Mines (11-15, 7-9) at #13 Colorado Christian (26-2, 16-0) – Friday, 12 p.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV]
Mines (11-15, 7-9) at #13 Colorado Christian (26-2, 16-0) – Saturday, 11 a.m. – Golden, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV]

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AWAY AT HOME
The Colorado School of Mines softball team continues their five-week long stint playing at Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field this weekend, but will do so as the visiting team on the scoreboard in their four-game RMAC series against #13 Colorado Christian on Saturday and Sunday.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This weekend's games will be available for purchase on the RMAC Network. Free live stats will be available as well. Links for video and stats can be found on minesathletics.com.
 
BLASTER'S BASKET
With Mines baseball also playing at Jim Darden Field Friday-Sunday, this weekend's games will feature complimentary admission as part of the department's Blaster's Basket series. All fans get in free on Saturday and Sunday but are encouraged to consider a donation to Blaster's Basket. Donations can either be monetary or a non-perishable food item which can be dropped off upon arrival at the Clear Creek Athletic Complex. Blaster's Basket is the food pantry on campus that provides non-perishable food, toiletries and basic school supplies to Oredigger students in need – no questions asked.
 
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 will be another pleasant spring weekend for softball in Colorado. Saturday's high will approach 90 with lots of sun and west winds at 10-20 miles per hour. Sunday will be much cooler comparatively speaking with a high in the lows 60s with scattered clouds and northeast winds at 10-15 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 285-381 (.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.
 
SO ABOUT THIS WEEKEND
Usually when the Orediggers are in action from Joe Coors, Jr. Softball Field, they're customarily the home team. That isn't the case this weekend as Mines' series with Colorado Christian will see them competing as the visiting team on their own field for the second time in two seasons. Last year's series with Black Hills State was moved to Golden with BHSU as the home team due to weather, while this year the reason for the location change is a scheduling conflict. Since both CCU's baseball and softball teams share the off-campus venue at Blue Sky All-Star Park, a purpose-built baseball facility without lights, and as a result of the teams being double-booked amidst RMAC play, the Cougar softball team elected to change venues and play this weekend's series in Golden. So instead of having to make the short hop down Highway 6 to Lakewood, Mines will get to make the even shorter trip to their home field this weekend.
 
WEEK 7 RECAP
Mines was swept over the weekend by MSU Denver 7-2, 13-7, 3-1 and 9-6 in 10 innings. Taylor Wayne spun 13 innings over the circle, and pitched into the ninth inning in Saturday's season finale as she allowed just six earned runs against one of the best offenses in the RMAC. Rylee Church was strong once again, working nine innings in two relief appearances including a season-high seven innings in relief in game three of the series in which she struck out a season-high six and didn't allow an earned run. Katie Bauer extended her hitting streak to five games by going 5-12 with a pair of doubles and three RBI in the series at the plate, while Lauren Romero had four hits on the weekend and drove in a pair of runs Saturday.
 
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 .390 (228-584) and now resides alone in sixth on the all-time hits list, having passed Katie Kocman (2006-09) and her mark of 223. She now sets her sights on fifth all-time currently held by Paige Noerhing (2014-17) with 239 hits. 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
Colorado Christian remains atop the standings at 16-0 through four weekends of conference play with a three-game lead over MSU Denver in second at 13-3. Colorado Mesa is third at 12-4 ahead of CSU Pueblo in fourth at 11-5. Black Hills State is coming off a sweep of Chadron State and improved to 10-6 to move up to fifth, while Mines and UCCS are now tied for sixth at 7-9. New Mexico Highlands is in eighth one game back of 6-10 followed by 5-11 Adams State. Regis is 4-12 ahead of 3-13 CSC, while Fort Lewis got on the board with two wins over UCCS to improve to 2-14.
 
NEAR THE TOP
Mines ranks first in the conference with 17 triples heading into week five of action and are fourth with 49 stolen bases. They .959 fielding percentage is tied for fifth with Adams State while their 4.23 ERA is fourth in the conference.
 
Individually, Kellan Ton is 12th in the league with a .404 batting average and is second with 19 stolen bases. Emily Rogers and Emiaj Self are tied for the first and second in triples with five and four respectively, while Rogers now leads the league in hit by pitches with seven. Mines also boasts two pitchers in the top 10 in ERA and three in the top 15 as Taylor Wayne and Rylee Church are sixth and seventh at 2.65 and 2.66 respectively, while Madyson Ortiz is 15th with a mark of 4.32. Ortiz and Church are also tied for fifth in fewest walks allowed this season with 10 apiece.
 
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 five of league action, Ton is up to 19 stolen bases in 26 games in 2026 and is now has 71 in 126 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 stands at 98 entering the weekend against CCU. In her career against the Cougars, Aragon is 13-37 (.351) at the plate with three RBI.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Kellan Ton leads Mines with a .404 batting average and 19 stolen bases while posting two doubles, two triples and six RBI. Katie Bauer has hit safely in her last five games and is now batting .373 with a team-leading 19 RBI behind eight doubles, two triples and two home runs. Kendall Aragon is swinging it at a .347 clip with five doubles, a home run and a triple with 14 RBI and 15 runs scored. Emily Rogers is batting .292 with four doubles, four triples and two homers with 12 RBI while going 10-11 on the bases ahead of Lauren Romero, who is batting .282 with five doubles, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases. Emiaj Self is batting .250 with six doubles and five triples and is second to Bauer with 17 RBI.
 
Kylie Bickford started all four games at the hot corner last weekend and is batting .297 with a double, triple, home run and four RBI. Miquela Tammaro is batting .296 with three doubles, a triple and six RBI coming off the bench to pinch hit and also seeing time as the designated player. Ryen Herman is hitting .267 while Lindy French is batting .231 with a double and six RBI after making four starts at first base last weekend.
 
In the circle, Taylor Wayne sports a 2.65 ERA and a 65-4 record in 13 appearances with 10 starts over a team-leading 66 innings of work and has a .267 BAA with 21 strikeouts. Freshman Rylee Church is now second in ERA with a mark of 2.66 in eight appearances mostly in relief, working 26.1 innings and striking out 22 with a .288 BAA. Madyson Ortiz will look to rebound this weekend as she's 2-4 with a save and a 4.32 ERA over 35.2 innings and is tied with Church for the team lead in strikeouts with 22 in four starts over nine appearances. Kat Miller is 2-2 with a 5.63 ERA in 27.1 innings over 10 appearances with 14 strikeouts, while Ellen Shull is 1-2 in 19.2 innings in nine outings. Ariana Hughes rounds the rotation out with two appearances for two innings.
 
As a team, Mines is batting .294 with a .383 on-base percentage and is slugging .433. They are -22 in run differential at 144-122 and have 62 extra-base hits this spring (38 2B, 17 3B, 7 HR) while going 49-59 on the bases. The pitching staff has a 4.23 ERA in 177 innings with 84 strikeouts against 115 free passes and posted a BAA of .304. Defensively, they are fielding .959 with 34 errors in 832 chances.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
It's been more than a month since the last time the Cougars found themselves on the short end of the scoreboard as they enter this weekend winners of 22 in a row and unbeaten in RMAC play. CCU swept Regis last weekend, posting a trio of run-rule wins along the way and outscoring the Rangers 58-12 over the course of the series by scores of 21-1, 20-3, 13-4 and 14-4.
 
Eight regulars are hitting above .300 for CCU this season led by Kat Hanson and her .465/.509/.842 line backed by 35 runs, nine doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 28 RBI. GCU transfer Arriana Wright is batting .444 and slugging .867 and leads the team with 48 RBI, 10 doubles and eight home runs and is 6-6 on the bases as well. Paisley Williamson is batting .419 as a freshman with nine stolen bases in 13 attempts, while Felisha LaPenske is batting .410 with seven doubles, six home runs and 29 RBI. Leah Garcia rounds our six Cougars hitting over .400 at .407 with eight doubles, two triples and three home runs while driving in 24.
 
Maya Schroeder is batting .395 with 29 RBI thanks to four doubles, two triples and three homers and leads the team with 10 stolen bases. Peyton Marvel checks in swinging it at .345 with nine doubles, a triple and three home runs and is 9-9 on stolen bases, while Abbie Walden is batting .304 with three doubles, six RBI and is 8-10 on the bases. Sarah Dollerschell and Elyse McMullin round out the regulars at the plate with a combined 15 extra-base hits and 27 RBI between them.
 
In the circle, McMullin leads the pitching staff with a 5-0 record and a 1.60 ERA with 17 strikeouts and six walks in 35 innings while making just six starts in the season and holding teams to .198 at the plate. Hanna Espinoza is 4-0 with two saves in 13 appearances with three starts for 31.2 innings and has struck out 21 against eight walks while posting a 1.77 ERA. LaPenske has gotten it done in the circle as well this year, going 9-0 in 10 appearances with six starts for 49.2 innings with 35 strikeouts and 10 walks with a 2.82 ERA. Another GCU transfer Lisa Liddell has been the staff workhorse this season, going 8-2 and starting all 13 of her appearances for a team-leading 66 innings and has struck out 35 while issuing 27 free passes and posting a 2.86 ERA. Rachel Davis rounds things out in the circle with 3.2 innings pitched in two appearances.
 
As a team, Colorado Christian is batting .368 with a .437 on-base percentage and is slugging .602. They have outscored teams 250-92 this season and posted 108 extra-base hits (60 2B, 16 3B, 32 HR) and going 56-64 on stolen bases. The pitching staff has a 2.78 ERA in 186 innings of work with 109 strikeouts against just 56 free passes and has held teams to .258 at the plate. Defensively they are fielding .959 with 34 errors in 839 chances.
 
SERIES HISTORY
All-time Colorado Christian leads the series 27-17 against Mines and is 14-8 as the home team. Last season, the teams met in Golden with CCU taking three out of four in the series with 8-2, 13-2 and 3-1 wins in games one, three and four. Mines took a 3-2 decision in game two in extra innings. The teams split their 2024 series in Lakewood. The Orediggers are looking for their first series win against the Cougars since 2013, when they swept the four-game set in Lakewood.

ON DECK
Mines will be back on the bottom line of the scoreboard next weekend when they host Regis for the second time this season March 28-29.
 
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.