SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University softball team heads down to take on No. 15 Colorado Mesa for more conference action, on March 30 and 31.  First pitch for Saturday's double header is set for noon, while Sunday's will start at 11 a.m.
 
Colorado Mesa Mavericks
Colorado Mesa sits at No. 15 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings and are second in the RMAC with a 16-3 conference record (23-6 overall).  In their last outing, the Mavericks swept Adams State in three games. 
 
BHSU and CMU meet for the first time since the 2017 season, when they play this weekend on the diamond. 
 
The Mavericks are led by junior first baseman AnnMarie Torres as she records a .521 batting average, which is first in the conference and seventh in the nation.  Torres also leads the RMAC with a .651 on-base percentage.  Senior Kellie Mrofcza follows, hitting .416, which is 10^th in the league.  Torres and Mrofcza have totaled a combined 71 RBI. As a team, the Mavericks are hitting .346, which is 12^th in the NCAA II statistics and second in conference. 
 
McKenzie Surface (10-0) leads CMU in the circle with a 2.15 ERA, allowing 14 runs (14 earned).  Surface recorded her 79^th career victory to become the RMAC winningest pitcher of all time, in the Mavericks series against MSU-Denver in week seven.  On the mound, CMU leads the conference with an overall team ERA of 2.41 and 2.19 in conference.
 
Last Time Out
The Yellow Jackets kept a 9-12 overall (6-7 RMAC) record, after the series against New Mexico Highlands was cancelled due to inclement weather.  BHSU ranks eighth in the RMAC standings, just two games behind Regis.
 
Make It a Double
In their 21 games played, BHSU has rolled nine double plays against opponents, which is just short of the 11 made last season.  The Yellow Jackets rank 24^th in the NCAA II and seventh in conference, averaging .43 DP a game.
 
In the Circle
Crystal Amaral (6-2) is tied for fifth in the program's history for pitching victories with six.  Amaral stands fifth in the conference with a total of 67 strikeouts, including 21 looking.  She averages 7.5 strikeouts per seven innings, which is 57^th nationally. In the Yellow Jackets series opener against Adams State (3/9/19), she struck out a career-high 11 batters. 
 
The Yellow Jackets are eighth in the conference with an overall 5.05 team ERA. 
 
Swing Batter Batter Swing
As a team, BHSU holds a .305 batting average, which is fourth in the conference and 78^th nationally.  
 
Alex Wiley leads the Yellow Jackets with a .407 batting average (24-for-59), which is 13^th in the RMAC.  Kindall Bethke follows as she is hitting .400 (28-for-70) to stand 15^th in the conference.   
 
The Yellow Jackets totaled a season-high 19 hits against Adams State on March 10. 
 
Gotta Be Quicker Then That
Maddie London has caught six runners stealing in 21 games to rank fifth in the conference. The junior has thrown out 22 runners in her career at BHSU.
 
Run Jackets Run
BHSU scored a total of 33 runs in the four-game series against Adams State, which is the second most runs scored in a single series in the program's history.  The Yellow Jackets recorded 42 runs in the series against Dakota State in 2010. 
 
Up Next
Following the series against the Mavericks, the Green and Gold will stay on the road and go head-to-head with MSU-Denver, in Denver, Colo., on April 6 and 7.