EDMOND REGIONAL FESTIVAL
Mines vs. East Central (at OCU), Friday, 10 a.m. CT [Live Video] [Live Stats]
Mines at Oklahoma Christian, Friday, 4 p.m. CT [Live Video] [Live Statsats]
Mines vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State (at OCU), Saturday, 10 a.m. CT  [Live Video] [Live Stats]
Mines vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State (at UCO), Saturday, 6 p.m. CT  [Live Video] [Live Stats]
Mines at #7 Central Oklahoma, Sunday, 12 p.m. CT  [Live Video] [Live Stats]
 

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THE WEEKEND AHEAD
After opening the season at home on Sunday, Mines will head to Oklahoma for the three-day Edmond Regional Festival, co-hosted by Oklahoma Christian and Central Oklahoma. Mines will play five games, with the first three at OCU and the last two at UCO. Mines should have great weather for the weekend with highs in the 50s and 60s through Sunday. Each game will be streamed live either on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network (games at OCU) or the MIAA Network (games at UCO).

LAST WEEKEND
After seeing Saturday's opener against Humboldt State called off due to high winds, Mines began the 2020 campaign on Sunday at home with a split against Sioux Falls. USF won the opener 8-7 but Mines took the second game 7-3 behind Sydney Marchando's nine-strikeout effort. In game one, USF rallied back from a 6-2 deficit with 15 hits, and Mines' comeback in the seventh left the winning run on second. In the afternoon, Marchando matched her career high for K's while Megan Dickson drove in two runs to lead Mines at the plate as they rode a six-run first inning to victory.

IN THE PRESEASON POLL
The RMAC preseason coaches' poll was unveiled last week as Mines was selected fifth. The Orediggers (28-21 overall, 25-12 RMAC in 2019) finished fourth in last year's regular-season standings and made the RMAC Tournament. Dixie State led the poll by two points over Colorado Mesa, with Colorado Christian third and MSU Denver fourth ahead of Mines.

MOVING ON UP
Heading into her senior season, Clara Larson is moving up the Mines record book in nearly every hitting category. She already owns the career home runs mark of 35, but she also ranks among the career leaders with 194 hits (tied for 7th), 134 runs (tied for 5th), 49 doubles (2nd), six triples (sixth), 159 RBI (3rd), and 51 walks (10th). Larson has a chance to become the seventh player in program history to reach the 200 hits milestone; she would be the first Oredigger to do so since Paige Noehring in 2017.

SPREADING THE LOVE
One good sign on opening weekend for Mines was its offensive production: the Orediggers scored seven runs in each game and hammered 21 hits in total. Mines' run production came from everywhere in the lineup, too, as six different players recorded at least one RBI and every starter had a hit on opening day.

YOINK!
Last year, Mines stole just 44 bases in 49 games, a clip of about 0.9 per game. But in two games so far this season? The Orediggers have swiped seven bags in as many tries, with Kelsey Buechler (3) and Hana Mawlawi (2) leading the way as well as both freshmen Lauren Decker and Renata Boyd (1 each).

NEW FACES
Mines' Opening Day starting lineup featured a pair of freshmen on the outfield corners as Lauren Decker and Renata Boyd got the call in left and right, respectively. Boyd hit lead-off and collected a pair of hits with a run scored in the two games, with her first collegiate hit a triple in the opener. Decker started in right field and later made a relief pitching appearance in the first game; she went 2-for-6 with 2 runs scored, an RBI, and a walk at the dish. Kailey Robb also made her Mines debut in right to replace Decker in game one.

MINES VS. THE COMPETITION
There will be some unfamiliar competition this weekend as Mines has never faced East Central, Oklahoma Christian, or Southeastern Oklahoma State. Mines has met Southwestern Oklahoma State once, a 6-5 extra-innings loss in Wichita Falls, Texas; they've also faced Central Oklahoma only once, all the way back in 1993 in a 13-0 loss in Kearney, Neb.

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines is slated to return home to play #1 Augustana on Feb. 15. The RMAC slate begins Feb. 22 at home against UCCS.