Mines (0-0) vs. Texas A&M International (0-0) - Friday, 11 a.m. CT – Conroe, Texas [Live Stats]
Mines (0-0) vs. St. Mary's (TX) (0-0) - Friday, 4 p.m. CT – Conroe, Texas [Live Stats]
Mines (0-0) vs. #11 Angelo State (0-0) - Saturday, 1:30 p.m. CT – Conroe, Texas [Live Stats]
Mines (0-0) vs. #1 UT Tyler (0-0) – Saturday, 4 p.m. CT – Conroe, Texas [Live Stats]
Mines (0-0) vs. Texas Woman's (0-0) - Friday, 12:30 p.m. CT – Conroe, Texas [Live Stats]

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OPENING WEEKEND
The Colorado School of Mines softball team opens a new era Friday at the Division II First Pitch Invitational this weekend in Conroe, Texas as they take on a bevy of teams from the Lone Star State against Texas A&M International and St. Mary's (TX), #11 Angelo State and #1 UT Tyler and Texas Woman's.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Live stats will be available for all five Mines games this weekend at the DII First Pitch Invitational. Video streaming will not be available for any of this weekend's contests. Links to follow along can be found above and on the softball schedule at minesathletics.com. Additional tournament information and game coverage can also be found here.
 
UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP
On December 2, 2024, Tobin Echo-Hawk was named the 13th head coach of Mines softball. A Colorado native from nearby Louisville and most recently the head softball coach of Erie High School, Echo-Hawk brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Golden.
 
An All-American infielder at Nebraska during the Huskers' ascendance to a national powerhouse, Echo-Hawk holds numerous single-season and career records from a highly decorated career. After her time in Lincoln, Echo-Hawk got her coaching start at Portland State University as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator before being elevated to the head position after two seasons. She led the Vikings for five years before moving onto the University of Texas El Paso for six seasons as head coach. Her most recent stop at the collegiate level was at New Mexico State where she spent two seasons as an assistant coach.
 
Read more on the new leader of the Orediggers here.
 
2024 RECAP
Mines went 29-23 overall and 25-17 in RMAC play in 2024 as they made their second consecutive trip to the RMAC Tournament. The Orediggers were as tough as anyone in the RMAC last spring when it came to playing at home, as they went 15-1 in games contest at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field. Marquee wins included a series split on the road with Colorado Christian and sweeps of Fort Lewis, UCCS and Adams State.
 
Sadriena Rodriguez and Kendall Aragon highlighted four All-RMAC selections as Rodriguez was named a First Team honoree while Aragon took home Second Team laurels. Sidney Wilson and Kellan Ton were also named Honorable Mention honorees.
 
Rodriguez and Wilson also earned further honors, with the former being named an All-Region selection by the D2 CCA, the first Oredigger to earn regional accolades since 2016, while the latter was named the NCAA Statistical Champion as Toughest Batter to Strikeout.
 
Cassidy Chvatal had a breakout season as she transitioned from the circle to the outfield and became a regular in the everyday lineup, recording 20 extra-base hits behind 10 doubles, two triples and eight big flies while driving in 27. Ton, the freshman speedster and everyday left fielder in her debut season, broke the single-season stolen base record with 25 acts of larceny. As a team, Mines fielded .970, their best mark since a .967 season in 2019.
 
IN THE POLLS
The Orediggers were picked to finish seventh in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll as announced back on January 16. Colorado Mesa was voted as the favorite to win the league in 2025 followed by Colorado Christian, MSU Denver, Regis and CSU Pueblo. UCCS was one spot ahead of Mines in sixth while behind the Orediggers, Fort Lewis, Black Hills State, Chadron State, New Mexico Highlands and Adams State round out the 12 teams.
 
The preseason national rankings were announced on January 21 and saw five teams on Mines' schedule either in the Top 25 or in consideration. Defending national champion UT Tyler was ranked #1 with Angelo State just outside the top 10 at #11. Week two opponents East Stroudsburg and Nova Southeastern are #16 and receiving votes while #21 Colorado Mesa is on deck week three of RMAC play to begin the month of March.
 
HELLO, MY NAME IS…
Five newcomers join the Orediggers for the 2025 campaign. Lindy French, Brooke Gonzales, Mia Lopez and Grace Weiler were part of the 2024 signing class while Kiyana Tsuei was a mid-year addition to the program. That group will join a roster loaded with experience at the collegiate level. Check out each player's roster bio to learn more about them heading into the season.
 
MEET THE CAPTAINS
A new group of captains will lead the Orediggers into the 2025 season as seniors Cassidy Chvatal, Kailey Morales and Hannah Roberts will be joined by redshirt junior Taylor Wayne and junior Kendall Aragon.
 
Chvatal transitioned into a new role as the everyday right fielder for Mines in 2024 and had an outstanding season, starting all 50 games she played and batting .285 and leading the team with eight home runs and 10 doubles while driving in 27 runs and scoring 30.
 
Morales, a veteran catcher with 47 games behind the dish, belted her first career home run last season and added a pair of doubles while scoring seven times and driving in seven while helping guide the pitching staff to a 3.73 ERA in 2024.
 
Roberts emerged as the full-time starter at second base last spring after platooning there her first two seasons. She started 45 times in 47 games and batted .283 with six doubles, 10 RBI and 19 runs scored and hit .411 over the final three weeks of the season, as well as posting a career-best .956 fielding percentage.
 
Wayne missed the entirety of 2024 recovering from a hand injury and will look to contribute in multiple positions in 2025. In 2023, she won three games in the circle and struck out 30 in 62 innings of work with her best performance coming at Chadron State on March 20, when she spun a one-hit shutout.
 
Aragon, a two-time All-RMAC performer in her first two seasons, has been a fixture in the outfield since the day she stepped on campus. A starter in all 101 games she has played, Aragon is a career .390 hitter and has scored 59 runs while driving in 46 and turning in back-to-back 60-hit seasons.
 
OFFSEASON UPGRADES
Fans coming to Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field in 2025 will notice the venue got a facelift over the offseason. The latest in a long series of facility improvements saw the complete resurfacing of the field with artificial turf thanks in large part to the vision and generosity of numerous individuals, headed up by a trio of softball alumni in Kerry Siggins '01, Kari Gonzales '02 and Kim Alanis '04. Take a look at the completed project here.
 
NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK
The Orediggers have completed a full update of their uniforms ahead of the 2025 season with the addition of a new navy uniform. Last spring, two new uniforms took to the field with the addition of new white and gray kits reflective of the recent branding updates across the athletic department. Take a look at the new threads Mines will be rocking this spring here.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Mines returns their top two hitters from a season ago in outfielders Kendall Aragon and Kellan Ton. Aragon, a Second Team All-RMAC honoree, batted .398 and started all 52 games last spring, and led the team with 32 RBI and scoring 28 runs with six extra-base hits. Ton broke the program's single-season steal record as a freshman, going 25-27 on the base as she batted. 347 with five doubles and was tied for the team lead with four triples while driving in 18 and scoring a team-high 34 runs.
 
Lexie Semeyn rebounded from a challenging 2023 season by batting .301 with eight doubles, four triples and two home runs in 2024 along with 27 RBI and 30 runs scored as she saw action as the Orediggers' front line catcher last spring while also seeing time in left field and at designated player. With the departure of several notable names in the middle of the lineup, Semeyn will look to shoulder some additional production in 2025.
 
Cassidy Chvatal shined in her first season as an everyday field player for the Orediggers, started all 50 games she played and holding things down in right field while batting .285 and leading the team with 20 extra-base hits. She blasted eight home runs along with a team-leading 10 doubles and two triples while scoring 30 and driving in 27.
 
Sophomores Sam Whisenand (.273 AVG, 3-3 SB, 10 R) and Emily Rogers (.250 AVG, 6 RBI, 12 R) each homered in their debut seasons and will look to take on more of a role in 2025 alongside Kiki Matamoros and Lauren Romero, while Kailey Morales returns for her senior season and brings another veteran presence off the bench.
 
In the circle, Mines will need to find a way to replace 161.1 innings of work from a season ago between the quartet of Kat Miller, Allison Westbrook, Ellen Shull and Taylor Wayne. Miller turned in a strong sophomore season, going 4-5 with a save and a 3.93 ERA across 76.2 innings of work with 27 strikeouts in 25 appearances with 15 starts. She opened 2024 with a three-hit shutout of Palm Beach Atlantic on opening day and later picked up a complete-game win over #9 Colorado Christian.
 
Westbrook, a junior college transfer, returns for her third and final season with the Orediggers after going 7-5 with a save and a 5.12 ERA in mostly a relief capacity in 28 outings last spring. She struck out 23 in 68.1 innings of work, allowing two runs or fewer in 17 appearances.
 
Shull worked eight innings over the second half of the season in 2024 and allowed just two earned runs over her final five appearances across 7.1 innings, including two innings of scoreless relief against MSU Denver on April 21 and 2.2 innings against Colorado Christian on March 10.
 
Wayne missed all of last season recovering from an injury, but has six wins and two saves under her belt across 115.1 innings of work in her first two seasons, recording 54 strikeouts in that period.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL
The Dustdevils went 15-37 overall in 12-30 in the Lone Star Conference last season as they dropped their final 10 games of 2024.
 
Leading hitter Kennedy Griego returns following a season in which she batted .340 with seven doubles and 22 RBI. Also back is Victoria Gonalez who posted a .312/.351/.535 line with a team-high 10 home runs and 31 RBI. Eve Garcia batted .283 last spring in 39 games with 26 starts with six of her 26 hits going for extra bases, while Alexia Hernandez hit .242 with six doubles of her own. Zaria Brigham also starred as a freshman last year, hitting .304 with seven RBI and six runs scored.
 
In the circle, Kylie Good led the way in her freshman season with a 3.57 ERA and posted a 7-8 record in 19 games with 17 starts with 32 strikeouts and a .282 BAA in 96 innings. Tessa Ramirez posted a 4.69 ERA and won a pair of games last season, making 11 starts in 14 outings with 28 strikeouts in 56 innings. Zakayia Frederick made 19 relief appearances last spring and worked 29.2 innings with 12 strikeouts and held teams to a .202 average on her way to a pair of wins, while Victoria Espinoza (2-4, 2.28 ERA, 16 K, 40 IP) and Celeste Apaez (0-2, 8.49 ERA, 2 K, 15.2 IP) both return to the circle as well.
 
SCOUTING ST. MARY'S (TX)
The Rattlers are coming off a 32-26 season in which they went 26-16 in the LSC and made an appearance in the Division II South Central Regional. Ronnie Ladines will be leading the way in her first season as head coach, replacing Donna Fields after she led the Rattles for 27 years.
 
Lauren Gonzales is the leading returning hitter for St. Mary's as she batted .317 last spring with 51 hits and 34 runs scored while leading the team with 37 stolen bases in 45 tries. Raegan Tennill started all 58 games in 2024 and hit .305 with 15 steals of her own along with five doubles, 32 RBI and 35 runs scored.
 
Lauryn Ramos (.257 AVG, 29 RBI, 17 R) and Gabriela Banda (.244 AVG, 7 2B, 17 RBI) both return as well, along with four other letter winners among field players.
 
In the circle, Savannah Youngblood returns following a strong season in which she made 35 appearances nearly exclusively in relief, posting an 11-3 record with four saves and a 2.75 ERA with 24 strikeouts and a .260 BAA in 89 innings. Jadyn Abrego went 6-8 with a save in 24 games with 18 starts las spring with a 2.79 ERA and 32 strikeouts, while Madelin Bloom went 7-8 with a 3.71 ERA and seven complete games as she led the way with 113.1 innings works and 46 strikeouts. Breanna Ford led the team with 48 strikeouts as she went 7-6 with two saves in 24 games with 18 starts on her way to a 4.57 ERA across 64.1 innings.
 
SCOUTING ANGELO STATE
The Rambelles posted a stellar 37-18 season and went 28-14 in league play on their way to an appearance alongside St. Mary's in the other half of the South Central Regional.
 
Tatiana Trotter led the team in hitting last season with a .353/.429/.673 line, posting nine doubles, nine triples and seven RBI with 43 RBI and 39 runs along with 14 stolen bases. Laylonna Applin hit .304 with six doubles, two triples and six home runs with 28 RBI while Carter Smith hit .291 with nine extra-base hits, 17 RBI and 12 stolen bases.
 
Averie Gunther was a two-way standout last spring, batting .286 with 11 extra-base hits and 21 RBI and 35 runs on offense while in the circle, she was a four-game winner in 13 games with 10 starts for 42.1 innings with 26 strikeouts and a 3.14 ERA.
 
Joining Gunther in the circle is staff ace Cheyenne Floyd, who went 20-10 with a save in 35 games with 25 starts for 163 innings, posting a 1.89 ERA with 167 strikeouts and a .207 BAA. Matie Wolkow returns after started five times in 26 appearances and going 3-1 with a team-high five saves and a 1.91 ERA in 47.2 innings. Amelia Hatthorn also returns following a 5-0 season with two saves and a 3.15 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 53.1 innings.
 
SCOUTING UT TYLER
The reigning national champions, UT Tyler went 58-8 overall and 37-5 in the LSC in 2024 as they swept their way through the Division II Women's College World Series and lost just once in 13 postseason games, an 8-0 loss to West Texas A&M in the LSC Tournament Championship. A long-time Division II powerhouse before transitioning up to Division II in 2019, the Patriots have gone 255-37 since leveling up and have been at least a national semifinalist in each of the last three seasons.
 
The Patriots bring back the entirety of their national championship roster from last season and are led at the plate by Courtney Plocheck who posted a .411/.465/.589 line with a team-leading 92 hits, 21 doubles and 59 RBI along with 56 runs. JT Smith hit .373 with 20 doubles, 52 RBI and 66 runs along as she led the team with 21 stolen bases while Cassidi Mullen hit .358 with seven extra-base hits and 26 RBI and was a perfect 10-10 on steals.
 
An additional four regulars all hit over .300 last season, as Makayla Garcia (.356 AVG, 10 XBH, 32 RBI), Sam Schott (.354 AVG, 12 2B, 8 HR, 49 RBI), Nicole Price (.324 AVG, 6 2B, 21 RBI) and Audrey Escamilla (.321 AVG, 11 2B, 4 HR, 45 RBI) compliment the rest of the lineup. Schott was tied with Michelle Arias for the team lead in home runs last season with eight, while the latter also drove in 55.
 
All 438.1 innings from 2024 are back in the circle led by Christin Haygood who went 23-1 with five saves and a 1.43 ERA in 36 appearances with 18 starts for 142.1 innings              on her way to 106 strikeouts and a .174 BAA. Kaylee Davis went 10-0 with two saves in 21 games with 12 starts and posted a 1.93 ERA over 80 innings with 43 strikeouts while Genesis Armendariz was 17-5 with a 1.94 ERA in 38 games with 28 starts and led the team with 16 innings pitched, striking out 120 and posting a .226 BAA.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS WOMAN'S
TWU went 25-29 overall and 23-19 in the Lone Star Conference last season and made an appearance in the LSC Tournament.
 
Vivica Hernandez is the top returning hitter after posting a .245 average last spring with nine doubles and 20 RBI followed by Lizzie Smith who hit .233 with four doubles, four home runs and nine RBI.
 
Abby Long returns as she hit .269 off the bench with a home run along with Hawwa Townsend who hit .250 with three doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI. Cristyna Deh Hierro and Madison Altman also return for the Owls.
 
In the circle, just two of five pitchers from last season are back in the persons of Allison Gonzalez and Janyssa Ramos. Gonzalez went 1-5 in 15 games with seven starts last spring across 42.1 innings and 26 strikeouts with a .290 BAA, while Ramos went 1-3 with a 6.05 ERA in seven games with four starts in 19.1 innings with 11 strikeouts.
 
A group of 10 newcomers including seven college transfers will look to bolster the lineup and the pitching rotation for TWU in 2025.
 
SERIES HISTORY
It'll be a mix of first-time opponents and opponents Mines hasn't seen in awhile this weekend. Starting with TAMIU, they lead the all-time series 3-0. The last meeting between the schools was the 2019 edition of this weekend's event in which the Dustdevils won 4-2 in nine innings.
 
Against the Rattlers, the Orediggers are 0-5 all-time. The last meeting of the teams came back in 2019 in San Antonio and saw St. Mary's win 8-0 in six innings.
 
ASU is 6-0 all-time against Mines with the teams last meeting in 2022 edition of the First Pitch Invitational and the Rambelles winning 6-1.
 
UT Tyler and Mines are set to meet for the first time ever as the Patriots will be an early season litmus test for the Orediggers.
 
Finally against Texas Woman's Mines is 0-4 all-time with the last meeting of the teams coming in Canyon, Texas on 2015 which saw a 10-8 contest go the way of the Owls.

ON DECK
Mines heads from one southern locale to another as they'll trek to Florida next week for five more games against Barry, #16 East Stroudsburg and #RV Nova Southeastern.
 
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.