Mines (18-16, 14-12) at CSU Pueblo (14-25, 12-16) – Saturday, 12 p.m. (DH) – Pueblo, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (18-16, 14-12) at CSU Pueblo (14-25, 12-16) – Sunday, 11 a.m. (DH) – Pueblo, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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BIG WEEKEND AWAITS
After coming off a weekend that saw them go 2-2 on the first leg of an eight-game road trip, the Colorado School of Mines softball team will look to post a better result as they return to the road this weekend, heading south this time to take on CSU Pueblo in a four-game series on Saturday and Sunday that could have major implications when it comes to making and seeding the 2024 RMAC Softball Tournament.
 
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 59-72 with a mark of 52-48 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 8 RECAP
Mines made a rare trip north to play Black Hills State in Spearfish ahead of the Easter holiday last Thursday and Friday and came away with a 2-2 record despite flashing some big numbers at the plate.
 
The series started off about as good as anyone could have asked offensively as the Orediggers pounded out 16 runs on 16 hits, all coming over the final four innings of what ended up being a 16-4 win in six innings after trailing 3-2 after the third. All nine starters for Mines posted at least one hit headlined by three-hit performances from Lexie Semeyn and Kellan Ton while eight of nine drove in a run as Kendall Aragon and Hannah Roberts had three each to back up Sadriena Rodriguez who threw a complete game with four strikeouts and eight hits allowed.
 
It was a reversal of fortune in game two Friday as BHSU overcame a 2-0 deficit to score nine runs in the fourth, taking advantage of three errors in the game as they picked up an 11-2 win in five innings. The Yellow Jackets kept it going in the opener Friday as they came out ahead in a pitcher's duel 2-1 as the Orediggers left 11 runners on base and managed to load the bases in the top of the seventh but couldn't find a way to tie it up or take the lead.
 
Looking to avoid a series loss, the finale saw Mines jump out to a 2-0 lead before falling behind 6-2 after three that included a five-spot from BHSU in the second. Sam Whisenand got the start at designated player and got the rally going in the fourth, blasting her first career home run as part of a three-run inning before Ton tied the game in the fifth on an RBI single. In the sixth, the offense scored a touchdown and converted the point after, hanging up seven in the inning as a two-run single by Kayleigh Krueger took the lead followed by a three-run bomb by Emily Rogers for the first home run of her career and capped with a two-run single by Sidney Wilson as Rodriguez pitched five scoreless innings of four-hit relief to earn a 13-6 win and split the series.
 
SORTING THE STANDINGS
Just a month remains in the regular season as the hunt for the RMAC regular season title has turned into a three-team race for all intents and purposes while the competition for the final three spots in the postseason field remains tight. MSU Denver posted a four-game sweep of Adams State to move to 26-2 (.929) in league play and is followed by Colorado Christian and Colorado Mesa at 25-3 (.893) after they swept Chadron State and New Mexico Highlands respectively. Regis is in fourth at 18-8 (.676) after taking three of four from UCCS while Mines (14-12, .538) is in fifth. CSU Pueblo (12-16, .429) and Black Hills State (11-15, .423) traded spots and are separated by just one game while UCCS (9-19, .321) is in eighth followed by New Mexico Highlands (7-19, .269), Fort Lewis (6-18, .250) and Chadron State (5-19, .208) with Adams State (2-26, .071) bringing up the rear.
 
DEFENSE LEADS THE WAY
Through 34 games, Mines can lay claim to the best defense in the RMAC this season, fielding .975 and currently one of two teams with a percentage of .970 or better. They have committed just 22 errors, six fewer than the next closest teams and have 13 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.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
As the 2024 season continues on, several Orediggers have hit some significant career milestones over the past month. Sara Larson went over 100 career hits in early March while Kendall Aragon did so at the end of the month, needed less than two full seasons to hit that number.
 
Kayleigh Krueger and Sidney Wilson are both on the north side of 150 hits in their careers with the former at 166 and the latter at 172 as they both look to chase down Somoma Toot (2015-18) for 12th all-time with 182. For Krueger, she also broke through the 100 RBI plateau in her career at the end of March, becoming the 13th player in program history to hit the century mark in that category, while Wilson needs just 13 more to join her as she stands at 87. Krueger also now has 36 doubles in her career, tied with Deborah Ausmus (1993-95) for 10th in program history. Wilson meanwhile has cracked the top 10 in career walks and is now tied for ninth all-time with Kyndra Bradley (1995-98) with 53
 
Sadriena Rodriguez continues to climb her way up the record books in Golden in her fifth and final season in the circle. The graduate student is tied for second in career shutouts at 12 with Hallie Smith (2015-18), ranks fifth all-time in wins with 33, currently stands sixth all-time in career ERA at 2.79, is in the top 10 twice now in single-season shutouts (5, 2023; 4, 2024) and needs 13.2 more innings to pass Libby Balogh (2010-11) for seventh all-time. Against Fort Lewis in mid-March, she became just the fifth pitcher in program history to reach 300 career strikeouts and currently ranks fifth with 316 as she tries to track down Balogh in another category for fourth.
 
Freshman speedster Kellan Ton is one stolen base shy of penning her name into the single-season record books as well, needing just one more to tie for the ninth-most in a season as the single-season record of 24 is not out of the question with four more series still to play this season.
 
Head coach Mike Coutts also hit a major milestone against Colorado Christian in early March, becoming the fifth-ever skipper at Mines to reach 50 career wins, joining Mark Roberts, Annie Van Wetzinga, Kristie Hawkins and Leah Glasgow.
 
YOUNG GUNS
Newcomer Kellan Ton bounced in and out of the starting lineup over the first few weeks of the season but has since forced her name into becoming a regular feature either in left field or the designated player, starting 13 of Mines' last 14 games and has thrived in the leadoff spot, batting .385 to rank second on the team and scoring 22 runs and stealing 14 bases in as many attempts while driving in nine. Part of a deep and talented freshman class that shows plenty of promise, a few more names made a statement on Friday in the finale against Black Hills State. Emily Rogers got the nod in right field in the finale with her name in the batting order for the first time this season, and responded by going 2-4 with three RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored and belting the first home run of her college career in the winning effort. Sam Whisenand saw her name penciled in as the designated player had just as good of a day as Rogers, first collecting her first career hit in her first at bat before leaving the yard for the first time as an Oredigger in her second at bat before finishing 3-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Ton added a 2-4 day with three steals, two runs and an RBI as the trio combined to go 7-13 on the day with six runs scored, five RBI and were responsible for 11 of the 13 runs scored by Mines in the win to split the series. Perhaps Rogers and Whisenand will see more opportunities at the dish in addition to continuing to make a difference in the running game with their speed as the season marches on.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
After a strong weekend at the plate Kendall Aragon is back on the north side of .400 entering this weekend and remains the team leader in batting at .405 as well as RBI with 22 while posting five doubles, a triple and scoring 15 times with four stolen bases. Kellan Ton continues to find her name on the lineup card and continues to deliver, batting .385 with a team-leading 22 runs scored and 14 stolen bases while recording four extra-base hits and nine RBI.
 
The Big Three of seniors Sara Larson, Sidney Wilson and Kayleigh Krueger are firing on all cylinders as each of the trio are batting over .300. Larson checks in at .359 with 11 RBI and is tied for the team lead with seven doubles while scoring 12 and stealing seven, Wilson is batting .333 with two doubles, two home runs and 20 RBI and has drawn 14 walks to lead Mines and Krueger is batting .307 with two doubles, two triples, a home run and 17 RBI and is second on the team with 19 RBI and is 4-4 on steals this year.
 
Cassidy Chvatal is batting .289 with seven doubles of her own and has three home runs as well to go with a .489 slugging percentage, 15 RBI and 17 runs scored while Lexie Semeyn is batting .283 with four doubles, a team-high four triples, a home run and 19 RBI and is slugging .425. Off the bench, Sam Whisenand (.375 AVG, 7 R, HR) and Emily Rogers (.333 AVG, 6 R, HR, 3 RBI) might also see more time down the stretch based on their performances Friday.
 
In the circle, Sadriena Rodriguez is now a 10-game winner for the second season in a row, going 2-1 over the weekend to improve to 10-6 and now sports a 2.97 ERA over 19 appearances with 16 starts with eight complete games and four shutouts and is up to 73 strikeouts against 34 walks in 99 innings with a BAA of .253. Kat Miller is now 4-4 with a save after last week with a 3.79 ERA in 19 games with 11 starts, striking out 24 against 19 walks in 61 innings with a BAA of .304. Allison Westbrook is 4-2 with a save on the season and has 11 strikeouts in 37.1 innings while Chvatal and Ellen Shull have combined for 24 innings and eight strikeouts between them over 13 appearances to round out the staff.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
After getting swept by #8 Colorado Christian, CSU Pueblo rebounded by taking three out of four from Fort Lewis at home last week to remain in the hunt for the RMAC Tournament and currently sit in sixth behind the Orediggers for the final spot.
 
Leading CSUP at the plate is the #4 hitter in the whole RMAC Caitlyn Cole, who is batting .483 with a league-best 21 doubles along with nine home runs and a triple and has driven in 37 while scoring 45 and going 21-25 on stolen base attempts and is slugging. 907 with a .567 OBP as she almost certainly heads for All-RMAC and perhaps even All-America honors. Three other regulars bat north of .330 for The Pack as Madelyn Huerta is batting. 394 with seven doubles with 26 runs scored and 16 RBI while Emma Case is swinging it at a .353 clip with nine doubles, 17 RBI and seven runs scored. Ashley Tosh rounds out the group batting .349 with 11 doubles and a team-high three triples and is second behind Cole with 25 RBI while also scoring 19 times. Each member of that group also has a home run to their ledgers this season.
 
Another speedster for the ThunderWolves is Raelynn Rogers who is 16-17 on steal attempts this season as despite her .244 average, as when she gets on she usually scores as her 25 runs attest to. Darleen Falcon is batting just .172 this season but does has three doubles and 12 RBI while looking at the bench, CSUP has plenty of names to call on to pinch hit or make starts with six players recording at least 23 at bats and three hitting above .300.
 
In the circle, Marissa Robertson leads the staff with a 4.24 ERA and is 4-8 with seven complete games over 13 starts in 17 appearances, having worked 79.1 innings but doing something no pitcher wants to in issuing more walks than recording strikeouts, as she has handed out 45 free passes to 41 punchouts as opponents are batting .301 against her. McKenna James is 6-12 with a 6.56 ERA in a team-high 20 appearances including 18 starts for a staff-high 95 innings of work and has struck out 46 but like Robertson has struggled with command, issuing 57 walks on the season. Jacelynn Trujillo has made 14 appearances, mostly in relief but does have four starts sports a 3-3 record with a 6.62 ERA with 29 strikeouts against 21 walks in 43.1 innings of work. Lucy Carney rounds out the staff and is 1-2 in nine appearances with four starts and a 9.16 ERA over 31.1 innings with 10 strikeouts and 25 walks.
 
Defensively, CSUP is mid-pack in the RMAC in fielder at .960, committing 43 errors this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
All-time against the ThunderWolves, the Orediggers are 42-69, taking the only two games the teams played last season in Golden by scores of 5-4 and 7-6 (the final two games of the series were canceled due to RMAC temperature minimums not being met and excessive winds). Over the last 10 games, the series is just about even with Mines holding a 6-4 edge, but going just 1-3 in their most recent trip to Pueblo where they are 16-34 all-time.

ON DECK
Mines returns home April 13-14 to Joe Coors, Jr. Field to play host to UCCS in their penultimate home series of the season as the stretch run on RMAC play continues.
 
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.