GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks will resume their young 2022 season this weekend as they head to Tucson, Arizona to play five games in the Division II Cactus Classic at Lincoln Park on North Fields 6 and 7.
 
The Mavericks (1-4) will open the weekend on Friday at 10 a.m. facing Azusa Pacific University before playing Western New Mexico University at noon.  On Saturday, the Mavs will play twice in the afternoon, facing California University of Pennsylvania and Simon Fraser University at 2 and 4 o'clock, respectively.
 
They then wrap up the weekend on Sunday at 9 a.m., taking on Eastern New Mexico University.
 
There will be live statistics of the Western New Mexico University game, accessible here. 
 
Full recaps will be posted on www.cmumavericks.com each night.
 
Homecoming
 
This weekend's trip will be a return home for three Maverick starters, who hail from Tucson.  Redshirt junior and all-American outfielder Lauren Wedman and redshirt junior shortstop Ashley Bradford were high school teammates at and 2018 graduates of Sahuaro High School.  Meanwhile, Iliana Mendoza, a redshirt sophomore outfielder is a 2018 graduate of Tucson High Magnet School.
 
They were also club teammates for the Firecrackers AZ Wedman squad, coached by Wedman's mother Lisa.
 
Tough Start
 
Facing some very tough competition, the Mavericks out-scored their opponents, 17-16, but went 1-4 in their season-opening tournament.  Playing against three now nationally-ranked squads from Feb. 4-6 during the Concordia Kickoff Challenge, the Mavericks defeated San Francisco State, 9-1 in their season opener before dropping a heart-breaking 2-1 game to 2021 NCAA Division II National Runner-Up Biola, ranked third in the country at the time.  They then fell 2-0 to Chico State, now ranked 19th nationally, before falling 5-3 to the host and tenth-ranked Eagles, who are now 12-0 and up to the No. 4 spot in the most recent national poll.
 
The Mavs then dropped a 6-4 game to Sonoma State in the tournament finale on Sunday, Feb. 6.
 
Biola is now ranked 22^nd in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll.  The Mavericks occupied the No. 21 spot in that poll, but are no longer in the poll, which had it's first regular season release on Tuesday.
 
Through Tuesday, the Mavericks' first five opponents are a combined 30-8 (.789) this season, which bodes well for the Mavericks' strength of schedule component of their NCAA Division II Tournament qualification resume.  All five opponents are currently at or above .500.
 
Regional Battles
 
Four of this week's five match-ups will be considered regional games for the Mavericks, under the NCAA Division II regionalization philosophy.  The games against both Western and Eastern New Mexico will be true intra-regional match-ups as both of those teams hail from the Lone Star Conference, which along with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, make up the South Central Region.
 
All five of the Mavericks' contests at the Concordia Kickoff Classic will also count on the Mavs' regional record due to the contagious state policy.  All five of those were against teams from the West Region.  The same can be said for this weekend's tilts with Azusa Pacific and Simon Fraser.
 
Saturday's meeting with California (Pa.), which comes out of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the Atlantic region, will be the Mavs' lone out of region game of the entire season.
 
Former Mates
 
Sunday's game against Eastern New Mexico will be an opportunity for Maverick outfielder Iliana Mendoza to play against her former squad and a few former teammates.  Mendoza played for the Greyhounds in 2019 and 2020, earning Third Team All-Lone Star Conference honors after leading the 2019 edition of the squad with a .373 batting average, 38 hits and 18 runs scored.
 
She then played and started 13 games in the COVID-19 abbreviated 2020 season, hitting .344 while helping lead the team to an 11-8 record, including a Feb. 14 win over Colorado Mesa at the Cactus Classic. 
 
Mendoza then sat out of college last year before joining the Maverick program this fall.
 
She started all five of the Mavericks' games over the opening weekend in center field and the leadoff spot of the lineup.  She drove in five runs, including four in her Maverick debut, a 9-1 win over San Francisco State.
 
All-Tourney Honor
 
Maverick shortstop Ashley Bradford was named to the Concordia Kickoff Classic All-Tournament team after leading the Mavericks with her .385 (5-13) batting average.  Bradford recorded a hit in four of the Mavs' five games, including two in the win over San Francisco State.  She also drew a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch, finishing the weekend with a .500 on-base percentage and solid .885 OPS (On Base + Slugging Percentage).
 
Solid Pitching
 
The Maverick pitching staff posed a solid 2.76 team ERA over the opening weekend, allowing just 16 total and 13 earned runs in the first five games.  Paige Adair, Ellie Smith and Shea Mauser also combined to strike out 35 opponents and allowed just 28 hits in 33 innings of work.
 
The team ERA puts the Mavericks second in the early-season RMAC statistical rankings.
 
Adair's 2.10 individual mark is also the second best in the conference.  She gave up just seven hits, four runs and struck out 17 opponents in 13 1/3 innings over four appearances and starts during the opening weekend.  Adair, the 2021 RMAC Pitcher of the Year took a perfect game into the sixth inning against Chico State, striking out nine Wildcats.  She also registered eight strikeouts in four innings against San Francisco State, earning the victory.
 
Ellie Smith, who made four relief appearances totaling 11 1/3 innings, has a 2.47 ERA, the fifth best in the RMAC thus far.
 
Stat Champions
 
The Mavericks led all of Division II softball in both winning percentage and scoring in 2021.  They went 39-5 overall to lead the country with an .886 winning percentage.  They were an even better 34-2 (.944) in RMAC play and went on to win the RMAC Tournament title with a 4-1 mark before going on to the South Central Regional portion of the NCAA Division II Tournament, where the Mavs went 1-2.
 
The Mavericks scored a national-leading 394 runs in their 44 games and led the country in scoring by a wide margin, putting up an average of 8.95 runs per game.
 
They were also declared as the NCAA's team batting average statistical champion after hitting .378.
 
On an individual level, Ellie Smith was the NCAA's 2021 statistical champion for doubles (22), RBIs (80) and RBIs per game (1.86) while 2021 senior Brooke Doumer led the country in runs per game (1.52).
 
Defending Champions
 
The Mavericks will enter the 2022 season as the 5-time defending RMAC Regular Season Champions having won the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and 2021 titles.  They were also 10-2 and tied for the RMAC standings lead with Colorado Christian and MSU Denver in the 2020 RMAC standings when the remainder that season was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
CMU also won the RMAC Tournament title in 2017, 2018 and 2021 and advanced to their fifth straight NCAA Division II tournament last spring.
 
Since beginning their RMAC title winning streak in 2016, the Mavericks have posted a 237-52 overall record, good for an .820 winning percentage.
 
Plenty Back
 
Maverick Head Coach Mercedes Bohte, who has a 40-9 record as the Mavs' head coach, returns the services of two consensus first team all-Americans, three first team and five overall All-RMAC selections to the roster in 2022.
 
Leading the way is 2021 RMAC Player of the Year Ellie Smith, who along with outfielder Lauren Wedman, received the first team all-America plaudits from both the NFCA and D2CCA last season.
 
2021 RMAC Pitcher of the Year Paige Adair for her final season as a Maverick while Second Team All-RMAC catcher Ally Distler and Honorable Mention All-Conference third baseman Nicole Christensen lead a strong supporting cast, that also includes returning starting middle infielders Aislyn Sharp and Ashley Bradford.
 
In total, the Mavericks return 16 players, who accounted for more than 70 percent of their 475 total hits last year.  CMU finished second in the country with their .378 team batting average last year.

Wedman broke CMU's single-season batting average record hitting .514 while Smith belted 19 home runs and 22 doubles while leading the RMAC in those categories, as well as slugging percentage (.961) and RBIs (80), as the team's dual-role designated player.
 
Bohte was named as the RMAC Coach of the Year in 2021 after leading the team to a 39-5 record as the program's interim head coach.  That interim tag was removed last summer.
 
About the Opponents
 
Azusa Pacific
 
The Cougars are 4-5 thus far in the 2022 season.  They went 3-2 at the Concordia Kickoff Challenge on the opening weekend of the season before dropping both games of last Friday's doubleheader at Cal State San Marcos.  They then split a home doubleheader against Cal State San Bernardino last Saturday, winning the first game 3-0 before falling in the second, 9-2.
 
They were picked fourth in the PacWest Conference preseason poll and had three players named to the preseason All-PacWest team in third baseman Dani Burghardt, shortstop Amanda Woods and pitcher Aly Montesino.
 
However, Montesino has been used the least by 15th year head coach Carrie Webber, posting a 7.35 ERA in 6 2/3 innings over three relief appearances.  Meanwhile, Katie Korstrom leads the Cougar pitching staff with a 1.43 ERA and a 2-0 record thus far.
 
Offensively, Montesino is hitting .300 and has a team-leading nine hits, including one home run.  She also leads the Cougars with five RBIs.  Erica Hanson has a team-best .350 batting average while Burghart (.269) and Woods (.233) are also amongst the team's top hitters thus far.  Burghardt has hit two of the team's three home runs.
 
The Cougars have won 398 games under Webber since 2008 and were 18-18 last season.  They and the Mavericks have played two common opponents thus far in 2022 as the Cougars fell to San Francisco State to close out the Concordia tournament after defeating Sonoma State, 11-3 in five innings on the opening day of the season.  The Mavericks had opposite results against those two opponents.
 
Western New Mexico
 
The Mustangs have posted a 2-5 record thus far in 2022 with all seven games coming against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams.  They dropped all three games of a home series against CSU Pueblo last weekend after going 2-2 during the South Central Region Crossover Tournament in Albuquerque, New Mexico on the opening weekend.  Both of the Mustangs' wins came against Adams State.  They were also defeated by Colorado Christian and New Mexico Highlands in that tournament.
 
They are hitting .352 as a team thus far but have surrendered a .365 opposing batting average and more than nine runs per game.
 
Laryssa Morales has been swinging a hot bat, recording a .500 batting average and 1.196 OPS.  She, Cecy Jurado and Marina Garcia all have 12 hits to their credit already.  Jurado has also blasted two home runs and has eight RBIs, one fewer than Morales.  Garcia also has eight RBIs and a home run.  Like Jurado, she is hitting .414 (12-29).  Breeanna Simmons leads the team with ten RBIs and is hitting .320.
 
Aryana Munoz has been the work-horse for new Mustang head coach Ashley Hickman, making three starts and five appearances.  She is 2-3 with a team-best 5.83 ERA in 24 innings of work.
 
WNMU was 2-28 overall and in Lone Star Conference play last season.
 
California (Pa.)
 
The Vulcans will open their season at this weekend's tournament.  They have been picked third in the PSAC West Poll after going 19-10 overall and 19-8 in PSAC West Division play last year.
 
Now sophomore Shayna Postler led the 2021 edition of the Vulcan squad with a .388 batting average.  Britney Wilson (.371) and Charity Henderson (.306) also return after hitting over .300 last season.
 
Henderson had four of the Vulcans' 12 home runs last year while Wilson was second on last year's team with 21 RBIs.
 
All four members of 29^th year head coach Rick Beragnolli's pitching staff return from last year.  Kaitlyn Leary had a team-best 2.13 ERA last year.  She went 5-4.  Ellie Lobdell was 8-4 as the most-used pitcher.  She had a 3.56 ERA and struck out 60 opponents in 72 2/3 innings last season.
 
Simon Fraser
 
Simon Fraser, currently mascot-less, will also be opening the 2022 season at this weekend's tournament.  As the lone Canadian member of the NCAA, the team has not played in over 23 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing logistical challenges, including the prevention of cross-border travel.
 
They were a solid 13-5 overall and 7-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play when the 2020 season was abruptly canceled.  They hit .304 as a team in those 18 games under then first-year head coach Tina Andreana, who returns 12 players in total.
 
Pitcher Anissa Zacharczuk was 10-0 with a 3.58 ERA in the circle that season and returns for her now sophomore season.  Junior third baseman Alex Ogg also returns in 2022 after hitting .521 with a .704 slugging percentage two years ago.
 
Simon Fraser, which is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, was picked fifth out of seven teams in this year's GNAC Preseason Poll as the lone team that did not play last year.
 
Eastern New Mexico
 
The Greyhounds are off to a solid 6-3 start.  Eight of their nine games thus far have come against teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.  They have defeated New Mexico Highlands (twice), as well as Fort Lewis, Chadron State and UCCS and posted a non-conference win over NAIA Northwestern Oklahoma State as well.
 
Lisette Urquidez and Jokaira Paredes are both hitting .500 to lead the Greyhound attack, that has scored nearly seven runs per game.  Urquidez has hit three home runs as well as three doubles and has driven in 17 runs already.  Paredes has also drawn six walks.
 
Brook Leger is 5-0 with a stellar 2.12 ERA thus far.  She has posted two shutouts and has completed all five of her starts while striking out 66 hitters in just 36 1/3 innings of work.  However, the rest of the Greyhound pitching staff has struggled conceding 37 earned runs in just 15 2/3 combined innings.
 
The fortunes of the Greyhound program have certainly changed under new head coach Amanda Fefe, hired in July of 2021.  She inherited a squad that was just 4-27 last season and was picked 15^th out of 16 teams in this year's Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll this year.
 
Series Histories
 
The Mavericks have never played against Azusa Pacific nor California (Pa.).  They are 0-1 against Simon Fraser, having dropped a 13-12 slug-fest on Feb. 16, 2019 in Tucson.
 
The Mavs history with their South Central regional rivals of Eastern and Western New Mexico is more extensive.
 
The Mavs are 3-4 against Eastern but have dropped three straight decisions, the last two of which have come in 8-inning contests.  The last meeting was in Tucson on Feb. 14, 2020 and went in the Greyhounds' favor 7-5.  CMU's last win over ENMU came in 2003.  All seven meetings to date have been on neutral-fields.
 
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have won 35 of 50 games against WNMU since 1994 and have won seven straight conceding just ten total runs in those seven contests.  The Mavericks have put up 77 in those games.
 
The last meeting was on Feb. 13, 2020 in Tucson, a game the Mavericks won, 10-1.  They also scored 25 in a 5-inning, 25-1 neutral-field victory on Feb. 2 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.  WNMU was a member of the RMAC until 2016 before departing for the LSC.
 
Up Next
 
After this weekend's tournament, the Mavericks will prepare for the start of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.  They will host MSU Denver on the opening weekend of conference play next Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 27-28).  Those four games will be the first of 22 the Mavericks are due to play at the CMU Softball Stadium this season.