Mines (24-26, 20-20) at New Mexico Highlands (17-35, 15-25) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – Las Vegas, N.M. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV]
Mines (24-26, 20-20) at New Mexico Highlands (17-35, 15-25) – Sunday, 10 a.m. – Las Vegas, N.M. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network PPV]

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IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS
A trip to the postseason is on the line for the Colorado School of Mines softball team as they'll head to Las Vegas this weekend to conclude the regular season with a four-game series against New Mexico Highlands Saturday and Sunday May 2-3.
 
YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE
As a result of inclement weather in the forecast in Las Vegas, this weekend's series against New Mexico Highlands has been delayed a day. Originally set to be contested on Friday and Saturday, an 80% chance of precipitation Friday has forced a change of plans. The series will now get underway Saturday at 12 p.m. and will wrap up Sunday at 11 a.m. As a result, Mines and NMHU will be the final teams in the RMAC to wrap up their regular seasons.
 
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.
 
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
As mentioned above, the weather in Las Vegas this weekend has led to a change of plans for the schedule this weekend. After getting rained on Thursday and Friday, things start to look better Saturday with a high around 60 and partly cloudy skies and winds out of the southeast at 10-15 miles per hour. Sunday will be even better with a high around 70 and light clouds with southwest winds at 10-20 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 298-392 (.432). Nine 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 13 RECAP
Mines went 1-3 in their final home weekend of the season against CSU Pueblo. The Orediggers took a 3-1 win in the opener before dropping the next three games 8-5, 3-2 and 9-1 in five innings. Katie Bauer led the way at the plate with a .364 weekend while Emiaj Self batted .333 with two doubles and two RBI and walked four times. Lauren Romero also batted .333 with a triple while Kellan Ton hit her third inside-the-park home run of the season on her way to hitting .308 with four runs scored and two stolen bases. Kat Miller had the low ERA in the circle as she went seven innings in her lone appearance and allowed three runs. Taylor Wayne picked up the lone win of the weekend in the opener and struck out four in 10 innings over two appearances.
 
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.
 
RMAC RESET
Colorado Christian is chasing history this weekend as they've already locked up the regular season title and stand at 40-0 in conference. CSU Pueblo is second at 32-8 and will look to play spoiler to the Cougars' hopes of perfection. MSU Denver is 25-15 as those three teams are locked into the postseason. UCCS is currently fourth in the standings at 24-16 one game ahead of Colorado Mesa in fifth at 23-17. Black Hills State holds onto the final playoff spot at 21-19 with Mines the first team out at 20-20. New Mexico Highlands is 15-25 ahead of Regis and Fort Lewis at 12-28. Adams State is 9-31 while Chadron State brings up the rear at 6-34.
 
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 entered 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 .401 (267-666) and if the season ended today, would be the third .400 hitter in Mines history. She's also now in sole possession of second all-time on the hits list, having passed Clara Larson (2017-21) for second and now trails Sarah Van Lingen (2008-11) and her mark of 277 by 10 for the top spot all-time.
 
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. As the season wraps up, Aragon is knocking on the door of a top 10 spot on the all-time doubles list with 35, while thanks to her six-triple weekend at Adams State she surged from fifth to first on the career triples list, passing Macy Jones (2010-13) and Heidi Bauer (2002-04) who were previously tied for first with 15 apiece. She's also broken into the top 10 on the career RBI list as her 129 move her into sixth all-time past Molly Thiebaut (2010-13). She's also now fifth on the all-time runs scored list with 140 and has become the fifth player to score 140 or more times in a career. In addition, Aragon also finds herself eighth on the career walks list with 63 and needs four more to enter into a four-way tie for fifth. And to wrap it up, with 38 stolen bases she would stand eighth on that list in her career and needs just two to become the eighth player with 40 or more steals during their time in a Mines uniform.
 
TRACK MEET
It wasn't too long ago that the Orediggers broke the single-season record for stolen bases, as they pilfered 86 bags in 2023. Following their series win over Adams State, the Orediggers have now posted the first 100-steal season in program history and entering the final weekend of the regular season, have stolen 110 bases in 124 attempts in 2026. That total ranks 21st in all of Division II this season. 15 players have at least one steal this season while four have 12 or more. Kellan Ton leads the way at 34-38 followed by Lauren Romero at 16-17. Sam Whisenand is 15-15 while Emily Rogers is 12-14. Kendall Aragon is close to making it five with double figure steals as she's 9-12 on the year.
 
FOR THREE
On April 3 against Black Hills State, Mines broke the program's single-season team record for triples as Lauren Romero's RBI three-bagger to left center was the 25th such base hit by the Orediggers this season. In fact, heading into the final weekend of the season Mines has recorded 39 triples in 50 games to lead all levels of college softball. The closest team in Division II is Claflin with 35 triples, while Southeastern leads Division I with 30 triples. In Division III Baruch and Illinois College are tied for the top spot with 23 each. Individually, Kendall Aragon leads Division II and is tied for the NCAA lead with 11 triples alongside Rhode Island College's Noelle Simmons.
 
Looking back at the program record, the previous mark of 24 came in the 2013 season. Seven different players recorded a triple that season led by Molly Thiebaut's six. Macy Jones and Kamee Vessey each had five, Melissa Marshall had three, Courtney Derus and Sami Springer each had two while Cassie Ford had one. This season, a whopping 11 different Orediggers have recorded a three-bagger. Aragon's 11 leads the way and tops the single-season record book after she logged six in a weekend against Adams State. Kellan Ton's seven are second on the team and tied for fourth all-time with Kyndra Bradley (1998) while Emiaj Self's six are tied for sixth along with Thiebaut (2013) and Chrissy Ryan (1996). Emily Rogers has four, Katie Bauer has three, Lauren Romero and Sydney Pendowski have two each while Kylie Bickford, Miquela Tammaro, Mia Lopez and Kate Whipple all have one.
 
NEAR THE TOP
Mines ranks first in the conference with 39 triples heading into week 11 of action with 16 more than second place UCCS and remain third with 110 stolen bases as one of three teams over the century mark on the bases. Their .967 fielding percentage is tied for third in the RMAC, while their 4.28 ERA is also third in the conference.
 
Individually, Kellan Ton is seventh in the RMAC with a .419 batting average, second with 34 stolen bases and fourth with 72 hits. Kendall Aragon is tied for eighth with a .416 batting average and leads with 11 triples while her 45 RBI rank sixth. Ton, Emiaj Self, Emily Rogers and Katie Bauer all rank in the top 20 alongside Aragon in triples. Mines also boasts three pitchers in the top 15 in ERA as Rylee Church is seventh at 3.22 followed by Madyson Ortiz in 11th at 3.98 and Taylor Wayne in 12th at 4.03.
Taylor Wayne in 11th with a mark of 3.93 while Madyson Ortiz is 13th at 4.05. Ortiz is also third in fewest walks allowed this season with 17.
 
BREAKING HER OWN RECORD, AGAIN
After claiming the Mines career stolen bases record in February, Kellan Ton continues to stake her claim as the fastest woman in program history. Against Chadron State, the junior broke the single-season stolen base record for the third time in her career and now has 34 stolen bases entering this weekend. As a freshman in 2024, Ton swiped 25 bases to break the previous record of 24 before taking 27 bags in 2025 as a sophomore. Now with four games left in the regular season and the first 30-steal season in program in the bag, Ton sets her sights on 40 for the season as she continues to inch toward 100 in her career with 86 in 150 games.
 
CHECKING THE STAT SHEET
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season Mines sports four regulars batting better than .329 at the dish. Kellan Ton leads the way at .419 with 34 stolen bases, three doubles, seven triples, three home runs and 19 RBI ahead of Kendall Aragon who is batting .416 with 12 doubles, 11 triples, two home runs and a team-leading 45 RBI. Katie Bauer has posted a .355/.421/.556 line this season with 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 31 RBI. Lauren Romero is batting .329 with eight doubles, two triples and a home run to go with 22 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
 
Sam Whisenand dipped below the .400 mark at the plate and is now batting .396 on the season with 17 runs scored and is a perfect 15-15 on stolen bases. Grace Weiler is batting .363 with six doubles and 13 RBI since taking over at first base. Emily Rogers is batting .295 with five doubles, four triples, two home runs and 17 RBI while going 12-14 on the bases. Emiaj Self is batting .346 with 11 doubles, six triples, a home run and 28 RBI while Lindy French is batting .241 with three doubles and 14 RBI.
Rylee Church has two home runs and seven RBI in recent weeks while batting .417 while Madyson Ortiz is batting .391 with a home run and five RBI. Kylie Bickford is batting .298 with five extra-base hits and six RBI while Miquela Tammaro has 10 RBI, four extra-base hits and is batting .295.
 
In the circle, Church lead the pitching staff with a record of 5-5 and a 3.22 ERA in 19 appearances with six starts for 76 innings with a team-high 60 strikeouts and a .243 BAA. Ortiz is second on the team with a 3.98 ERA and is also 5-5 with a save in 17 appearances with eight starts for 65 innings of work with 35 strikeouts and a .287 BAA. Taylor Wayne is 8-8 with a 4.03 ERA in a team-high 104.1 innings of work over 24 appearances with 20 starts and has struck out 37 with a BAA of .294. Ellen Shull is 3-3 in 39.2 innings of work in 16 outings with six starts and has a 5.29 ERA. Kat Miller is 3-4 with a 5.49 ERA in 16 appearances with 10 starts for 44.2 innings and has struck out 20 while Ariana Hughes has appeared twice to two innings.
 
On the season, Mines is batting .326 with a .398 on-base percentage and a .475 slugging percentage. They are +22 in run differential at 273-251 and have amassed 125 extra-base hits (69 2B, 39 3B, 17 HR) and gone 110-124 on stolen bases. The pitching staff has a 4.28 ERA and has struck out 160 against 236 free passes this spring and held teams to a .295 batting average in 331.2 innings of work. Defensively, Mines has fielded .967 in their first 50 games with 50 errors in 1,502 chances.
 
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
First-year head coach Kali Pugh has led a strong effort by the Cowgirls this spring as they enter the final weekend of the season. NMHU lifted a game off MSU Denver on the road last weekend after taking three of four from Regis the last time they were home two weeks ago.
 
Six regulars are batting better than .300 for New Mexico Highlands this season led by Jazmyn Griego and her line of .372/.415/.579. She leads the team in hits (54) and RBI (36) and is tied for the lead in doubles (15) and home runs (5). Shaylene Saladin is batting .345 with five doubles, three triples and 22 RBI, while Hallie Watkins is batting .339 and 30 RBI while tied for the home run lead with Griego and adding eight doubles and two triples. Andrea DeLaTrinidad bats .318 with 11 doubles and 22 RBI alongside Yasmin Villa who is also batting .318 with 15 doubles of her own and 28 RBI. Olivia Boswell is tops on the team with 18 stolen bases in 22 attempts and is batting .309 with four extra-base hits and 10 RBI. Giana Marez and Jolissa Valdez round out the regulars, batting .288 and .220 respectively with a combined 14 doubles and 38 RBI between them.
 
Off the bench, Cheyenne Ben is one to watch batting .360 with six doubles and 16 RBI. Liliana Vigil German and Aliya Rhees each have double-digit runs batted in while both hitting .246 with five doubles.
 
In the circle, eight different arms have been used this season by NMHU but only four of them have logged significant time. Valdez leads the way with a 6-13 record and a 5.45 ERA in 25 games with 21 starts as she leads the team with 115.2 innings pitched and 47 strikeouts against 56 free passes while posting a .311 BAA. Vigil German is 3-5 with a save in 28 appearances and 10 starts for 73 innings and has a 5.47 ERA with 34 strikeouts against 35 walks with a .333 BAA. Griego is 4-7 with a save in 17 games with 12 starts and has a 7.42 ERA in 66 innings pitched with 29 strikeouts, 29 walks and a .382 BAA. London Lamb is 2-10 with and ERA above 9.00 in 20 outings with nine starts fir 51.2 innings and has walked 48 and struck out 48 this spring.
 
The rest of the staff, Kennedy Williams, Olivia Pacheco, Breanne Petty and Kayle James have combined for 18 relief appearances for 23 total innings with nine combined strikeouts and 17 combined walks. Williams accounts for the two wins by the group and has a 2.10 ERA in 6.2 innings over six appearances with seven strikeouts. Petty leads the group with seven innings in five appearances while James has appeared four times for 6.1 innings.
 
On the season, NMHU is batting .304 with a .388 on-base percentage and a .423 slugging percentage. They have been outscored this season 352-264 and have recorded 119 extra-base hits (91 2B, 11 3B, 17 HR) while going 45-59 on the bases. The pitching staff has a 6.59 ERA over 329.1 innings worked with 165 strikeouts against 200 free passes and a .340 BAA. Defensively, NMHU is fielding .963 with 54 errors in 1,455 chances.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Mines took three out of four from New Mexico Highlands in Golden last season to improve to 64-77 in the all-time series. The Orediggers won games one, two and four 7-3, 15-7 and 8-2 with an 11-9 loss in game three to break up the weekend. When playing in Las Vegas, Mines is just 20-32. They last made the trip in 2023 and split the four-game series, dropping day one action 1-0 and 5-2 before rebounding 8-0 and 6-3 and day two. Prior to that, Mines had won nine in a row in Las Vegas going back to 2015 (the teams did not meet in 2017, 2018 or 2020).

ON DECK
Depending on results by the Orediggers and other teams around the league, Mines will either be competing in the 2026 RMAC Softball Championship next weekend in Lakewood or their 2026 season will come to an end.
 
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.