MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris will be the host for the 2013 UMAC Tournament which starts Friday at 10 a.m. at Cougar Field. The Cougars are the number two seed in the double elimination tournament with a spot in the NCAA Tournament on the line. TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
 
Making the tournament was still in the air on Tuesday but the Cougars swept Bethany Lutheran to get a bid and the number two seed. The Cougars made it to the UMAC Championship last year before falling to St. Scholastica in the final. They will hope to make it one step further this time around.
 
Offensively the Cougars have been led by Sam Hanson and Cassie Sowada. The two are both hitting over .400 on the year and have combined to drive in 35 runs. As a team the Cougars have eight players with 11+ RBI on the season and three with at least 20. Minnesota Morris is 11-2 when outhitting their opponent.
 
Pitching is the key for the Cougars. They are 14-4 when allowing less than four runs per game. Hanson along with Mackenzie Weatherly will try to take a step in the circle this weekend to lead the host Cougars. When Sowada puts the ball in play she reaches over fifty percent of the time. In addition, when the defense makes one error or less they are 12-4.
 
The Cougars are a perfect 16-0 when leading after four but just 1-15 when trailing after four. The key to the success for Morris this season is the ability to jump out in the first inning. In 34 games this year the team has scored 48 runs, where as they have allowed 20 first inning runs. They are 11-4 when they score in the first inning of play. 

Live updates for all games will be available at twitter.com/ummcougars.