GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Coming back to the Grand Valley for the start of an 8-game home stretch, the Colorado Mesa University softball team hosts Fort Lewis College this weekend as they continue play into the second half of the conference portion of their season.
The Mavericks will take on the Skyhawks in their usual Saturday, Sunday split this week with doubleheaders taking place each day. Saturday will feature a noon start with Friday beginning at 11 a.m.
Saturday's games will also feature a T-Shirt Giveaway Sponsored by Canvas Credit Union in conjunction with university's century celebration.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavs suffered their second-straight series loss this past week as they dropped all four games of a road set to CSU Pueblo.
The Mavs were swept in the series for the first time this season with this also being the first time Colorado Mesa has been swept by any team since 2011.
The Thunderwolves won both games on Thursday by scores of 12-4 and 3-1 before then closing out the series with 4-2 and 7-1 wins on Friday.
The games were all bumped up two days with Sunday being Easter.
Makayla Westmoreland batted 4-for-11 (.364) to lead the team while recording two RBIs and hitting one home run with her having the only long ball for the Mavs.
Both Sophia Tassinari and Marisa Nehm would pitch in all four games for the Mavs as well.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
With 16 games remaining in the regular season, the Mavs come into this week hitting .301 as a team while owning an on base percentage of .378 and a slugging percentage of .464.
They are just one of eight teams in the RMAC to have a batting average over .300 while playing the second fewest games.
In total there have been 289 hits recorded while scoring 185 runs and having 90 extra base hits. They average just over five runs per game.
Of the team's 90 extra base hits, the Mavs have recorded 30 home runs this spring as well with them sitting in the top five of the conference.
On the individual side, three players are hitting .300 or better for the team with seven players already owning 20 hits or more.
Cailynn Parsons currently leads the team with her batting .359 this year and being joined by Brynn Escobar (.353) and Makayla Westmoreland (.337) as the team's top offensive forces.
Khloe Kubischek is the Mavs' home run leader with seven while Molli Magaña follows up closely behind her with five.
53 doubles have been hit with Escobar having eight to lead the team and TK Landes has three triples to lead the three-bag hits department.
On the pitching side, the Mavs have maintained being a top three team in the RMAC this season with them owning an ERA of 4.17 and holding opponents to a .309 batting average against.
They currently rank in the top five of the RMAC for batting average against while also allowing the second fewest home runs of any team.
Sophia Tassinari has been the Mavs' top arm having pitched 116.2 innings so far while owning a 2.94 ERA. She owns a record of 10-9 while making 31 appearances with 19 starts.
In addition, Tassinari ranks second in innings pitched for the conference while ranking top 10 in ERA. Her 10 wins are tied for fifth most in the RMAC.
Marisa Nehm has complimented Tassinari as the team's number two pitcher, appearing 24 times in the circle herself and owning a 7-6 record through 84.2 innings.
Tassinari and Nehm have combined for 31 of the team's starts while pitching 201.1 innings of the team's total 231.2 innings on the year.
Kamdyn Hagerty adds a 6.07 ERA through 15 innings pitched while Lacie Rodabaugh has seen the circle four times with a 6.00 ERA herself.
The staff owns a WHIP of 1.65 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. In total she has been with the Mavs for 14 seasons with her being an assistant coach for the first eight.
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 FORT LEWIS COLLEGE
Enduring a rough season to this point, the Skyhawks enter this weekend with a 7-31 record overall while going 6-11 in conference play.
This past weekend they fell 3-1 in a conference series against New Mexico Highlands with their only win being an 8-2 decision in game three. They previously won their only series of the season against Adams State the weekend before going 3-1 instead.
When at home, the Skyhawks are 6-10 in games played but struggle greatly on the road going 0-15.
They have played in 10 one-run games this season while facing four ranked opponents.
It's also worth noting that the Skyhawks are currently coached by former CMU softball standout, Paige Rhodes (Adair), who is in her third season at the helm and was a four-year player for the Mavs while being named as a two-time RMAC Pitcher of the Year and one-time D2CCA South Central Region Pitcher of the Year.
As an offense, the Skyhawks rank second to last in the RMAC for batting average at .244 while ranking eighth in pitching with a team ERA of 6.01.
Alex Tenorio is the team's leader, hitting .297 with 35 hits and owning 13 doubles. She is joined by Izzy Cueva (.296) and Carmen Alexander (.286) as the other top bats.
Hailie Mann is the team's ace in the circle, going 4-9 through 18 appearances with a team leading 4.39 ERA. Chloe Padilla is the only other pitcher to appear more times than her with 20 appearances.
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 stay at home for another week following this series with them hosting # 9 Colorado Christian University for a pivotal conference matchup on April 18 (Sat.) and 19 (Sun.). Games on the 18th will also be a part of the Mavs' Beach Bash Weekend.
