WICHITA, Kan. — Getting no breaks from a tough Heartland Conference schedule, the Newman softball team hits the road this weekend to face off against league leader and No. 5 in the nation St. Mary's for a three-game set.

Action begins with a 3 p.m. doubleheader Friday, followed by a single game Saturday at noon to wrap up the series.

SCOUTING NEWMAN

The Jets (9-29, 3-6 Heartland) have been showing positive signs since kicking off league play, and were competitive in every game of a 10-game homestand over the past three weeks. They were the first Heartland team to shut out Oklahoma Christian, taking a 4-0 win in one of three games dominated by pitching last weekend.

                Leaders

                Jensen Cromer-.347 avg., 11 runs, 4 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBIs, .600 slg
                                                5-14, 4.06 ERA, 21 app., 1 shutout, 117.1 IP, 41 BB, 64 SO
                Mikayla Medbery-.301 avg., 10 runs, 7 2B, 1 3B, 12 RBIs, 12 SB
                Delaney Hiegert-.292 avg., 12 runs, 1 3B, 6 RBIs, 5 SB
                Kate Smith-2-11, 4.37 ERA, 20 app., 93.0 IP, 26 BB, 61 SO

SCOUTING THE RATTLERS

St. Mary's (31-7, 8-1 Heartland) has won 13 of its last 14 games, including seven straight against Heartland foes since splitting a doubleheader against Lubbock Christian on its first day of league play. The Rattlers swept Oklahoma Panhandle State last weekend and took a twinbill from Texas A&M-Kingsville Tuesday to push its current winning streak to six.

                Leaders

                Raynelle Nash-.433 avg., 23 runs, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 22 RBIs, .525 slg., 481 OBP
                Alena Moreno-.355 avg., 25 runs, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBIs
                Kristal Salinas-.355 avg., 20 runs, 6 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBIs, .516 slg.
                Jorden Russell-14-3, 2.21 ERA, 18 app., 4 shutouts, 111.0 IP, 49 BB, 75 SO
                Ashley Mills-8-1, 2.28 ERA, 20 app., 4 saves, 55.1 IP, 22 BB, 66 SO

NOTES

-At the midway mark of their conference season, the Jets have shown marked improvement in league games, upping their team batting average, and chopping 30 points off the opposition's average. Jensen Cromer has posted a 2.70 ERA against Heartland opponents, while Mikayla Medbery is hitting .407 and slugging .556 across nine conference games.

-St. Mary's leads the conference in nearly every offensive category, including runs per game, batting average, slugging percentage and home runs. It's a balanced offensive attack, with seven players batting over .300 and seven both scoring and knocking in at least 20 runs.

COVERAGE

Live video and statistics from all three games this weekend will be available at www.newmanjets.com.