Mines (11-11, 7-5) vs. MSU Denver (14-6, 9-3) – Friday, 12 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV]
Mines (11-11, 7-5) vs. MSU Denver (14-6, 9-3) – Saturday, 11 a.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV] [Tickets]

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HOME STAND CONTINUES
After opening an unconventional five-week stint at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field last weekend, the Colorado School of Mines softball team welcomes MSU Denver to town for a four-game series Friday and Saturday as they look to keep pace in the top half of the RMAC standings.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This weekend's games will be available for purchase on the RMAC Network with Alex Becker on the call. Free live stats will be available as well. Links for video and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
FAN ADVISORY
With a less-than-optimal forecast for Sunday, this weekend's games have been moved up a day to Friday Saturday. As a result, those planning to attend Friday's game will be admitted free of charge but will have to pay for parking on campus since the games will be played on a weekday during enforceable parking hours. Parking will be free on Saturday, but admission will be charged for entry to the venue.
 
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
While Sunday's forecast for temperatures in the low 30s and a real feel in the low 20s, Friday and Saturday's outlooks are substantially more suitable for softball. Friday's high is expected to be in the high 60s with west winds at 10-20 miles per hour, while Saturday will be overcast approaching 70, but much higher wind speeds out of the west at 25-35 miles per hour and gusts up to 40.
 
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 285-377 (.431). 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 6 RECAP
Mines returned to Golden and went 1-3 in their series with Colorado Mesa last weekend, taking the opener 3-1 before falling 10-3, 6-1 and 6-1 in the final three games. Madyson Ortiz continued her recent run of solid performances in the circle, going 1-1 in two appearances as she earned the win in game one behind a season-high seven strikeouts before being saddled with the loss in relief in the finale with another four strikeouts against a potent CMU lineup. Rylee Church also pitched well in relief, striking out eight in 6.2 innings for the weekend in two appearances. Kellan Ton went 6-14 at the plate while Emiaj Self and Emily Rogers each had a double and a triple in the series.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 .394 (225-571) and now resides alone in sixth on the all-time hits list, having passed Katie Kocman (2006-09) and her mark of 223. 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.
 
RMAC RESET
Three weeks into conference play and is already looks like it'll be a fight for the top six spots to make the postseason come the first weekend of May. Colorado Christian remains atop the standings at 12-0 followed by MSU Denver, Colorado Mesa and CSU Pueblo at 9-3 in a three-way tie for second. Mines is alone in fifth at 7-5 followed by Black Hills State in sixth at 6-6. UCCS and New Mexico Highlands are close behind at 5-7 in front of Regis at 4-8. Adams State and Chadron State are both 3-9 while Fort Lewis is still seeking their first league win at 0-12.
 
NEAR THE TOP
Mines ranks fifth in the RMAC with a .308 batting average heading into week four of league action and is tops in the conference with 15 triples. They are also third with 45 stolen bases and a .961 fielding percentage while their 4.22 ERA ranks fourth.
 
Individually, Kellan Ton is second in the league with a .466 batting average and tops the charts with 18 stolen bases. Emily Rogers and Emiaj Self are tied for the lead in triples with four, while Rogers is also third in the league in hit by pitches. Mines also boasts two pitchers in the top 10 in ERA as Madyson Ortiz and Taylor Wayne are fifth and sixth at 2.39 and 2.51 respectively. Ortiz has also issued the fewest walks in the RMAC to date with five.
 
FASTEST WOMAN IN GOLDEN
Three weeks ago against UCCS, Kellan Ton took a step into history as she passed Renata Boyd (2020-23) for the Mines program record for stolen bases with 59. Heading into week four of league action, Ton is up to 18 stolen bases in 22 games in 2026 and is now has 70 in 122 games for her career. And oh by the way, she's just a junior. By the time Ton is done terrorizing teams on the bases when she hangs it up, she's got potential to set a mark that will stand for a long time.
 
MILESTONE WATCH
Kat Miller picked up her 100th career strikeout Monday against Colorado Mesa, while Kendall Aragon remains in pursuit of her 100th career RBI as she remains at 97 entering the weekend against MSU Denver. In her career against the Roadrunners, Aragon is 18-47 (.383) at the plate with seven career RBI, including one earlier this season in the doubleheader in Denver back in February.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Kellan Ton has seen her average climb in recent weeks thanks to a 13-game hitting streak as she's second in the RMAC with a mark .466 and also leads the league with 18 stolen bases while scoring 21 times and driving in five. Kendall Aragon is hitting .373 with six extra-base hits including four doubles and has 13 RBI on the year while Katie Bauer is batting .364 with six doubles, two triples, two home runs and is tied for the team lead in RBI with 15 in her first full season of action.
 
Emily Rogers is back above the .300 mark at .310 entering the weekend and also has 10 extra-base hits in the form of four doubles, four triples and two homers while driving in 12 and stealing nine bases. Lauren Romero is hitting .276 with five doubles and eight RBI while Emiaj Self is hitting .250 with five doubles and four triples of her own and is tied with Bauer for the team lead in RBI with 15. Both Rogers and Self are tied for the RMAC lead in triples.
 
Looking at the rest of the lineup, Taylor Wayne is batting .500 with a home run when batting for herself while Kylie Bickford is up to .321 at the plate with three extra-base hits and four RBI in her freshman season. Fellow freshman Miqeula Tammaro provides some pop from the left side with three doubles and a triple while batting .280 with six RBI. Mia Lopez is batting .263 with a double and a triple while Lindy French is hitting .258 with four RBI.
 
In the circle, Madyson Ortiz headlined the pitching staff entering the weekend as she's 2-2 with a save and a 2.39 ERA in seven appearances with three starts for 29.1 innings. She's struck out 20 and issued just seven free passes while holding teams to .274 at the plate. Taylor Wayne is 5-3 with a 2.51 ERA in 11 appearances with eight starts for a team-leading 53 innings of work and also has 20 strikeouts against 26 free passes and posted a BAA of .269. Kat Miller is 2-2 in nine games with six starts for 27.1 innings and has a 5.63 ERA with 14 strikeouts. Rylee Church is 1-1 in six appearances mostly in relief for 17.1 innings and has struck out 16 while issuing 10 free passes, while Ellen Shull is 1-2 in eight appearances with four starts for 17 innings with nine strikeouts. Ariana Hughes rounds out the pitching staff with two innings pitched in two appearances.
 
Entering this weekend, Mines is batting .308 as a team with a .387 on-base percentage and a .460 slugging percentage. They are -6 in run differential at 112-106 and have 58 extra-base hits (34 2B, 15 3B, 7 HR) to their credit while going 45-54 on the basepaths. The pitching staff has a 4.22 ERA across 146 innings pitched with 75 strikeouts to 88 free passes allowed and a BAA of .303. Defensively, Mines is now fielding .961 with 26 errors in 671 chances.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
MSU Denver is coming off a four-game sweep of Adams State at home over the weekend that included a trio of run-rule wins in five innings as they posted results of 8-0, 8-6, 14-4 and 9-1. In 20 games this season, the Roadrunners are a perfect 12-0 at home including two wins over Mines, but in eight games away from home are just 2-6 and 1-3 in true road games.
 
Cheyenne Prieto leads at the plate with an eye-watering .611 batting average more than a month into the season as she leads the team with 21 RBI and seven doubles while adding four home runs and a triple. Freshman Victoria Pearson is batting .406 in her debut season and has four doubles, a triple, a home run and 13 RBI while going 11-14 on stolen base attempts.
 
Six more Roadrunner regulars are batting .310 or better as Zoe Stanzyk is swinging it at a .366 clip with three doubles and 13 RBI. Brooklyn Enny is hitting .361 and now leads the team with six home runs following the ASU series to go with five doubles and 17 RBI. Janessa Esquibel is hitting .350 with a pair of doubles and nine RBI while Mackenzie Pearson is hitting .341 with three doubles, three home runs, a triple and 11 RBI. Lexi Gephart sports a .323 average with four extra-base hits and four stolen bases while Neila Lucero rounds out the group with a .311 mark behind three doubles and 11 RBI.
 
In the circle, Natalie Romero leads the way after a rocky start as she's now 6-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 11 appearances with nine starts for 48.1 innings. During that time she's struck out 24 against 25 free passes and held teams to a .269 BAA. Kianna Butler has emerged as the #2 for MSUD in her freshman season and is 4-1 with a save entering the weekend with a 3.93 ERA in 41 innings while making five starts in 11 outings. She leads the team with 36 strikeouts and has issued just 24 free passes while posting a BAA of .285. Samantha Mader is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in eight games with four starts for 23.1 innings with 17 strikeouts and 10 free passes, but has been knocked around at times with a .340 BAA. Prieto has made one appearance in the circle all the way back on opening weekend for just 1.2 innings, while Brooklyn Levin rounds out the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and 6.00 ERA in 10 appearances mostly in relief for 16.1 innings with nine strikeouts and nine walks.
 
As a team, MSU Denver is batting .355 with a .430 on-base percentage and is slugging .548. They have scored 127 runs this season and are +35 in run differential while amassing 62 extra-base hits (38 2B, 6 3B, 18 HR) and are 26-31 on stolen bases. Their pitching staff has an ERA of 4.45 in 130.2 innings of work and have struck out 86 while issuing 68 free passes. Defensively, the Roadrunners are fielding .964 with 20 errors in .558 chances.
 
SERIES HISTORY
MSU Denver took the first two games of the season against Mines back in February in Denver to improve to 59-36 in the all-time series. When playing in Golden, the Orediggers are 17-30. The teams last played at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field back in the 2023 season when Mines took three out of four games, winning 7-2, 7-2 and 4-3 in nine innings before the Roadrunners avoided the sweep with a 6-3 win in the finale. In the 11 games since, the Orediggers are just 2-9 against MSUD.

ON DECK
The Orediggers will be back at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field next weekend as the visiting team in a series against Colorado Christian March 21-22.
 
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.