Mines (17-29, 16-19) at CSU Pueblo (25-18, 24-12) – Friday, 12 p.m. (DH) – Pueblo, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (17-29, 16-19) at CSU Pueblo (25-18, 24-12) – Saturday, 11 a.m. (DH) – Pueblo, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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ONE MORE TIME
For the final time in the 2025 regular season, the Colorado School of Mines softball team will hit the road ahead of the Easter holiday as they'll head south on I-25 to continue their push for the postseason with a four-game series against CSU Pueblo at the Rawlings Softball Complex.
 
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 11 RECAP
For the first time this season, the Orediggers managed to complete a four-game series sweep as they took care of business against Adams State, though not without some tense moments along the way.
 
Game one of the series saw a 10-2 run rule win in six innings thanks to seven runs over the first two innings highlighted by a Cassidy Chvatal grand slam in the second that made it a 7-0 game. Allison Westbrook held the Grizzlies in check at the plate, allowing just two runs in her four innings of work before Taylor Wayne tossed two scoreless innings of relief. Kate Whipple wrapped things up as she delivered a pinch-hit two-run single through the right side to make it an eight-run lead and take the win.
 
Game two saw Mines overcome an early 2-0 deficit to rally for a 5-3 win as Kailey Morales delivered the go-ahead run on a single in the fourth inning. Kat Miller overcame a rough first inning in the circle to go the distance and strikeout six while allowing just three runs on four hits to cap the Saturday sweep.
 
Sunday's opener was another run-rule win, this time in five innings by a tally of 14-6. The Orediggers raced out to a 9-2 lead after the fourth inning, but ASU came right back to make it 9-6 with four runs in the fifth. Mines then responded with another five runs in the home half of the innings as a three-run double by Brooke Gonzales highlighted the inning before the freshman scored the game-ending run on a single by Emily Rogers.
 
In the finale, Mines scored first but trailed 2-1 after the top of the fourth before scoring three runs in a pair of homers by Lexie Semeyn and Sam Whisenand to take a 4-2 lead. The advantage increased to 7-2 in the sixth on a pair of run-scoring singles by Kellan Ton and Emiaj Self, but Adams State didn't go quietly as a three-run home run and a solo shot in the seventh against Kat Miller made it a 7-6 game, but that was all their rally could muster as the junior worked out of the inning to secure the sweep.
 
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.
 
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.
 
SURVEYING THE STANDINGS
Two spots still remain up for grabs in the RMAC Tournament as MSU Denver (29-6), Colorado Mesa (29-7) Colorado Christian (28-8) and CSU Pueblo (24-12) remain the top four teams in the league. Black Hills State currently holds on to fifth at 21-15 a half game ahead of UCCS in sixth with a mark of 20-15. Mines is currently the first team out at 16-19 four games back of the Mountain Lions and a half game ahead of Regis who is 16-20. Chadron State is eighth at 13-23 while Fort Lewis (8-27), New Mexico Highlands (7-29) and Adams State (3-33) try to end 2025 on a high note and carry momentum into the offseason.
 
ONE OF THE BEST
After briefly leading NCAA Division II in home runs last week, Cassidy Chvatal now finds herself tied for second with West Texas A&M's Emilee Boyer and one back of Carleigh Knowles from North Georgia for the national lead with 20. Across the whole of the NCAA, only three other players have hit more as UCLA's Megan Grant leads all levels of softball with 22 while Jasmyn Burns from Ohio State and Bri Ellis of Arkansas have 20 apiece. Virginia Tech's Cori McMillan also has 19 to be tied with Chvatal and Boyer while no one in Division III has more than 14. Pretty impressive stuff from a player who has only been a full-time hitter since the start of 2024.
 
ALL HAIL THE QUEEN
Before Chvatal ascended to the top of the national rankings in home runs last week, she took over the top spot for single season home runs at Mines two weeks back against Chadron State. In the series opener against Eagles, Chvatal's three-run home run inside the left field foul pole in the fourth inning put her atop the Mines record books with 16 home runs, passing Clara Larson, Kamee Vessey and Gina Ross for the most in a season in program history. Following this past weekend's matchup with Adams State, he now has 29 career big flies and looks to become just the third player in program history to reach 30. She's also closing in on the single-season RMAC record of 25 currently held by Tara Wheeler.
 
4-5 PUNCH
Two of the best power hitters in the RMAC this season both homered again in the series against Adams State as Cassidy Chvatal hit a grand slam in the series opener for her 19th of the season while Lexie Semeyn went deep with a no-doubter in the finale for her 12th. Combined, those two account for 31 of Mines' 36 big flies this season, a mark which ranks fourth in the RMAC. While it may not get close to the single season team record of 68, those two have led the rise of the home run this season, something not seen a great deal in recent history but something the Orediggers will look to continue in the coming seasons.
 
STEPPING UP
Brooke Gonzales and Sam Whisenand got some time in the spotlight over the weekend against the Grizzlies and didn't disappoint when given their opportunities. Gonzales, who had seen limited duty as a pinch hitter this season, recorded her first career hit Saturday in that role to earn her first two starts Sunday at DP as she went 1-3 with a three-run double and scored the game-ending run in a 14-6 run rule victory. She backed that up by going 2-3 with another double in the series final for her first career multi-hit game.
 
Whisenand meanwhile had just two at bats all season heading into the ASU series and had made most of her 22 previous appearances as a pinch runner. Getting the start in right field, the sophomore opened the series with a 2-3 performance and scored twice before recording a hit in each of the next three games highlighted by what turned out to be a critical two-run home run in the series finale to straightaway centerfield for her first of the season and second of her career.
 
Those two may see more action over the final eight games of the season as Mines tries to make a run to get into the RMAC Tournament.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Kendall Aragon continues to lead the team in batting as she flirts with a .400 season, batting .396 and slugging .550 with a career-high 15 doubles along with four triples to go with 24 RBI and 36 runs scored. Cassidy Chvatal remains the RMAC leader in home runs and RBI with 19 and 58 as she's batting .345 and slugging .827 behind an additional six doubles and two triples, and has hit safely in 12 of the last 13 games.
 
Kellan Ton is up to 19 swipes in 22 tries on the bases this season and is batting .323 with 31 runs scored and 13 Rbi while Emiaj Self continues to see her average climb as she's know batting .317 with seven doubles, two triples, 19 RBI and 24 runs scored as she currently sports a six-game hitting streak. Lexie Semeyn bumped her average over .300 to .304 last time out and now has 12 doubles and 12 homers along with two triples and 35 RBI as she's slugging. 720.
 
Mia Lopez is batting .289 in her debut season with 16 RBI while Kailey Morales is enjoying a career-best season with a .237 batting average along with four doubles and 10 RBI. Emily Rogers checks in this week at .234 with 19 RBI and has a pair of homers while going 5-6 on stolen base attempts. Meanwhile Lauren Romero is batting .295 with five RBI and Hannah Roberts checks in at .263 with two doubles, two home runs, a triple and 17 RBI.
 
In the circle, Kat Miller remains the staff ace this season with a record of 7-11 with a save and a 5.85 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 107.2 innings of work across 25 appearances including 14 starts. Taylor Wayne improved to 5-8 Sunday as she now has a 7.40 ERA in 23 outings with 14 starts of her own and has a team-high 48 strikeouts in 101 innings. Ellen Shull picked up her first collegiate win Sunday to improve to 1-5 this season and in 15 appearances has made 11 starts for 46 innings with 14 strikeouts. Allison Wesbrook rounds out the rotation with a 4-5 record in 19 games with seven starts and has 21 strikeouts in 44.1 innings of work.
 
As a team, Mines is batting .309 with a .379 on-base percentage and is slugging .458 but still finds themselves -58 in run differential. The pitching staff has an ERA of 7.46 with 128 strikeouts and 208 free passes in 299 innings worked while defensively they are fielding .946 with 73 errors in 1,343 chances.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
After sweeping UCCS to open the month of April, the ThunderWolves didn't fare so well last weekend with a trip to MSU Denver, dropping three of four to the Roadrunners as they avoided the sweep with a 6-3 win in the finale after dropping the first three games 2-1 and 11-3 in five and six innings on Friday and Saturday.
 
SERIES HISTORY
CSU Pueblo leads the all-time series 71-44 over the Orediggers and is 36-18 when playing in Pueblo. Last season in the Stell City, the teams split their four game series on a blustery weekend with Mines taking games one and three 2-1 in eight innings and 6-3 while the ThunderWolves took games two and four 6-5 and 9-8. Over the last 10 meetings going back to 2022, the teams are 5-5 with CSUP holding a 5-3 edge in contests playing in the Steel City. Already locked into the conference tournament CSU Pueblo is fourth and playing to improve their seeding the final two weeks of the season.
 
Madelyn Huerta is one of two regulars batting above .400 this season and leads a group of five batting .300 or better. The junior is hitting .419 and slugging .710 with 11 doubles, two triples and a team-leading seven home runs and 41 RBI while scoring 26 runs. Caitlyn Cole is batting .411 and slugging .705 with 11 doubles of her own, two triples and six homers with 28 RBI and leads the team with 38 runs scored. She's also one of three players with 14 stolen bases this season along with Raelynn Rogers who is batting .290 with 28 runs scored and Delaney Barela who sports a .274 average with six doubles and 12 RBI.
 
Taylor Brower is batting .336 with seven doubles and 17 RBI this season while Darleen Falcon is batting .330 with three extra base hits and 15 RBI. Cali Cole, younger sister of Caitlyn, checks in ahead of this weekend with a .300 average, eight doubles, 17 RBI and 22 run scored.
 
Others worth keeping an eye on the plate include McKenna James (.245 AVG, 4 2B, 10 RBI), Tori Cordova (.242 AVG, 12-13 SB) and Julianah Jimenez who despite hitting under .200 does has 10 RBI on the season.
 
In the circle, James leads the way with a 3.82 ERA and is 12-9 in 25 games with 19 starts with 101 strikeouts against 41 walks in 134.1 innings pitched and a BAA of .271. Freshman Mia Sanchez is next with a 10-5 record with 18 starts in 19 appearances and has a 5.01 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 59 walks over 100.2 innings on the season with a .256 BAA. Lucy Carney is 1-1 with a save in 10 appearances with three starts and has a 9.55 ERA in 21.1 innings while Marissa Robertson rounds out the staff with a 2-3 record and a 10.93 ERA in seven games with three starts for 14 innings.
 
As a team, CSUP is batting .306 with a .387 on-base percentage and a .424 slugging percentage and is +47 in run differential while also going 91-106 on stolen base attempts. The pitching staff has a 5.09 ERA with 165 strikeouts against 137 free passes in 270.2 innings while the defense is fielding .965 with just 42 errors in nearly 1,200 chances.

ON DECK
Mines returns home to close the regular season April 25-26 when they host New Mexico Highlands.
 
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.