Feb. 19, 2015
HONOLULU, Hawaii – The UTEP softball team will compete in its third non-conference event, as the Miners will play at the Bank of Hawaii Invitational on Feb. 20-22 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Miners (2-8) will open with host Hawaii (7-4) on Feb. 20 at 9 p.m. MT. (6 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Time). On Feb 21, UTEP will play a pair of games – first against former Conference USA member no. 19 UCF (8-0) at 2 p.m. (11 a.m. HT), followed by a contest versus no. 17 Washington (10-2) at 4:30 p.m. (1:30 HT).
Each school will play two more games on Feb. 22. The seeds will be determined by the previous results, as the no. 2 seed will play no. 3 at 10 a.m. HT, while no. 1 versus no. 4 will start at 12 p.m. HT. The loser's bracket will be played at 2 p.m. HT, while the winner's bracket will take place at 4 p.m. HT.
Back on the Island
This is the first time in program history that UTEP will compete in the Bank of Hawaii Invitational. But it's not the first time the Miners have played on Hawaiian soil. The Miners, in their inaugural season, took on Hawaii when both were members of the Western Athletic Conference. The Orange and Blue last played the Rainbow Wahine on the island during an April 3, 2004 game. It was part of a four-game series.
Last Week
UTEP is coming off a 2-3 weekend at the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. The Miners rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat Portland State, 8-5, as all eight runs were scored in the top of the seventh inning. Win no. 2 came against Big 10 program Indiana, a 4-1 victory – as both game were played on Feb. 13. The Miners lost to BYU, 9-0 in five innings, and Nevada, 6-3 on Feb. 14, while being edged by UNLV, 2-0, on Feb. 15.
It's been a While
UTEP's win over Indiana was its first over a Big 10 school since defeating Wisconsin, 9-2, on Feb. 25, 2007. The victories were also the first in Sin City since defeating San Jose State, 4-3, at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic on Feb. 16, 2008. UTEP also notched its first ever wins in program history over Indiana and Portland State
Pitching Progress
Kaitlin Fifield notched her first win of the 2015 campaign against Indiana. The sophomore pitched a complete game, while striking out three Hoosier batters. Fifield pitched six strong innings and fanned six UNLV batters. Five of her Ks were looking. The El Paso native, in her last four games, has pitched 17.2 innings, with only three earned runs, 15 Ks and a 1.19 ERA.
Danielle Pearson earned her first win of 2015, pitching 5.0 innings with only one earned run during UTEP's 8-5 comeback victory over Portland State.
The pitching staff showed progress as their walks-to-strikeout ration improved. The Miners had 31 walks to 15 Ks at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.; while in Las Vegas, the pitchers tallied 20 Ks and 16 walks.
Going Deep
Freshman Hope Moreno hit her first collegiate home run, while Kiki Pepi connected on her first long ball in a UTEP uniform against Nevada. Moreno smacked a solo shot, while Pepi thumped a two-run shot – both hit during the fifth inning. Pepi hit her first collegiate home run as a freshman at Oregon State.
More on the Offensive
Offensively, the Miners are hitting .296, with 40 runs scored, four home runs and six stolen bases. Kawehiokalani Netane leads the team with a .394 batting average (13-for-33), also leads in hits. Kiki Pepi is hitting .367 (11-for-30) with a home run and three RBI. Tahla Wade leads with four stolen bags and eight runs scored, while Courtney Clayton leads the team in RBI (five).
Hawaii Hitter
Starting center fielder Summer Palipti is from Ewa Beach, Hawaii. The redshirt freshman competed at James Campbell High School. Palipti has hit a home run this season with a couple of RBI.
Scouting Hawaii
The Rainbow Wahine is 7-4 after a 4-2 weekend at the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic in Las Vegas. Hawaii defeated Utah State, 11-10, Utah Valley, 17-3, Seattle, 8-0 and Porland State, 11-0.
Kayla Wartner leads the team with a .467 batting average, four home runs and five doubles. Wartner's 10 RBI is tied with Lindsey Willmon and Sarina Jaramillo. Willmon is hitting .333, while Jaramillo is batting .300. In the circle, Britta Hitchcock and Kanani Cabrales each have won three games. Hitchcock has a team-best 3.10 ERA, while Cabrales has pitched a team-leading 30.0 innings, with 21 strikeouts.
All-time Series
Hawaii leads the all-time series 8-0. The Rainbow Wahine defeated UTEP, 10-5 last year in Las Vegas, as Ashley Eldridge hit her first career grand slam on Feb. 13, 2014.
Scouting UCF
The Golden Knights are undefeated in 2015 (8-0) and are ranked no. 19 in the nation according to the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll . UCF defeated Missouri (1-0), Arkansas (6-1) and Minnesota (4-0) at the NTC Spring Games in Clermont, Fla.
Samantha McCloskey is hitting .476 to lead the squad, while leading the team in RBI (nine) and home runs (three). Kahley Novak has stolen four bases, while hitting .333. On the rubber, MacKenzie Audas is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Shelby Turner leads the staff in wins (four), innings pitched (25.0), strikeouts (38), and has a 0.28 ERA.
All-time Series
UCF leads the all-time series 20-6. The Golden Knights were a Conference USA member, with their last season being in 2013. UCF swept the Miners during the 2013 season, including a 4-2, 11-inning affair on April 7, 2013 – the last meeting between the two programs. Danielle Pearson pitched 10.2 innings, but allowed the game-winning grand slam during the bottom of the 11th inning. Pearson was also 1-for-5 at the plate.
Scouting Washington
The no. 17 (USA Today/NFCA Coaches) ranked Huskies are 10-2 thus far in 2105. Washington recently swept a two-game set at Grand Canyon Feb. 16, as the first game was an 8-4 win, followed by a 13-6 victory. Washington also competed at the Littlewood Classic in Tempe, Ariz. on Feb. 13-15, forging a 4-1 record.
Kylee Lahner leads Washington with a .563 batting average, with three doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI. Taylor Van Zee has 14 RBI and six doubles, while Ali Aguilar has seven RBI, four doubles and three long balls. In the circle, Hailey Bator is 5-0 with a 2.47 ERA and 11 Ks in 22.2 innings of work. Casey Stangel is 2-0 with a 2.83 ERA in 17.1 innings.
All-time Series
Washington won the only meeting between the two programs – a 9-0 victory on March 2, 2014 in Stockton, Calif.
