Mines vs. CSU-Pueblo, Friday, 12 p.m./2 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines vs. CSU-Pueblo, Saturday, 11 a.m./1 p.m.[Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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THIS WEEKEND
The final regular-season series of 2019 will be held in Golden as the Orediggers take on CSU-Pueblo for four games Friday and Saturday. The games are important for both teams as Mines looks to maintain its seeding for the RMAC Tournament, while CSU-Pueblo is on the outside looking in to make the field of eight. The games are being played on Friday-Saturday as part of a new RMAC rule that shifts the final weekend of play ahead a day to give teams an extra day of rest before the start of the RMAC Tournament next Thursday.

SENIOR DAY SET FOR SATURDAY
Saturday will be Senior Day for the Orediggers, with the six-member Class of 2019 honored in between games. The Orediggers will bid farewell to an accomplished group of seniors in Loren Dempsey, Kara Jones, Katie Leiker, Boston Ludlow, Maddie Rogers, and Dani Valerio; the class has helped engineer a total turnaround of the Mines Softball program, inheriting a team that went 11-38 in 2015 and going 104-82 over the next four years, including three straight winning seasons and postseason appearances in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

LAST WEEKEND
The Orediggers split with MSU Denver, winning 10-6 and 8-3 but losing a pair of 4-3 heartbreakers, including the series finale in 9 innings. Katie Leiker led the way at the plate batting .533 and slugging 1.000 with a pair of home runs and 6 RBI; Stefanie Brunello had a breakout series as well going 5-for-10 with 3 RBI and a triple. Both Sydney Marchando and Claire Stringfellow went 1-1.

OREDIGGERS EYE POSTSEASON
The RMAC regular-season title has all but been decided as Colorado Mesa (31-6, .886) needs to win one of four in their pod with Colorado Christian and New Mexico Highlands this weekend to clinch the crown and hosting rights for the RMAC Tournament. CCU (26-6, .813) is in second with Dixie State (27-9, .750) in third, and Mines (23-10, .697) is all but locked into the fourth spot barring four DSU losses. For CSU-Pueblo (11-23, .324), they need wins and help as they're in ninth behind Adams State (12-21, .364) heading into the weekend. The RMAC Tournament begins Thursday, May 2 and is a double-elimination, eight-team bracket.

IN THE RANKINGS
Mines moved into the NCAA regional rankings this week at #9, with the top eight teams earning NCAA berths at the end of the season. Colorado Mesa appeared at #6 with Dixie State at #10. The rankings contain 7 other teams that Mines has played this year including #1 Texas A&M-Kingsville, #2 Texas A&M-Commerce, #4 Tarleton State, #5 Cameron, and #8 St. Mary's.

MINES EARNS SEVEN ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS
Led by First-Team All-Academic selections Clara Larson and Sydney Marchando, Mines Softball collected seven RMAC All-Academic honors on Wednesday. In addition to Larson and Marchando, Mines had five student-athletes earn RMAC Academic Honor Roll spots including Katie Leiker, Boston Ludlow, Kylie Redding, Maddie Rogers, and Dani Valerio. Honorees hold GPAs of 3.3 or above and are sophomores or higher academically.

THE MATCH UP
The Orediggers own the RMAC's #4 offense (.306) and #3 pitching staff (3.08) while CSU-Pueblo comes in ranked seventh in both offense (.297) and pitching (5.11). The Thunderwolves are led at the plate by the combo of Marissa Piatt (.375, 27 RBI, 8 HR) and Michaela Burpee (.372, 35 RBI, 11 HR). Hannah Anderson has the staff's low ERA of 4.27 in 59 innings but it's been Taylor Strupp (4.60, 17 starts, 99 IP) and Samantha Riesen (5.25, 14 starts, 74.2 IP) who have eaten up the majority of innings for the Pack.

LARSON NEARS HOME RUN RECORD
With a home run last week against MSU Denver, junior Clara Larson now has 33 in her three seasons, only one behind Kaleigh Starr's record of 34 set between 2007 and 2010. Her 47 career doubles are now tied for third all-time, and her 151 RBI are also third.

FLASHING THE LEATHER
A year after finishing eighth in the RMAC in team fielding percentage at .944, Mines is the league's most improved defensive team in 2019, currently second at .968. The Orediggers have committed just 38 errors in 1,189 chances.

OUTSTANDING IN HER FIELD
Freshman Kendall Murphy has had the starting rightfield spot locked down this season, but a nagging injury forced her into a DP-only role for last weekend's series. That sent usual designated player Kara Jones to right for the first time in her career, and after not seeing a ball hit to her on Friday, the senior made three outs in three chances on Saturday. It's not the first time in her career that Jones has been called on to fill in a defensive hole; although usually a catcher, Jones has also seen spot time at first base in 2016 and 2018, and over the past two seasons has an exceptional .982 fielding percentage.

LAST YEAR
Mines swept CSU-Pueblo at home last year, winning two close games and two comfortably. Mines edged the Thunderwolves 4-3 in the opener before Clara Larson's 5-RBI game helped them to a 9-4 win in game 2; on the second day, Larson starred again with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the eighth to win 7-6 before the Orediggers scored a season-high 15 runs in a 15-1 run-rule victory to wrap up the series. Larson ended up having a monster series hitting .625 and slugging 1.375 with 11 RBI, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and four multi-hit games.

MINES NOTABLES
Mines has assured itself of the 15th 20+ win season in program history and a third straight winning season … Mines has four active players with 100+ hits: Katie Leiker (185), Clara Larson (184), Kara Jones (161), and Boston Ludlow (127) … Leiker and Larson now stand 10th and 11th, respectively, all-time at Mines in hits … Both Larson (47, T3rd) and Jones (46, 4th) rank in the Mines top-10 in career doubles … Brunello's triple last weekend was the first of her career … Stringfellow is now fourth all-time in career wins (37) at Mines … Sydney Marchando picked up her first career save in the series finale against CCU … Marchando is the first Mines pitcher since Hallie Smith in 2016 to surpass 100 strikeouts in a season, and her .234 opposing average is the lowest since Kelly Unkrich's .202 in 2013 ...Mines pitchers own the RMAC's #3 team ERA (3.08).