Coming off another successful weekend to begin the 2020 season, the UT Arlington softball team (6-3) is set to host its second-consecutive tournament at the Boerner Invitational this Friday through Sunday at Allan Saxe Field.
 
The Mavericks – who began last weekend's Maverick Classic by run-ruling Texas Southern (2-7), Stephen F Austin (6-3) and Kansas City (2-3) in three-straight games before wrapping up the tournament with a 1-0 defeat to Kent State (7-2) – will commence action this weekend with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3:00 p.m. versus UTSA (7-4) followed by a nightcap against Rutgers (5-4) set for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch. UTA will pick it right back up on Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. game against Kansas (2-8).
 
Depending on the four participating teams' records through the tournament's first six games, the school with the best mark will square off against the squad with the worst record scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. That contest will be followed by a matchup at 5:30 p.m. between the two teams who would up to that point be in second and third place of the Boerner Invitational.
 
The tournament will wrap up with two games on Sunday – the first of which will be the third-place game at 10:00 a.m. and the second being the championship game slated for a 12:00. p.m. first pitch.
 
To determine which games the Mavs will qualify for on Saturday and Sunday, follow us on social media throughout the weekend on Twitter and Facebook at @UTAMavsSoftball.
 
TOURNAMENT: Boerner Invitational
OPPONENTS: Rutgers (5-4), Kansas (2-8), UTSA (7-4)
WHEN: February 21-23
WHERE: Arlington, Texas | Allan Saxe Field
GAME 1 vs. UTSA (Friday, 3:00 p.m.): LIVE STATS | VIDEO
GAME 2 vs. Rutgers (Friday, 5:30 p.m.): LIVE STATS | VIDEO
GAME 3 vs. Kansas (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.): LIVE STATS | VIDEO
GAME 4 vs. TBD (Saturday – either 3:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.): LIVE STATS | VIDEO
GAME 5 vs. TBD (Sunday – either 10:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m.): LIVE STATS | VIDEO

INAUGURATION OF THE BOERNER INVITATIONAL
In memory of a life taken too early, the softball team has named this weekend's tournament in honor of Melissa Boerner, a former UTA softball captain who was killed by a drunk driver the day before her senior year began in 1998.

The Boerner Invitational is not only a remembrance of Melissa, but it has also been created to help bring awareness to the importance of responsible drinking. In conjunction with the UTA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, throughout the weekend we encourage fans to track the initiatives being taken by SAAC as part of the department's #ResponsibleMavericks campaign on social media.

#ResponsibleMavericks will be providing complimentary alcohol-free beverages from 1:00 p.m. through the last pitch on Friday in support of the Boerner Invitational. SAAC is excited to share some swag and educational items to all tournament attendees. Please stop by and visit their tables. Fans will also have an opportunity to Take the Pledge to Check. It's easy to for anyone to say they "know the signs of alcohol overdose," but are you willing to tell the world that you will intervene, check for the signs, and be the one to make the call for help when you see even one sign of danger? Be a voice for someone who may not have one.​​​​​​​
 
UTA NOTES

• The Mavs are coming off an impressive season-opening home-stand where UTA run-ruled three out of its four opponents in the Maverick Classic this past weekend. Couple that with the team's first live action in College Station two weeks ago, UTA has now begun its season at 6-3 for the second time in the past three years under Coach Brun.
• Kimber Cortemelia is coming off a huge weekend where she went 9-11 at the plate with three home runs, three doubles, eight RBI, seven runs scored, three walks and three stolen bases. The redshirt sophomore now leads the team in eleven statistical batting categories and was awarded the Sun Belt Player of the Week honor on Tuesday, February 18.
• Cortemelia's honor gives UTA back-to-back Sun Belt Player of the Week award winners after Avery Grimes garnered the recognition last week – sophomore pitcher Allie Gardiner won Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week too after the season's first week, giving UTA three player awards through just two weeks to begin the season.
• The Mavs lead the Sun Belt Conference in fielding percentage and come in ninth place nationally after committing only three errors through the team's first nine contests.
• UTA also ranks first in the SBC and sixteenth nationally in stolen bases with 21 on the season.
• Senior catcher Reagan Wright has already thrown out two base runners trying to steal and has only allowed two stolen bases so far this season.

 
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – UTSA (7-4)

• UTA currently holds a 33-40 all-time record against their in-state rival, but the Mavs have won three out of the last four, all of which came seven years ago in 2013. In the past, UTA has had better success at home against the Roadrunners as the Mavs are 16-9 against them at Allan Saxe Field.
• UTSA is 7-4 to begin the 2020 season, dropping two games to Louisiana and one apiece to Wichita State and Texas State. The Roadrunners come into the tournament on a three-game winning streak though after defeating Saint Louis twice and Wichita State once to close out the Bobcat Classic last weekend.
• In six out of the seven games UTSA has won, they've scored five or more runs and have shut out their opponents twice on the season to date.
• The Roadrunners have been led by two infielders, freshman Taylor Medina and redshirt junior Madison Washington to begin the 2020 season. Medina has a team-leading .400 batting average to go along with two home runs while Washington leads the team with four dingers and a solid .379 average at the plate.

 
 KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – Rutgers (5-4)

• Friday's matchup with the Scarlet Knights marks the first time the two schools will meet UTA's 47-year history.
• Rutgers comes into the tournament on a two-game losing streak after losing in back-to-back games to Duke, the first of which the Blue Devils run-ruled the Scarlet Knights 22-1 in five innings before defeating them again in the next game 2-0.
• Of their five wins, two of them have come against Syracuse while all of them have occurred when Rutgers has scored at least three runs.
• The Scarlet Knights are led by sophomore catcher Katie Wingert who has opened the season with a .310 batting average and a team-best 4 home runs. Graduate student Gabrielle Calloway leads the team with 11 hits and a .379 average at the dish.

 
 KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – Kansas (2-8)

• Kansas leads the all-time series against the Mavs with 13 wins to UTA's five. The Jayhawks have won four-straight against UTA while the last time the two schools played each other came all the way back in 2003.
• Don't be fooled by Kansas' record as the Jayhawks have probably played one of the toughest schedules in the nation to date. The Big 12 school has faced eight teams ranked in the top 25, losing to seven of them including Arizona, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina.
• The Jayhawks come into the tournament coming off a huge win after run-ruling the 20th nationally ranked team in the nation, James Madison, 12-5.
• Kansas has given up at least four runs in every game it has lost this season, including six games where they have given up at least eight runs.
• The Jayhawks are led by junior outfielder Brittany Jackson who leads the team with a .321 batting average. Redshirt sophomore and Texas-native Shelby Gayre currently sits with a team-best three home runs in just 13 at-bats.

 
ON DECK
The Mavs will head to Denton, Texas to take on North Texas (8-2) in their first mid-week game of the season on Tuesday, February 25 at 6:00 p.m. The Mean Green have gotten off to a solid start to begin the 2020 campaign, including a big win over in-conference rival Louisiana (ranked 11^th nationally).