ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington softball team will be back at home this weekend for the three-day 4th Boerner Invitational beginning Friday, Mar. 3 as the Mavericks will welcome Rider, Kansas City and Lamar to Allan Saxe Field.

UTA will compete in the Boerner Invitational for the first time since 2021 as the team was forced to drop out of the event last year due to multiple non-COVID illnesses among the Maverick squad.
 
The Boerner Invitational - named 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 – is to help raise awareness to the importance of responsible drinking.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL 
TOURNAMENT: 4th Boerner Invitational
OPPONENTS: Rider, Kansas City, Lamar
WHEN: March 3-5
WHERE: Arlington, Texas | Allan Saxe Field
Game 1 vs Rider: Friday, 3:30 PM | Live Stats | WAC International
Game 2 vs Kansas City: Friday, 6 PM | Live Stats | WAC International
Game 3 vs Kansas City: Saturday, 3:30 PM | Live Stats | WAC International
Game 4 vs Rider: Saturday, 6 PM | Live Stats | WAC International
Game 5 vs Lamar: Sunday, 12:30 PM | Live Stats | WAC International
 
UTA NOTES (6-9)

• The Mavericks are coming off a loss to #10 Baylor this past Tuesday in Waco as UTA now sits on an overall record of 6-9.
•  Paris Brienesse continues to be a key part in the Mavericks' offense as she leads with an overall batting average of .429 going 12-28 at the plate. The sophomore has five RBI on the season with an impressive 1.074 OPS.
• Two Mavs currently share a team-high eight RBI on the year as fifth years Sophie Wideman and Kimber Cortemelia are the pair responsible.
• Wideman holds a .270 batting average - 2nd best of the Mavs - with 10 hits and a .459 slugging percentage. So far this season, the catcher has knocked two home runs contributing to UTA's seven total.
• So far this season, the Mavericks have picked up a few notable victories after beating power-five opponent Texas Tech back in the Maverick Invitational (2/10) and #16 Kentucky in the Tracy Beard College Classic (2/17).
• In the circle, sophomore Jessica Adams sits on a 2.51 ERA with over 44 innings of work. In the 12 games that she's appeared in, Adams has tossed 16 strike outs.

 
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | RIDER BRONCS (2-3)

• The Broncs have played in just five games so far this season after beginning their season Feb. 24 at the Campbell Camel Stampede Buis Creek in North Carolina.
• There, Rider picked up its first two wins of the year over Wagner College, 5-2 and 6-4.
• Junior Jessie Niegocki leads the Broncs' lineup with a .533 batting average and a 1.129 OPS. Not only does Niegocki provide a big bat, she also has over 11 innings spent in the circle for Rider. The junior has started in three games and holds an ERA of 3.71.
• Senior Amanda Cooper sits on an average of .333 with a slugging percentage of.667.
• Freshman Fallyn Stoeckel posts a low 1.14 ERA and leads with 12.1 innings of work. Across three games appeared, Stoeckel has tossed nine strike outs.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | KANSAS CITY ROOS (3-10)

• Kansas City is coming off an 0-4 weekend at the UTEP Invitational in El Paso.
• So far this season, the Roos have tabbed three wins over UT Martin (3-2, 8-7) at the Evansville Tournament and Georgia State (6-1) back at the season-opening Felsburg Invitational in Miami.
• Four Roos are currently hitting above .300 as senior Ally Vonfeldt paces Kansas City's offense with a .342 average and a .447 slugging percentage.
• Sophomore Lexi Smith leads with 14 hits on the season and has started in all 13 games.
• Junior Sydney Nichols has put up six RBI and 13 hits so far – second-best on the team.
• Camryn Stickel leads the rotation with over 34 innings in the circle across nine games. The junior has tossed 28 strike outs on a 5.97 ERA.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | LAMAR CARDINALS (3-16)

• Lamar sits on an overall record of 3-16 with wins over UTSA (11-7), Abilene Christian (6-4) and SFA 3-2.
• This past weekend, the Cardinals dropped all five games at Florida's State's Unconquered Invitational in Tallahassee. With an 0-5 weekend, Lamar is on a seven-game losing streak.
• Infielder Kaylee Ancelot leads with 20 hits on the season with a .377 batting average. The graduate student has logged 11 RBI and six doubles.
• Fellow infielder Sam Bean holds the most walks on the squad with 18 across 47 at-bats. With 15 hits so far, Bean is batting .319.
• Junior Karyana Mitchell has spent the most time on the mound for Lamar with 39 innings pitched. Mitchell leads with 24 strike outs across eight games.  

ON DECK
UTA will pick right back up next Wednesday with its second midweek matchup of the season as the Mavericks will welcome No. 11 Texas to Allan Saxe Field for a 6 p.m. start time.

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 @UTAMavsSB, on Instagram @UTAMavsSB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsSB.