PORTALES, N.M. – After going 4-1 in its last tournament, Eastern New Mexico softball are set for its final tournament as they travel to Tucson, Ariz. for the D2 Cactus Classic at Lincoln Park. ENMU begin on Friday afternoon against California University of Pa. with first pitch slated for 12 p.m. Immediately after, the Hounds will play Simon Fraser at 2 p.m. The next day, the Hounds face Azusa Pacific at 12 p.m., and then battle Colorado Christian later in the day at 4 p.m. The Greyhounds conclude its trip in Arizona with a morning game against Colorado Mesa University, with first pitch at 9 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT

The Hounds finished 4-1 in it trip to Lubbock, Texas for the Lubbock Collegiate Classic. Eastern picked up wins against Fort Lewis, 9-0, Northwestern Oklahoma State, 10-6, Chadron State, 9-0 (5 Inn.), and UC-Colorado Springs 8-5. Brook Leger recorded a career best 18 strikeouts during the Hounds win against Fort Lewis College. Meanwhile, Lisette Urquidez earned a spot on the all-tournament team, following a weekend batting average of .533, with eight hits, eight RBI's, and a homerun.

SCOUTING THE HOUNDS

Overall, the Hounds hold a strong record of 6-3 on the season. ENMU sport a team batting average of .291 with an on base percentage of .414. In its first nine games, ENMU have scored 62 runs, with 49 RBI's from 64 hits this season. On the mound, Eastern pitcher hold an ERA of 6.46, giving up 50 runs, while registering 76 strikeouts.
 
Jokaira Paredes and Urquidez hold the top batting average for the Greyhounds, .500, while Urquidez paces the team in hits (13) and RBI's (17). Urquidez stands second in the LSC for RBI's and 5^th in the nation. In the circle, Leger has had a standout season so far, with a 5-0 record and a 2.12 ERA. Leger has registered 66 K's this season, not only holding the top spot in the LSC, but in all of Division II.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

California University of Pa.

The Vulcans will play their first games of the season this weekend, and its season opener against the Hounds. In 2021, Cal. U of Pa. recorded of 19-10, and 19-8 in conference. The Vulcans were voted to finish third in Pennsylvania Schools Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Poll.

Overall, Cal. U. of Pa. posted a team batting average of .293, along with an on base percentage of .376. The Vulcans scored 170 runs on 225 hits, with 151 RBI's. In the circle, Vulcan pitchers posted an ERA of 3.14, and held opposing hitters to .290. Cal. U. of Pa. allowed 127 runs from 227 hits.

Shayna Postler and Britney Wilson both return after being the top hitters for the team in 2021. Postler held a BA of .388 with 26 hits and 14 RBI, while Wilson comes back after 26 hits and 21 RBI during the season. In the circle, the Vulcans bring back all three of its starters: Kaitlyn Leary, Kelsey Barron, and Ellie Lobdell. Leary held a team best 2.13 ERA, Barron had a team best five complete games, and Lobdell had the most wins with eight.

Simon Fraser

SFU return to play after missing out on the 2021 season, due to the border closure between the United States and Canada due to the pandemic. In 2020, the Simon Fraser softball team finished 13-5, along with a 7-1 conference record. SFU was picked 3^rd in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) preseason poll.

In the shortened 2020 season, SFU posted a batting average of .304, collected 157 hits and 112 RBI's. In the shortened season, Simon Fraser scored 128 runs along with an on base percentage of .392. On the rubber, SFU pitcher held an ERA of 4.41, and allowed 170 hits and 93 runs to opponents.

Alex Ogg returns as a two-way player, leading SFU in batting average (.521), hits (37), and ERA (3.50). Anissa Zacharczuk also is back in the circle, after finishing the 2020 season with a 3.38 ERA with a 10-0 record. At the plate, Hannah Boulanger sported a .362 ERA, and registered 15 RBI's and 17 hits.
 
Azusa Pacific
 
The Cougars have played one tournament so far this season and hold a 4-5 record after the first two weekends. In their last matchup, Azusa Pacific split a doubleheader with Cal. State San Bernardino, winning 3-0 and losing 9-2.

Collectively, AP hold a .254 batting average along with 62 hits, and 23 RBI's this season. The Cougars also have scored 29 runs overall and hold and on base percentage of .321. As for pitching, the Cougars hold an ERA of just 3.92 and have allowed 32 runs total. AP pitchers have recorded 35 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched.

Erica Hanson and Aly Montesino hold the teams best batting averages at .350 and .300 respectively. Montesnio leads the team in both hits, nine, and RBI's, five. On the mound, Katie Korstrom holds an ERA of 1.84 and has allowed four runs this season, with 15 strikeouts. Liz Phillips is next best on the team with a 3.50 ERA.

Colorado Christian
 
This will be the third time in as many weeks the Cougars will play the Hounds. Colorado Christian has won both matchups so far this season, 13-9, and 9-1 (5 Inn.). So far, CCU has a 7-2 record, having finished 2-3 in its tournament last weekend. The Cougars won its last game, 4-2, over University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Statistically speaking, CCU are batting .328, with 79 hits and scoring 57 runs. Colorado Christian has posted 52 RBI's this season and is reaching base at .410. In the circle, opposing teams are held to 4.02 runs per game and opponents batting average is just .265. Cougars pitching have recorded 42 strikeouts and have given out only 14 walks.

Leading the team in batting average, Sami Edwards has a .607 BA along with 17 hits (team high), and seven RBI's. Kenzie Middleton has brought home the most runs this season with 17 RBI's, in addition to 15 hits. In the circle, Sydney Rawlings is 3-0 with an ERA of 4.22. Alexis Hamilton is responsible for two wins this season and has an earned run average of 3.09.

Colorado Mesa
 
The Mavericks began their season last week and currently stand at 1-4 overall. CMU earned their first win of the season over San Francisco State 9-1, but fell in its final four games of the tournament. In its final game of the tournament, Colorado Mesa dropped a close contest to Sonoma State, 6-4.

So far this season, CMU has a team batting average of .208, posting 26 hits, along with 17 runs scored, and 17 RBI's. The Mavericks pitching staff holds a 2.76 ERA through its first five games, holding opponents to a .239 batting average. Colorado have allowed just 28 hits and conceded 16 runs.

Pacing the offense, Ashley Bradford and Lauren Wedman each lead the Mavericks with five hits. Iliana Mendoza is the team's leader in RBI's, while Bradford leads the team in runs scored with five. Bailey Adair is CMU's leading pitcher with a 1-1 record and an ERA of 2.10. Ellie Smith is just behind with a 2.47 ERA.