GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Winners of 23 of their last 24 games, the now 11^th-ranked Colorado Mesa University Softball team will look to seal up a fourth straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title when they head to Lakewood for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference pod series against host Colorado Christian University and New Mexico Highlands University.
 
The Mavericks lead the RMAC standings with 38-7 overall and 31-4 RMAC records entering the final regular season series, which will be played on Friday and Saturday at Lakewood Park.  The Mavericks and Colorado Christian (33-12, 26-6 RMAC), which is the only other team that could catch the Mavericks in the conference standings, will open the 6-game weekend on Friday at 11 a.m., an hour later than originally scheduled.  The Mavericks will then play New Mexico Highlands (8-27, 7-22 RMAC) at 1 p.m. that day before the Cougars and Cowgirls wrap up Friday's slate with a 3 p.m. tilt.
 
Saturday's schedule will be played in reverse and will see the Mavericks play NMHU at 1 p.m. before wrapping up the regular season against CCU at 3 p.m. that day.  The Cougars and Cowgirls will play at 11 a.m. in the first game of that day.
 
Live statistics and streaming of all six games of the weekend, including each of CMU's four contests, can be found at the link above.
 
Title Scenarios
 
The Mavericks would clinch the RMAC title and the right to host next week's RMAC Tournament for the fourth straight year if they win either of this weekend's head-to-head games with Colorado Christian.  Even if the Cougars were to sweep both games, the Mavericks would still win the RMAC title if they were to defeat New Mexico Highlands twice or match CCU's results against the Cowgirls.
 
Senior Day Split
 
The Mavericks honored their eight seniors prior to last Saturday's doubleheader against UCCS before the Mountain Lions partially spoiled the party with a 7-6 come-from-behind win over the Mavericks in the first game of the day.  That CMU loss snapped 22-game overall and 16-game home field winning streaks.  However, the Mavericks did come back to steamroll the Mountain Lions, 13-3 in five innings of the second game to take three of our games in the series overall.
 
Incredible senior class
 
To date, the Mavericks' senior class has posted an incredible 174-33 combined record, good for a .841 winning percentage.  The Mavericks seniors have won all three possible RMAC regular season titles to date and are closing in on a fourth successive title this year.  They have also won each of the last two RMAC Tournament titles as well and have advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament in each of the past three years.
 
With just two more wins, this year's Maverick squad would also reach the 40-win mark for the fourth consecutive campaign.
 
Series streak extended
 
The Mavericks have won or evenly split each of their last 27 RMAC series over the past three years.  In 2019, the Mavericks have won a majority of games on seven of their eight conference weekends, claiming five series sweeps.  They split a series at the Colorado School of Mines, winning two games.
 
In 2018, the Mavericks swept seven RMAC series and won eight of the nine while splitting a 4-game set against Colorado Christian.
 
In 2017, the Mavericks won each of their last nine RMAC series after going 1-2 at Chadron State to open the conference campaign.
 
Closing in on 12
 
The Mavericks are closing in on what would be a conference record-extending 12^th RMAC title.  They have already won three straight and four of the last five.
 
With a 31-4 conference record this year, CMU currently leads second place Colorado Christian University by 3 ½ games and have two fewer losses that the Cougars, who have played three fewer RMAC games than the Mavericks due to weather.
 
In 2018, the Mavericks, 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.  With a RMAC-record 11 titles overall, the Mavericks are already 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.
 
Regional Rankings
 
Despite continuing to have the region's best overall record at 38-7, the Mavericks remained in the No. 6 spot of this weeks's NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings that were released for the second time on Wednesday.  Those rankings will be updated again next Wednesdays before the official NCAA Division II Tournament selections are announced on Monday, May 6 at 8 a.m. MDT on www.ncaa.com.
 
The Mavericks are now one of three RMAC teams in the top 10 as the Colorado School of Mines moved into the rankings in the No. 9 spot, one perch above Dixie State, which remained in the No. 10 spot.
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville (36-8) continues to hold down the top position as Lone Star Conference members still hold down each of the top five and six of the top seven spots.  The rest of the top seven also remained the same with Texas A&M-Commerce, West Texas A&M, Tarleton State and Cameron following in the No. 2-5 spots.
 
Defending regional champion Angelo State remained seventh while St. Mary's (Texas) continues to sit eighth as the only Heartland Conference representative. 
 
The regional rankings will eventually determine the seeding and at-large selections for the region's portion of the NCAA Division II Tournament.  The tournament champions from each of the three conferences will receive automatic berths.  Eight total teams from the region will be selected.
 
Closing in on 12, part two
 
Should the Mavericks earn a spot in this year's NCAA Division II Tournament, it would also be their 12^th such 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 last year, 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.
 
Mercy, Mercy, Me
 
The Mavericks picked up two more 5-inning mercy-rule wins last weekend against UCCS.  The Mavericks defeated the Mountain Lions by a 9-1 score in the second game of Friday's doubleheader as senior Alexandria Dufour drove in freshman Lauren Wedman with a game-clinching walk-off single in the bottom of the fifth.
 
On Saturday, the Mavericks did not need to bat in the fifth as they scored eight runs in the second inning of a 13-3 mercy-rule victory in the final game of the series.  The Mavericks have now recorded 20 mercy-rule wins this season, 19 of which have come in just five innings. 
 
In 2018, the Mavericks posted 24 mercy-rule victories.
 
Scoring leaders
 
The Mavericks continue to lead the NCAA Division II statistics, at least unofficially, lead in both runs scored and runs per game.  Through 45 games, they have now scored 385 runs this year, an average of 8.56 per game.  That average is well higher than West Texas A&M, which has tallied 326 runs in 40 games to stand second with their 8.16 per game average.
 
Alabama-Huntsville is just one total run behind the Mavericks through Tuesday with 372 total runs.  The Chargers have played 47 games, two more than the Mavericks and rank fifth in average at 7.91.
 
Clark Atlanta is currently listed atop the official NCAA Division II statistics, with an average of 8.86 runs per game in 21 contests.  However, according to their own website, the Panthers have played 28 games, scoring 218 runs, which results in an average of 7.89 runs per game.
 
As a team, the Mavericks also rank second in the country for slugging percentage at .618, on-base percentage (.454) and batting average (.361).
 
Shutouts
 
The Mavericks have recorded 14 shutouts this season, the most in the RMAC by five (Dixie State, 9). 
 
Kimbri Herring has tossed a RMAC-leading eight individual shutouts this season, three more than any other RMAC pitcher (Cambrie Hazel, Dixie State, 5).  Herring is tied for ninth nationally with that total.
 
Herring has 19 career shutouts, trailing only teammate McKenzie Surface (24) for the most in Maverick history.  Surface has two shutouts this season, including her no-hitter against Regis on Apr. 14.
 
Balance of Power and grand slams
 
Eleven different Mavericks have combined to hit a RMAC-leading 61 home runs so far this season, an average of 1.37 per game that ranks CMU sixth nationally.  The Mavericks hit five more home runs in last weekend's series with UCCS.  Lexie Comer and Tegan Woosley hit back-to-back blasts as part of an 8-run second inning in the series finale.  In the process, Woosley became the 11^th different Maverick to hit a home run this year.
 
Kaila Jacobi also homered in both games on Friday's doubleheader as she took over the team lead with 14 home runs this season, one more than AnnMarie Torres, who also hit one, her 13^th of the year, against the Mountain Lions.
 
Jacobi is second in the RMAC just one behind RMAC leader Angelique Elemen of Fort Lewis, who has 15.  Torres is third in the conference in her quest for a possible RMAC triple crown.
 
Safe at first 

Torres, CMU's first baseman, has reached base safely in 30 consecutive games.  She had a 12-game hitting streak from Mar. 3-30 and is currently riding another 13-game streak.  She has recorded a hit in 25 of her last 26 games and drew two walks in the only game (Mar. 31 vs. Black Hills State).
 
Smarty pants
 
The Mavericks placed a league-high four members on the RMAC All-Academic First Team that was announced on Wednesday.  Leading the group was senior pitcher McKenzie Surface, who was named as the RMAC Academic Player of the Year for the third straight year.  She was joined on the first team by Kaila Jacobi, a now 3-time selection, Hailey Hinson, another repeat selection, and Kellie Mrofcza, who was named to the first team this year after being an honor roll selection in each of the past two years.
 
The Mavericks also had seven honor roll selections this year in Lexie Comer, Alexandria Dufour, Tayah Gerber, Bailey Kleespies, Alexa Samuels, Sarah Staudle and AnnMarie Torres.
 
Scoring runs is as easy as 1-2-3
 
The Mavericks' normal 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup are all at the top of RMAC for runs scored.  Kellie Mrofcza leads the conference with 55 runs.  Meanwhile, Brooke Doumer is second with 54 while AnnMarie Torres is third with 51.  They both scored four last weekend while Mrofcza scored one.
 
Thanks to this combination, the Mavericks have done a tremendous job of getting out to early leads and have outscored their opponents by an impressive 63-16 margin in the first inning.
 
Highest ranking of the year
 
Despite seeing their 22-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday, the Mavericks moved up a spot to a season-high 11th in this week's NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll, which was released on Wednesday (Apr. 24).  The Mavericks have now been nationally-ranked in 34 consecutive polls dating back more than two years to Mar. 22, 2017. 
 
The Mavericks received 218 points in this week's poll, four fewer than a week ago, in this week's polling of 16 NCAA Division II head coaches, with two representing each of the nation's eight regions.
 
The Mavericks are still the RMAC's only nationally-ranked team but are still the fourth highest ranked team in the South Central region behind three other teams in the top 10.  That group is led by No. 3 Texas A&M-Kingsville, No. 6 West Texas A&M and No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce, all of whom remained steady in the poll.
 
Another South Central Regional team in Tarleton State moved up three spots to 19^th in this week's poll.
 
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 2018 preseason poll and were No. 1 for seven straight weeks in the midst of their 37-0 start to last year's campaign.  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.
 
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 have only made 29 errors in their first 45 games this year and are fielding at a .973 clip so far this season, the best mark in the RMAC, and the tenth best nationally.
 
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.
 
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 in 2017 and 2018.
 
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.
 
The Mavericks will need to go 2-2 or better this weekend the 40 win total before the end of the regular season this year.
 
Scouting the Cougars
 
Colorado Christian, which also finished second behind the Mavericks?? In last year's RMAC standings, have put together another solid season.  They enter this weekend's pod series with 33-12 overall and 26-6 RMAC records and have an impressive offensive attack.  They rank in the nation's top 10 in five different statistical categories, sitting fifth in batting average at .354 and eighth in scoring with 7.44 runs per game.
 
Individually, Stephanie Day leads the team.  She is hitting .427 and has 14 doubles, 10 home runs and 54 RBIs.  She is also slugging .762 and has an on-base percentage of .506.
 
Charlotte Romero is also hitting over .400 at .412 while Kendall Yasui is just off that mark at .399.  Kacie Burger, this week's RMAC Player of the Week after Day won it the week prior, is also hitting .370.  She also has 21 extra-base hits, including four triples and eight home runs and has driven in 44 runs.
 
The pitching staff is also solid.  Kenzie Mattey has a 16-4 record and leads the RMAC with her 1.83 ERA.  She has completed 10 of her 21 starts, recording four shutouts, and has tossed 126 1/3 innings in total, recording 70 strikeouts.  She also has three saves. 
 
Jennifer Romero has fanned 99 in 119 1/3 innings of work and holds a 13-5 record and 2.99 ERA.  She has completed 12 of her 19 starts and has a pair of shutouts.
 
Scouting the Cowgirls
 
The Cowgirls have lost each of their last seven and 10 of their last 11 games to slip to 8-27 overall and to 7-22 in the RMAC.  They sit in a tie with Black Hills State for the last two positions in the RMAC standings but still have a mathematical, yet distant shot at qualifying for the RMAC tournament.
 
They are 2-14 in their last four RMAC weekends but shocked then 15^th-ranked and now No. 8 Texas-A&M-Commerce to split a non-conference doubleheader last month (Mar. 18).
 
They are hitting .261 as a team and rank last amongst the 13 RMAC team in batting average but do have four different players hitting .333 or higher.  Brooklyn DeLozier leads the balanced group with her .339 batting average and is tied with Leah Osborn (.337) for the most home runs on the team with four.
 
The Cowgirls have hit just 18 in total and have been outscored 309-121 throughout the year.
 
Five different pitchers have started games for the Cowgirls.  Belinda Gonzales leads the team in nearly every category and is a respectable 7-9 with a 5.83 ERA.  She has started 16 of their 35 games and has appeared in 18.  She has 14 completed games and has 54 strikeouts in 100 1/3 innings.  Brianna Velasquez (9.82 ERA) is the only other Cowgirl in single digits as the other three Cowgirl pitchers all have ERAs of 16 or higher, resulting in a RMAC-high 10.87 team ERA.
 
The Cowgirls were swept at Dixie State last weekend after going 1-3 in their final home series against Adams State on Apr. 14 and 15.
 
Their 3-player pitching staff is also balanced as both Barelyne Crensh and Reidhead have 4.29 ERAs and .500 records.  Reidhead is 9-9 and leads the team with 112 2/3 innings and has struck out 112 batters to stand second in the RMAC.  Crensh is 7-7 with a pair of saves but has just 36 strikeouts in 81 2/3 innings of work.  Cami Duffey has a winning 6-5 record to go along with a 5.14 ERA in her 77 2/3 innings of work.  All three have made at least 22 appearances.
 
The staff posted a 0.88 ERA in the series against Black Hills State and has an overall ERA of 4.53 to rank sixth in the conference.
 
The Last Time We Met
 
The Mavericks lead the all-time series with Colorado Christian, 21-10 after winning four of the six head-to-head games last year.  They split the 4-game regular season series before the Mavericks won two games over the Cougars in the RMAC Tournament, including the championship game.  The Mavericks are 8-2 against the Cougars in Lakewood and won three of four in their last visit back in 2017.

The Mavericks have been even more dominant against New Mexico Highlands, leading the all-time series 75-23-1.  The Mavericks have won each of the last 13 games and outscored the Cowgirls 56-2 in a 4-game series sweep last year in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
 
Up Next
 
After this weekend's series, the Mavericks will compete in next week's RMAC Tournament.  The location and seeding for that 8-team, double-elimination affair will be finalized by the results of this weekend's games around the conference.  The Mavericks will hope that it will be in Grand Junction at the CMU Softball Stadium for the fourth straight year.  If it is, the Mavericks would open it on Thursday, May 2^nd at 3:15 p.m. against the eighth seed.  Tickets would go on sale, Monday morning at 8 a.m. on www.cmumavericks.com/tickets.
 
Fans should stay tuned to www.cmumavericks.com for further details.