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Softball preview

PREVIEW | Mountain Lions Set to Compete at 2025 RMAC Softball Tournament in Lakewood

4/29/2025 5:00:00 PM

By: Tyler Tvelia, Sports Information Director
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
  • After finishing the regular season with a 30-22 overall record and 24-17 conference record, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team is set to make their first postseason appearance since the 2022 season as they earned the No. 5 seed in the 2025 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Softball Tournament. The four-day tournament will be hosted by top-seeded Colorado Christian University at All Star Park in Lakewood, Colo. beginning on Wednesday, April 30.
  • UCCS will open the double-elimination tournament with a matchup against No. 4 seed Colorado State University Pueblo on Wednesday, April 30 with first pitch set at 11 a.m. In the other first round matchup on Wednesday, No. 3 seeded Metropolitan State University Denver will take on No. 6 seeded Black Hills State University at 1:30 p.m.
GAME COVERAGE TICKETS
  • All fans will be charged admission and are encouraged to purchase tickets online on the RMAC website.
  • Single Day Ticket Prices:
    • General Admission - $15.00
    • Kids (6-17), Over 65 & Military - $10.00
    • Children 5 and Under - Free
  • Multi Day Ticket Prices:
    • General Admission - $35.00
    • Kids (6-17), Over 65 & Military - $25.00
    • Children 5 and Under – Free
RMAC NETWORK
  • Fans unable to attend in-person will be able to view each game of the RMAC Softball Tournament on the RMAC Network. The conference provides a variety of purchase options for postseason action, including day passes for $9.99 per day and tournament passes for $20. A full complement of the purchase options can be found here.
2025 REGULAR SEASON IN REVIEW
  • The Mountain Lions opened the 2025 campaign with a 5-3 record in their non-conference slate while competing at the South Central Regional Crossover in Los Lunas, N.M. and the West Texas A&M Invitational in Canyon, Texas. In that stretch of games to begin the season, UCCS' only losses came in a pair of matchups against a West Texas A&M University squad that currently sits No. 3 in the NFCA Week 12 National Rankings and in an extra-inning, one-run defeat against Texas A&M University Kingsville.
  • UCCS kicked off their RMAC schedule by winning two out of three countable games against Colorado School of Mines on Feb. 16-17 before suffering a road sweep against the eventual No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, Colorado Christian University. Following their setback against the Cougars, the Mountain Lions caught fire and won 12 consecutive conference games thanks to three consecutive series sweeps against Chadron State College, Fort Lewis College, and New Mexico Highlands University.
  • After enduring a series sweep at the hands of Colorado Mesa University on March 22-23, the Mountain Lions bounced back the very next weekend with a series sweep of their own against Adams State University. The following weekend, UCCS came crashing back down to earth as they were dealt a series sweep by CSU Pueblo, but the team managed to quickly rebound and finished the campaign by going 6-4 in their final 10 conference games, including crucial series splits against Black Hills State and MSU Denver.
AWARD WINNERS
  • The Mountain Lions collected four weekly conference awards during the 2025 softball season:
    • Week 2 (Feb. 10): Laynee Case – RMAC Player of the Week
    • Week 5 (Mar. 4): Tayler McCombs – RMAC Player of the Week
    • Week 7 (Mar. 18): Kailey Bond – RMAC Pitcher of the Week
    • Week 9 (Apr. 1): Laynee Case – RMAC Player of the Week
  • The conference is set to announce their All-RMAC selections and major awards tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. and will reveal the All-Academic teams on Tuesday, May 13. 
STASTICAL LEADERS
  • As a team, the Mountain Lions had one of the most prolific offenses in the RMAC as they finished the regular season ranked third in batting average (.340), total runs scored (331), doubles (92), home runs (44), and total bases (741).
  • UCCS also ranked favorably on the national scale in several offensive categories as they sit inside the top 25 in all of NCAA Division II for batting average (14th), slugging percentage (.514 - 23rd), and doubles per game (1.77 – 24th). The Mountain Lions also had one of the top offensive units in the nation in terms of scoring as they recorded the 20th most total runs with 331 and logged the 23rd-most runs per game at 6.37.
  • Freshman Halley Redd put together an outstanding debut season at the collegiate level as she ended the regular season ranked third in the conference with a .430 batting average and sixth in the league with 64 hits. A 52-game starter at shortstop for the Mountain Lions, Redd posted an impressive 1.073 OPS for the season with 14 doubles, four home runs, and 38 RBIs. The native of Henderson, Nev. also showed a keen eye at the plate as she led the team with 17 walks while striking out just 15 times.
  • Redd's freshman counterpart Tayler McCombs also had an incredible start to her collegiate career as she finished the season ranked tied for sixth in the RMAC with a .408 batting average. In addition McCombs ended the regular season with the fifth-most triples (5), eighth most hits (62), ninth-most total bases (101), and the 10th-best OPS (1.116) while appearing in 51 games for the Mountain Lions.
  • Sophomores Laynee Case and Gianna Pancost finished the campaign ranked tied for the team-lead with 15 doubles apiece, which placed them both inside the top five in the RMAC for the category. Case ended the season with a .358 batting average and led the team with nine home runs, 43 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases across 52 games started at second base, while Pancost appeared in 51 games primarily as the designated player and posted a .345 batting average with eight home runs and 39 RBIs.
  • Junior transfer Katie Steinmetz provided a big bat in the middle of the lineup for UCCS throughout the season while splitting time at catcher as she recorded a .346 batting average with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in just 115 plate appearances.
  • The Mountain Lions ranked fourth in the conference with 71 stolen bases on the season, going 71-of-88 on stolen base attempts for an 81% success rate. Case paced the squad with 12 swipes on the season, while junior Bailey Olerich collected 10. Redd, freshman Kaylee Holland, and junior Alyssa Gutierrez also found success on the basepaths as they each stole eight bags.
  • Inside the circle, junior Kailey Bond developed into the top starting pitcher for the Mountain Lions this season as she posted a 4.28 ERA across a team-leading 101.1 innings pitched. In her second season with the Mountain Lions after transferring from Black Hills State, Bond had a 9-6 record and struck out 86 hitters while making 24 appearances on the rubber.
  • The Mountain Lions also received a good chunk of innings from freshman Hannah Hunt and junior Autumn Kunze. Hunt led the team with an 11-5 record on the season while notching a 5.58 ERA and 71 strikeouts across 89.0 innings pitched. Kunze made 17 starts for the Mountain Lions and had a 5.94 ERA across 81.1 innings pitched while posting 76 strikeouts.
  • Freshman Lauren Falk was an effective arm out of the bullpen for UCCS throughout the season as she posted a 3-4 record with a team-leading six saves while sporting a 5.34 ERA.
SCOUTING NO. 4 CSU PUEBLO
  • No. 4 seed CSU Pueblo finished the regular season with a 27-24 overall record and a 26-18 record in the RMAC, finishing just half a game ahead of the Mountain Lions. Despite being so close in the standings, the ThunderWolves pulled off a four-game sweep of the Mountain Lions on April 6-7 during the regular season.
  • On the offensive side of the ball, CSU Pueblo finished the regular season ranked eighth in the conference with a .291 batting average and did not display much power at the plate as they were 11th in doubles (59), 10th in triples (9), and ninth in home runs (20). In terms of scoring, the ThunderWolves ranked seventh in the RMAC with a total of 260 runs scored.
  • Caitlyn Cole was the top offensive player for the ThunderWolves throughout the season as she posted a .394 batting average with 12 doubles, seven home runs, and 30 RBIs. CSU Pueblo also received strong production from Madelyn Huerta, who hit had a .385 batting average on the season with 13 doubles, seven home runs, and 48 RBIs.
  • The ThunderWolves were aggressive on the basepaths this season swiping 94 bases in 115 attempts as they had five different players record at least 10 steals, led by Cole with 15.
  • McKenna James finished the season as the top pitcher on the staff for CSU Pueblo, posting a 12-12 record with a 4.07 ERA across 157.0 innings pitched. In a pair of outings against UCCS this season, James pitched 14.0 innings and allowed nine runs (seven earned) while recording just six strikeouts. Mia Sanchez also ate up significant innings for CSU Pueblo this season as she tossed 119.0 frames inside the circle with an 11-7 record and a 5.22 ERA. Sanchez found some success in her two outings against UCCS earlier in the season, totaling 14.0 innings pitched and allowing six earned runs with eight strikeouts.
SCOUTING NO. 1 COLORADO CHRISTIAN
  • The Cougars finished the 2025 campaign on an eight-game winning streak to push their overall record to 40-14 and their conference record to 36-8, securing them the No. 1 seed and the right to host the tournament. In the Mountain Lions' regular season meeting against Colorado Christian, they dropped a tight 5-3 decision in the first game of the series before the Cougars secured a trio of lopsided victories to finish off the sweep.
  • The Cougars finished the season as one of the top three offenses in the conference as they ranked second overall in team batting average (.343) and total runs scored (368) with much of their offensive success coming as a result of having eight starters batting better than .300 on the season.
  • Elyse McMullin was the team-leader in batting average for the season with a mark of .386 as she also posted 14 doubles, three triples, six home runs, and 54 RBIs. Rachel Williams and Camryn Quilling also provided prolific offensive prowess for the Cougars throughout the season with Williams recording a .361 batting average, eight doubles, five home runs, and 44 RBIs and Quilling logging a .353 batting average with nine doubles, seven home runs, and 32 RBIs.
  • Colorado Christian was another team that took their chances on the basepaths this season, and it largely worked out as they posted the third-most stolen bases in the league with 80. A majority of those stolen bases came from a group of four players with McMullin swiping 16, Peyton Marvel stealing 15, Quilling taking 13, and Sarah Dollerschell recording 10.
  • In the circle, Colorado Christian led the RMAC with a pristine 2.11 team ERA as they surrendered just 110 earned runs in 365.1 innings pitched. Emma Duncan was the leader of the pitching staff as she tallied a miniscule 1.58 ERA on her way to an 18-3 record and 112 strikeouts in 141.2 innings. In addition to leading the team in batting average, McMullin also served as the Cougars No. 2 pitcher as she tossed 118.1 innings with a solid 2.84 ERA and 66 strikeouts.
SCOUTING NO. 2 COLORADO MESA
  • Colorado Mesa earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament after posting a 37-13 overall record and 35-9 conference record during the regular season. The Mavericks, who earned a series sweep over the Mountain Lions on March 22-23, enter the tournament winners in six of their last eight games.
  • On the offensive side of the ball, Colorado Mesa finished the regular season ranked sixth in the conference with a .312 batting average but consistently showed off their penchant for the long ball as they launched the second-most home runs in the league with 54.
  • A key player for the Mavericks' high-powered offense that averaged 6.52 runs per game was infielder Myah Arrieta, who posted the fifth-best batting average in the league at .417 while ranking second in home runs (15) and RBIs (57). Ally Distler also provided plenty of firepower to the Colorado Mesa lineup as she matched Arrieta with 15 home runs while driving in 53 runs and posting a .312 batting average.
  • The Mavericks duo of Jessalyn Gallegos and Preslee Christensen carried a Colorado Mesa pitching staff that recorded a team ERA of 2.73, the second-best mark in the conference. Gallegos was the staff leader in innings pitched with 150.1 as she notched a 2.14 ERA with 150 strikeouts, while Christensen logged 82.0 strong innings of work with a 2.13 ERA and 53 striekouts.
SCOUTING NO. 3 MSU DENVER
  • MSU Denver posted a 39-13 overall record and a 34-9 conference record this season but slipped to the No. 3 seed after dropping three of their final five games, two of which in a series split against the Mountain Lions to end the year.
  • The Roadrunners fielded the top offensive unit in the RMAC this season as they led the conference in batting average (.348), doubles (107), home runs (58), slugging percentage (.577), and total runs scored (374).
  • At the forefront of the offensive success for the Roadrunners were Jaiden Geist and Jenna Medhus, who finished the year with the highest individual batting averages in the conference at .453 and .440, respectively. In 44 games, Geist recorded 53 hits, 11 doubles, nine home runs, and 36 RBIs with an on-base percentage of .538. Medhus appeared in 45 games for the Roadrunners and led the team with 50 RBIs to go along with 12 home runs and 112 total bases.
  • In the circle, Natalie Romero has served as the ace of the pitching staff throughout the season as she leads the team with a stellar 1.79 ERA across 148.2 innings. Romero holds a 19-3 record on the season and has struck out 89 hitters.
  • Medhus and Cheyenne Prieto have also pitched significant innings for the Roadrunners with Medhus holding a 4.14 ERA and Prieto posting a 4.53 ERA.
SCOUTING NO. 6 BLACK HILLS STATE
  • Black Hills State secured their first RMAC playoff appearance in program history as the No. 6 seed in the tournament after posting a 27-25 overall record and a 25-19 conference record this season. The Mountain Lions travelled to Spearfish, S.D. for their regular season series against the Yellow Jackets and came home with a series split with all four games being tight contests.
  • The Yellow Jackets had a strong offensive season as they finished the year ranked fourth in the conference with a .321 batting average while scoring 5.54 runs per game.
  • Ashlynn Pauwels was the team leader in nearly every offensive category as she posted the fourth-highest batting average in the conference while recording 18 doubles, 14 home runs, and 55 RBIs. Desi Hernandez and Tyler Whitlock were also key players in the lineup for Black Hills State with Hernandez hitting .360 and driving home 44 runs while Whitlock had a .369 batting average with a team-leading 19 doubles and 25 RBIs.
  • Laci Peskey had a dominant season inside the circle for the Yellow Jackets as she tossed 189.1 innings with a 2.07 ERA and 236 strikeouts. Peskey finished the season with a 23-6 record and an exceptional WHIP of 1.08 as she surrendered just 162 hits and 43 walks on the season.
HOT TAKES
  • The 2025 season marks just the sixth time in program history that the Mountain Lions won 30 or more games and the first since the 2013 season when the team posted a 35-23-1 overall record.
  • As a team, the Mountain Lions' 491 hits already ranks as the second most all-time in a single season in program history. The school record for single season hits was established at 546 during the 2007 season.
  • Redd and McCombs etched their names into the top five list for single season hits by a freshman with Redd's 64 hits currently sitting tied for the most in program history and McCombs 62 hits sitting as the fourth-most all-time. Entering the RMAC Tournament, both student-athletes are also sitting just outside the overall list for most hits in a single season with Redd needing three hits and McCombs needing five to break into the top ten.
  • McCombs recorded a 15-game hitting streak to open the Mountain Lions' conference slate, which registered as the fifth-longest hitting streak in program history. During the span of her streak, the freshman infielder posted a .563 batting average (27-for-48) with seven doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 12 RBIs.
  • Sophomore Mackenzie Scott reached base in each of the 24 games she played before having her season ended prematurely due to injury. In those 24 games, Scott posted a .397 batting average and .516 on-base percentage with four doubles, four home runs, and 13 RBIs.  
  • With 76 strikeouts this season, Kunze now has 246 in her career and ranks seventh all-time in the category. The third-year hurler needs just six more strikeouts to move into a tie for sixth place all-time with Stephanie Chitkowski (2014-17).
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH DWIGHT SANDERS
  • The 2025 season marks Dwight Sanders' second season at the helm of the UCCS softball team. Since taking over the program before the start of the 2024 season, Sanders has led the Mountain Lions to a 49-54 overall record with a 40-43 record in conference play. This season, Sanders led the Mountain Lions to their first 30-win season since 2013 and their first conference playoff berth since the 2022 season.
  • In his debut season with the Mountain Lions, Sanders coached Autumn Kunze and Gianna Pancost to All-RMAC Honorable Mention accolades while nine student-athletes earned recognition on the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll.
WEATHER
  • The forecast for the first two days of the tournament is calling for temperatures in the 50s and 60s with a chance for thunderstorms and showers after noon on both Wednesday and Thursday.  The weather for Friday and Saturday is projected to dry out significantly with temperatures rising into the upper-60s and 70s.
UPCOMING GAMES
  • The winner of Wednesday's game featuring the Mountain Lions and ThunderWolves will advance to the quarterfinal round of the winner's bracket for a 4 p.m. matchup against No. 1 seed Colorado Christian. The loser of Wednesday's tournament-opening game will fall into the first round of the consolation bracket and will take on the loser of game four at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 1.
SOCIAL 
Twitter - @GoMountainLions 
Instagram - @gomountainlions  
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions 
  
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.  
 
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