GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Riding a 16-game winning streak and sweeping their last four conference opponents, the Colorado Mesa University Softball Team returns home this weekend as they look to continue on their dominance when they host CSU Pueblo in a 4-game conference series.
The Mavericks are currently 22-8 (20-4 RMAC) this season with this weekend being their first time at home since hosting New Mexico Highlands on March 8 and 9.
Following the usual format, games will be played in two doubleheaders this weekend with action starting at noon on Saturday the 29th and then at 11 A.M. on Sunday the 30th. Saturday's theme is also Make-a-Wish Day for both games.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavs won all four games of their series against UCCS this past weekend as they dominated in both the pitching and hitting departments outscoring the Mountain Lions 38-5.
They recorded wins by scores of 5-1, 13-2, 11-2 and 9-0 with the last three wins coming via the mercy-rule in five innings. Their 9-0 win to conclude the series was the Mavs' first shutout of the season.
Brynn Escobar hit .417 (5-12) with four home runs and drove in nine RBIs throughout the weekend to lead the team with Makayla Westmoreland hitting .462 (6-13) and adding three doubles.
Escobar was named the conference's player of this week for her performance which was released on Tuesday.
Myah Arrieta also hit two home runs to raise her season total to 12 as the Mavs hit a staggering 10 home runs in the series.
All four pitchers pitched complete games in their starts with the team owning a 0.64 ERA and only giving up two earned runs out of the five total.
Jessalyn Gallegos had another 2-0 weekend, pitching 12 innings while not giving up a single earned run as she also had 11 strikeouts and held the Mountain Lions to nine hits and a .196 batting average. Preslee Christensen earned a shutout in the Game 4 victory, with four strikeouts on Sunday while Sophia Tassinari earned the other win in game two.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Beyond just last week's success the Mavs have stayed consistent in being in the top of the conference with them still in the top five for batting and pitching.
As an offense they are hitting .331 which ties them for the fourth best average while they are slugging .582 and having an on base percentage of .414. They lead the RMAC in slugging with that mark while also owning 40 home runs to sit in first.
Myah Arrieta has proven to be the team's top performer this season as she comes into this week batting an outstanding .495 with 47 hits and 12 home runs. Both categories lead the team with her also tied for the team lead in extra base hits at 20.
Serving as the team's other top bats are the trio of Makayla Westmoreland, Ally Distler and Chloe Valdez. Westmoreland is hitting .407 as the only other Maverick to bat over .400 on the team with Distler hitting .352 and Valdez coming in at .341.
Westmoreland and Distler have both hit 10 doubles each with Distler also adding 10 home runs to tie with Arrieta as the extra base hit leader.
The pair of Arrieta and Distler both have bolstered the team's home run approach this season with each of them being in the double digits. Valdez and Brynn Escobar have also added five apiece to tie for third most on the team.
On the base paths, Colorado Mesa is 31-37 on stolen bases with Westmoreland going 7-8 to lead the squad.
Ranking second in the conference in pitching, the Mavs have pitched to a 2.86 ERA this season while striking out 161 batters in 188.2 innings of play. Opponents are only hitting .258 of the Mavs with just 191 hits being given up.
Jessalyn Gallegos has settled in as the team's ace this spring with the redshirt freshman going 10-1 this season to accompany a 1.63 ERA. Gallegos has made 17 appearances this season while pitching to 10 complete games and striking out 86 batters in 85.2 innings pitched.
Accompanying Gallegos in the circle have been the other two starting arms of Sophia Tassinari and Preslee Christensen who are a combined 9-5 through 22 outings. Tassinari has gone 5-2 while owning a 3.39 ERA through 43.1 innings pitched with Christensen adding a 4-3 record while having a 3.88 ERA through 30.2 innings pitched.
Kamdyn Hagerty and Marisa Nehm have served as the team's main bullpen arms with the pair totaling 29 innings together and a 3-2 record. Both hold ERA's below five.
ABOUT CSU PUEBLO
Coming in as the second hottest team in the RMAC, the Thunderwolves are 19-12 this season while playing to a 18-6 record in conference so far. They are currently on a 10-game winning streak which is the second highest behind the Mavericks.
This weekend will be the first time the Thunderwolves are on the road for conference play since February 24 as they have spent the past four weeks at home. In their most recent action, they hosted New Mexico Highlands University for four games with the Pack winning all four and taking two of them via mercy rule.
The Pack sits in fourth place in the conference standings with them being two games behind Colorado Mesa.
In the series history, CMU holds a 78-41 advantage with the Mavs' win streak at five after winning all five matchups last year, including a conference tournament game.
Leading the Pack this spring has been Madelyn Huerta, Caitlyn Cole and Taylor Brower who all are hitting above .400. Huerta leads the group with a .460 batting average while Cole and Brower come in at .418 and .406. Huerta has hit four home runs as well with 34 RBIs to lead the team.
The strong suit of CSU Pueblo has been their ability to steal bases as they are 76-88 on stolen base attempts this year with four players having 10 bases or more. Cole has gone 13-15 to this point to lead the team.
On the pitching side, the pair of McKenna James and Mia Sanchez have been the team's top two arms combining for 16 of the team's wins. James has gone 10-5 this season with a 2.61 ERA through 93 innings while Sanchez is 6-3 with a 4.67 ERA in 61.2 innings pitched.
The Pack hold a team ERA of 3.54 which ranks them in the top five of the conference.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
All four games this weekend will be streamed on the RMAC Network free of charge and have live stats available to follow along with as well. Tickets can be purchased in person at the gate or online at cmumavericks.com/tickets.
