangers 22-8 over the weekend.
 
Three to clinch with a week to spare
 
The Mavericks can clinch the RMAC title and the right to host the 8-team RMAC Tournament, which begins Thursday, May 2 if they win three of the four games this weekend.  That would put the Mavericks a full four games ahead of the Cougars, who would have five more losses than the Mavericks under that scenario.
 
The Mavericks are already assured of at least the No. 2 seed for the 3-day, double-elimination tournament.
 
All good things come to an end
 
Like the famous quote says, "all good things must come to an end".  That was the case for CMU's undefeated season on Sunday as the Mavericks dropped their first game of the campaign, snapping a 37-game winning streak to begin the year.  That streak will still go down as the longest in RMAC history and is equal to the sixth longest in NCAA Division II history.  It is also the longest NCAA Division II streak in five years since UIndy won 38 straight games during the 2013 season.
 
Remaining No. 1
 
The Mavericks remained in the top spot of the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll for the seventh straight week as they received 13 of the 16 possible first place votes to top the poll with 397 points.
 
North Georgia (47-2) picked up the other three first place votes and is second with 387 points while Chico State (39-3) remains in the No. 3 spot.
 
Meanwhile, Southern Arkansas moved up a spot to fourth while North Alabama moved up three spots to No. 5.
 
Further down the poll, Angelo State moved up three spots to sixth and is followed by Lenoir-Rhyne, Palm Beach Atlantic, Winona State and Grand Valley State.
 
The Mavericks hold wins over three other teams currently in the poll, defeating both Angelo State and No. 14 Texas A&M-Commerce on back-to-back days (Feb. 2 & 3) at the CMU Invitational in Rio Rancho, N.M.  The Mavericks also hold a win over No. 12 California Baptist, which moved up two spots after splitting a 4-game series with Dixie State, which tumbled seven spots in the poll.  Texas A&M Commerce also slipped seven spots after dropping two of three games to now No. 11 West Texas A&M in a key Lone Star Conference series.
 
CMU has been in the top 10 for all ten polls this season, including the preseason.  They were ranked third in the Week No. 1 and 2 polls after sitting eighth in the preseason.
 
Colorado Christian, this week's opponent, is once again in the "receiving votes" category of the poll.  The Cougars have five points.  The Mavericks also have beaten Concordia-Irvine, which is garnering three points in this week's poll.
 
A more important No. 1
 
Although the national poll ranking is certainly a nice feather in the Mavericks' cap, in the grand scheme of things for the 2018 season, the regional rankings are even more important as they will eventually determine who qualifies for and the seeding for the South Central Regional portion of the NCAA Division II Tournaments.  Those rankings which were released for the first time on Wednesday, also see the Mavericks ranked No. 1 in the region and thus in pole position to potentially host both a 4-team regional from May 10-12 and a best-of-three Super Regional series on May 17-18.
 
Trailing the Mavericks in the No. 2-5 spots are Lone Star Conference foes West Texas A&M, Angelo State, Texas A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State. 
 
The rest of the top 10 regional rankings include No. 6 Cameron, which also plays in the LSC, RMAC foes Regis (No. 7) and Colorado Christian (No. 8), and Heartland Conference members Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's, who are ranked ninth and 10^th.
 
The Mavericks are 6-1 against the rest of the region's top 10 holding early season wins over Angelo State, Texas A&M-Commerce and St. Mary's during the opening weekend of the season before taking the first three games of a 4-game series with Regis this past weekend. 
 
Texas A&M Commerce will also host Angelo State in a key 3-game Lone Star Conference series this weekend.  Those two teams are tied for the LSC lead with 20-4 conference marks.  West Texas, which is 32-6 in Division II games, is 17-4 in LSC play.
 
The winners of the Heartland, Lone Star and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournaments will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Division II two 4-team South Central Regional tournaments.  The regional rankings will be updated on each of the next two Wednesdays before final selections are announced on Monday, May 6.
 
Swing for Life
 
Proceeds from this Saturday's Swing for Life promotion, run by CMU Softball Alumna Kathy Howa's foundation will be donated to the Huntsman Cancer Institute for breast cancer research.  To date, through her efforts, Swing for Life has raised over $1.1 million dollars, including over $35,600 through the CMU Community over the past 13 years.
 
Hodgson' breaks her own mark
 
CMU senior Brooke Hodgson broke her own single-season school-record for RBIs on Saturday when she drove in four runs to help lead the Mavericks to a doubleheader sweep of Regis.  She recorded her 70^th RBI of the season, equaling her 2017 total, when she hit her RMAC lead-matching 13^th homer in the third inning of the Maverick's 7-1 series opening win.  She then drove in three more runs in the 10-2, 5-inning mercy rule victory over the Rangers in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader.
 
She also extended her consecutive game hitting streak to 23 in that game, a streak that was snapped on Sunday.
 
Hodgson, who had already become both the CMU and RMAC record-holder for career RBIs on Mar. 25 against Mines, now has 259 in her brilliant 4-year career.  She has more career RBIs than any other active NCAA Division II player, is now fourth in the national record book and can realistically reach the No. 2 spot, currently held by Kaitlyn Bannister, who finished her 4-year career at Alabama-Huntsville in 2017 with 273.  Jackie Aiken of Wisconsin-Parkside (1994-97) holds the national record of 344.
 
Aiken also holds the NCAA Division II single-season record of 110 set in 1995.  The RMAC record for single-season RBIs is 93, set by UCCS's Stacy Haney in 2007.  Hodgson's total of 73 is already the fifth best single-season total in RMAC history and is just five away from the No. 2 mark, set by MSU Denver's Tara Mickleson in 2010.
 
Hodgson continues to lead the NCAA Division II statistics in RBIs per game at 1.92 but has fallen one behind Texas A&M-Commerce's Mariah Jameyson in the flat number.  Jameyson has 74 in 40 games played.
 
Surface ties the mark
 
Junior pitcher McKenzie Surface matched the CMU record for career victories on Saturday when she allowed just three hits while striking out seven in the Mavericks' 7-1 victory on Saturday.  That victory was her 18^th of the season and 67^th of her career, allowing her to match Melanie Meuchel's (1998-2001) total, which is now tied for fourth most in RMAC history.  The RMAC record for career wins is 78, set by Regis' Kaitlyn Gentert (2005-08).
 
Surface, who went on to record her first save of 2018 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, also paces the RMAC with six shutouts this season and is second in the RMAC for both ERA (2.11) and opponent batting average (.208).
 
Surface had broken Meuchel's school-record for complete games against Fort Lewis earlier this season and now has completed 60 of her 78 career starts to rank fifth in the RMAC for career complete games.
 
She has also tallied 132 strikeouts this season and 471 in her career to sit eighth in RMAC history.  Surface had set the CMU school-record for career strikeouts as a sophomore en-route to RMAC Co-Pitcher of the Year and her second straight First Team All-RMAC honor.
 
What a staff
 
The Mavericks pitching strength does not only come from McKenzie Surface.  CMU's other two pitchers Kimbri Herring and Brooke Hodgson have also got the job done in the circle this year. 
 
Herring's 2018 numbers are comparable to Surface and in many cases even better.  The Stansbury, Utah native who spent her first collegiate season at Snow College before transferring to CMU for the 2017 season, leads the RMAC with her 1.59 ERA and has held opponents to a RMAC-low .199 batting average.  She is 15-0 with four shutouts also also ranks fifth in the entire country for strikeouts per seven innings at 9.8 after she has fanned 111 in her 79 1/3 innings.
 
Meanwhile, utility player Brooke Hodgson has posted a 4-1 record and 1.33 ERA in her 31 2/3 innings, spanning eight appearances.  She does not quite qualify for the RMAC ERA title because she has not thrown an inning for every team game (38) but does has the best ERA on the team.
 
As a staff, the Mavericks are leading the RMAC in ERA (1.74), opposing batting average (.208), strikeouts (262) in addition to multiple other categories.
 
Showing some mercy
 
The Mavericks' 10-2, 5-inning win over Regis was their 20^th mercy-rule victory of the season.  CMU has ended 52.6 percent of their games early, including 10 in five innings and another 10 in six.
 
In their 28 RMAC games, the Mavericks have outscored their opponents by a combined 256 runs (297-41), winning by an average of 9.14 per.  The Mavericks have won 17 of their 28 conference games via the mercy-rule.
 
Overall, the Mavericks have scored a nation-leading 389 runs while conceding just 74 and are ranked second in the nation for scoring average at 10.24 runs per game, trailing only Benedict (S.C.), which has put up 11.00 per contest.
 
On pace
 
As a team, the Mavericks are on pace to break the RMAC record of 452 runs scored in a season, a mark held by the 2010 MSU Denver squad, which went 53-6 while advancing to the Division II College World Series. 
 
Assuming the Mavericks play their remaining eighth regular season games and the two they are guaranteed in the RMAC Tournament, the Mavericks need to average just 6.30 runs per game to do so, well below their current scoring pace.  With the Mavericks likely to qualify for NCAA Tournament play as well, that per game average mark drops even further.
 
National leaders on pace to set other RMAC records
 
The Mavericks are also on pace to set several other RMAC single-season records as well.  Their current national-leading .409 batting average is an incredible 40 points higher than the current RMAC mark of .369, which CMU set last year and would be the best team batting average for any NCAA Division II squads in 14 seasons since Kentucky State hit .439 in 2004.
 
The Mavericks have already combined to hit 107 doubles this season, good for a national-leading 2.82 per game average, which would end up as the fourth best team average in NCAA Division II history.  The Mavericks are just five doubles away from the RMAC record for doubles in a season is 112, set by Mines in 2009.
 
The Mavericks' team slugging percentage of .672 also leads the country and would end up as the fifth best team mark in Division II history and well above the current RMAC record of .654, held by the 2001 Maverick team.
 
Quick-strike attack delayed last week
 
The Mavericks have played much of the season from leading positions as they have out-scored their opponents 63-5 in the first inning and 63-6 in the second inning this season.  The Mavericks had scored in the first inning in nine straight games through Saturday's first game against Regis.  However, the Mavericks were held without first and second inning runs in each of the last three games of the series. 
 
But, the Mavericks would go on to make up for it in the third, scoring 12 of their 22 runs in the series in the third innings of the four games over the weekend.
 
Triple crown possibility
 
Brooke Hodgson has a chance at winning the RMAC's "triple crown" this year as she leads the RMAC by wide margins in batting average and RBI's and is tied for second behind Mines' Clara Larson for homeruns.  Hodgson is hitting. 537 with 73 RBIs and has 13 bombs this season, just one fewer than Larson.
 
Hodgson also leads the RMAC this year in total hits (72), slugging percentage (1.000), on-base percentage (.560), doubles (19) and total bases (134).  She is also tied with teammate Maggie Manwarren for the RMAC lead in runs scored with 60.
 
Balance of power
 
As a team, the Mavericks have hit 53 home runs this season to lead the RMAC and rank fifth in the country for home runs per game (1.39).  In total, eleven different Maverick players have gone long this season.  Five have hit five or more.
 
Glove work
 
Although the offense is certainly in strong form, the Mavericks are also playing superb defense.  They are ranked fifth nationally and atop the RMAC with their .975 fielding percentage.  The Mavericks have committed just 23 errors all season.
 
Home-Field streak ended
 
Sunday's second game loss to Regis also ended a 39-game home-field winning streak and was the first time in two seasons that the Mavericks did not win when playing at the CMU Softball Stadium.  It also ended a streak of 54 consecutive regular season home wins that had dated back to 2016.
 
RMAC dominance under Garcia

Ben Garcia is in his fourth season as the Mavericks' Head Coach and coached the Mavericks for the 200^th time on Saturday.  Named as the RMAC Coach of the Year in 2016, he has guided the Mavericks to 158 wins and a .778 winning percentage in his first 203 games (158-45) at CMU.  The Mavericks, who have advanced to the last two South Central Regional Championship games, are also a combined 125-19 (.868) in RMAC games and 136-23 (.855) against RMAC foes –-counting non-conference and RMAC Tournament games— under Garcia.
 
CMU has won the last two RMAC Championships under Garcia with 35-4 (2017) and 35-3 (2016) conference records.  The Mavericks also finished second in the 2015 standings in Garcia's first season claiming 28 wins, equal to MSU Denver's total from that year.
 
The back-to-back 35 RMAC win seasons are two of the third best in RMAC history behind only MSU Denver's 2010 37-RMAC win campaign.
 
The Mavericks have won 25 more RMAC games than any other team in the past three seasons (MSU Denver, 72) and have also won 25 more than the Roadrunners (100) since Garcia joined the Mavericks.

Prior to coming to CMU in July of 2014, Garcia served as the head coach at Otero Junior College for three seasons.  He posted a 143-42 mark at Otero including a pair of Region IX Championships in 2013 and 2014.

Garcia was also highly successful at the high school rankings winning over 400 games in 21 years as head coach at Pueblo East. He led the Eagles to 19 state tournament appearances, including the state title in 2012 and four runner-up appearances.
 
Scouting the Cougars
 
The Cougars have had a fine season posting an impressive 36-7 record already surpassing their school record for wins, which had been 34 back in 2012, their first year with a program.  The Cougars are eighth in the first set of NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings and sit second behind the Mavericks in the conference standings.  They have also been receiving votes in the national poll.
 
They are coming off a 4-game sweep of Adams State and have a solid offense, which is ranked eighth nationally in batting average (.359), stolen bases per game (2.67), slugging percentage (.573) and sit sixth in on-base percentage (.446). 
 
Charlotte Romero is hitting .441 to rank fourth in the conference.  She also is tied for fourth nationally with 18 doubles.
 
Meanwhile, Stephanie Day is hitting .419 and paces the team with 52 RBI, fourth most in the RMAC behind.  She is also one of three Cougar players with nine home runs.
 
Inside the circle, Kenzie Mattey is the No. 1 pitcher for Coach Shanon Hays' squad.  She leads the RMAC with 20 wins and has posted a 2.85 ERA while striking out a league-leading 142 hitters in a RMAC-high 142 2/3 innings pitched.  Meanwhile, Jennifer Romero is also 15-1 with a respectable 3.49 ERA while Sarah Probasco has posted a 3.08 ERA in 23 appearances.  She has started just one game.
 
Up Next
 
After this weekend's series, the Mavericks will close out the regular season with a 4-game set at CSU-Pueblo on Apr. 28-29.  The 8-team RMAC Tournament then begins on Thursday, May 2 with the top seed hosting the 3-day event.  CMU will be either the first or second seed in that tournament.