Mines (0-10, 0-0) at UCCS (5-3, 0-0) – Sunday, 12 p.m. (DH) – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (0-10, 0-0) at UCCS (5-3, 0-0) – Monday, 11 a.m. (DH) – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

---

 
RMAC OPENER
With non-conference play in the rearview, the Colorado School of Mines softball team now turns its attention to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action starting this weekend as they make the trip down I-25 to Colorado Springs for a four-game set with UCCS Sunday and Monday February 16-17.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This week's games will be streamed free of charge on the RMAC Network. Free live stats will also be available. Links for video and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
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.
 
WEEK 2 RECAP
Mines had another challenging schedule last weekend in Florida as they took on #19 Wingate and #16 East Stroudburg with a pair of contests against Barry in between before closing the weekend at #RV Nova Southeastern. After scoring just one run in each of their games Friday, the Orediggers were one out away from upsetting ESU before a walk-off three-run home run spoiled things for a 6-4 loss. Meanwhile against Barry, a big second inning for the Bucs was the difference as while Mines rallied, it was enough to overcome the deficit. Sunday started with a run-rule loss to NSU before the Orediggers again showed their competitiveness, playing the Sharks close but ultimately falling 10-6.
 
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 first regular season national rankings saw UT Tyler remain #1 while Angelo State moved up to #7. East Stroudsburg slipped to #18 while Nova southeastern moved to #22. Meanwhile preseason #19 Wingate along with #21 Colorado Mesa dropped out of the national rankings.
 
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.
 
LIGHTING IT UP
Lindy French has been a sparkplug at the plate for Mines in their first 10 games of the season. The freshman out of Festus, Missouri started her career 6-6 over her first three games before finishing opening weekend 7-11. After being dealt a pair of 0-2 games the first day in Florida last week, French responded by going 5-6 with two RBI against East Stroudsburg and Barry and went 2-4 with two runs in the final against Nova Southeastern Sunday. Already she has four multi-hit games including two two-hit games, a three-hit game and a four-hit game. Even to casual viewers, it's a safe bet French's name will be a recurring one in the lineup as the season progresses but what will be worth watching is if she can keep up the torrid pace with which she has started this season.
 
PRESSURE TESTING
If there's one way for a new head coach to figure out what kind of team they've got, then there's no better way to go about that task than playing as tough as schedule as anyone around. Of the eight teams Mines has played to start 2025, four of them were ranked Preseason Top 25 with a fifth just missing out. Six of their eight opponents were in the NCAA Tournament last season and their fourth opponent of the year, UT Tyler, won it all last season behind a 58-8 season and returned their ENTIRE roster in 2025.
 
So while some folks may look up and see a zero in the win column and start reaching for the panic button, a deep breath is in order. The Orediggers have shown flashes of brilliance and competitiveness across their first 10 games, they just need to find the consistency in a lineup filled with youth this season following the departures of some big names off the 2024 club. This weekend in Colorado Springs will be a good litmus test for what lessons were learned by this group the first two weeks of the season.
 
WHAT'S IN A NUMBER
With her pinch hit appearance against Angelo State opening weekend, Kate Whipple became the first player in Mines history to wear the #00 in a game. Likewise, Lindy French became the first player to wear #30 in a game opening day against Texas A&M International and is also the first Mines player to appear in a game wearing a number higher than #24.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Lindy French continues to be red hot at the dish to start her collegiate career. The freshman remains the team's leading hitter at .538 with two RBI and is followed by Kellan Ton at .355 with a double, five runs and is already 4-4 on steals. E Self is next at .333 with four RBI this season while Kendall Aragon and Kailey Morales each have a pair of doubles and are batting .259 and .250 with three and five RBI respectively.
 
Cassidy Chvatal and Hannah Roberts each have a triple as the latter currently finds herself tied with Morales for the team lead in RBI. Emily Rogers has driven in four already this season while Lexie Semeyn has a pair. Meanwhile Grace Weiler had a big day Sunday and may prove to be a contributor off the bench as she drove in three runs against NSU.
 
In the circle, Ellen Shull paces the staff with a 4.48 ERA over 20.1 innings of work across five games with four starts. Kat Miller has started three times in five games and carries a 4.79 ERA in 19 innings into league action, while Taylor Wayne sports a mark of 7.60 and leads the team with eight strikeouts in 19.1 innings of work in four games with two starts. Allison Westbrook rounds out the staff having appeared in three games and made one start.
 
As a team, the Orediggers a batting .261 with a .433 on-base percentage and a .298 slugging percentage. They carry a 6.56 team ERA and are fielding at a .919 rate.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
The Mountain Lions went 2-2 in their second weekend of non-conference action as they went down to Canyon, Texas for the West Texas A&M Invitational. They picked up wins over Eastern New Mexico and Texas A&M Kingsville interspersed with a pair of one-run losses to the Javelinas and the host Lady Buffs. A team used to being in close games, UCCS has already played five one-run games this season, going 3-2 in those contests and played a trio of extra innings games as well, going 2-1 in those games. Just twice they have had a game end in five innings with one blowout going each way, posting a 17-1 opening day win over Sul Ross State before falling to WTAMU opening weekend 13-2.
 
Second year head coach Dwight Sanders is looking to build off a 19-32 season in his first season in The Springs after two seasons at Fort Lewis. His 2025 lineup is led by Katie Steinmetz who is off to a red-hot start at the dish, batting .556 and slugging 1.000 with two doubles and two home runs with eight RBI and four runs scored. Jacqueline Berkowitz is batting .450 with five RBI while Halley Redd checks in at .444 with a team-leading 12 hits including two doubles.
 
Laynee Case is the final of four regulars batting over .400 to start the season at .407 as her 11 RBI lead the team as do her six extra-base hits (3 2B, 3B, 2 HR) as she's slugging .815. The rest of the lineup isn't much to sneeze at either as another five Mountain Lions are hitting .357 or better. Tayler McCombs heads that group at .375 with seven RBI followed by Gianna Pancost's .370 mark with three doubles and eight RBI. Mackenzie Scott and Bailey Olerich are a combined 5-5 on steals this season while off the bench Abby Covington and Katelyn Kilgore are ones to watch when it comes to power and speed.
 
Though they have been the top offense in the RMAC when it comes to scoring runs the first two weeks of the season with 69, UCCS' pitching has been just as susceptible to giving runs up as they've been saddled with 59 and have a team ERA on the north side of 6.50. Freshman Hannah Hunt has shone brightly to start her career and is 4-0 with a 3.23 ERA and 16 strikeouts to just four walks with a .265 BAA over 21.2 innings. Autumn Kunze's 22 strikeouts lead the team but over 16.1 innings in three starts she's posted an 8.14 ERA and a .377 BAA. Kailey Bond is 0-1 with a 9.19 mark with 14 walks in just 5.1 innings while Haisley Leskinen has a save and sports a 9.45 ERA with a .353 BAA in 6.2 innings. Lauren Falk rounds out the staff with a pair of saves but carries an ERA of 10.50 in 3.1 innings in three games.
 
As a team, UCCS sports a .369 average with a .437 on-base percentage and a .558 slugging percentage. Opponents have batted .329 against them with a .432 OBP and .545 SLG%. Defensively they field .954 with just 11 errors so far in eight games.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Mountain Lions lead the all-time series with Mines 71-64-1, but the Orediggers have had the upper hand lately, going 8-4 over the last three years including a four-game sweep in Golden last season. The teams last played in Colorado Springs in the 2023 season and split the series with Mines taking games one and three and UCCS taking games two and four. All-time as the road team, Mines is 25-36.

ON DECK
Mines makes their 2025 home debut at the newly resurfaced Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field next weekend February 22-23 against Fort Lewis.
 
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.