GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University softball team hosts their home opener this weekend when they welcome in the Roadrunners of MSU Denver for a 4-game series.
The Mavericks will play Saturday, Sunday doubleheaders with action on Saturday set for a noon start and Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavs, 4-8 overall, won three of four games in their first RMAC series over the weekend against Regis University in Denver.
The Mavs swept Saturday's doubleheader, 3-2 and 11-7.
The Mavs trailed 2-1 through six innings of the first game before taking advantage of a key Ranger error to score two runs and eventually win the game.
The Mavs then recorded a season-high 15 hits and a season-high 11 runs in the Game 2 slugfest.
On Sunday, the Mavs dropped Game 3 of the series, 4-1 but responded for a 4-3 extra-inning win (8 innings) in the final game of the weekend to claim the series win.
Down to their final strike in the top of the seventh, Brynn Escobar hit a game-tying 2-run homer to tie the game three.
Khloe Kubitschek then delivered an inside the park home run in the eighth to propel the Mavs to victory.
She also hit a traditional home run in the Game 2 scoring barrage and finished the weekend with a team-leading four RBIs.
Cailynn Parsons hit .455 (5-11) with two doubles throughout the weekend.
Escobar also had five hits and hit .357 (5-14).
Sophia Tassinari went 2-1 with a 0.86 ERA while appearing in all four games and throwing 16.1 innings. She completed both of her starts.
Local product Marisa Nehm picked up the Game 3 win.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Through 12 games the Mavs are hitting .236 as a team while having 19 different players record at least one at bat.
They have totaled 74 hits as a squad while scoring 39 runs and having 23 extra base hits.
Cailynn Parsons is the team's leading hitter, batting .296 this season while being joined by Khloe Kubitschek (.278) and Ava Stephens (.273) as the other top bats.
In addition, there have been seven home runs hit so far with Kubitschek having three of them and Brynn Escobar and Molli Magaña each adding two.
As a staff, the Mavs are a top three pitching team in the RMAC with them owning a team ERA of 4.20 this year and allowing opponents to bat just .306 against them.
Sophia Tassinari has served as the team's top arm so far having totaled 42 innings this spring with a 2.17 ERA. She currently has a record of 3-3 with two complete games.
Kamdyn Hagerty adds a 6.24 ERA through 12.1 innings pitched and five appearances while also having a save. Marisa Nehm has appeared seven times as well in the circle owning a 1-2 record through 19.2 innings pitched.
The three pitchers have combined for seven of the team's 11 starts.
In whole the pitching staff has struck out 38 batters this season through 80 innings of play.
THE COACHES
Returning to coach the girls this season is Mercedes Bohte who enters her sixth season at the helm of Maverick Softball after taking over as the Interim Head Coach in the 2021 season and then officially being hired as the Head Coach in June of 2021.
Coming into this season Bohte holds a 202-65 record while leading the team to five consecutive 30-plus wins season, including three of them having 40 or more wins. In addition, she is responsible for claiming three of the last five RMAC regular season champions with one RMAC Tournament Championship. She was named as the RMAC Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2024.
Since taking over the reins of the program in 2021, Bohte has totaled eight all-Americans, 21 all-region selections and 35 all-conference picks.
Additionally, she has amassed three RMAC Players of the Year, four RMAC Pitchers of the Year, one D2CCA Region Player of the Year, one D2CCA Region Pitcher of the Year and one NFCA DII Freshman of the Year Finalist.
Joining her once again this season to aid her coaching efforts are the pair of Willie Hinojosa and Eddie Mort as her assistants. Former softball standout and all-American Myah Arrieta joins the staff as well as another assistant coach after finishing her playing career in 2025.
IN THE POLLS
The Mavs were picked to finish second in this year's RMAC Preseason Poll with them being voted as a top three conference team after finishing second in the 2025 season.
They earned 109 points in this year's preseason voting with them claiming three first-place votes, five second-place votes and two third-place votes.
They were just eight points behind Colorado Christian who was picked to win the conference with them earning seven first-place and four-second place votes en route to a total of 117 points.
Both schools, and MSU Denver, all made the NCAA Regionals last season as the RMAC's only representatives.
In addition to being selected second in the conference, the Mavs also had two picks to the Preseason RMAC Team that was released with the poll. Jessalyn Gallegos and Makayla Westmoreland were the two Mavs to be selected with the duo being the only returning All-RMAC performers for the team.
ABOUT MSU DENVER
The Roadrunners come into this weekend owning a 9-3 record overall while starting 4-0 in RMAC play.
They are currently on an eight-game winning streak with them sweeping Fort Lewis College in their first conference series of the season.
Prior to this weekend's series, the last time the Mavs and Roadrunners met was in the conference tournament last season with Colorado Mesa emerging victorious on a walk off home run in extra innings.
All-time the Mavs narrowly own a 34-31 advantage over the Roadrunners while winning three of the last five games.
The Roadrunners are hitting .342 this season while ranking in the top five of the RMAC for both batting and pitching with them also owning a team ERA of 4.25.
Cheyenne Prieto is hitting .647 to lead the team with her already collecting 22 hits through 12 games and owning 17 RBIs.
Twin sisters, Mackenzie and Victoria Pearson, both are hitting above .450 to bolster the offense while six players in total own a batting average above .300.
Four different pitchers have earned at least one victory in the circle with Brooklyn Levin leading the team going 3-0 and owning a 2.92 ERA. Kianna Butler (2-0, 3.04 ERA) and Natalie Romero (3-2, 4.99 ERA) join her as the team's other top arms.
RMAC NETWORK NEWS
The RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for the 2025-26 season. This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them with access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.
COLORADO MESA TURNS 100
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.
Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com
UP NEXT
The Mavs will head to Golden next week when they take on Colorado School of Mines for the start of an eight-game road stretch. The Mavs and Orediggers will face off on Mar. 7 and 8 with doubleheaders scheduled for each day.
