THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP

• The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team kicks off their 2022 season on Friday, Feb. 4 as they play host to Cal Poly Humboldt for a quick non-conference doubleheader at Mountain Lion Field. First pitch for Friday's doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. start time for game two.

GAME COVERAGE

• Live stream and live stats for the games against Cal Poly Humboldt can be found at the below links.
  • Live Stream
  • Live Stats

SEASON OUTLOOK

• The Mountain Lions are coming off a 2021 season in which the team finished eighth in the RMAC with an overall record of 17-25 and a conference record of 16-22. As a team, UCCS had a strong season at the plate, racking up the sixth most hits in the conference (333) and a .299 team batting average while ranking seventh in the RMAC in runs scored (204). The team also flashed impressive power on the offensive side of the ball as they ended the season ranked fourth in the conference with 45 home runs and fifth with a .494 slugging percentage.
• UCCS garnered 61 points in the 2022 RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and were picked to finish sixth in the conference.
• Returning to the Mountain Lions for the 2022 season are 12 letterwinners from last year's team, including three position players who appeared in each of the team's 42 games last season in Solana Martinez, Mia Perez, and Morgan Hernandez-Belew. Inside the circle, UCCS retains a large portion of their 2021 pitching staff as Braelyne Crenshaw, Lexi Rayburn, and Gabrielle Cronin each return after combining to toss 190.1 innings pitched last season.
• The team will also look for contributions from the program's nine incoming freshman: Kelsey Bell, Makena Geist, Cassidy Hubner, Brianna Jennings, Sydney King, Briana Mattos, Mackenzie Rutkoff, Lexi Wagner, and Paige White.

RMAC PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Three UCCS student-athletes received recognition as RMAC Players to Watch for the upcoming season, including junior Solana Martinez, sophomore Mia Perez, and redshirt junior Braelyne Crenshaw.
• Martinez broke out in a big way during her second season with the UCCS softball program in 2021, starting each of the Mountain Lion's 42 games and ranking among the top three on the team for most offensive categories. An Honorable Mention on the 2021 All-RMAC team, Martinez batted .407 on the season with 55 hits, 32 runs, and 29 RBI's while adding 12 home runs and 12 doubles. The San Diego, Calif. native earned recognition as the RMAC Player of the Week on May 4 after putting together a monster series against CSU Pueblo in which she went 10-for-15 at the plate with three homers, six runs scored, and nine RBIs.
• Perez kicked off her collegiate career last season in impressive fashion as she started all 42 games in the outfield for the Mountain Lions and posted a team-leading .477 on-base percentage. Perez also led the squad with 26 walks and two stolen bases while ranking third with a solid .333 batting average and 34 total hits. The Surprise, Ariz. native also played solid defense for the Mountain Lions, making just two errors in 48 total chances in the outfield for a .958 fielding percentage.
• A pitcher from Aurora, Colo., Crenshaw appeared in 21 games for the Mountain Lions last season, making 17 starts inside the circle. The redshirt junior led the 2021 Mountain Lion pitching staff in a variety of categories, including wins (6), innings pitched (97.1), complete games (8) and strikeouts (74) while compiling a 4.75 ERA and 1.71 WHIP. Crenshaw also tossed the third shutout of her collegiate career on March 20 against Colorado School of Mines as she allowed just four hits and struck out four batters over seven scoreless innings.

THE SERIES

• The Mountain Lions hold a 1-0 record all-time against Cal Poly Humboldt as they picked up a 4-1 victory in their lone meeting with the Lumberjacks in a neutral site game on Feb. 9, 2013.

SCOUTING CAL POLY HUMBOLDT

• The Lumberjacks are coming off an abbreviated 2021 season in which the team went 8-6 while playing each of their 14 games on the road. 
• In their pandemic shortened season, Humboldt put together a prolific offensive showing, hitting .339 as a team and averaging 6.5 runs scored per game. The 'Jacks also showed strong power numbers at the plate, slamming 14 home runs and registering a .536 slugging percentage.
• The team was also extremely active and efficient on the basepaths, stealing 29 bases in 32 attempts, led by senior Micaela Harris who was a perfect 11-for-11 on stolen base attempts.
• Humboldt's leading offensive force from last season, Izzy Starr, returns the team for the 2022 season after pacing the 'Jacks with a team-high .468 batting average and six home runs.
• Inside the circle, junior Karen Di Dio headed the Lumberjacks pitching staff with an earned run average of 2.33 across 24 innings pitched as she went 4-0 in her four games started.

HOT TAKES

• Pitcher Braelyne Crenshaw has led the Mountain Lion's pitching staff in strikeouts over the past two seasons and currently ranks ninth in UCCS program history with 162 career strikeouts.
• Sophomore Mia Perez ended the 2021 season riding an eight-game hitting streak and hit safely in 11 of her final 13 games.
• The Mountain Lions hold a 4-2 record in season opening games under Head Coach Ricki Rothbauer-Stubbs.  

UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH RICKI ROTHBAUER-STUBBS

• Ricki Rothbauer-Stubbs, who picked up her 200^th career Division II victory last season with a 9-7 win over Chadron State on March 8, enters her seventh season at the helm of the UCCS Softball program during the 2022 season. In her first six seasons as the head coach of the Mountain Lions, Rothbauer-Stubbs has collected 120 wins and made three appearances in the RMAC Tournament.
• During the 2021 season, Rothbauer-Stubbs coached two players to the All-RMAC team with Brianna Santos receiving First Team honors and Solana Martinez being named as an Honorable Mention. The team also experienced excellent academic success under her leadership, as Santos was named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team and 13 more softball student-athletes were named to the Honor Roll.

WEATHER

• The forecast for Friday is shaping up to feature mostly sunny skies with a daytime high of just 34 degrees. 

UPCOMING GAMES

• The Mountain Lions will head to the Lone Star State to compete at the LCU Softball Classic hosted by Lubbock Christian University on Feb. 12-13. On Saturday, UCCS will square off with Oklahoma Baptist University at 11 a.m. (MT) then take on University of Nebraska at Kearney at 1 p.m. (MT). Sunday's schedule has the Mountain Lions playing Eastern New Mexico University at 10 a.m. (MT) followed by West Texas A&M University at 12 p.m. (MT).

SOCIAL 
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.