Omaha softball seeks back-to-back Summit League Tournament titles
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - For the first time since 2017, the Mavericks captured a regular season series against conference foe South Dakota State. Omaha split their Friday doubleheader with the Jackrabbits, just missing out on the top seed in the Summit League Tournament, however, on Saturday UNO clinched the series with a 7-4 victory.
With the postseason upon them, the Mavs are using their regular season finale to fuel another run at the Summit League Tournament crown.
“Especially after this weekend, I think we’re just going to go out there and have fun and continue to play Omaha softball,” said senior ace Kamryn Meyer. “I think we kinda proved ourselves last year and we were able to get over the hump of SDSU that we’ve had to fight for the how many years I’ve been here? Five.”
In Meyer’s five seasons in an Omaha uniform, the Mavericks are 5-13 overall against the Jackrabbits, with three of those wins coming in the last year. The most historic win against South Dakota State was Omaha’s 1-0 victory in the 2023 Summit League Tournament championship, the game that punched the Mavs’ tickets to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament.
“I think that the experience of going through it and winning it and learning what it takes for that will matter more than anything,” said Omaha softball’s head coach Mike Heard.
“[We’re] just going to play every game like it’s your last and I think just digging deep and playing how we know that we can play,” said Meyer. “We’re just going to– we’re just going to be fine.”
With Meyer, Omaha’s all-time strikeouts leader, the Mavs really are going to be just fine up in Brookings, South Dakota, according to Heard.
“Kam’s going to do what Kam does, right? I mean it’s one of those things where you get to where you just kinda expect it because it’s just every time she goes out there she really is that good. So Kam, she’s gonna do what she does and so I think the key is that the team do our thing around her because she’s going to be good.”
“Knowing that I get to still go out there and play every pitch, every at-bat, with this group and with this team I think is just super special in itself,” said Meyer.
No. 2 Omaha plays the winner of No. 3 Kansas City vs. No. 6 North Dakota State on Thursday at approximately 1:30 p.m. CST.
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