GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Coming off their first series sweep of the season, the Colorado Mesa University softball team welcome the UCCS Mountain Lions this weekend as they look to build on their success at home with another 4-game conference series.
The Mavericks are currently 7-1 at home this season while winning every conference series played so far. They are just one of two schools from the conference to achieve that feat.
The Mavs will take on the Mountain Lions 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 played to a series sweep this past weekend as they won all four games against Adams State University at home.
The Mavs have won all five of their RMAC series played this season and have now won ten of their last 11 games. They are tied for second place in the RMAC standings with a 16-4 conference record while sitting at 17-11 overall.
The Mavs scored 47 runs on 47 hits during the series while drawing 25 walks.
They recorded 9-0 and 12-4 run rule wins on Saturday as Sophia Tassinari recorded her first solo shutout of the season in the first game.
On Sunday, the Mavs claimed another 14-4 run-rule win before completing the series sweep with a 12-8 victory.
Cailynn Parsons went 6-for-8 (.750) with two doubles and four RBIs in the series while Makayla Westmoreland batted 5-for-9 (.556) with two doubles, one home run and eight RBIs.
Seven different players combined to hit eight home runs against the Grizzlies with Molli Magaña having two herself to lead the team.
Tassinari had two wins and a save in the circle while Marisa Nehm and Lacie Rodabaugh had the other two.
Rodabaugh's win was the first in her collegiate career.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Sitting a little over halfway into the season, the Mavs are currently hitting .316 as a team while having 19 different players record at least one at bat. They are now just one of six teams in the RMAC to have a batting average over .300.
Offensively they have totaled 236 hits while scoring 164 runs and having 79 extra base hits.
Over the past two weekends alone they have scored 71 of those runs with them having five wins by mercy rule on the season.
Five players are hitting .300 or better this spring as well with four players already having over 20 hits.
Brynn Escobar serves as the team's leader with her hitting .360 on the year and owning 32 hits herself.
She is joined by TK Landes (.349), Allison Lindsay (.327), Khloe Kubitschek (.322) and Makayla Westmoreland (.314) as the team's other top bats.
Of the team's 79 extra base hits, there have been 27 home runs hit so far with Kubitschek having six of them leading the team. Molli Magaña adds five for second most on the team while both Landes and Escobar each have four.
The Mavs currently rank second in the RMAC for total home runs with them also in the top five for slugging percentage.
47 doubles have been hit with Kubitschek having seven to lead the team. Landes has three triples to lead that department.
As a staff, the Mavs continue to be a top three pitching team in the RMAC with them owning an ERA of 3.60 this year and holding opponents to a .291 batting average against.
Only five teams in the conference limit opponents to a batting average under .300.
Sophia Tassinari has served as the team's top arm having pitched 95 innings so far with a 1.99 ERA. She currently has a record of 10-5 with eight complete games through 24 appearances.
In addition, Tassinari ranks second in innings pitched for the conference while having the third lowest ERA.
She has appeared in two or more games every weekend since the start of conference play.
Marisa Nehm has complimented Tassinari as the team's number two pitcher, appearing 17 times as well and owning a 6-3 record through 55.2 innings. The two have combined for 23 of the team's starts while pitching 117 innings in conference play.
Kamdyn Hagerty adds a 6.07 ERA through 15 innings pitched while Lacie Rodabaugh has seen the circle three times with a 3.82 ERA herself.
In whole the pitching staff has struck out 75 batters this season through 179 innings of play.
They own a WHIP of 1.58 and have pitched two shutouts 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 UCCS
The Mountain Lions are 17-12 this season while going 11-9 in RMAC play.
They are currently on a six-game winning streak with them sweeping New Mexico Highlands this past weekend. Two of the wins in the series came by run rule with the Mountain Lions outscoring the Cowgirls 29-6 over the two-day stretch.
Through their five-conference series they have won two and split two with them their only series loss being against Colorado Christian.
In the series history with the Colorado Mesa, the Mavs own a 96-35 advantage while winning the last 20 matchups.
The Mavs swept the Mountain Lions on the road last season before also beating them in the RMAC Tournament.
Colorado Mesa has also run-ruled the Mountain Lions seven times in the last 11 games.
UCCS currently has both a top five offense and defense in the RMAC with them hitting .347 for second best in the conference and owning a 4.67 team ERA.
They are one of the biggest power threats in the conference as well as they have hit 26 home runs this season to rank third in the RMAC while also ranking second in slugging at .517.
Six of the team's main starters are hitting over .300 with Alyssa Gutierrez (.523) and Jennavieve Goldsworth (.444) leading that bunch.
The Mountain Lions have stolen 80 bases with Goldsworth having 24 of them and Gutierrez having 17. Six players on the team have six or more.
Autumn Kunze serves as the squad's ace while going 7-2 this spring with a 2.64 ERA. She is joined by Kailey Bond who's made 12 appearances with a 4-4 record as the team's top two 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
Following this weekend the Mavs will take to Southern Colorado for a 4-game set with CSU Pueblo on April 2 and 3. Games are set for a noon start on the 2nd and 11 a.m. on the 3rd.
