Mines (2-3) vs. MSU Billings (2-4) – Sunday, 12 p.m. (DH) – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV] [Tickets]

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HOME OPENER
After getting their 2026 season underway last weekend in Texas, the Colorado School of Mines softball team will make their home debut this weekend with a Sunday doubleheader against MSU Billings at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This week's games will be available for purchase on the RMAC Network with Kienan Dixon on the call. 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
Sunday's forecast is shaping up to perfect softball weather for February. Highs are expected to be in the mid-60s with plenty of sunshine, no clouds and winds out of the northwest up 12 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 276-369 (.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 1 RECAP
Mines went 2-3 on opening weekend at the Top Gun Lone Star DII College Classic last weekend, picking up wins over Texas A&M Kingsville and MSU Moorhead on the first and final days of the weekend while getting an early test against the likes of #24 Missouri Southern, Emporia State and a new-look UT Dallas team.
 
Day one saw a season opening win over TAMUK by a score of 10-7 before being dealt a 7-1 loss by MSSU. Kat Miller picked up the win in relief with 5.2 strong innings out of the bullpen, while Katie Bauer shined in her first career start, going 2-3 with three RBI and a game-tying triple as part of a seventh-inning rally. Lauren Romero, Emily Rogers and Emiaj Self all recorded two hits as well and accounted for five runs and five RBI between them. The offense was stifled against the Lions as after coming back to tie things in the third, Missouri Southern pulled away in the late innings with three runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take the win. Day two saw the Orediggers fall behind early against ESU and never quite manage to recover from a 6-0 deficit. Grace Weiler's RBI double score Self to break up the shutout as the Hornets won in five innings.
 
Day three opened with an 8-3 win over MSUM as the Orediggers scored in all six innings they went to the plate. Kendall Aragon and Brooke Gonzales drove in a pair of runs in the first and after the Dragons took the lead in the second, an inside-the-park home run by Rogers tied things up at 3-3. Bauer's second run-scoring triple of the weekend took the lead in the fourth before ton drove in Sam Whisenand in the fifth on an RBI double. Sydney Pedowski scored on double steal of home and second in the fifth before Miquela Tammaro's pinch hit double scored Self to make it 7-3. Mia Lopez then scored in the sixth on an Aragon sac fly to cap the scoring as Taylor Wayne went the distance in the circle to earn the win. In the finale, the Orediggers struck first with three runs in the top of the first and led 4-2 after two, but a pair of big innings by UTD saw them take an 8-4 lead. Mines looked in position to rally in the sixth, but because of a travel curfew to get back to Colorado the game was called and reverted back to the fifth inning as the Comets took the win.
 
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 .396 (203-512) and is eighth on the all-time hits list. 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.
 
LADY LARCENY
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 heading into year three in Golden, Ton is already just one of three players in program history with 50 or more stolen bases and needs just nine swipes to break Renata Boyd (2020-23)'s all-time record of 58.
 
BEHIND THE DISH
Following the departure of Lexie Semeyn and Kailey Morales last season, there will be some new faces behind the plate for the Orediggers this season with nary an inning of work wearing the tools of ignorance at the collegiate level between them. The veteran amongst the six backstops this season is redshirt junior Katie Bauer, who hit .667 with a walk in four pinch hit appearances last season in her first career action. Redshirt sophomore Ryen Herman heads into her third season with the program this spring after making a pair of pinch hit appearances in 2025. Of the group with experience at the collegiate level to their name, Grace Weiler heads the bunch having appeared in 12 games in a utility role last spring, seeing time in the outfield and at designated played and batting .200 with four RBI before having her season derailed by injury at Colorado Mesa in March. Morgan Stewart, Miquela Tammaro and Nina Sammoury make up the newcomers in the group as the trio all vie for playing time in their debut seasons. Stewart and Tammaro add some intrigue as left-handed hitting options for the Orediggers, while Sammoury brings some juice to the plate after belting 54 home runs at the prep level.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Mia Lopez tops the list when it comes to batting average after one weekend of play with a .600 mark, two runs scored, a triple, an RBI and a stolen base. Kendall Aragon is swinging it at a .455 clip with a double, four runs and two RBI along with a stolen base. Emiaj Self, Lauren Romero and Emily Rogers are all batting .333 with nine runs, three extra-base hits and five RBI between them. Katie Bauer is batting .308 with two triples, a double and four RBI. Kellan Ton's big Sunday has her batting .294 with two doubles, three runs scored and a stolen base while Brooke Gonzales has driven in a pair. Lindy French, Grace Weiler and Miquela Tammaro each have a double and an RBI on the season.
 
In the circle, Taylor Wayne leads after five games with a 1-1 record and a 5.11 ERA with seven strikeouts in 12.1 innings of work over two appearances. Kat Miller made three appearances on the weekend for 10 innings and has a 1-1 record with five strikeouts and an ERA of 7.00. Ellen Shull started twice in three outings and has four strikeouts in five innings of work. Rylee Church made a pair of relief appearances for 1.2 innings of work and has a 4.20 ERA while Madyson Ortiz worked one inning in her only appearance of the weekend.
 
As a team, the Orediggers are batting .308 with a .400 on-base percentage and a .470 slugging percentage. They have scored 24 runs and are -11 in run differential while going 7-8 on the bases with 1/3 of their 36 hits going for extra bases. In the circle, the staff sports a 7.23 ERA over 30 innings of work and has 17 strikeouts against 26 free passes and a .318 BAA. Defensively Mines is fielding .946 with right errors in 148 chances.
 
SCOUTING MSU BILLINGS
MSU Billings opened their season last weekend at Minot State's Beaver Bubble Invite and went 2-4 against a schedule that included the host institution, Mary and Black Hills State. MSUB dropped their first three games of the weekend before taking game two against the Marauders 9-8 before splitting Sunday against BHSU with a 5-2 game one win. They'll take on MSU Denver Saturday before making the trip to Golden Sunday.
 
At the plate, Grace Hood leads the way after one weekend batting .450 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Marleigh Nieto is hitting .400 with three doubles and three RBI while Destiny Villa and Delaney Vasquez both have three RBI and are batting north of .300. Wynter Hurst has been strong as well, batting .435 with five extra-base hits and 10 RBI. Josie Thielen and Emily Brevig each have two stolen bases and Ashley Akers has a home run and three RBI as well.
 
In the circle, Akers leads the way with a 2-0 record and a save in four appearances with two starts for a 3.73 ERA with five strikeouts and no walks in 15 innings. Theilen made three appearances in relief for eight innings and also struck out five with four walks and has an 11.38 ERA. Six more arms all made appearances in the circle for MSUB, as Shelby Wasilewski comes into the week with an 0-1 record in three appearances for five innings and a 4.20 ERA followed by Danica Butler with four appearances for 3.1 innings and a 16.80 ERA. Wynter Hurst, Avery Gray and Elaina Troxell have all made one appearance each and combined to work 1.2 innings between them.
 
As a team, the Yellowjackets are batting .290 with a .409 on-base percentage and slugging percentage of .467. On the bases they are 8-9 on stolen base attempts and at the plate have recorded 10 doubles and six home runs while scoring 47 runs and are -12 in run differential. In the circle they have a team ERA of 10.31 over 36.2 innings and a BAA of .401 while striking out 23 and issuing 30 free passes. Defensively MSUB is fielding .950 with nine errors in 180 chances.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday will feature the sixth and seventh all-time meetings between the Orediggers and Yellowjackets. Mines leads the all-time series 4-1 and is a perfect 3-0 as the home team. The teams last met in 2019 in a home game contested at MSU Denver that resulted in a 4-3 Oredigger win in extra innings. The last time Mines and MSUB met in Golden was 2018 when the Orediggers swept that doubleheader 7-2 and 7-1.

ON DECK
Three more non-conference games await Mines next weekend against a pair of familiar opponents as the Orediggers will head downtown for a doubleheader with MSU Denver starting at noon on February 14 before returning to Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field Sunday February 15 for a single game against Regis, also at 12 p.m.
 
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.