Mines (4-6, 0-0) vs. UCCS (6-3, 0-0) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV] [Tickets]
Mines (4-6, 0-0) vs. UCCS (6-3, 0-0) – Sunday, 11 a.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV] [Tickets]

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RMAC-TION BEGINS
With non-conference play in the rearview, 44 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games await the Colorado School of Mines softball team starting this weekend at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field when they Orediggers welcome UCCS to town Saturday and Sunday for a four-game series.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This weekend's games will be available for purchase on the RMAC Network with Kienan Dixon on the call this weekend. Free live stats will be available as well. Links for video and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
RMAC NETWORK CHANGES
As was announced on June 30, this year the RMAC Network is moving to a pay-per-view model for all events beginning with the 2025-26 season.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans may submit a support ticket with Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.
 
WEEKEND WEATHER REPORT
It'll be back to more seasonal temperatures this weekend for the series with the Orediggers and Mountain Lions. Both days will be clear and cool with highs in the mid to upper 40s and winds out of the west at 5-15 miles per hour.
 
AT THE HELM
2026 will be the second season of the Tobin Echo-Hawk era in Golden as the Orediggers look to return to the postseason after missing out in 2025. In Echo-Hawk's first season, Mines went 22-32 overall and 21-22 in the RMAC. The 2026 season will be Echo-Hawk's 13th as a head coach at the NCAA level which has included stops at Portland State and UTEP as she sports a career record of 278-372 (.428). Eight times her teams have won 20 or more games in a season and twice recorded 30-win seasons as she looks to elevate the Orediggers in 2026 and beyond.
 
JOINING THE STAFF
Some new faces will be in the dugout this spring for Mines as Zoe Bacon joined the program as the top assistant in the summer of 2025. Most recently the assistant coach at St. Edward's University in Texas, Bacon will work primarily with the pitching staff this season. Get to know Coach Bacon more ahead of the 2026 season here. Also joining the program in a more prominent role this season is Jordan Ruiz, who was a part-time assistant last fall.
 
WEEK 3 RECAP
Mines went 0-3 to close out non-conference action last weekend, dropping a doubleheader Saturday at MSU Denver 6-5 and 7-1 before dropping a 6-4 decision to Regis Sunday. Saturday's opener saw Mines get the tying run into scoring position with two outs in the seventh before the go-ahead run was thrown out on the bases to end the game. Kellan Ton and Emiaj Self each recorded two hits in the game with the former scoring twice and the latter doubling and driving in two. Rylee Church made her first career start in the circle while Taylor Wayne tossed three scoreless innings of relief. Game two saw all the offense in the first inning as Mines scored first before MSUD came back with a seven spot in the home half. Neither side cracked the scoreboard the rest of the day as Mines freshman Madyson Ortiz dazzled with five shutout innings in relief with three strikeouts and faced just three over the minimum. Sunday, Mines scored twice in the first inning to lead over Regis, but RU scored two in each the third, fifth and sixth innings to take the lead. Mines plated two in the home seventh to make it 6-4 and got the tying run into scoring position, but a lack of timely hitting which plagued the Orediggers all game saw two left on base to end the game.
 
MEET THE CAPTAINS
A new year means a new group of captains as in 2026 Kendall Aragon, Taylor Wayne, Lauren Romero, Emiaj Self, Lindy French and Kylie Bickford will be leading the way on the field this spring.
 
Aragon has been an undisputed leader for the Orediggers since her arrival in 2023 and has been of the best defensive outfielders and hitters in the RMAC during her time at Mines. Last season she led the team ranked near the top of the conference with a .409 average while slugging .454 with 16 doubles, four triples and two home runs while scoring 43, driving in 38 and stealing 12 bases as she posted career numbers across the season on her way to Second Team All-RMAC honors. Go ahead and pencil Aragon's name into the lineup in center field and somewhere in the top half of the batting order this weekend.
 
After missing all of 2024 with injury, Wayne returned to action in 2025 and made 16 starts in 27 appearances on her way to a 7-9 season with a 5.43 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 120 innings of work. She led the team in strikeouts and innings pitched and spun 10 complete game efforts while recording statistical bests across the board. She also hit .200 at the plate while seeing some late-season action in right field. The fifth-year senior will bring valuable experience to a deep pitching staff this spring as she looks to lead the Orediggers back to the postseason.
 
Romero quietly had herself a stellar sophomore season as she took over duties at third base full-time as the season went on. She started 37 times in 41 games and posted a strong second half to close the year fourth on the team with a .337 average, four doubles, a triple, 19 runs and nine RBI. Entering her junior season, Romero will remain a fixture on the Mines infield and may slide over to second base in 2026.
 
In her debut season in 2025, Self emerged as the everyday starter at shortstop for the Orediggers and finished third on the team with a .349 batting average and posted 10 doubles, five triples, 24 RBI and 31 runs scored. Her five triples were tied for the sixth-most in a single season, three of which came on the final day of the season against New Mexico Highlands.
 
French started 31 of 33 games in her debut season before having things cut short with an injury at the end of March. Despite missing the final 21 games of the year, French batted .341/.363/.364 with two double, 10 runs and eight RBI while platooning between second and third base. She led the team in batting average for the first month of the season and went 7-11 in her first weekend of action in 2025. The Festus, Missouri native returns to action this weekend and figures to see time around the infield in 2026, particularly at first base.
 
Following a strong fall, Bickford will factor into the Orediggers' plans this spring right away as a true freshman at the hot corner. A second-generation Mines student with family ties to the softball program, the Littleton native was a three-time All-Conference selection at the prep level and batted .393 with a .466 OBP while also fielding .960 defensively.
 
HELLO, MY NAME IS…
A total of nine newcomers have joined the Orediggers for the 2026 season. Kylie Bickford, Rylee Church, Ariana Hughes, Madyson Ortiz, Sydney Pendowski, Morgan Stewart and Miquela Tammaro comprised the first signing class under Tobin Echo-Hawk. Those seven are joined by Nina Sammoury and junior college transfer Lucy Herston. This talented group of newcomers adds depth at several positions around the diamond and each expect to compete for time this spring.
 
IN THE POLLS
Mines was voted to finish sixth in the RMAC in January's Preseason Coaches' Poll. Defending champions Colorado Christian was picked to repeat as champions ahead of Colorado Mesa. MSU Denver was voted third followed by UCCS and CSU Pueblo to round out the top five.
 
Nationally, defending champions UT Tyler were a unanimous #1 selection in the NFCA Preseason Top 25 followed by Tampa, Western Washington, Pace and Central Oklahoma. Opening weekend opponent Missouri Southern checked in at #24.
 
PRESEASON ALL-RMAC
Senior centerfielder Kendall Aragon was named Preseason All-RMAC two weeks back when the league released its preseason poll. A three-time All-RMAC selection in her career and a Second Team honoree each of the previous two seasons, Aragon has long since established herself as one of the premier players in the RMAC. Last season she had a career year across the board, batting .409 and starting all 54 games as she racked up 72 hits, 43 runs scored, 38 RBI, 16 doubles, four triples and a pair of homers while swiping 12 bases. She ranked fourth in the RMAC in batting average, hits and tied for sixth in doubles while on the defensive side fielded .961 with four outfield assists.
 
EARNING THAT SILVER
A pair of Orediggers have already earned one silver-plated diploma and are working on their second as they wrap up their careers in 2026. Fifth-year pitcher Taylor Wayne wrapped up her undergraduate work in Mechanical Engineering last May and is now working toward a graduate degree in the same field. Senior outfielder Kendall Aragon meanwhile picked up her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering in just three years and is now working on a Master's in STEM Education.
 
ONE OF THE BEST
One of the most prolific hitters in program history, Kendall Aragon enters 2026 with her name on several lists in the program record book. Presently, the Legacy High School alum ranks third all-time in career batting average at .397 (214-539) and is up to seventh on the all-time hits list, passing Sami Springer (2011-14) over the weekend. Her 16 doubles from last season are tied for the eighth-most in a single season while she owns three career hitting streaks of 10 games or more including a 15-game streak that's the seventh-longest all-time, and is the only player in program history to have three such hitting streaks.
 
ON THE CUSP
Already known as one of the fastest women in Golden, Kellan Ton has been prolific on the basepaths in the first two seasons of her career. In both 2024 and 2025, the speedster from Sugar Land, Texas broke the Mines single-season steals record first with 25 stolen bases in her debut campaign before committing 27 acts of larceny for an encore as a sophomore. Now three weeks into the season, Ton is up to 58 stolen and is tied for the program's all-time record with Renata Boyd (2020-23), needing just one this weekend to make the record all her own. With more than 40 games left this season and presumably all of 2027 still to come, there's a chance Ton could set a standard on the bases that will stand for some time following the end of her career.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
Kellan Ton won't be the only one on milestone watch as Mines begins RMAC play. Senior Kendall Aragon is closing in on 100 career runs batted in as she stands at 90 following action last weekend, while fellow senior Kat Miller needs just eight strikeouts to hit the century mark in her career. If traffic gets on base in front of Aragon this weekend, she might get there against the Mountain Lions while if the hard-throwing Miller gets on a roll in the circle, those eight strikeouts could happen in a hurry as well but will have to come against the team with the fewest strikeouts in the RMAC entering league play.
 
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
With the departure of Lexie Semeyn and Kailey Morales behind the dish following the 2025 season, the Orediggers were going to be turning to some new faces to take over this spring. With three different faces having logged time wearing the tools of ignorance this season, Katie Bauer has emerged as the primary option through the first 10 games of the season. After joining the program as a walk-on for the 2023 season and not making her debut until a handful of pinch hit opportunities in 2025, the Danville, California native has started six times in eight games this season and is batting .250 with two doubles and two triples and is second on the team with seven RBI. After waiting for her opportunity for three seasons, Bauer is making the most of 2026 in the early going and figures to build on the strong start as the season goes on.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Kellan Ton tops the stat sheet this week with a .438 batting average two doubles, nine runs scored and six stolen bases heading into RMAC play. Kendall Aragon is second in batting with a .407 mark and two doubles with six RBI. Lauren Romero checks in at .391 with a team-high four doubles, six runs, nine RBI and four stolen bases. Emiaj Self is batting a solid .346 with a team-leading nine RBI along with two doubles and two triples. Emily Rogers has an extra-base hit of each variety this season so far and is 4-4 on the bases while scoring eight times. Kylie Bickford is batting .267 in her debut season so far while Katie Bauer is batting .250 with two doubles, two triples and seven RBI.
 
Lindy French and Grace Weiler have platooned on the infield and at catcher respectively this season and are each batting .286 with a double and combining for five RBI. Sam Whisenand and Sidney Pendowski have been effective on the bases this season off the bench, and are each 2-2 in the stolen base department.
 
In the circle, Taylor Wayne anchors the pitching staff with a 2-1 record in five appearances with three starts and owns a 3.00 ERA 23.1 innings of work with 10 strikeouts and a .250 BAA. Kat Miller is 1-1 with a 6.13 ERA and has struck out six in 16 innings across five appearances with three starts as well. Ellen Shull has also started three times in five games and is 1-2 with four strikeouts in 10 innings. Madyson Ortiz shined in her second outing at MSU Denver over the weekend and owns a 1.17 ERA with three strikeouts in six innings. Rylee Church has started once in three outings and is 0-1 across 4.2 innings with four strikeouts. Arianna Hughes rounds out the six-player staff with and 0-1 record in two innings across two appearances.
 
As a team, the Orediggers are batting .310 with a .394 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging percentage. They have scored 48 runs and are -10 in run differential with 24 extra-base hits and are 2-12 on the basepaths. The pitching staff has a 6.21 ERA over 62 innings of work with 27 strikeouts against 45 free passes and a .322 BAA. Defensively Mines is fielding .967 with 10 errors in 300 chances.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
The Mountain Lions were idle last weekend following nine games over the first two weeks of the season, going 4-1 at the South Central Regional Crossover in Los Lunas, New Mexico before co-hosting the Southern Colorado Crossover and splitting their four games in Colorado Springs. In their most recent stretch, UCCS knocked off Minnesota Crookston twice 9-5 and 10-2 in five innings while losing to Pitt state 16-6 in five innings and Texas A&M Kingsville 7-4.
 
UCCS enters conference play boasting the one of the top offenses in the RMAC with a .370 batting average and 81 runs scored. Their team batting average is 31 points higher than second-ranked MSU Denver and their 81 runs trail only Colorado Christian's 83. The Mountain Lions are also third with 18 doubles, tied for first with seven triples and lead in home runs with nine.
 
Seven regulars are batting over .300 for UCCS including a pair north of .500. Alyssa Gutierrez enters the weekend battering .615 with 10 runs scored, eight RBI and is a perfect 7-7 on stolen bases. Jennavieve Goldsworth follows with a .529 average and is slugging .706 thanks to four doubles and a triple and leads the team with nine steals. Mackenzie Scott is batting .375 with three doubles and six RBI, while Jacqueline Berkowitz is one of two players with 12 RBI while batting .370. Tayler McCombs sports a .368 average with three doubles and five RBI, while the second of two players with 12 RBI Laynee Case is hitting .333 with four home runs. Gianna Pancost rounds out the robust group with a .300 average, nine RBI two doubles, a triple and a home run.
 
Others to keep an eye on at the plate include Katie Steinmetz, who is batting .500 with six RBI and all four of her hits either being a double of a home run. Genesis Jaramillo and Addy Baxter also warrant an eye, batting .429 and .333 respectively with three RBI each.
 
In the circle, Autumn Kunze leads the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and a 3.73 ERA in five appearances with three starts. Across 20.2 innings, she's struck out 13 against nine walks and held teams to a .268 average. Janessa Giugliano is 1-0 in four relief appearances for 13 innings with an 8.62 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Charlee Hoover is still seeking her first win and is 0-2 in four games with two starts for 10 innings and a 9.10 ERA with 11 strikeouts. Kailey Bond is 2-0 in 5.2 innings of work across three appearances, but has walked 10 on her way to a 6.18 ERA, while Abby Hayes rounds out the staff with an 0-1 record in three outings for 7.2 innings with a 7.30 ERA.
 
As a team, UCCS is hitting .373 with a .465 on-base percentage and a .562 slugging percentage. They have scored 81 runs and are +24 in run differential with 29 extra-base hits and are 30-31 on stolen bases. In the circle, they have a team ERA of 6.51 over 57 innings of work and struck out 40 against 48 free passes while posting a .303 BAA. Defensively, the Mountain Lions are fielding .967 with eight errors in 245 chances.
 
SERIES HISTORY
UCCS leads the all-time series 73-66-1 following a split of last year's series in Colorado Springs which only saw three games count toward the league standings as a result of one game being played out of compliance with RMAC temperature requirements. At home, Mines is 36-26 against the Mountain Lions as the most recent series in Golden resulted in a four-game sweep by the Orediggers featuring scores of 5-4, 5-4 in eight innings, 9-1 in five innings and 11-5.

ON DECK
Mines heads back on the road next weekend as they'll travel to Durango for four games with Fort Lewis February 28 and March 1.
 
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.