GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After a 4-1 start to their season, the Colorado Mesa University Maverick Softball team will continue tournament and non-conference play this weekend as they head to Tucson, Arizona and Lincoln Park for five contests at the Cactus Classic starting on Friday.

The Mavericks begin their weekend against St. Martin's on Friday at 3 p.m. and will then take on Biola that evening at 5:30 p.m.  On Saturday, the Mavs will face a Canadian opponent in Simon Fraser and Saint Mary's (Texas) at 12:30 and 3 p.m., respectively.  They then wrap up their weekend against another South Central Regional opponent in Texas-Permian Basin on Sunday at 9 a.m.

There will not be any live coverage of the games although fans should follow the Mavericks on Twitter at @colomesasb and @cmumavericks for updates.  Full recaps will be posted on www.cmumavericks.com each day as well.

One to Watch

Maverick junior first baseman AnnMarie Torres was named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA NCAA Division II Player of the Year Watch List for the second straight year last Thursday.  Already, a 2-time Third Team All-American, Torres was one just 50 players from around the country to be selected. 

As a sophomore in 2018, Torres hit .394 (63-160) with 12 home runs and 21 doubles while driving in 67 runs.  She started all 53 of the Mavs' games at first base, committing just two errors in 243 total chances, good for a .992 fielding percentage and was named to First Team All-RMAC squad after earning RMAC Co-Freshman of the Year honors in a stellar 2017 season as well.

Pitcher of the Week

After going 2-0 with a 0.98 ERA in three starts last week, Maverick senior pitcher Kimbri Herring was named as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday.  Herring tossed her 12^th career shutout against Central Washington on Friday allowing just three hits while striking out five.  She also gave up just four hits and one run in the Mavs' 14-1 season-opening, mercy-rule victory over Cal State-East Bay and one other run in a start against Hawai'i Pacific on Saturday, a game the Mavericks also won.

Herring had been named as the RMAC's Preseason Pitcher of the Year as well.

The RMAC Pitcher of the Week honor is the second of her career.

Second by herself

In Friday's win over Hawai'i Pacific, the Mavericks used four different pitchers as McKenzie Surface was credited with the win after not allowing a hit in 1 2/3 innings of relief work for Herring.  The victory was the 71^st of Surface's career and moved her into sole possession of second place in RMAC history for career victories.  Surface had entered the year in a 3-way tie for second Kelly Unkrich (Mines, 2010-13) and Kerri Chase (CSU-Pueblo, 1999-2001).  Surface, who broke Melanie Meuchel's 17-year old CMU record of 67 against Colorado Christian as a junior in 2018, is now just seven wins away from the RMAC record of 78, currently held by Regis' Kaitlyn Gentert (2005-08).  Surface went 21-1 last year the RMAC lead for winning percentage (.955).

Surface also sits seventh in RMAC history for career strikeouts with 484, breaking the Maverick record as a sophomore.  She is within range of the RMAC record and is now just 147 away from the conference mark of 631, set by Amanda Kelly of Nebraska-Kearney (1997-2000).  She is just 14 away from 500.  Surface had 144 last year and in 2016 and recorded 195 strikeouts as a sophomore in 2017.
 
Surface has also completed 63 of her 82 career starts and already ranks seventh in RMAC history for career complete games.  She is just 15 shy of the Maverick record of 78, set by Heather Hatzenbeller from 1997-2000.
 
A deep lineup
 
Impressively, seven different Maverick players hit home runs during CMU's time at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic.  Included in the list of players who went deep, was freshman Jordyn Hays who recorded her first career hit with the long ball in just her second at bat during CMU's 14-1 season-opening win over Cal State-East Bay on Thursday night.  She is a Grand Junction Central High School product.
 
Sophomores Tayah Gerber and Alexa Samuels also hit their first career home runs in back-to-back innings during CMU's 9-1 run-rule win over Hawai'i Pacific on Saturday morning while Western Nebraska Community College transfer Brooke Doumer hit her first home run as a Maverick on Friday against Central Washington.  Kaila Jacobi also hit a home run in that game.
 
Senior Kellie Mrofcza and junior AnnMarie Torres also homered over the weekend.
 
The Mavericks hit at least one home run in four of their five games over the weekend, sending three out of the park against Hawai'i Pacific.
 
Showing some mercy
 
The Mavericks posted an impressive 24 mercy-rule victories last season, ending 13 games in five innings and another 11 in six.   They scored two more run-rule wins last weekend defeating Cal State-East Bay by a 14-1 score in six innings in the opening game of the season on Thursday before taking down Hawai'i Pacific by a 9-1 score in the same number of innings on Saturday.
 
In their 36 regular season conference games last season, the Mavericks outscored their opponents by a combined 291 runs (365-74), winning by an average of 8.08 per.  The Mavericks won exactly half (18) of those conference games via the mercy-rule.
 
Thus far in 2019, the Mavericks have outscored their opponents 39-8 are scoring 7.80 runs per game and 1.22 runs per offensive inning.  They also hit .304 as a team and also had a 1.31 team ERA, the best mark in the RMAC thus far.
 
First wins

Maverick Interim Head Coach Erik Kozel picked up his first four career coaching wins over the weekend at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic.  The first came on Thursday (Feb. 7) in mercy-rule fashion as the Mavericks defeated Cal State-East Bay by a 14-1 margin in six innings.
 
Although he's new to the top spot, Kozel is far from new to the Maverick program as he had been a Maverick assistant coach for the past six seasons.  He was promoted to the interim head coaching position in September after former Maverick Head Coach Ben Garcia resigned for a similar position at Division I Northern Colorado.
 
Kozel was a critical part of the Maverick's back-to-back RMAC Regular Season and Championship winning teams in 2017 and 2018 in his two years as the program's top assistant.  In those two years, the Mavericks posted a combined 96-13 (.881) record.  The Mavericks also won RMAC titles in 2014 and 2016 when Kozel was on the staff.

In his assistant coaching role, Kozel worked primarily with the catchers and outfielders and served as the hitting coach, guiding two All-America outfielders in Brooke Hodgson and Maggie Manwarren, as well as Second Team All-RMAC catcher Zoe Pakes last year.  In 2018, the Mavericks also set a RMAC record with their team batting average of .398, which led all divisions of college softball.  The former mark of .369 was set in 2017 with Kozel on staff.

In 2019, Kozel will be assisted by Mercedes Lovato, the program's pitching coach, PJ Gonzales and former Maverick Abby Toller, completing an internship as a student assistant coach.

Record-setting record

The Mavericks, who have won the last three and four of the last five Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Regular Season titles, are coming off a record-setting 48-5 season in 2018. 
The team's .906 winning percentage a year ago was a school-record, breaking the 2017 team's mark of .857 (48-8).  The 48 wins were just one shy of the school-record for wins, which was set by the 2002 squad, which finished 49-13.

The Mavericks started last year by winning a RMAC record 37 consecutive games.

Sitting at No. 21

The Mavericks have been tabbed 21^st in the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Preseason Top 25 Poll, which was released on Jan. 30.  The Mavericks received 82 points in the polling of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches, with two representing each of the nation's eight regions.

In 2018, the Mavericks were ranked in all 14 editions of the poll, including the preseason and post-season poll, which saw the Mavericks end up in the No. 16 spot.  They were ranked eighth in the preseason poll and were No. 1 for seven straight weeks in the midst of their 37-0 start.  They were ranked in the top three of all 12 regular-season editions of the poll.

The Mavericks were also ranked in 13 of 15 polls in 2017, beginning that year ranked 19^th in the preseason and finishing 11th. CMU has now been nationally-ranked in 24 consecutive polls dating back to Mar. 22, 2017.

Conference newcomer Dixie State is the only other RMAC team in the NFCA Preseason poll this year at No. 17.  Three other teams from the South Central Region are also in the poll, led by No. 6 Angelo State.  No. 9 Texas A&M-Commerce and No. 14 Tarleton State, which also hail from the Lone Star Conference, are also nationally ranked.  Texas A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State competed in the NCAA regional that the Mavericks hosted last year.

Picked second

Despite winning the last three regular season and last two RMAC Tournament titles, the Mavericks were edged for the top spot in this year's RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll by conference newcomer Dixie State.  The Mavericks received six first place votes and were picked a strong second with 135 total points.  Dixie State, which advanced to the West Super Regional after finishing third in the PacWest Conference last year, received seven first place votes and 138 total points.  Colorado Christian (113), Regis (110) and MSU Denver (102) were the other teams picked in the top five of the polling of the league's 13 head coaches, who ranked their opponents 1 through 12 without voting for their own squad.

Well represented

The Mavericks were also well represented with four selections, tied for the most of any squad, on the Preseason All-RMAC team, which was announced in conjunction with the league's poll on Jan. 24.  Leading the way was RMAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Kimbri Herring, a senior out of Stansbury, Utah.  First baseman AnnMarie Torres, outfielder Hailey designated player Bailey Kleespies, all juniors, were also selected.  All four earned All-RMAC honors at various levels in 2018.

Herring, who was the RMAC Tournament's MVP, also earned First Team D2CCA All-South Central Region honors in 2018 after posting a 22-3 record and 2.25 ERA.

Torres was a Third Team All-America pick by both the NFCA and D2CCA after hitting .394 with 12 home runs and 67 RBIs last year.  She earned First Team All-RMAC honors.

Hinson was a Second Team All-RMAC pick last year and hit .396 with 22 RBIs and five home runs.  Kleespies earned Honorable Mention All-RMAC pick in 2018 and hit .349 with five doubles while starting 20 games at the designated player and third base finishes.

Nation's top offense

In 2018, the Mavericks led all of college softball with their .398 team batting average, which smashed the RMAC record of .369, which they had set the year prior.  The batting average was also the best of any Division II team since 2009.

The Mavericks also led Division II in doubles per game (2.55) last year, cranking out a RMAC-record 135 to crush the former RMAC record of 112, set by Mines in 2009.  The 135 doubles are the fourth most in Division II history while the per game average was the fifth highest.

CMU was also second in Division II for scoring (9.58 runs/game), winning-percentage (.906), slugging percentage (.643) and on-base percentage (.461) last year.  They also hit 1.30 home runs per game to rank fourth in the country.

The Mavericks scored 508 total runs to break the RMAC record of 452, set by MSU-Denver in 2010.  They also recorded 442 RBIs to break the Roadrunner's former RMAC record of 413, set in 2009.  The 508 runs scored were the seventh most in Division II history.

Doing it with the glove as well

The Mavericks also played solid defensive ball in 2018, committing just 37 errors while finishing the year ranked eighth in Division II with their .972 fielding percentage.  Their opponents were guilty of nearly 100 more errors (128) and fielded at just a .914 clip.

The Mavericks only made five errors and fielded at a .964 pace last weekend at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic.

Title #11
 
The Mavericks, who went 33-3 in regular season play to win the RMAC's Regular Season Championship for the third straight year and fourth time in the last five years in 2018, have now won 11 official RMAC Championships, four more than any other institution in conference history.  They are the first program to win three straight outright crowns* since Nebraska-Kearney won four straight from 1996-99 after claiming a 1995 Mile High Intercollegiate Softball League title before the RMAC officially resumed official sponsorship of the sport in 1996.
 
The Mavericks also won RMAC titles in 1982, 1983, 1989, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2007 and 2014.
 
The Lopers, who are no longer RMAC members, are second in conference history with seven crowns.
 
*-Colorado Mines did win 2012 and 2013 RMAC titles after sharing the top spot with MSU Denver in 2012.  MSU Denver had won the 2010 and 2011 crowns.
 
Speaking of 11
 
2018 also marked the Mavericks' 11^th NCAA Tournament appearance.  They have been included in the field of 64 for each of the last three years.  The Mavericks, who went 1-2 while hosting a regional for just the second time in program history, are 15-22 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.  They also qualified in 1997 and 1998, in three straight years from 2000-02, and again in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
 
Three straight 40s
 
The Mavericks have reached the 40-win mark in each of the last three years and have six such seasons in the NCAA Division II portion of their history, which dates back to 1992. The 2016 Mavericks went 40-13 before the back-to-back 48-win seasons.
 
The Mavericks also won 40 or more games in three straight years from 2000-02 winning a school-record 49 games in 2002 (49-13), two years after going 44-12 while reaching the Division II Women's College World Series in 2000.  The 2001 team went 41-12.
 
Perfect on the road
 
A large reason for the Mavericks' success in 2018, was their ability to win on the road.  The Mavericks were perfect away from home.  The Mavericks went 16-0 in away games and 10-0 in neutral-site early-season tournament contests last year.
 
They will play their first 14 games of the 2019 campaign away from home as well, playing ten total games in two early season non-conference tournaments, including this weekend's five games, before opening the 40-game RMAC schedule on Feb. 22-23 with a 4-game series at Fort Lewis in Durango.
 
The Mavericks host Dixie State on Mar. 2 and 3 for their home-opening series, a 4-game set that is looking to be pivotal for the RMAC title chase as a showdown between the conference's two nationally ranked squads picked first and second in the conference's preseason poll.
 
Scouting the Opponents

Saint Martin's

The Saints, who hail from Lacey, Washington, are 2-1 on the young season having played at the MSU Billings Desert Stinger Tournament on the first three days of the month before taking last weekend off.  One of their wins came by an 11-10 margin against Colorado Christian, who played the Mavericks in the RMAC Tournament Championship game last year.  The Saints also defeated Stanislaus State on Feb. 1 and suffered their only loss to Cal State-Dominguez Hills on Feb. 3 after two games were cancelled due to weather on Feb. 2.

Sabrina Hicks hit .636 (7-11) with two home runs and seven RBIs in the Saints' three games.  Kyle Lopez also had the same home run and RBI totals while hitting .300 (3-10).  Brandi Schoessler earned both wins inside the circle as she made three relief appearances spanning 12 1/3 innings.  She has a 2.84 ERA.

The Saints will be CMU's third opponent from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this season and were picked sixth in the conference's preseason poll after posting a 23-22 overall record in 2018, good for their seventh consecutive winning season.

Pitcher Lauren Maley, who has started two of the Saints' three games this year, was a Second Team All-GNAC selection a year ago.  She is 0-1 with an 8.40 ERA thus far this year having given up 15 hits and eight earned runs in 6 2/3 innings thus far.

Biola

Biola is coming off a 33-19 season in 2018.  The Eagles went 16-16 in PacWest Conference play last year and were picked second in this year's PacWest Preseason Coaches' Poll.  Now in their final year of their transition to full NCAA Division II membership, the Eagles have four preseason all-conference selections in Areana Ramos, Paige Austin, Kayla Neff and Hailey Boyett.  Ramos, was the 2018 PacWest Newcomer of the Year and earned third team all-conference honors alongside Austin and Neff.

The Eagles had their first two doubleheaders washed out by weather and were finally able to get their season rolling on Tuesday against Hope International, ranked ninth in the NAIA.  The Eagles are CMU's fourth PacWest Conference opponent of the season.  They dropped both games of that doubleheader in La Mirada, California falling 3-2 in the 9-inning opener before dropping a 12-10 decision in the fifth inning when the lights were turned out per city ordinance at 10 p.m. local time.

Ruth Munoz went 4-for-6 with two runs and a walk in the doubleheader while Kylie Velasco went 4-for-7 with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs while slugging at an impressive 1.429 clip for the day.  Pitcher Paige Austin got the start went eight innings in the opener and struck out 14 while spreading out seven hits.  She had a 15-7 record and 2.07 ERA in 2018, striking out 154 foes in 138 2/3 innings a year ago.  She started in just nine of her 37 appearances last season.

Simon Fraser

The Clan will begin their season this weekend and will do so with a new head coach in Michelle Peters.  In 2018, the team went 21-19 overall and 15-13 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to earn a spot in the post-season tournament, which saw them advance to the championship game.  They return 13 players from that team, including Honorable Mention All-GNAC selections Katie Fergusson and Hailey Gearey, who hit .315 and .303, respectively, last year.

Senior Jessica Tate pitched 87 1/3 innings last year, earning five wins and a save.

The Burnaby, British Columbia based squad will be CMU's fourth opponent from the GNAC this season and the second of the weekend (St. Martin's). They were picked fifth in the league's preseason coaches' poll.  The Mavericks defeated the first two in Central Washington and Western Washington last Friday.

St. Mary's

The Rattlers will enter the Cactus Classic with a 4-4 overall record.  Three of their losses and one of their wins have come against nationally-ranked opponents.  They are 2-0 against other RMAC teams having defeated Regis and the Colorado School of Mines at their home tournament last weekend.  Another game against Mines was also wiped out due to weather.

They were picked to win the Heartland Conference title receiving nine of the possible 14 first place votes from the league's head coaches and sports information directors and are coming off a 34-23 season in 2018.  They went 19-9 in the conference and won the regular season title for the fourth straight year but were left out of the NCAA Tournament after failing to win the conference tournament crown.

Pitcher Staci Johns and shortstop Taylor Germain were also named to the Preseason All-Heartland team.  Germain is leading the team with her .450 (9-20) batting average thus far in 2019.  She also has hit two doubles and has driven in a team-leading five runs.

Johns is 2-2 with a 1.89 ERA and has completed three of her five starts.  She also has a shutout and has allowed just 24 hits while striking out 23 foes in 29 2/3 innings of work this season.

Texas-Permian Basin

The Falcons will enter this week's tournament with a 1-5 overall record after their home-opening doubleheader against College of the Southwest that was scheduled for Monday was postponed.  Their lone win of the year came in the season-opener against the RMAC's Chadron State. 

Freshman Valerie Gonzalez is hitting .500 (8-16) at the plate thus far in 2019 and was named to the Taj Hospitality College Softball Kickoff All-Tournament Team after the opening weekend of the season, while Alyssa Lopez is hitting .364 (4-11).

The pitching staff has a combined 9.55 ERA.

They were picked 10^th out of 11 teams in the Lone Star Conference's Preseason Poll.

In 2018, they went 18-36 overall and 4-26 in conference play.

The Last Time We Met

The Mavericks defeated St. Mary's by a 4-3 margin in eight innings on the opening weekend of the season in 2018 at the CMU Invitational played in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.  The Rattlers were ranked 22^nd in the nation at the time while CMU was ranked eighth.  That game, played on Feb. 4, was the first between the teams since 2007 although they regularly met each other from 2001-2007 and have played 19 times this century.  St. Mary's holds an all-time series lead of 14-6.

CMU has not played any of this week's other opponents dating back to at least 1994.