GOLDEN, Colo. – Colorado School of Mines head softball coach Mike Coutts is pleased to announce new additions to Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field during of the 2024 season in the form of new recognition boards highlighting the achievements of the program and individual players.
 
The project was funded by Mines alumnus Ben Mares and will be comprised of two panels mounted on the back of the third base dugout, the first of which will include major program awards and individual accolades, while the second will feature 13 annual award recipients, named for significant donors and Mines softball alumni who have made meaningful contributions and impacts to the softball program.
 
"Ben Mares was instrumental not only in this project but also in our ability to improve our locker room and coach's office," said head coach Mike Coutts. "We are very grateful to have someone like Ben support not just our program, but many others at Mines in this unselfish manner."
 
2024 marks the 42nd season of Oredigger softball, during which time the program has collected four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season titles (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013), one tournament title (2013) and made three NCAA Tournament appearances (2009, 2011, 2013).
 
Four players have earned All-American honors, as Katie Kocman and Kaleigh Starr both did so in 2009 while Kelly Unkrich and Clara Larson did so in 2013 and 2018 respectively. Larson also earned Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Communicators three times in 2018, 2020 and 2021 and is one of three players in program history to do so alongside Sarah Lustgraaf (2013) and Melissa Marshall (2014).
 
In addition, three players have been enshrined in the Harry D. Campbell Oredigger Hall of Fame with Kelly Thistlewood (Hadley) being the first inductee in 2001 before Lynn Terre (Leone) was inducted in 2002 while Unkrich joins the elite group this fall.
 
The 13 awards that will be featured at the field as well are named in recognition of former players, coaches and donors that had a significant impact on the softball program at Mines and will see the first recipients named following the conclusion of the 2024 season.
 
The Gail Klock Coaches Award is named after Gail Klock, the first head coach in program history who served two stints from 1983-88 and 1992 and helped lay the foundation for softball at Mines. The award will recognize the player who exemplifies Gail's inspirational qualities and high standards both on and off the field. Other attributes to be considered for recipients of the award include resilience, courage, a team first mentality, being life-long learner and serving as an inspiration to others.
 
The Kerry Siggins Perseverance Award is named for alumni Kerry Siggins (Petranek), who played for the Orediggers from 1998-2001, and will be awarded to the player who has persevered through challenging times at Mines to make a significant contribution to the program. Said Coutts, "Kerry has been instrumental in our field improvement project to enhance the facilities at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field."
 
The Lauren Decker Oredigger Tough Award, named for the 2023 graduate who was a two-way standout from 2020-23 and earned a degree in Computer Science, will be awarded to the player who is the hardest worker and most dedicated athlete in the weight room and who is the toughest and most committed player as it pertains to athletics and academics.
 
The Gail Coors Leadership Award, named for the wife of the late Joe Coors Jr. for whom the Mines softball field is named after, will be awarded to the player who demonstrates outstanding leadership on the field, in the locker room and on the Mines campus.
 
The Sydney Marchando Academic Award will be awarded to the player who exemplifies the high standards that Sydney showed in the classroom while she was an outstanding student-athlete at Mines. She played for the Orediggers from 2018-21 and earned nearly a dozen academic honors in her career, including three College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selections and RMAC Academic Player of the Year in her final season. Marchando was a standout pitcher whose name can be found all over the Mines record books and graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering.
 
The Brianne Brennan Best Teammate Award will be selected by the team and will be awarded to the player whom the team feels displays the team core values of resilience, team first, growth mindset and integrity. Brennan played for the Orediggers from 2004-07 and holds the record for most career walks with 88.
 
The Paige Noehring Defensive Player Award will be awarded to the most outstanding defensive player during the season. Noehring was a standout defensive player while she competed for the Orediggers from 2014-17, earning several All-RMAC honors and posting a career fielding percentage of .946 while roaming the outfield for 177 games. She graduated from Mines with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
 
The Clara Larson Offensive Player Award, named for one of the greatest offensive players in program history who played from 2017-21 and holds numerous program records, will be given to the top offensive player on the team each season. The older sister of current Orediggers Sara Larson, Clara earned both a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Mines in Computer Science.
 
The Deborah Ausmus Batting Average Award is named for Deborah Ausmus, who played from 1993-95 and lays claim to the holding the title of highest career batting average as an Oredigger at .443, will be awarded to the player who leads the team in that statistic each season.
 
The Kaleigh Starr Runs Scored Award is named for the most prolific run scorer in program history, who played from 2007-10 and tallied 192 runs over the span of her career and will be awarded to the team leaders in that category each season. Starr graduated with a degree in Business Engineering.
 
The Katie Kocman RBI Award will be given to the individual who leads the team in runs batted in each season and is named for Katie Kocman, who played from 2006-09 and ranks second all-time in program history with 182 RBI. She graduated with a degree in Geology and later earned Master's in the same field.
 
The Kelly Unkrich Wins Award, named for the newly-minted Hall of Famer who played from 2010-13 and holds the all-time program record with 70 career wins, will be awarded to the Mines pitcher with the highest win total each season.
 
The Melanie Mahoney ERA Award is named after standout pitcher Melanie Mahoney (2004-05), the program record holder for career earned run average at 2.30, and will be awarded to the Mines pitcher with the lowest individual ERA each season. Mahoney also earned two degrees from Mines, completing her undergraduate studies with a degree in Civil Engineering before earning a Master's in Engineering & Technology Management.
 
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.