BRANSON, MO – Next stop… Branson. The Miners will compete at the Branson RecPlex this weekend, playing four games as part of the Branson Showtime Classic. Their first contest will be against the No. 13 Central Oklahoma Bronchos today, followed by a matchup with the Missouri Southern Lions later in the evening. Saturday's games will be against the Winona State Warriors and the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers.
 

About the Bronchos

Likely the Miners' most difficult opponent of the weekend, the Bronchos are ranked No. 13 in the most recent NFCA poll and hold a 14-3 record this year. This will be the third meeting between the Miners and the Bronchos this season, with UCO taking the first two by scores of 10-2 and 10-0.

Central Oklahoma ranks 12th in the nation in batting average, hitting .370. They are also tied for the sixth-most shutouts nationally, recording five in their first 17 games. Those shutouts are largely due to the Bronchos' ace pitcher, Shelby Beard, who boasts a 0.45 ERA—one of the best in Division II.
 

About the Lions

Missouri Southern improved its record with a series sweep against Drury on Tuesday, defeating the Panthers 4-3 and 3-2. MSSU's most notable win of the season came on February 1, when they upset No. 20 Southern Nazarene 14-13 in an 11-inning thriller.

The Lions have five players batting above .300 this season, with Katie Gray leading the team at .381. Bailey Dillon holds the second-best batting average at .370 and ranks 37th in Division II in stolen bases with nine. MSSU has relied on six different pitchers through its first 15 games, with senior Avery Tallman leading the squad with a 2.26 ERA.
 

About the Lopers

The Lopers will look to improve upon their 7-5 record at the Branson Showtime Classic, with games against Lincoln (MO) and Winona State today before facing the Miners tomorrow. UNK has hit eight triples this season, tying them for 13th in Division II.

Sophomore Mary Chvatal has been a standout baserunner this year, stealing seven bases and averaging 1.33 runs per game. She also holds the second-highest batting average on the team at .429, trailing only Alyssa Fortik's .500.
 

About the Warriors

Winona State enters the Showtime Classic with a 9-1 record, starting the season 9-0 before falling 6-0 to Lewis University in their most recent game. They will face Nebraska-Kearney and Lincoln (MO) before taking on S&T tomorrow afternoon.

The Warriors have three batters hitting above .400, with Sam Keller's .559 batting average ranking 13th in Division II. Braelee Jodarski follows with a .483 average and ranks second in the nation in home runs, hitting seven in the first ten games.
 

About the Miners

After a tough start to the season, the Miners got back on track last week with wins over Missouri Western and Newman University, the latter victory coming via a mercy-rule grand slam by Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk).

The Miners have hit 11 home runs this season, ranking 39th in Division II. Five of those home runs came in the last two games, with Anderson and Taylor Nelson (Jefferson City, MO/Phillips Exeter Academy) each recording two and Trista Grobe (DeSoto, MO/DeSoto) adding the fifth.
 

What's Next

The Miners will host their first home games of the season next week when Drury comes to Rolla on Sunday, March 9.
 
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