COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—The Colorado Mesa University Softball team received four first place votes and was picked third overall in a very tight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released by conference officials on Thursday afternoon.
MSU Denver, which topped the poll with 113 points, and Colorado Christian, which came in second with 110 also received four first place votes a piece. The Mavericks had 108 points and were well clear of the Colorado School of Mines, which came in fourth with 78 points.
The poll had all 12 head coaches form the conference rank their opposition 1-11 without voting for their own teams, including third-year Maverick head coach
Erik Kozel.
Additionally, institutions selected RMAC Preseason Players to Watch, which were announced in conjunction with the poll. The Mavericks selected redshirt senior utility player
Shea Mauser, redshirt redshirt sophomore pitcher
Shea Mauser and redshirt sophomore outfielder
Lauren Wedman.
In 2020, the Mavericks went 16-6 overall and were tied with Colorado Christian and MSU Denver for first place in the RMAC standings at 10-2 when COVID-19 forced the cancelation of the remainder of the season. The Mavericks had won the RMAC Regular Season title in four straight (2016-19) and five of the six previous years (2014).
Doumer was a First Team All-RMAC and Second Team All-South Central Region selection in 2019 and finished second behind Wedman in batting average last season with her .420 mark. She also scored 22 runs and stole a team-high eight bases while slugging at a .56 5 clip with four doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Mauser made 14 appearances in the circle including 10 starts as the Mavs' No. 1 pitcher in 2020. She went 8-2 with a 2.03 ERA, which was the second best mark in the conference. She was also third in the RMAC for wins and completed seven games while tossing 69 innings. She also was named as the RMAC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 18, 2020 after going 2-1 with a 0.59 ERA during the previous weekend's Cactus Classic.
Wedman was having a tremendous 2020 season when it was cut short. She hit .458 to lead the Mavericks and finish third in the RMAC statistics and was on a 10-game hitting streak while reaching safely in 16 consecutive games. She was also perfect defensively after earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC honors as a true freshman in 2019, when she made 47 appearances and 31 starts while hitting .349 at the plate.
The Mavericks will begin their 40-game, all-RMAC schedule with a 4-game series at preseason favorite MSU Denver on Feb. 27-28 before playing their home-opening series against Mines the following weekend on Mar. 6 and 7.
