ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington Softball team (7-7) will end its nine-game home stand when the Mavs head to Denton, Texas to face in-state rivals North Texas (12-2) on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 6:00 p.m. inside Lovelace Stadium.
 
The Mavericks lead the overall series between the two schools with a 33-20 record, including winning three of the last five contests over the past two seasons.
 
UNT won the most recent matchup at the Texas Tech Invitational when they defeated the Mavs with a score of 5-1. UTA ended up splitting its two-game series with the Mean Green last season in Lubbock, Texas while the Mavs also defeated UNT in extra innings at Allan Saxe Field last season by a score of 13-10.

To follow along with live stats of the game click here.

UT Arlington News & Notes
After winning six of its first nine games to start the year, the Mavs have slid into a funk as they have recorded one win across its past five games. What was once a strength to begin the season, UTA's pitching staff has hit a lull as it finished with a 6.36 ERA over this past weekend.
 
Even with the tough stretch, senior JoJo Valencia (2-3) and sophomore Allie Gardiner (3-0) still hold earned run averages of below 3.00. All in all, the Mavs have four different pitchers who have thrown at least 19 innings through its first 14 contests.
 
That doesn't include freshman Abby Mckeown who saw her first action of the season this past Sunday when she threw three scoreless frames before finishing off her debut by striking out the side.
 
What has now become a strength, UTA has had numerous players step up offensively to begin the season through its first third of the schedule.
 
This past weekend Madison Miller – who is riding a five-game hitting streak – stepped up to hit a game-tying home run in the final inning of a matchup against Rutgers, setting up her teammate Whitney Walton to blast the game-winning home run in the same inning. Miller now sits at sixth in the Sun Belt Conference with a .429 batting average.
 
Redshirt sophomore Kimber Cortemelia finished this past weekend off with her second two-home run performance this season. After knocking in seven runs on Sunday, the Blinn College transfer leads the SBC with 16 RBI, 35 total bases, five home runs and a .897 slugging percentage.
 
Rounding out the lineup, freshman Reagan Hukill has been a force at the bottom of Head Coach Peejay Brun's batting order. The Mansfield, Texas, product has a .364 batting average accompanied by nine runs scored and eight RBI, all while playing solid defense – reflected by her 1.000 fielding percentage out in left field.
 
UTA has five different Mavs who have stolen at least five bases this season and the team as a whole leads the SBC with a .978 fielding percentage.
 
Know Your Opponent – North Texas
Coming off of a 35-19 campaign in 2019, the Mean Green have gotten off to a torrid start in 2020 as the team has won 12 of its first 14 games, including its past four straight. The only blemishes on its schedule so far have come from splitting a two-game series against McNeese State and a 3-2 loss in Austin against the Texas Longhorns.
 
The Mean Green's early-season success stems from its dominant pitching staff as UNT has a three-headed monster when it comes to its starting rotation. The staff is led by junior Hope Trautwein (6-1) who so far through eight appearances has a 0.63 ERA to go along with three complete games and 67 strikeouts over 44.2 innings pitched.
 
Sophomore Bailey Tindell (4-1) has pitched to a 0.68 ERA across five starts and 30.2 innings pitched. Freshman Ariel Thompson (2-0) rounds out the pitching attack with a 1.27 ERA and 35 punch-outs over her 22 frames in the circle.
 
The staff as a whole has given up only one home run on the season while holding its opponents to a .161 batting average.
 
UNT's offensive attack is led by senior outfielder Hanna Rebar who leads the team with a .333 batting average, 13 hits and four stolen bases. Sophomore infielder Tayla Evans has recorded a team-best 13 RBI and 23 total bases, including a team-high three doubles to go along with her .300 batting average. Utility player Tarah Hilton rounds out UNT's offensive charge with a club-high .583 slugging percentage and three home runs.
 
On Deck
UTA will head to Tuscaloosa, Alabama this Friday to take part in the Easton Crimson Classic. The Mavs will face off against three schools in the tournament, including host #10 Alabama and #5 Arizona who are ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25 poll. UTA will kick off its trip with a matchup against McNeese State slated for an 11:00 a.m. first pitch on Friday.

BARK IN THE PARK…ALL SEASON LONG
UT Arlington Department of Athletics officials announced that all 2020 home baseball games at Clay Gould Ballpark and softball games at Allan Saxe Field will be dog-friendly, thanks to a generous partnership with upstart Lone Star Friends of Animals to create 'Casey's Corner.'
 
Dogs which are leashed, at least six months old and with the proper vaccinations will be permitted at all UTA baseball and softball games throughout the season.
 
Casey's Corner is a grassy area between the baseball and softball fields, along the 3rd-base line of the baseball stadium. Multiple pet waste stations have been set up, and the space provides fans and dog owners an opportunity to walk and sit with their canine companions while taking in all the Maverick action.

TICKET INFORMATION
Individual and season tickets are now on sale for the 2020 UT Arlington softball season. All seating is general admission, and tickets can be secured by logging on to UTATickets.com.

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.