GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University softball team head south this coming weekend as they look to build on their strong start to conference play with a 4-game series at New Mexico Highlands University.
This weekend will be the final four games of an eight-game road stretch for the Mavericks with them returning for eight games at home to follow.
The Mavs will take on the Cowgirls in the usual Saturday, Sunday split this weekend with doubleheaders taking place each day. Saturday is set for a noon start with Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavs now have a .500 overall record and are in tie for place second in the RMAC standings with a 9-3 record after winning their third straight series (3-1) at the Colorado School Mines.
The series was pushed back a day and played Sunday and Monday due to weather issues.
The Mavs outscored the Orediggers 23-11 in the series while having two games with 10-plus hits.
They split Sunday's doubleheader, falling the first game 3-1, before rallying for a 10-3 win.
They then swept Monday's doubleheader by 6-1 and 6-4 scores to win the series.
Brynn Escobar led the team hitting .500 (7-14) with three doubles and three runs scored.
Khloe Kubitschek also hit .429 (6-14) while totaling one double and one home run and leading the team with six RBIs.
Kubitschek had the team's lone home run of the weekend in game three and went 3-for-3 in the series finale.
Sophia Tassinari went 2-1 in the circle with a 1.70 ERA over 12.1 innings pitched. She totaled two complete games while making three appearances
Marisa Nehm also made three appearances, going 1-0. Freshman Lacie Rodabaugh made her collegiate debut in the circle as well appearing in game two.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Sitting at an even 10-10 on the spring, the Mavs are hitting an improved .272 this season while having 19 different players record at least one at bat. They improved their batting average by .010 points after this past weekend.
Offensively they have totaled 144 hits while scoring 86 runs and having 45 extra base hits.
Four players are hitting .300 or better this spring as well with eight players already having over 10 hits.
Brynn Escobar owns the highest batting average on the squad with her hitting .349 and recording 22 hits to lead the team.
Escobar is joined by Allison Lindsay (.317), Cailynn Parsons (.306) and TK Landes (.300) as the team's other top bats.
Tegan Medina and Kamdyn Hagerty have also flourished in limited at bats for the team with both them of them hitting over .350.
Of the team's 45 extra base hit, there have been 11 home runs hit so far with Khloe Kubitschek having four of them leading the team. Molli Magaña adds three for second most on the squad while five different players are responsible for the long balls.
Lindsay leads the doubles department with her having six herself out of the 30 total as a team.
As a staff, the Mavs are a top three pitching team in the RMAC for a third straight week with them owning an ERA of 3.42 this year and allowing opponents to bat just .283 against them.
Only five teams in the conference limit opponents to a batting average under .300.
Sophia Tassinari has served as the team's top arm this spring having totaled 70 innings so far with a 1.80 ERA. She currently has a record of 6-5 with five complete games through 17 appearances.
In addition, Tassinari leads all RMAC pitchers in innings pitched while having the third lowest ERA.
Marisa Nehm has appeared 12 times as well in the circle owning a 4-2 record through 41 innings pitched. The two have combined for 16 of the team's starts.
Kamdyn Hagerty adds a 6.07 ERA through 15 innings pitched and six appearances while also having a save.
In whole the pitching staff has struck out 54 batters this season through 133 innings of play. They own a WHIP of 1.52 and have pitched to one shutout this spring.
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 NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
The Cowgirls have a 7-17 record overall while going 5-7 in conference play.
This past weekend they went 1-3 in their series against Black Hills state with three of the games being decided by one run. They outscored the Yellowjackets 26-24 in the series but were bested in the first three games.
The Cowgirls have faced six teams either ranked or receiving votes in the top 25 of the nation this season while falling to each of them.
They are led by Head Coach Kali Pugh this spring who is in her first season with the team after being named the program's new leader in May of last year
Both the team's offense and defense are ranked in the bottom four of the RMAC with them hitting .268 as a squad and owning a team ERA of 6.92.
They have struck out 105 times as well for the fifth most in the conference.
Hallie Watkins is the team's leading hitter with a .439 batting average while totaling 11 extra base hits.
Jazmyn Griego (.361) and Andrea DeLaTrinidad (.348) round out the top offensive performers as the only other players to hold averages above .300.
Jolissa Valdez leads the team with 53 innings in the circle while owning a 3-5 record and a 5.02 ERA.
Griego joins her as another key arm, making 10 appearances this season with seven starts.
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
Following this weekend the Mavs will return home to host Adams State on Mar. 21 and 22. Double headers are scheduled for each day with action to begin on the 21st at 12 p.m.
