FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Making their second straight appearance in the NISC Championship round, the UT Arlington softball team (33-27) will open their quest for a title against Liberty University at 5 p.m. Central on Friday, May 24.

MATCHUP: UTA (33-27) vs Liberty (40-20)
WHEN: Friday, May 24 | 5 p.m. (CT)
WHERE: Fort Collins, Colorado | Triple Crown Sports
WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS | BRACKET
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Game Tickets can be purchased at the ticket gate on game days only.
Adult ticket- $10/day
Tournament Pass- $25/for all games 
Seniors and kids 13-17- $5/day
Veterans and kids 12 & Under- Free
 

MAVS IN THE NISC
The Mavs are 6-5 all-time in the NISC after going 3-1 in the Nacogdoches Regional. Their 4-3 extra inning win over McNeese marked back-to-back Regional Championships for the Mavericks after winning the Conway Regional a season ago.
 
UTA is 0-2 in the Championship Bracket of the NISC.  Last year they lost to LMU 10-5 in the opening game before falling to Eastern Kentucky 8-6 to get eliminated from the tournament.

UTA NOTES
• The Mavericks have positioned themselves to score in the first inning more often than not this season. In 50 out of the 60 games played, one of the first three batters have reached base.  In 29 of those games, Whitney Walton has reached base as the leadoff hitter.
• With 33 wins on the season, the Mavs have won their most games since 2011. If the Mavs get one more and reach 34 wins, it will be the most since 2007 when they went 36-16.
• In just her junior season, catcher Reagan Wright has already driven in more runs than any player in UTA history.  Her 118 RBI is now the top mark in school history, with still a season to play.
• Laura Curry has 86 hits this year, the most in school history. She is currently 2nd in the nation in hits, just two behind leader Ali Wester of Notre Dame.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | LIBERTY
• This is the first meeting between Liberty and UTA. The Mavericks are 2-2 all-time against ASUN teams, having played Jacksonville (1-1), North Florida (0-1) and Stetson (1-0).
• Liberty is 40-20 on the season, while going 16-5 in the ASUN. They swept their NISC Regional, winning a combined 12-0 over the three-game stretch.
• The Flames have five batters hitting .300 or better.  Twin sisters Autumn and Amber Bishop lead the team, hitting .353 and .352 respectively. Amber also has 12 home runs on the year.
• Liberty sports a 1.46 pitching staff ERA.  Julia DiMartino and Chase Cassady are the main pitcher in the circle earning a 1.15 ERA and 1.21 ERA, respectively.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | IOWA STATE
• The Cyclones and Mavs met for the first time a season ago, with Iowa State coming out on top 2-1 in Arlington.
• Iowa State is 35-23 on the season and went 7-11 in the Big 12. The Cyclones swept the Ames Regional, defeating Purdue twice and South Dakota State.
• Sami Williams will be a hard out for the Mavericks.  She is currently hitting .397 on the year with 77 hits, 23 doubles and 15 home runs.
• Emma Hylen is the go-to arm for the Cyclones. She has appeared in 36 games with 21 starts, while earning a 2.88 ERA.  She is 18-9 on the season with 104 strikeouts.
 
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
• The Lions lead the all-time series 3-1, with the first meeting taking place in 2006.  LMU defeated the Mavs 10-5 last season in the NISC Championship Bracket en route to winning the title.
• LMU is 39-19 on the season and went 11-4 in the West Coast Conference. The defending NISC Champions lost their first game in the Reno Regional, but battled back, defeating UIC-Riverside, Fresno State and Nevada twice to advance to Fort Collins.
• Molly Grumbo has an OPS of .957.  She is batting .341 with 61 hits, 13 doubles and 7 home runs.
• The Lions have three pitchers who have made over 30 appearances this season.  Hannah Bandimere (2.82 ERA), Samantha Manti (2.83 ERA) and Linnay Wilson (3.42) are the mainstays in the circle.

LAST TIME OUT | Mavs Repeat as NISC Regional Champions (May 18)
For a second straight year, the UT Arlington softball team (33-27) are NISC Regional Champions after defeating McNeese State 4-3 in 10 innings on a wet Saturday afternoon in Nacodgoches.  After losing game the first game 6-1, the Mavericks had to battle back from a 3-0 deficit in game two to clinch the title.
 
"McNeese is a great team with a lot of postseason experience," said Head Coach Peejay Brun. "To watch these players stay strong and overcome what they did, I'm really proud of them."
 
Randi Phillips (16-14) started in the circle in game one, tossing 2.2 innings while giving up four hits and one earned run.  JoJo Valencia replaced Phillips in the third inning, pitching the remaining inning, allowing one run off three hits.
 
Allie Gardiner picked up the start in game two tossing 2.2 innings. She allowed three runs off four hits before Phillips (17-14) replaced her in the third inning, pitching the remaining 7.1 innings, allowing nine hits but shutting out he Cowgirls to help the Mavs complete the comeback.
 
Laura Curry was named MVP of the regional after batting .538 in the four games. She drove in a team-high five runs.  Whitney Walton, Krista Rude and Randi Phillips were named to the All-Regional Team.
 
Walton hit .533, while scoring four times and knocking in one run.  Rude hit .462, scoring five times.  Phillips had an unbelievable 0.33 ERA in the Regional and picked up a 3-1 record.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Baserunners had to wait until the third inning after both pitchers were perfect through two. In the top of the third, Bri Burchiantiwas hit by a pitch before Melanie Mendoza and Krista Rude both singled to load the bases. However, with two outs, a quick snag by the McNeese short stop ended the UTA threat.
 
Two errors in the bottom of the second allowed the Cowgirls to load the bases with no outs.  A single to right field scored the first run, before McNeese used a sacrifice fly and a squeeze bunt to score two more runs.
 
With a runner still at third, a line drive down the right field line scored the fourth run of the inning. Valencia entered the circled following the run and allowed one more run before forcing a ground out to third base.
 
The Mavericks got one run back in the fifth inning. After Burchianti was hit by another pitch, she advanced to third by two bunts before executing a double steal with Walton to cross home plate.
 
The Cowgirls got a security run in the sixth inning. After leading off with a triple to the right field gap, a single drove in the sixth run of the game for McNeese as they took a 6-1 lead.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Both team's bats were silent through the first two innings, but in the third inning McNeese used a two-out rally to score the first runs of the game and take the lead.  A single, followed by a steal put the runner on second, who advanced home with a single to center field, beating the throw home. 
 
The next batter hit a ball to left field, driving in another run, sliding under the tag at home. The hits continued with a line drive down the left field line for the Cowgirls, scoring their third run of third inning.
 
The Mavs got on the board in the fifth inning.  Reagan Wright drilled a ball left center to get into scoring position before Shelbi Court followed suit, driving Wright in with a double of her own to bring the score to 3-1.
 
UTA used a strong sixth inning to the game.  With the fans making noise, the Mavericks got their bats going, quickly loading the bases with no outs. Laura Curry wasted no time to drive in the game tying runs with a double to left center to make it 3-3.
 
With neither team able to get the go-ahead run in regulation, the game was forced to extra innings. The Cowgirls appeared to have a shot in each inning, but left five runners on in the three extra-innings played.
 
In the bottom of the 10^th, Krista Rude and Laura Curry jumpstarted a two-out rally to put runners on second and third. Aileen Garcia took her first pitch with the next at bat to blast a ball to right center and drive in Rude to complete the comeback and clinch the NISC Nacogdoches Regional title, winning 4-3.

FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Softball log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter @UTASoftball.