Edmond Life and Leisure - May 8, 2025

The Bronchos celebrate their softball title.

UCO captures MIAA softball title

HAYS, Kansas – Terin Ritz capped a dominating tournament with another stellar all-around performance and Central Oklahoma got big contributions from a host of others to capture the MIAA Softball Championship title with a stunning 8-0 demolition of Rogers State Saturday afternoon.

Ritz threw a four-hit shutout with six strikeouts and no walks in addition to driving in three runs to lead the way.

The No. 4-ranked Bronchos also got three-hit outings from Rylee Anglen and Macie Andrews, while Ariah Mitchell had a key three-run double that put UCO in control early.

It all added up to a run-rule rout of the No. 16 Hillcats and the fourth league tournament title in eight years for the Bronchos, who improved to 46-8. UCO will find out this week whether it will host a regional next week when the 64-team NCAA Division II national tournament field is announced.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” head coach Cody White said. “We beat three good teams this week and especially the last two days. Rogers has a great team, but we just played lights out today in every phase of the game.

“We’ll take a day off and celebrate this championship and then it’s time to get back to work. Our region is probably the toughest in the country, so we know it’s going to be even harder next week. But this is a determined group and if we play like we did this week we’re going to be hard to beat.”

The Bronchos with Ritz in the circle were cer-tainly unbeatable this week. Ritz pitched all 19 innings in the tournament, allowing just one run and 12 hits with 12 strikeouts and no walks. As in zero free passes.

“I just went out there and had fun with it,” Ritz said. “Layne (catcher Layne Smith) and I spent a good amount of time before this getting prepared and I trusted her with everything. I trust my team and I trust my coaches and I couldn’t be more proud of the team.”

Ritz was named tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by Anglen, Mitchell, Rylee Lemos and Kennedy Clark.

Mitchell had the biggest hit of the day in the bottom of the first to put Rogers State on its heels.

Lemos was hit by pitch to open the inning, Anglen singled up the middle and Emily Deramus drew a two-out walk to load the bases.

Then Mitchell came through, fouling off three straight full-count pitches before ripping a line-drive off the left field wall for a three-run double that gave Ritz all the support she needed.

UCO made it 5-0 in the second. Andrews led off with a bloop base hit to left-center, Anglen reached on a fielder’s choice that resulted in the second out and Clark walked to again load the bases before Ritz drove a two-run double to left-center.

The Bronchos added two more in the fourth.

Anglen got things going with a one-out double down the left field line and Clark followed with a single up the middle before giving way to pinch-runner Sherri Mason.

Anglen scurried home on Ritz’s bloop single to right that put Mason on third and Deramus surprised the Hillcats with a perfect squeeze bunt to up the lead to 7-0.

UCO ended it in the bottom of the fifth with Andrews and Anglen again in the middle of the action.

Andrews started the inning with an infield sin-gle, went to second on Brooklyn Ryan’s sacrifice bunt and beat out the throw to third on Lemos’ grounder. Mackenzie Fithian came on to run for Andrews and she trotted home with the game-ending run when Anglen blooped an RBI single over RSU’s drawn-in outfield.

Anglen also scored three runs in addition to

her 3-for-4 day and anchored another fine defen-sive performance by the Bronchos from her sec-ond base post. Andrews went 3-for-3 and Ritz had two hits to pace UCO’s 10-hit attack.