GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— For the second straight year, the Colorado Mesa University Softball team will open the season in St. George, Utah as they begin the 2020 campaign with five games at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic at the Canyons Softball Complex.
 
The Mavericks will open up the tournament on Thursday at 4 p.m. against Central Washington.  They will then face Cal State Dominguez Hills and Montana State Billings on Friday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. before facing St. Mary's (Texas) and Hawai'i Hilo in back-to-back games on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively.
 
Live statistics will be available for all five of the Mavs' games and can be accessed through the tournament web page.
 
Second works just fine
 
Despite winning their fourth consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title in 2019, the Mavericks were picked a close second in the conference's preseason coaches' poll, which was announced last week.  The Mavericks did receive three first place votes but were edged out of the top spot by Dixie State, which won the 2019 RMAC Tournament title over the Mavericks.
 
CMU was also picked second in the 2019 preseason poll but were an impressive 35-4 in conference play to win the conference crown.
 
In this year's poll, the Trailblazers picked up seven first place nods to take the poll with 133 points, just two more than the Mavs.  Colorado Christian, which finished just ahead of the Trailblazers in last year's regular season conference standings, was tabbed third with 125 points and also received two first place votes.
 
Back for Four
 
Maverick first baseman AnnMarie Torres will enter 2020 in search of becoming a 4-year All-American.  In 2019, she earned first team all-America honors from both the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) and the D2CCA (Division II Conference Commissioners Association) after leading the RMAC in batting average (.458), on-base percentage (.587), walks (45) and RBIs (68) en-route to RMAC Player of the Year honors.
 
As a sophomore in 2018, the Wheat Ridge, Colorado product, earned third team all-America honors from both organizations.  She was also a Third Team NFCA All-American as a freshman in 2017 while being named as a finalist for the NFCA Freshman of the Year award.
 
Returning Honorees
 
The Mavericks will return an impressive seven All-RMAC honorees from the 2019 season, led by Torres, a 3-time overall and 2-time First Team All-RMAC selection.  Senior utility player Brooke Doumer also returns after earning First Team All-RMAC and second team all-region honors as a junior.   Redshirt junior Sarah Staudle, a RMAC Gold Glove outfielder and Second Team All-RMAC selection also returns as do four Honorable Mention All-RMAC picks from last season.  That list includes sophomore catcher Jordyn Hays, senior outfielder Hailey Hinson, senior third baseman Bailey Kleespies and junior outfielder Lauren Wedman.
 
Back-to-Back Scoring Winners
 
The Mavericks won their second straight NCAA Division II national statistical title for scoring offense in 2019 putting up nearly eight runs (7.98) per game last season after scoring 508 runs in 2018 to average 9.58 per game.  The 2018 mark was a RMAC record and was the most runs scored by a collegiate softball team in the country (all divisions).
 
In 2019, the Mavericks also finished second in the country for slugging percentage (.582) and third for on-base percentage (.442). 
 
In 2018, the Mavericks also won Division II team statistical titles for batting average (.398) and doubles per game (2.55) while setting RMAC records for those categories as well as RBIs (442) and total hits (609).
 
Remove the Interim Tag
 
In July, 2019, Maverick head Coach Erik Kozel had the interim tag removed from his title as he was named as the permanent head coach after a nation-wide search.  Kozel, a Maverick assistant coach for six seasons from 2013-18, had been named as the interim head coach for the 2019 campaign in September, 2018 following the resignation of Ben Garcia, who departed to become the head coach at Division I Northern Colorado.
 
Kozel then proceeded to lead the Mavericks to a 45-11 record and their fourth consecutive RMAC Championship with a 35-4 conference mark.  They also qualified for their fourth consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
A former CMU baseball standout, Kozel is no stranger to the Maverick softball program.  He 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 2020, Kozel will again be assisted by Mercedes Lovato, the team's pitching coach, and P.J. Gonzalez.  Kellie Mrofcza, a 3-time All-RMAC selection who finished her playing career in 2019, has also joined the coaching staff this season.
 
Make it A Dozen
 
The Mavericks went 35-4 in conference play last year to win the RMAC's Regular Season Championship for the fourth straight year and fifth time in the last five years.  They have now won 12 official RMAC Championships, five more than any other institution in conference history.  They are the first program to win four 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.
 
Four straight 40s
 
Winning 45 games a year ago, the Mavericks have now reached the 40-win mark in each of the last four years and have seven such seasons in the NCAA Division II portion of their history, which dates back to 1992. The 2016 Mavericks went 40-13 before the team posted back-to-back 48-win seasons in 2018 and 2019.
 
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.

Showing some Mercy
 
The Mavericks posted 23 mercy-rule wins out of their 45 total victories in 2019 after recording 24 mercy-rule wins in 2018.
 
A look at the RMAC
 
Eight of the RMAC's 13 softball teams have already began their season and have gone a combined 9-19 thus far.
 
Colorado Christian, which played at the Desert Stinger Classic, and MSU Denver, which played at home, each went 3-2.
 
Regis (1-4) and Mines (1-1) also picked up wins over the weekend while Dixie State split a season-opening doubleheader with Central Washington on Tuesday in St. George, Utah.
 
Scouting the Opponents
 
Central Washington (Thursday, Feb. 6 - 4 p.m.)
 
After splitting a doubleheader with Dixie State on Tuesday, the Wildcats are 4-3 overall.  They went 3-2 in last weekend's Desert Stinger Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada, winning their three middle games, all by a single run.  The victories came over San Francisco State, Cal State San Bernardino and Regis.  They lost to Oklahoma Christian and Colorado Christian.
 
Alison Mitchell was named as the Wildcats' head coach in December after serving at Redmond High School since 2016.  She replaces Mike Larabee, now on the staff at the University of Maryland.

The Wildcats were picked fourth in this year's Great Northwest Athletic Conference poll after going 33-20 while winning a fourth straight GNAC title with a 21-7 record last year.  They also qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament last year despite losing in the conference tournament final to Concordia (Ore.).
 
They led the GNAC with a batting average of .325 last season as Theresa Moyle hit .44 with seven home runs while starting 17 games.  Alyicia Bannan earned Second Team All-RMAC honors while Lexie Strasser lead the Wildcat pitching staff while also earning second team all-conference honors.  She was 17-13 with a 2.75 ERA and 115 strikeouts last season.
 
Sydney Brown leads the team with her .357 batting average thus far.  She hit two home runs on Tuesday against Dixie State as well.

Samantha Stanfield picked up her third win of the season against Dixie State and leads the team with a 2.33 ERA.   
 
The Wildcats have been held to a .207 team batting average thus far.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills (Friday, Feb. 7 – 10 a.m.)
 
The Toros went 3-2 on their opening weekend of the season at the Conrcordia Kickoff Classic in Irvine, California.  They defeated Azusa Pacific, Biola and Western Washington and fell to Hawai'I Pacific and the host Eagles, ranked 10^th nationally.
 
Kelcy Telles registered nine hits, all singles, in the tournament and hit .474.  Jessica Lane also hit .400 while Chenoa Au and Rquel Jaime each had two extra-base hits while driving in five runs apiece.
 
Alyssa Olaque posted a 2-1 record and a 3.32 ERA in four apperances that covered 19 innings over the weekend.  She completed all three of her starts and tossed a 3-hit shutout in the win over Azusa Pacific.  She also recorded a save against Biola and had 18 strikeouts, including eight against both Azusa Pacific and Western Washington.  Clarisa Ramirez also got a start and went 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in 12 total innings of work.
 
In 2019, the Toros went 27-19 overall and 21-17 to finish seventh in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings.  They were also picked seventh out of 11 in last week's CCAA preseason poll.
 
MSU Billings (Friday, Feb. 7 – 3 p.m.)
 
The Yellowjackets went 3-3 in the Desert Stinger Classic which they hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada over the opening weekend of the season.  Their wins came over Oklahoma Christian, the team that ended CMU's 2019 season in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, Academy of Art and Dominican as they got off to a 3-0 start.  They then lost to West Texas A&M, Sonoma State and No. 6 UC-San Diego.
 
Britzy Hockett led the team with seven hits and seven runs scored while hitting .438.  Marin Penny, who hit one of their two home runs, (.429) and Skyler Jenkins (.417) also hit over .400 on the weekend.
 
Five different Yellowjackets started games inside the circle as Cailee Morgan, Alyssa Etheridge and Julia Qualteri all picked up wins.  Etheridge, who went 1-1 with a 5.09 ERA in three apperances, thre the most innings (11) and had seven strikeouts. Morgan also had seven strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings of work.
 
They were picked seventh out of eight teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason poll after finishing in the same spot last year.  They were 15-31 overall and 8-20 in conference play a year ago, their first under Coach Lisa McKinney, who returns 15 players including Second Team All-GNAC outfielder Allie Hughes this year.
 
St. Mary's (Saturday, Feb. 8 – 10 a.m.)
 
The Rattlers went 2-3 on their opening weekend of the season at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational in Conroe, Texas.  They started 0-3 with losses to No. 14 Southern Arkansas, the 23-ranked tournament hosts and defending national champion and top-ranked Augustana before bouncing back for 9-7 and 9-5 wins over Minnesota-Duluth and Southeastern Oklahoma State.

In 2019, they went 30-25 and won their tenth and final Heartland Conference regular season title.  That conference has merged with the expanded Lone Star Conference and they have been picked eighth out of 17 teams in that league's preseason coaches' poll.
 
Amber Gonzales went 5-for-9 (.556) to lead the Rattlers' offense on the opening weekend.  Tiffany Licon also hit at a .462 clip while Bari Christian had two triples and three extra-base hits while hitting .313 .  She also had five RBIs to lead veteran Head Coach Donna Fields' offense.
 
The pitching staff was dinged for 47 hits in 31 1/3 innings and posted an 8.04 ERA.  Staci Johns had a 4.85 mark to lead the team.  She is a 2-time First Team All-Heartland conference selection and was that league's pitcher of the year in 2018.
 
Sophomore Victoria Aldridge was also a first team all-conference selection last year.
 
Hawai'i-Hilo (Saturday, Feb. 8 – 12:30 p.m.)
 
The Vulcans are coming off a strong 2019 campaign, when they went 31-17overall and 24-11 in the PacWest to finish in second place.  They return seven starters from that team, including three pitchers.  The list of returnees also includes three All-PacWest selections in junior outfielder, Rayla Jacobs-Kea, senior utility Brinell Kaleikini and shortstop Kiarra Lincoln.  Jacobs-Kea and Kaleiking were named to the 12-member Preseason All-PacWest Team.
 
Lincoln led the team in hitting last season with a .333 batting average and 34 RBIs. She was also tied for the team-led with five home runs.
 
Varlerie Alvarado threw the most innings (116 2/3) for Coach Callen Perreira's squad last year, posting a 10-5 record and 3.12 ERA.  Leah Gonzales (6-5, 1.89 ERA) and Billi Derleth (3-3, 2.07 ERA) also return after making a combined 11 starts in more than 90 innings of combined work a year ago.
 
The Last Time We Met
 
The Mavericks claimed a 6-0 win over Central Washington at last year's Dixie State Courtyard Classic on Feb. 8 as Brooke Doumer hit one CMU's two home runs while 2019 senior Kimbri Herring tossed a 3-hit shutout.
 
The Mavericks are 7-1 all-time against MSU Billings, but have not played them since 2004.
 
The Mavs have split 1-run games in the early portions of the last two seasons against St. Mary's.  They dropped a 5-4 decision on Feb. 16 of last year in Tucson, Arizona and beat them 4-3 on Feb. 4, 2018 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.  Prior to that, they had not met since 2007.  St. Mary's holds a 15-6 lead in the all-time series.
 
The Mavs have played Hawai'i-Hilo in St. George, Utah in each of the last three years winning two of the three games in 2017 and 2018.  The Vulcans won 4-3 on Feb. 9 of last year.
 
Friday's game with Cal State-Dominguez Hills is believed to be the first between the programs.
 
Up Next

After this weekend's tournament in Utah, the Mavericks will play another 5-game slate at the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Arizona.  That Feb. 13-15 event will pit the Mavs against five Lone Star Conference foes in a key regional weekend and will include another match-up with St. Mary's and a Feb. 15 clash with the 2019 National Runner-Up and second-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas.