The Southern Utah University softball team will head east to take on the University of Texas Arlington Mavericks after the cancellation of their game against the University of Utah. The three-game series will take place on Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30.
Friday is set to feature a doubleheader with games at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. MDT. Saturday’s game is scheduled for 11 a.m. All can be streamed on ESPN+.
UT Arlington
Ranked sixth in the Western Athletic Conference, the Mavericks are 11-20 overall and 2-3 in conference play while averaging 3.71 runs per game. They are the fourth best in team batting average at .289 and the third worst in team earned run average at 5.45.
Camille Corona leads UTA in batting average at .386, which also puts her at No. 8 in the WAC. As the lead-off hitter, her opportunities to drive runs in are limited, but she still leads the team in hits with 34 and has scored 15 times. Lindsey Franklin follows her in terms of hits and batting average, and her on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.004 is nearly .150 above the next Maverick. She has also earned herself the top spot in the runs batted in category, having brought 22 runs across the plate.
Though UT Arlington struggles on the mound, they have a decent arm in Jessica Adams. In her 53 innings pitched across 15 appearances, she has thrown three complete-game shutouts and maintained a 3.04 ERA. She allows only 1.25 walks and hits per innings pitched, and opponents hit just .258 against her. Abi Gutierrez is the second-busiest pitcher in the Mavericks’ rotation, but her 5.51 ERA and .316 batting average against start to highlight UT Arlington’s primary weakness.
Even beyond pitching, the UTA defense is among the worst in the WAC. They have committed the second-most errors with 41 and have the second-worst fielding percentage at 95.1%.
Southern Utah
Despite being 12-14 overall and having one of the top three winning percentages in the WAC, Southern Utah ranks just ninth of 10 teams due to their 2-4 conference record. The Thunderbirds have a tough time getting on base and trail the WAC in hits, runs scored and RBIs.
The runners that do reach base can typically rely on Ariyana Miranda to bring them around. She leads both the team and the WAC in home runs with eight. Miranda also leads the Thunderbirds with her 19 RBIs but does not crack the top 10 in the conference. She is still outhit by Karmyna Becerra, whose 31 hits and .352 average head the SUU offense.
Southern Utah’s pitching staff has had almost as much trouble at UT Arlington. The team has a 4.88 collective ERA and a .314 batting average against. Keimon Winston is the Thunderbirds’ ERA leader at 3.86, but she has not seen the field since Feb. 24. Instead, ace duties have fallen to freshman Emily Delgado. Though her 4.76 ERA shows she has a hard time keeping runners from scoring, the endurance she has offered in Winston’s absence has been crucial for SUU. In addition to throwing four complete games, she is ranked third or higher in the WAC in innings pitched, total strikeouts and strikeouts caught looking.
The Mavericks and Thunderbirds have faced each other four times, the first in 2013 and the other three last year. UTA has a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Author: Anden Garfield
Photographer: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
