Off the shoulders of an NCAA record holder, and a much improved pitching rotation, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) softball is tied for the top spot in the RMAC in the waning weeks of the regular season.
“Softball is fun right now. The team’s having a good time, and we just have to keep doing what we’re doing. We just need to keep playing our batch of softball and good things will come,” said head coach Mercedes Bohte.
One of the players for this Maverick squad that might be having the most fun right now is shortstop Myah Arrieta. During a 10 game stretch spanning from March 22 to April 6, Arrieta hit 15 home runs, leaving the yard every game. The junior’s stretch did not go unnoticed as she claimed back-to-back National Player of the Week honors and broke the school record for the most home runs in the season (21).
“I just think that records are something that’s a part of the journey. It’s not something that I’m striving for or something that’s my goal. My goal at the end of the year is to do something big with this team,” said Arrieta.
The junior shortstop has the third best batting average in the country, hitting .530 on the year, which would smash the CMU season record which is at .514.
The team is currently primed for great things, having been featured in the first batch of regional rankings released on April 18. In conjunction with the regional rankings, the Mavs are also on the brink of cracking the national poll.
The pitching rotation for the Mavs’ has also been greatly improved. Last year’s pitching rotation featured just two main pitchers, Senior Hannah Sattler and Sophomore Marissa Nehm, who had to pitch nearly every game. Last year’s duo pitched 81% of innings, with Sattler clearing Nehm in innings pitched, 181 to 106.2.
This season, a pair of transfers has helped the Maverick rotation. Both Junior Preslee Christensen and Junior Christa Zagala have been solid additions to the CMU defense, particularly Christensen, who is amongst the conference leaders in ERA.
The four pitchers in total for the Mavericks average a 3.04 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP, both of which are in the top third of Division II softball, despite playing in a conference that scores a lot of runs.
“It’s obviously taken some innings off, which has helped my arm be healthy, so I can pitch when I want to pitch. It’s also nice because we all have different strengths, so if Preslee [Christensen] goes in, she’s throwing it by them, then I can come in and throw some funky stuff,” said Sattler.
The Maverick bats have been red hot as well, as they currently lead the nation in home runs, home runs per game and slugging percentage. They’re also top 5 in on base percentage, doubles per game, batting average and scoring.
“We’re just all performing, one through 21. Everybody’s in it, so we’re going to be successful,” said Bohte.
When teams are on win streaks, and players are breaking records, it can be easy for a team to get caught up in the lights, but Bohte isn’t worried about that at all.
“Our team is more caught up in making new chants every week than worrying about a lot of the other stuff. We’re all locked in, and we’re paying attention to what other teams do, but it’s not on the forefront of their minds,” said Bohte.
The chants for the team are one of their staples from the dugouts, with a unique chant for every player that comes up to bat. While some may find it silly to have these, the players just see it as an additional way they build chemistry with one another.
“I think team chemistry has been a big thing for us this year. All of us coming together, even the players on the bench, because sometimes it can be hard on the bench, but everyone is bought in, that they know they’re needed, and they’re needed to cheer on our team knowing that they’re going to get that shot,” said Sattler.
A big deal for teams this late in the year is making sure everyone is healthy. Both Zagala and infielder Emma Roach have missed some time due to injury, but Bohte says they’re getting healthy at the right time.
“They’re both cleared and good to go. You can add to the bumps, and bruises, and the other things that come up, but everybody’s healthy. Everybody’s ready to go, and we all believe in each other. Even the non-starters, they believe they’ll be successful when they’re in.”
The Mavericks are back at home this weekend to take on Colorado State University-Pueblo for their final series of the regular season. The RMAC tournament will be hosted May 2 at the institution who holds the highest seed.