The OUAZ softball team takes the field after a week off, hosting its second showcase of the season. The 2020 OUAZ Invitational will feature the Spirit, along with Mount Mercy University, Marymount University (Calif.), Northwest University and rival Arizona Christian. OUAZ will play every school except for ACU, who they will see four separate times during conference season.

The Spirit enter the showcase with a 4-2 record, the best start to a season in program history. OUAZ is seeing the ball well at the plate, as they are hitting .349 through the first six games. The team also has racked up eight doubles, with half of those coming from stellar freshman Mashayla Beltran.

Anybody in the OUAZ lineup can knock in runs, as 11 of the 13 players who have had a plate appearance have recorded at least two RBIs. Avery Bohn and Andraya Rhinehart are tied for the team lead with five, plus Jorden Jefferson and Mashayla Beltran have four apiece.

As a team, the Spirit rank in the top 20 of the NAIA in multiple offensive categories. They are 15th in hits per game (9.8), 17th in total hits (59), 18th in batting average, and 19th in total RBIs (34). They are second in the Golden State Athletic Conference in batting average and RBIs per game (5.67).

Bailey Coronado has continued her 2019 success in the circle into this season, as she has put up great numbers in 20.2 innings pitched. She holds a 2-0 record with a 2.71 ERA and a .253 opponents' batting average. She has struck out 20 of 83 batters faced, and strikeout/AB ratio of 4.2, and has only walked four batters.

Freshman Phoebe Popplewell has fared decently in her first ten innings pitched in college. She holds a 2.80 ERA and has yet to throw a wild pitch.

Mount Mercy – The Mustangs kick its season off on Thursday with a pair of games against Arizona Christian. Last season they finished 32-22 overall and 21-15 in the Heart of American conference. Mount Mercy's run in the conference tournament came to an end to Benedictine University, and did not earn an at-large bid to the NAIA national tournament. They are returning Jess Heick (.380, 38 RBIs) and Emily Oler (team-leading 8 HRs, 28 RBIs) to an offense who averaged 5.4 runs per game in 2019.

Northwest – The Eagles come to Surprise losing four of its five games to start 2020. They have allowed 39 runs, but have been able to find some success at the plate as well. Early on, they are second in the nation in home runs per game (1.2), with Jordan Dippel and Abby Brake hitting two each.

Marymount California – The NAIA's 25th-ranked team has not gotten off to the start they were hoping for. The Mariners are 3-7 to start the 2020 campaign, including five losses in its first six games. Marymount has been 2-2 since that point, including wins over GSAC member William Jessup and (24) Corban. As a team, the Mariners are fourth in the NAIA in total pitching strikeouts (48) and eight in doubles (8). DeAndria Lockett holds 30 of those 48 strikeouts as she also holds a 2.30 ERA in 24.1 innings.

SCHEDULE (All Times MST)

Friday, February 14th

10:00AM – Mount Mercy vs Northwest
12:30PM – OUAZ vs (25)Marymount California
3:00PM – OUAZ vs Mount Mercy
5:30PM – Northwest vs (25)Marymount California

Saturday, February 15th

10:00AM – OUAZ vs (25)Marymount California
12:30PM – OUAZ vs Northwest
3:00PM – Arizona Christian vs (25)Marymount California
5:30PM – Arizona Christian vs Northwest
 
Live stats for the first six games during the 2020 OUAZ Invitational can be found at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ottawaaz/. Check back to the official OUAZ website for streaming schedule of the showcase.