Mines (5-5, 2-2) at Colorado Mesa (6-4, 4-0) – Saturday, 12 p.m. (DH) – Grand Junction, Colo. [Live Stats Game 1] [Live Stats Game 2] [RMAC Network]
Mines (5-5, 2-2) at Colorado Mesa (6-4, 4-0) – Sunday, 11 a.m. (DH) – Grand Junction, Colo. [Live Stats Game 3] [Live Stats Game 4] [RMAC Network]

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WESTBOUND AND DOWN
With one week of RMAC play in the books, the Colorado School of Mines softball team returns to the road this weekend when they make the trip west to Grand Junction for a four-game series against current RMAC co-leader Colorado Mesa set to be played Saturday and Sunday at the CMU Softball Field.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Live coverage of this weekend's games will include live stats and streaming on the RMAC Network. All links can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
AT THE HELM
Mike Coutts enters his third season at the helm of the Orediggers and owns an overall record of 46-61 with a mark of 42-38 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play and is coming off his first 20-win season in Golden in 2023. He oversaw a nine-win improvement overall and an eight-win improvement from year one to year two and guided the Orediggers to an appearance in last season's RMAC Tournament. Before arriving at Mines, Coutts was the head coach of the softball program at Maine for six seasons, where he posted a 94-129 record with two 20-win seasons in 2016 and 2018.
 
IN THE POLLS
Mines was tabbed to finish fifth the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll this season, up two places from their projected result last season of seventh. Defending RMAC champions Colorado Christian were picked to repeat this season with eight first-place votes followed by MSU Denver and Colorado Mesa, who each earned a pair of first-place ballots and were separated by just one point in the poll. Regis checked in just ahead of Mines in fourth with UCCS in sixth with CSU Pueblo and Chadron State in seventh and eighth. Fort Lewis and New Mexico Highlands each earned 37 points to finish tied for ninth in the standings while Adams State and Black Hills State each earned 18 points to finish tied for 11th.
 
FRESH FACES
Carrying one of the biggest rosters in recent history, the Orediggers welcomed 10 freshmen to the club for the 2024 season.
 
Kellan Ton, Kenzie Sale and Sam Whisenand will be competing for time in the outfield this season while Emily Rogers, Lauren Romero and E Self will look to break through for some action this season and learn from an experienced infield group. Ryen Herman joins the catching corps as one of four players behind the dish for Mines, Kiki Matamoros brings flexibility to the roster as a utility player and two-way player Ellen Shull will be in the running to compete for innings this spring and perhaps some time in the lineup.
 
Read more about the newcomers in this year's class by reviewing the 2023 Signing Day release.
 
WEEK 2 RECAP
Change was in the air last weekend as the Orediggers took on Chadron State to open RMAC play as both the location and days on which the series was to be played shifted from Saturday-Sunday in Golden to Sunday-Monday at All Star Park in Lakewood on the home field of CCU. Mines started the series off strong with a 2-0 win in the opener behind a three-hit shutout from Sadriena Rodriguez who struck out eight without issuing a walk while Kailey Morales provided the fireworks with the first home run of her collegiate career with a solo shot in the winning effort. Game two was a high-scoring affair that saw the Orediggers score a touchdown but miss the point after in the first inning as a fielder's choice and a throwing error with four-straight single sandwiched in between resulted in the early lead with Trystin Oshiro-Sano, Sara Larson, Kayleigh Krueger and Cassidy Chvatal all driving in runs. Chadron State battled back and used a pair of home run to fuel their really that saw them first tie the game at 6-6 in the fifth and 7-7 in the seventh before Sidney Wilson and Kellan Ton teamed up with two outs in the bottom of the inning for a walk-off single for an 8-7 win.
 
Sunday was a different matter as the Eagles made some adjustments at the plate and really taxed the Mines pitchers while again relying on the long ball and big innings. A five-spot in the third inning of game one was the difference that including back-to-back big flies and while Mines did manage four runs the next two innings to close within 6-4, a lack of timely hitting doomed a potential seventh inning rally as they left the bases loaded to end the game. The finale ended up being a classic pitcher's duel with CSC scoring first before Kendal Aragon drove in a pair on a walk and a single in the third and fifth innings to make it 2-1. A sixth-inning home run for the Eagles tied the game at 2-2 before taking the lead in the 10th inning on another solo shot, ultimately winning 3-2 as Mines left eight runners on base over the final five innings that included bases loaded in the home sixth as they had to settle for a split to open RMAC play.
 
ONE FINAL RUN
As the era of COVID-extended eligibility begins to wind down, one player from the 2019 signing class is back for a fifth season of college softball. Sadriena Rodriguez earned Second Team All-RMAC honors following a breakout 14-win season in 2023 and was twice named RMAC Pitcher of the Week during the season. She spun five shutouts and struck out 147 in 144.1 innings over work across 24 starts in 25 appearances and held opponents to a mere .200 average. Her 2.18 ERA was the fourth-best in a season all-time while her five shutouts tied for fourth-most in a season, and she enters 2024 with eight career shutouts, good for fifth in program history. She also cleared the 200-strikeout mark in her career, becoming the first Mines pitcher since Sydney Marchando to reach that milestone and will undoubtedly clear 300 before season's end.
 
NOW WALK IT OFF
For the second year in a row, Mines has posted a walk-off winner during their first weekend of RMAC play. Last season when Mines opened at home against Black Hills State, it was a walk-off safety squeeze by Grace Gonzales that scored Sara Larson in the bottom of the seventh in game three of the series for a 3-2 win as the Orediggers ultimately went on to sweep the series. This year, a flare down the right field line with two outs in the home seventh of game two by Sidney Wilson scored freshman Kellan Ton with relative ease to secure an 8-7 win before splitting the series.
 
KELLAN IT
Speaking of Kellan Ton, she's stepped in and made a major impact right away as a first-year player for the Orediggers. The freshman out of Sugar Land, Texas is batting .333 this season in five starts across seven games and has been platooning in left field with Lexie Semeyn. She's hit safely in four of seven games this season, already has a pair of multi-hit outings, doubled and scored a team-high six times while going a perfect 3-3 on stolen bases and fielding 1.000 with an outfield assist as well. Mines will certainly look to her to continue contributing over the course of a long 53-game season.
 
PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION
While a 5-5 start to the season may not jump off the page to most folks and be the same record after 10 games last season, it's a start to the season that is quietly one of the best in recent history for the Orediggers. Needing just eight games to find their first five wins of the season, they're two games ahead of schedule from last season while in 2022 it took them 18 games to get to five wins and 13 in 2021.
 
MEASURING THE COMPETITON
Even though some teams are just two and three weeks into their seasons, one can still look at the numbers and make some determinations about teams. For example, Mines pitching is among the top five in the RMAC in ERA (3.94), hits allowed (78), runs allowed (45), earned runs (39) and opponent batting average (.284) and leads the league in fewest walks issued with 24 in 691. Innings.
 
Individually, Kendall Aragon is tied for fourth in the league in batting average at .455 and is inside the top 10 with 15 hits. Sadriena Rodriguez is fifth in the league with a 2.47 ERA while Kat Miller is right behind in sixth at 2.63 while Miller is tied for fifth in hits allowed with 20 and Rodriguez is tied for eighth with 22. Both are also inside the top five in terms of walks allowed with the left-hander tied for second with only four and the right-hander tied for fourth with five while the duo rank third and sixth respectively in opponent batting average at .214 and .247.
 
ZOOM ZOOM
An area of emphasis under the Coutts regime has been putting pressure on the defense by creating action on the basepaths. Last season, the Orediggers set a new single-season program record for steals in a season, finishing 2023 with 86 swipes in 103 tries. Sara Larson and Kendall Aragon were two of four players with double-digit steals last year, with Larson going 18-20 and Aragon going 10-12 and both will look to continue leading that effort this season. All in all, 10 different players committed larceny on the bases last year, half of which are back this season and looking for more.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Kendall Aragon continues to do her thing near the top of the lineup, rotating between the leadoff and three spots to bat .455 with five runs scored with a .486 on-base percentage. Trystin Oshiro-Sano has been splitting time as the designated player and at second base and is hitting .303 with six RBI while Lexie Semeyn is hitting .286 with two doubles and two triples while leading the way with seven runs batted in splitting time between left field and behind the dish where she has thrown out two base stealers this year.
 
Sidney Wilson is hitting .258 with two RBI and four runs scored, while Sara Larson bats .241 with a double, home run and three RBI. Kellan Ton has been one to watch in her platoon role in the outfield, batting .333 with a team-best six runs scored and is also the team leader with three stolen bases. Kailey Morales has settled into her role as the game one catcher each weekend and is batting .273 with a home run and two runs scored while fielding a perfect 1.000 so far this year.
 
In the circle, Sadriena Rodriguez will look to bounce back after a challenging weekend that now sees her record stand at 3-2 in five outing with four starts and a 2.47 ERA in 28.1 innings of work with 21 strikeouts against four walks while allowing opponents to bat just .214. Kat Miller has been the #2 in the circle so far, starting three times in six games and posting a record of 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA in 21.1 innings with eight strikeouts while allowing 11 runs (eight earned) and holding opponents to a .247 average. Cassidy Chvatal has been splitting time between right field and the circle as the third start and is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two games with three strikeouts in 9.1 innings of work, but is coming off an outing in which she pitched into the sixth inning and took a no decision against Chadron State, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out two. Allison Westbrook has made three relief appearances in four games and is 1-2 with an 8.69 ERA in 9.2 innings and has struggled to find her groove from last season in the early going in 2024.

SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
After going 2-4 at the DII First Pitch Invite down in Conroe, Texas against a field that included a pair of Top 20 teams in Rogers State and UT-Tyler, Colorado Mesa opened their RMAC slate as one of four teams to go 4-0, sweeping past Fort Lewis as they too had to make a venue change, getting snowed out in Durango and having to play the Skyhawks at a place familiar to Mines at Bloomfield High School just over the border in New Mexico. CMU took the opener Saturday 5-2 before cruising to a 13-3 win in five innings to end day one and started day two with a 3-2 win before completing the sweep with a 9-1 win in six innings.
Three regulars are hitting north of .310 two weeks into the season for CMU, led by Myah Arrieta who owns a .448 average and is slugging .828 with seven of her 13 hits going for extra bases including four doubles, two triples and a home run while driving in five and scoring 10. Ally Distler is next on the list at .345 with two doubles and two home runs and is tops on the club with 10 RBI while also scoring nine times and is 3-3 on stolen bases. Iliana Mendoza rounds out the group at .313 with a double, home run, seven runs scored and four RBI.
 
Ava Fugate (.222 AVG, 4 R) is also someone worth keeping an eye on as she leads the Mavs with four stolen bases in as many attempts. Don't let the .160 average of Mirando Pruitt deceive you either, as three of her four hits this season have left the yard as she has driven in six while scoring five. Off the bench, Makayla Westmoreland is batting 4-5 with a double and two home runs, scoring four times and driving in four and is coming off a 3-3 game last time out against Fort Lewis.
 
Another thing that could affect the series is CMU's aggressiveness on the bases, as seven of nine starters have at least one stolen this season while eight different players account for the 15 swipes in 18 attempts. If runners get on and the situation presents itself, the Mavericks will look to take the extra 60 feet.
 
In the circle it has been a balanced rotation of four arms led by ace Marisa Nehm who is 2-0 in six games with one start and has a 1.42 ERA across 19.2 innings of work, allowing just seven runs (four earned) while letting her defense work behind her, striking out just two batters this season but has allowed opponents to hit .338 this season. Newcomer Preslee Christensen, named Tuesday as the RMAC Pitcher of the Week, has made an impact right away on her third team in as many seasons and is 2-2 across six games with three starts for a 2.33 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 15 innings and has held the opposition to just a .235 average, the best on the team. Walks have been an issue for the JUCO transfer though, as she has already issued 13 this season. Another newcomer who was at the junior college level last season is Christa Zagala and so far this year for CMU is 2-1 in five games with three starts with a 5.00 ERA in 14 innings, allowing 11 runs (10 earned) on 19 hits while striking out six against five walks. Teams have hit .333 against her and 11 of the 19 hits she's allowed have been for extra bases (6 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR). Rounding out the rotation is Hannah Sattler, who is 0-1 in six games with three starts and a 5.13 ERA with nine strikeouts, nine walks, 17 runs (11 earned) and 22 hits allowed in 15 innings pitched.

SERIES HISTORY
Looking at the all-time series, CMU leads 133-19 overall and is 60-5 when playing in Grand Junction against the Orediggers. The teams met three times last season, splitting the only two games of the regular season after day one of the series was canceled on account of poor field conditions before squaring off in the opening round of the RMAC Tournament. Mines snapped a nine-game losing streak in the series within a 3-0 game one win in Golden before the Mavericks took game two 6-5 and the postseason opener 4-2 in Lakewood. The last wins for the Orediggers in Grand Junction came when they split a four-game series in 2020 and will look to snap a seven-game losing streak this weekend.

ON DECK
Mines will be back at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field to begin the month of March when they host New Mexico Highlands March 2-3.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines softball on X at @MinesSoftball and on Instagram at @mines_sb. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, X and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.