In the wake of a four-game losing streak, the UT Arlington softball team (7-8) will travel east to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take part in the Easton Crimson Classic Friday through Sunday at Rhoads Stadium.
 
UTA will commence action with a doubleheader on Friday with the first tilt coming against McNeese at 11:00 a.m. before taking to the diamond again five hours later to face the host of the tournament – and #10 ranked team in the nation – Alabama.
 
The Mavericks will open up Saturday's action with back-to-back games set to begin at 11:00 a.m. versus McNeese ahead of a 1:30 p.m. first pitch against #10 Alabama.
 
UTA wraps up play with its final game of the tournament when they encounter the #5 nationally ranked Arizona Wildcats at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
 
"This is going to be the most challenging tournament I've experienced while coaching here at UTA," said Head Coach Peejay Brun. "I'm excited to be a part of it."
 
TOURNAMENT: Easton Crimson Classic
OPPONENTS: #10 Alabama (9-5), #5 Arizona (12-3), McNeese (14-3)
WHEN: February 28 – March 1
WHERE: Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Rhoads Stadium
GAME 1 vs McNeese (Friday, 11:00 a.m.): LIVE STATS
GAME 2 vs Alabama (Friday, 4:00 p.m.): LIVE STATS | VIDEO
GAME 3 vs McNeese (Saturday, 11:00 a.m.): LIVE STATS
GAME 4 vs Alabama (Saturday, 1:30 p.m.): LIVE STATS | VIDEO
GAME 5 vs Arizona (Sunday, 11:00 a.m.): LIVE STATS
 
UTA NOTES

• After opening the season with a 6-3 record, the Mavs have lost five of their last six games, including a 10-1 defeat at the hands of (RV) North Texas on Tuesday.
• #8 Alabama and #7 Arizona mark the first of five nationally ranked teams UTA will face on its schedule this season. The final three remaining are #3 Texas, #5 Oklahoma and #23 Baylor, a team the Mavs will face twice this year with the first matchup slated for this coming Tuesday, March 3. Last season, the Mavs defeated three nationally ranked opponents including then-ranked #13 Arkansas, #16 Baylor (twice) and #13 Oklahoma State.
• Sophomore Allie Gardiner leads the rotation with 24.1 innings pitched, but UTA uses its entire pitching staff as four Mavs have thrown at least 19 innings in the circle through its first 15 games this season.
• Redshirt sophomore and Blinn College transfer Kimber Cortemelia leads UTA in eight statistical batting categories including a team-best five home runs, 18 hits, 16 RBI, 36 total bases, a .429 batting average and an .857 slugging percentage. The Lake Jackson, Texas, native also leads the Sun Belt Conference in total bases, home runs and slugging percentage.
• Senior shortstop and captain Whitney Walton heads into the tournament having reached base in seven-straight plate appearances while going 6-6 at the plate with one walk in the process.
• Junior and starting right fielder Madison Miller leads the team with four doubles and comes in second to Cortemelia with 15 hits, 10 RBI and 25 total bases.
• The Mavs boast one of the most aggressive teams on the base paths and one of the most sound defensive units in all of Division I softball as they rank fifteenth nationally with 33 total stolen bases and sixteenth nationally with a .979 fielding percentage.

 
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – McNeese (14-3)

• UTA leads the all-time series between the two schools with a 49-44 advantage. Going back to 2010, the Cowgirls have won eight of the last 11 meetings, but UTA defeated McNeese twice in the NISC playoffs last season before the Mavs ultimately went on to win the championship. UTA defeated the Cowgirls 4-3 in 10 innings to advance past the regionals.
• McNeese's only losses this season have come against Troy, UAB and (RV) North Texas. The Southland Conference program also defeated (RV) North Texas and UAB once earlier this year, including having other notable wins against Texas A&M and Southern Miss.
• Of the Cowgirls' 14 wins, six of them have come at the expense of run-ruling their opponent.
• McNeese's success comes from its pitching staff as the squad has a team ERA of 0.97 through 108 innings pitched. Sophomore Saleen Flores leads the attack with a 0.45 earned run average. Senior Caroline Settle isn't far behind as she boasts a 0.84 ERA while holding opponents to a team-low .148 batting average.
• The Cowgirls' offensive is led by freshman Caylon Brabham as the infielder has totaled a .524 batting average and an .833 slugging percentage across 42 at-bats.
• Saturday's game against McNeese will mark the 100^th meeting between the two programs.

 
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – #8 Alabama (9-5)

• UTA leads the all-time series 1-0 against #8 Alabama as the two teams have met only once coming back in 2003 when the Mavs defeated the Crimson Tide 4-1.
• #8 Alabama heads into its home tournament winning its past five games, including four of which have come by run-ruling its opponent. The Crimson Tide have run-ruled its opponents a total of six times so far through its 14 games played. The most high-profile win on its schedule so far came against #1 Washington when they run-ruled the Huskies 8-0 in five innings.
• The Crimson Tide opened its season going 1-3 before reaching a 4-5 record. Its losses have come at the feet of a few nationally ranked opponents, including then-ranked #9 Florida State (twice), #3 UCLA and #16 Oklahoma State.
• #8 Alabama's pitching staff is led by freshman Lexi Kilfoyl who boasts a 4-2 record behind a 2.22 ERA across 34.2 innings pitched.
• The Crimson Tide's offense is led by outfielders KB Sides and Alexis Mack who both possess batting averages of .400 or above. Sophomore infielder Skylar Wallace leads the team with 17 RBI, 22 total bases and a .579 slugging percentage.

 
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – #7 ARIZONA (12-3)

• #7 Arizona leads the all-time series with UTA as the Wildcats have won all four games between the two programs. The last time the two schools met came back in 2016 when Arizona defeated the Mavs in five innings with a final score of 11-0.
• The Wildcats got off to a hot start in 2020 as the program won its first eight contests to begin the season. Two of its losses have come at the hands of then-ranked #2 Oklahoma in an extra-inning affair and #7 Florida. Its other loss came in a game they lost 7-6 against Texas A&M, a team UTA has beaten twice this season.
• Some of the more notable victories the Wildcats own come against then-ranked #18 Missouri and #12 Tennessee. They also began their season by walloping Kansas 11-1 in just five innings, a team UTA lost against twice this past weekend.
• #7 Arizona's rotation consists of mainly two pitchers as the senior duo have started 14 of the 15 games on the Wildcat's schedule to date. Mariah Lopez leads the charge with a 7-2 record and a 1.07 ERA. Alvin, Texas, native Alyssa Denham comes into the tournament with a 2.27 earned run average, a 5-1 record and the most innings pitched for #7 Arizona with 52.1 frames.
• The Wildcats' offensive attack is led by two seniors who both own batting averages north of .365 while tacking on five home runs each. Senior shortstop Jessie Harper leads the team with a .519 on-base percentage while the redshirt senior outfielder Alyssa Palomino possesses a team-best .771 slugging percentage and 20 RBI.

 
ON DECK
The Mavs will have a quick turnaround when they head home from the tournament as UTA will head back out on the road to Waco, Texas to face #23 Baylor on Tuesday, March 3 with 6:30 p.m. first pitch inside Getterman Stadium. The Bears are currently 14-2 and for the first time this past week were moved into USA Today's Top 25 Poll.