Mines (12-14, 8-10) vs. Fort Lewis (7-18, 5-11) – Friday, 12 p.m. (DH) – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (12-14, 8-10) vs. Fort Lewis (7-18, 5-11) – Saturday, 11 a.m. (DH) – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

---

 
GOOD TO BE HOME
As spring break comes to a close, the Colorado School of Mines softball team returns home to Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field this weekend to resume Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play as they'll welcome Fort Lewis to town for a four-game series over Friday and Saturday.
 

Mother Nature has been a fickle foe this season with weather now impacting the dates, times or locations of what is now up to 13 games in 2024. After last weekend's series with Regis was shorted to two games, moved to MSU Denver and played on Monday, Mines saw their three-game midweek series at Fort Hays State go from three games Tuesday and Wednesday down just to two games Wednesday. Now this weekend's series with Fort Lewis has been moved up a day to avoid forecasted rain on Sunday and will be played Friday and Saturday with doubleheaders set for 12 p.m. and 11 a.m. each day.
 
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 53-70 with a mark of 48-46 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.
 
WEEK 6 RECAP
It was a busy week for Mines as Mother Nature forced some schedule changes with their RMAC series with Regis which ultimately led to adjustments to their midweek trip to Fort Hays State. The Orediggers and Rangers ended up canceling the first two games of their series and ultimately resorted to shifting the final two games to MSU Denver's Assembly Athletic Complex in downtown as a result of unplayable conditions on their campus. Game one saw Regis use the long ball to pick up a 6-2 win despite a two-run shot by Cassidy Chvatal before Mines won a shootout in game two 11-9. After falling behind 4-0 after two innings, the Orediggers scored at least one run in each of the final five innings including two in the third, three in the sixth and four in the seventh, headlined by a 4-5 day with three RBI by Sidney Wilson and a 2-4 day with three RBI also from Lexie Semeyn while Kayleigh Krueger drove in a pair. Allison Westbrook picked up her fourth win of the season in relief and held Regis in check late, avoiding a seventh-inning rally to pick up the win.
 
Wednesday the Orediggers were one state to the east for their final non-conference action of the season against Fort Hays State, picking up a 4-3 win in game one as Kendall Aragon went 2-3 with two RBI and freshman Kellan Ton went 304 with three runs scored. Sadriena Rodriguez worked six shutout innings but ran into some trouble in the seventh as FHSU scored three times before Westbrook managed to pick up the save, recording the final out with bases loaded. Game two saw the Tigers used a couple of big innings to gain separation as they kept Mines in check at the plate, allowing just one run as they earned a split with a 7-1 result.
 
SORTING THE STANDINGS
Last week's weather turned the RMAC standings upside down with teams losing games and having to move things around to try and even get games in. There will not be an undefeated champion this season as league leader MSU Denver suffered their first losses of the season to CSU Pueblo, splitting that four-game series as they lead the way with a .900 win percentage in conference. Colorado Christian and Colorado Mesa are tied for second at 17-3 and an .850 percentage with Regis in fourth at 11-7 and .611 followed by Black Hills State at 9-9 and .500. CSU Pueblo is in sixth at 9-11 and .450 while Mines is 8-10 and .444 in seventh followed by UCCS in eighth at 8-12 and .400. Tied for ninth are Fort Lewis and Chadron State at 5-11 and .312 with New Mexico Highlands (4-14, .222) and Adams State (1-19, .050) bringing up the rear.
 
DEFENSE LEADS THE WAY
Through 26 games, Mines can lay claim to the best defense in the RMAC this season, fielding .977 and currently one of two teams with a percentage of .970 or better. They have committed just 16 errors, seven fewer than the next closest teams and have 14 players with a fielding percentage better than .970 as individuals. An area of emphasis under head coach Mike Coutts, the Orediggers went from fielding .954 in his season to .963 last year and are poised to maintain that upward trend again this year.
 
PROVIDING SOME POP
Prior to this season, the last time Cassidy Chvatal saw her name in the batting order on a semi-regular basis was her freshman season in 2022 when she often times hit for herself as the starting pitcher and posted some pretty stout numbers. In just 25 at bats, the Broomfield native hit .280 with a triple and two home runs while scoring five times and driving in seven.
 
This season with space to fill in the outfield, head coach Mike Coutts made the decision to reduce her time in the circle and make her the everyday right fielder to get her bat back in the lineup after pitching nearly exclusively in 2023. That decision seems to have paid off well as Chvatal is hitting .256 with 11 RBI and leads the Orediggers with eight extra-base hits this season, including five doubles, a triple and two home runs, and is second on the team with a .456 slugging percentage and has slowly seen her average rise over 100 points during the last month. As Mines returns to RMAC play for the remaining balance of the season, Chvatal figures to remain a key part of the lineup for the stretch run.
 
SHOULDERING THE LOAD
Allison Westbrook emerged as the Orediggers' second starter down the stretch last season and finished the season with a 5-2 record in 16 games with seven starts and a 2.88 ERA. This year, her role has looked a little different with Kat Miller taking over the role as the second starter as the second-year junior college transfer has worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen, starting just once in 15 games and despite the 5.30 ERA has posted a 4-2 record and picked up the first save of her career Wednesday against Fort Hays State. Westbrook has also been increasingly busy of late, pitching in all four games Mines played this week against Regis and FHSU, working 9.1 innings and allowing five runs on 10 hits and in game one against the Rangers Monday, eclipsed her season strikeout total in five innings of relief as she struck out a career-high six batters. Not one to necessarily, overpower hitters with velocity, Westbrook's ability to miss barrels more times than not will be relied upon heavily over the final six weeks of the season.
 
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.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
With RMAC play resuming this weekend, Kendall Aragon remains the team leader in hitting at .391 and has surpassed last season's RBI total as she's up to 12 this season while doubling twice and scoring 10 times. Sara Larson seems to have put last season's struggles in the rearview and is hitting .356 with six doubles, a home run eight run and six RBI while freshman Kellan Ton has emerged in left field as a starter, batting .350 with a team-leading seven stolen bases and 14 runs scored and three extra base hits. Sidney Wilson checks in at .301 and is tied for the team lead with two home runs and is second with 14 RBI and has scored 10 runs.
 
Cassidy Chvatal belted her second home run of the season Monday against Regis and is batting .265 with eight extra-base hits highlighted by five doubles while driving in 11 and scoring eight. Lexie Semeyn is right behind her with seven extra-base hits including four doubles, two triples and a home run and leads the Orediggers with 15 RBI while scoring 12 times. Kayleigh Krueger has three extra-base hits on the season now with 10 RBI and 12 runs scored while Trystin Oshiro-Sano and Hannah Roberts have platooned at second base this season, combining for six doubles, 12 RBI and nine runs scored.
 
In the circle, Sadriena Rodriguez leads the staff with a 6-5 record and a 3.40 ERA in 13 games with 12 starts, posting five complete games and three shutouts with 48 strikeouts against 22 walks in 68 innings and limiting opponents to a .248 average. Kat Miller is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in her first season as a starter, appearing in 15 games with eight starts and two complete games over 46.2 innings of work with 16 strikeouts. Allison Westbrook is 4-2 with a save after Wednesday and a 5.30 ERA in 15 games for 33 innings while Chvatal is 0-4 with a 5.95 ERA in five starts over eight games for 20 innings. Ellen Shull rounds out the staff, appearing in four games for 3.2 innings and posting a BAA of .286.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
Weather finally affected the entirety of the RMAC last weekend and saw games moved, shifted, canceled or otherwise adjusted and the Skyhawks were no exception. Their four-game series with Chadron State in Durango was outright called off due to field conditions and travel issues, meaning their last competitive game action came on March 8-9 against Regis when they earned a split with the Rangers, taking the opener and the finale 2-1 in eight innings and 7-6 while losing the middle two games 14-3 and 6-1.
 
First-year head coach Paige Adair heads up the Skyhawks who lost three players to UCCS in the offseason including last year's stolen base leader and second-leading hitter on the team Alyssa Gutierrez along with first base Izzy Giroux and the team's strikeout leader in the circle Caydee Farnworth.
 
Nonetheless, FLC still boasts a potent lineup and strong combination in the circle. Headlining the offense is Kayla Stone with a .419 average, good for eighth in the RMAC, as she leads the team most offensive categories including doubles (11), home runs (3) and RBI (26) while scoring 18 times and adding a pair of triples. Four other regulars are batting over .300 as well as Alex Tenorio is just shy of .400 at .395 with six doubles, 10 RBI and a team-best 22 runs scored and four stolen bases. Cara Daugherty bats .348 with 11 RBI and 13 runs scored with Ashley Burriel entering this week at .315 as the team leader in walks with 10 while driving in seven and scoring 10. Hannah Rutherford rounds out the group batting .303 with four doubles, two triples and a home run and is second on the team with 15 RBI.
 
Catheryn Rodman is close to adding her name to the list above, batting .299 with four doubles of her own along with a triple, a home run and 11 RBI and 13 runs scored while her younger sister Natalie is batting .217 with four RBI. Faith Sgro has been a leading option off the bench, batting .314 in 35 at bats as has Briana Jorgensen, who despite hitting just .243 has nine RBI and two doubles.
 
In the circle Amiee Shanks is back as the #1 starter and is currently 5-8 with a 4.35 ERA in 19 games with 13 starts with 13 complete games. She's worked 95 innings and struck out 42 against 32 walks and has a BAA of .290. After not seeing any action last season, Hailie Mann is back this season as the compliment to Shanks as the only other pitcher to see time this year. A nine-game winner as a freshman in 2022, the junior is 2-10 this season with an 11.19 ERA in 12 games (all starts), working 60.2 innings and striking out 41 against 28 walks and has struggled to miss barrels this season, as opponents are hitting .438 against her.
 
Defensively, FLC is tied for sixth in the RMAC with a .959 fielding percentage, committing 30 errors on the season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
All-time against the Skyhawks, Mines leads the series 76-63 and is coming off a split of last year's series, which was played at Bloomfield High School in New Mexico due to field conditions and weather in Durango. The teams last played in Golden in 2022 where the Orediggers took three out of four games to improve to 39-39 at home in the series.

ON DECK
Following this weekend's stopover at home, Mines hits the road for their next eight games starting next weekend when they head north to Spearfish, South Dakota for an Easter Weekend series with Black Hills State March 28-29.
 
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.