The Colorado Mesa University Softball team has been nothing but dominant this season. The team is currently on a 20-game winning streak heading into this weekend where they will fight to keep the streak alive playing both Colorado State University-Pueblo and Regis University this weekend at home. The Mavericks are currently 35-6 on the season.
“These girls are coming out locked in and ready to go,” Coach Erik Kozel said.
The Mavericks have a team batting average of .362 on the season hitting, 56 home runs and a slugging percentage of .617. The Mavericks have scored more of their runs in the first four innings of the game than any innings after.
“We put a lot of attention on focus this year and I think that we all have a really good team cohesion and that we are really trying to do it all for each other at this point so I think that has really helped also,” Kellie Mrofcza said.
The senior and Colorado Springs native, Kellie Mrofcza, has done her part this season batting .408 with 49 runs batted in and scoring 54 runs.
You can not just look at one person to get the job done looking at the lineup the Mavericks have put together. Everyone on the team contributes to the success of the team.
“We have really good team unity and we know that we all have each other’s backs and we push each other to do better cause we want to do that for each other and the coaches as well,” AnnMarie Torres said.
Torres has been one of many to do great things for this team. She has a BA of over .500 and has racked up 12 home runs this season and has 11 extra base hits in which proves why she is the best hitting within the whole RMAC.
The freshman on this team has also stepped up to the plate showing that they are ready to play at the collegiate level. Freshman catcher and Grand Junction native Jordan Hays has stepped up hitting 20 RBIs and four HRs for the team. Lauren Wedman has also made an impact in her first year on the team hitting 10 RBIs in her first 46 at bats.
“I think getting on top early relieves a lot of pressure for the pitchers, our defense, and just for the whole feel of the game to start. But it is the focus and intensity that we start out with that transitions throughout the game but then you get to see it first thing, in those first couple innings,” Kozel said.
The CMU pitching staff are ne of the best in the league with a team era of 2.38 and 220 total strikeouts. . The Mavericks have looked to Kimbri Herring, McKenzie Surface, Paige Adair, and Shae Mauser to get the job done.
Surface has become someone you do not want to face if you are in the batter’s box having pitched 56 strikeouts ton the season. She has only allowed 61 hits in 60 innings of work. That has allowed her to have an era of 2.68 and a record of 12-0.
Herring leads the four Maverick pitchers with a 2.08 era. She also has the most complete games with 11. When Herring is on she is on, she has struck out 99 this season. With three wins last weekend at Chadron State and two more this past weekend in the POD games, her record is sitting at a 15-3
Adair and Mauser have also done their part to contribute to the winnings of this team.
Adair has an ERA of 3.04 with a record of 3-2 so far on the season. While Mauser is looking at an average of 2.85 during her first collegiate season of softball.
“The goal of this team this season has been and always will be to win championships,” Kozel said.
The Mavericks goal of winning championships could be in their future if they keep seeing the ball as well as they have been. The road to the end of the season is near but the Mavericks will have to go through the final four-game series of the year against UCCS and then finish out the regular season in Lakewood during the second RMAC POD Weekend against CCU and New Mexico Highlands on April 26.
