CHADRON, Neb -- March 31, 2017 -- The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference softball series slated for Saturday and Sunday in Lakewood, Colorado, between Chadron State College and Colorado Christian University, has been postponed to start on Sunday, April 2, instead, when more favorable weather conditions are expected. The series will also be moved geographically, to be played at Valor Christian High School in neighboring Highlands Ranch, due to anticipated field conditions at Lakewood City Park, home of the Cougars.

Colorado Christian is a half-game behind fourth-place Chadron State in the conference standings, at 20-12, and 10-6 in league play. Due to a canceled series at Black HIlls State, they have three fewer contests in conference play. Chadron State enters at 15-15, 12-7 RMAC following a home sweep of BHSU. CCU is coming off a 2-2 road split at UCCS.

The Cougars have not played at home since March 5, due to a scheduling quirk. Therefore, the CSC series will be the first four of an eight game homestand for CCU before another eight-game streak ends their regular season. In all, 16 of Christian's final 20 games will be played in Lakewood. Consequently, with the Cougars challenging for a top seed in the RMAC Tournament, Chadron State would like to put more separation between themselves and CCU in the standings.

CCU has three very capable pitchers. All three have held their opponents to .290 or worse in the circle. Kelsea Sweeney, a redshirt freshman from Las Vegas, holds a team-best 3.92 ERA with 64 strikeouts and only 22 walks in 87.1 innings. Kenzie Mattey, a sophomore transfer from MSU Denver, was the RMAC Pitcher of the Year and also Freshman of the Year in 2015 as a first-year player. Sarah Probasco is a true freshman who has been called on in 20 games already this season, and has started eight.

Yet another CCU freshman, Stephanie Day of Las Vegas, leads a platoon of eight Cougars who are batting for a .300 average or better. Sophomore Hannah Farmer, a 2016 NFCA All-South Central Region First Teamer as a true freshman, is close behind batting .356. Fortunately for the Eagles, CCU's returning NFCA national Freshman of the Year Charlotte Romero is on a pace of only .333 in the batter's box after finishing just under .500 in 2016.

Chadron State has their work cut out for them in this series, but if they can limit mistakes, they have shown they can defeat any team in the conference and beyond. The Eagles are a respectable 3-5 against teams currently ranked in the top 25, with a win over No. 5 Saint Leo in the opening weekend and a series win over No. 22 Colorado Mesa on opening day of conference play.

Incidentally, freshman pitcher Megan Horn played at Valor Christian High as a junior at Air Academy in 2014. She struck out nine and allowed only one run in a complete game against the 4A juggernaut, which has won the past three state titles in Colorado.