Miners to Host Portland State & Idaho in UTEP Tournament as Ten Total Softball Games are on the Slate at Helen of Troy

UTEP Tournament Game Notes

EL PASO – The UTEP softball program will host the UTEP Tournament as NM State, Portland State and Idaho State will participate during the Feb. 23-25 slate. Ten games are scheduled, while the Miners (4-7) will take on Portland State (1-3) and Idaho State (0-5). UTEP and NM State (4-3) will not face one another during the weekend.

Saturday's contests are all free in conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

The Miners are coming off an 8-5 loss in which they battled the Aggies down to the wire on Tuesday night. Prior to the rivalry matchup, UTEP posted a 3-2 record in Las Vegas, defeating New Mexico 8-0 [5] in a combined no-hitter, edging UNLV 8-7 on Feb. 17 and rallying to beat South Dakota 7-5 on Feb. 18.

NM State ran up six runs in the third inning, but UTEP answered with five of its own during the fourth frame. Junior Mariah Ellis got a hold of a 1-2 change up tossed by Aggies' hurler Kayla Green and crushed the three-run shot past the outfield fence over the rock by the UTEP dormitories. The Miners filled the bases in the bottom seventh, but NM State first baseman Fahren Glackin made a leaping lineout snag on a hard hit by junior transfer Kacey Duffield.

PORTLAND STATE CONNECTION
Fifth-year UTEP head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk got her coaching career started at Portland State. Echo-Hawk posted a 146-127 record in five seasons (2009-2013), while advancing to the NCAA Tournament in four of those campaigns.

UTEP TOURNAMENT BREAK DOWN
UTEP is hosting a weekend softball event for the first time since 2014. UTEP will host five games – vs. Portland State (3:30 p.m.) and Idaho State (6 p.m.) on Friday; vs. Idaho State (3:30 p.m.) and Portland State (6 p.m.) on Saturday; and Portland State (12:30 p.m.) on Sunday to close out the weekend. The neutral games include Portland State vs. NM State (10:30 a.m.) and Idaho State vs. NM State (1 p.m.) to open Friday's slate of games. Saturday's neutral games are Idaho State vs. NM State (10:30 a.m.) and Portland State vs. NM State (1 p.m.) on Saturday, and Sunday's neutral game is NM State vs. Idaho State (10 a.m.). The teams in bold are the designate 'home' teams.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. PORTLAND STATE
UTEP is 1-3 all-time versus Portland, but won its last meeting, 8-5, on Feb. 15, 2015 in Las Vegas. The Vikings went up 5-0 on the Miners, as current UTEP graduate assistant Lexi Goranson went 1-for-2 with three RBI in the contest. But the Miners scored eight runs in the top seventh on six hits and three errors. Courtney Clayton went 1-for-4 with an RBI, Taylor Sargent finished 2-for-4 with a run and RBI, while Kaitlin Ryder scored a run and posted an RBI during the comeback victory. The two programs met on Feb. 7, 2015 in Tempe, Ariz., as PSU won 7-5. The Vikings, during Tobin Echo-Hawk's first season at the helm at PSU, defeated UTEP 5-4 on Feb. 8, 2009. The two programs first met on Feb. 17, 2006 – a 6-3 PSU win.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE
The Vikings are 1-3 after an 11-1 loss against no. 9/6 Florida State on Feb. 10. Portland State opened the season at the Bobcat Classic in San Marcos, Texas, winning its first game, 8-2, against Sam Houston State on Feb. 9. FSU won 18-1 on Feb. 9, while Sam Houston State defeat PSU, 6-4 on Feb. 10. PSU's contest versus Texas State was cancelled. The Vikings are hitting .191, while being outscored 37-14. Darian Lindsey leads the team with a .364 batting average, while Kaela Morrow leads with five RBI. Lindsey and Morrow have each connected on the Vikings' only two home runs. The team ERA is 10.04. Alyssa Burk (1-1) leads the staff in K's (five) and innings pitched (12.0).

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. IDAHO STATE
The Feb. 23 contest will be the first meeting between the two programs.

SCOUTING IDAHO STATE
The Bengals have opened the 2018 with an 0-5 record after a 14-6 [5] loss against Long Beach State on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas. Idaho State lost to San Jose State (15-3 [5]), UNLV (5-3) on Feb. 16, and CSU Northridge (5-2) and Hawai'i (18-0 [5]) on Feb. 17. The Bengals are hitting .265 and have been outscored 57-14. Emma Bordenkecher leads the team with a .375 average, while also pacing the club in RBI (six) and home runs (two). The staff ERA is 11.31, as Mariah Mulcahy leads the staff in innings pitched (19.0) and K's (11).

THE LAST TIME
The last time UTEP hosted a tournament was in 2014, when the Miners posted a 5-0 record. UTEP defeated Incarnate Word (12-4 [5]) and Houston Baptist (5-2) on Feb. 21; HBU (10-5) and UIW (6-5 [8]) on Feb. 22; and UIW (9-1) on Feb. 23. The Miners outscored their opponents 42-17, while hitting .430 (65-151) during the weekend.

MARIAH'S POWER
Junior Mariah Ellis blasted a three-run home run against NM State on Tuesday night, the first of in her UTEP career. Ellis transferred from Longwood prior to the 2017 season. In fact, during Ellis's freshman season with the Lancers, her first two collegiate hits were home runs. Ellis's three RBI against the Aggies was also a career high at UTEP. She posted three RBI at Longwood on April 23, 2016 against Presbyterian. Ellis is hitting .250 (5-20) with a run scored, double, a home run and three RBI.

DING-DING
The UTEP ranks second in Conference USA with 10 home runs after connecting on six dingers the last six games. WKU leads C-USA with 11 home runs. Cortney Smith leads the Miners with three long balls, Ilena Santos has two, while Kaitlin Ryder, Pamala Baber, Courtney Clayton, Mariah Ellis and Taylor Sargent have each went yard.

UTEP OFFENSE IS A HIT
The Miners are hitting .292 in the first 11 games of 2018, ranking fourth in Conference USA behind WKU (.359), Middle Tennessee (.310) and UTSA (.295). UTEP is one of four programs hitting over .290 during the early season. The Miners have 85 total hits, ranking third in C-USA behind WKU (103) and Middle Tennessee (89). This is nothing new as the UTEP program overall is hitting around .290 since head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk's arrival to the Sun City.

DOUBLE-DIGIT HITS
UTEP pounded out 10 more hits on Tuesday night against NM State. It's the fourth consecutive game in which the Miners have reached double-digit hits. It started with 12 against New Mexico, another 13 at UNLV and 11 more against South Dakota. Last season, UTEP posted double-digit hits in five consecutive games (March 4-8). The Miners are hitting .383 during the last four games.

#TURN UP
The UTEP defense turned its seventh double play, when Ariana Valles recorded an unassisted out on the runners at second and threw the batter out to first baseman Taylor Sargent at UNLV to end the sixth inning on Feb. 17. The Miners rank first in that department in Conference USA. Overall, the last three seasons, the defense has turned 67 double plays in its last 110 games (.61 per game). UTEP's .64 double plays turned per game ranks tied 25th nationally, while its seven turned are tied for fourth most in the nation. San Diego leads the nation with nine double plays turned, while Mount St. Mary's leads the NCAA at 1.00 per game.

SEVENTH NO-NO IN UTEP HISTORY
On Feb. 17, UTEP defeated New Mexico 8-0 in five innings behind a combined no-hitter. It was the first ever combined no-hitter in UTEP history as starting pitcher Devyn Cretz tossed 3.0 and Kira McKechnie threw 2.0 frames and combined for five strike outs and four walks during contest. It was the first no-hitter since Kaitlin Fifield tossed a complete-game no-no against Texas A&M-CC on Feb. 27, 2016 in College Station. Stacie Townsend (March 18, 2010 at Belmont), Nichole Tunget (Feb. 10, 2008 at Prairie View A&M), Veronica Flournoy (March 10, 2006 vs. Centenary), Megan Barber (Feb. 22, 2005 vs. Howard Payne) and Renee Dipuccio (Feb. 15, 2004 vs. Sul Ross State) each tossed no-hitters during their respective careers.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Junior transfer pitcher Julia Wright threw her best stuff on Feb. 18 against South Dakota. The Miners found themselves down 5-0 heading into the bottom third. UTEP scored six during that home half frame and Wright took over from there. She threw 4.0 frames, striking out a UTEP career high six Coyotes, but most importantly, didn't walk any batters, while earning her first career save at UTEP. She followed with a solid outing against NM State, tossing 2.0 frames and recording three K's. Wright has nine strikeouts during her last 6.0 innings pitched. Wright leads the staff in innings pitched (27.2) and K's (21) in her first year with the program.

2-0 VEGAS WEEKEND FOR DEV
Sophomore Devyn Cretz produced her best weekend in her young career, winning a pair of contests during UTEP's three game winning streak. The sophomore threw 11.0 innings and tallied six strike outs. But the big game came against New Mexico, in which she was part of a combined no-hit effort during the 8-0 [5] win. Cretz tossed 3.0 frames and recorded three Ks during the start in the circle, while also being credited with the victory against the Lobos. Cretz threw another 3.0 innings against UNLV in a relief appearance and received her second win on Saturday. Cretz struck out a Rebel, but most importantly, didn't walk any batters. Cretz also recorded a pair of assists, the first against Nevada and the second against New Mexico. Cretz has tossed 20.1 frames (second most on staff), while recording 11 K's on the season.

SANTOS'S SPARK
Freshman Ilena Santos's solo home run against South Dakota during the bottom third inning gave the Miners an offensive spark. With the score 5-0, Santos drove a 1-1 pitch into the wind over left center to put her squad on the scoresheet. The hit led to five other hits and five more runs that gave UTEP a 6-5 lead and eventual 7-5 triumph. Santos is hitting .280 (7-25) with four runs, two home runs and three RBI. She's started all 10 games in left, recording nine putouts and four assists and being part of two of seven double plays turned.

LEADING THE SURGE
Junior Ariel Blair got her first start of 2018 against Boise State, in which she recorded an infield single and a stolen base, while she stole a base and scored a run against Nevada. But her presence was felt during UTEP's three-game winning streak. Blair hit .500 (5-10) at the leadoff spot with an RBI and a stolen base during the trio of contests. Her RBI came during the UNLV game in which the Miners scored two insurance runs during the 8-7 victory versus the Rebels. Blair went 2-for-3 with a run scored against New Mexico and went 2-for-4 with a run and stolen bag against South Dakota. Blair also registered a hit against NM State. Overall, Blair is hitting .368 (7-19) with four runs and has a team-leading three stolen bases on three steal attempts.

COURT'S IN SESSION
Senior Courtney Clayton's bat woke up in Las Vegas as she hit .389 (7-18) after entering the weekend hitting .214. Clayton added five runs, a double, triple, first home run of 2018 and three RBI in the early part of the season. Clayton hit a solo shot against Boise State on Feb. 16 in the late, while singling against Nevada during the early game. Then Clayton came up with big numbers against New Mexico, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Clayton's RBI triple at UNLV put the Miners on the board first, while she scored a run against South Dakota. Clayton added two more hits against NM State. Clayton is hitting .333 and leads the Miners in at bats (36), hits (12) and runs scored (nine).

TRACKING CC'S NUMBERS
Senior Courtney Clayton has had a stellar career while in the Sun City. The native of Cornelius, Ore., has been moving up the records chats in program history. Clayton now has 110 runs, ranking fifth in program history. Clayton's 192 hits now rank fourth and needs eight to be tied for third on the program's all-time list. Clayton recorded three RBI in Las Vegas and now has 90 in her career, ranking eighth. She's looking to be the eighth Miner to reach 100-plus RBI during a career at UTEP. Clayton now had 552 career at bats, ranking eighth on the program's all-time list. Clayton now has 330 assists, moving up to third on the all-time list, and needing two to move to second.

MULITI-HIT GAMES
Courtney Clayton has three multi-hit games in 2018, giving the senior 58 during her career. Clayton ranks third behind Camilla Carrera (74) and Chelsea Troupe (63). Clayton's 28 multi-hit games in 2016 is a program single-season record.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Sophomore Pamala Baber drew three walks at UNLV after striking out during her first at bat against the Rebels. The three walks drawn by Baber rank tied for sixth best in program history during the 8-7 win against UNLV. Baber, after a 2-for-4 outing against NM State, leads the Miners with a .346 batting average (minimum 2.50 plate appearances/game). She's also connected on a home run, three RBI and five walks (tied for team lead).

DO RUN-RUN
Courtney Clayton tied her career high with three runs scored against New Mexico, while Pamala Baber crossed the dish three times (the second most during her career) at UNLV. Their respective performances are tied for ninth best during a single game in program history. Baber scored four runs at New Mexico on March 8, 2017 – tied second most in team history.

SMITH-SONIAN GEM
Junior Cortney Smith turned in another gem this past weekend at the Marucci Desert Classic, hitting .429 (6-14) and connecting on her team-leading third home run of 2018. Smith hit a solo shot against Boise State on Friday, but then got a hold of a 1-2 pitch and sent over left field, a two-run shot, during UTEP's 8-0 [5] victory against New Mexico on Saturday. She added three runs and three RBI during the Vegas trip. Overall, Smith is hitting .333 while tallying four runs, a double and five walks (tied for team lead). Defensively, Smith has recorded 10 putouts and 21 assists in 11 games started at third base.

WALK THIS WAY
Cortney Smith and Pamala Baber have each drawn five walks in 2018. The pair ranks in the top 20 in Conference USA.

VIVA VALLES IN VEGAS
Freshman Ariana Valles came up with clutch offense (.438 avg., four RBI & three runs scored) and defense (six putouts, 13 assists & zero errors) at the Marucci Desert Classic. After starting a combined 1-for-6 during UTEP's first two contests in Vegas, Valles's bat lit up when she hit a hard triple to deep right field, scoring the game-winning runs during the Miners' 8-0 [5] no-hit victory on Feb. 17. Valles then produced a season-high three hits with a run scored and two RBI during the 8-7 victory at UNLV. Valles's RBI single scored the first of three runs during the sixth inning against the Rebels, in which the Miners took a 6-5 lead after being down two runs. Defensively, Valles was smooth at short as she recorded six assists, tied for 10^th best in program history. Valles, after recording another RBI double, is hitting .400 with five RBI, four runs, a triple and two doubles. Defensively, she leads the Miners with 28 assists, while recording 17 putouts.

RYDING HIGH
Senior Kaitlin Ryder had another great weekend, hitting .444 (8-18) with a team-high six RBI in Las Vegas. Ryder added a run and two doubles. Ryder also tied her career high with a trio of hits at UNLV during the Miners' 8-7 win, while she also registered a two-run single during a three-run sixth against the Rebels. Against South Dakota, Ryder tallied a career-high 10 putouts. Ryder ranks t-third on the team with a .333 batting average, while leading the Miners in RBI (nine). She also ranks second on the team with 38 putouts. Ryder has started the last five games behind the dish and has recorded three caught stealing attempts (team lead) and a pickoff in the process.

DRILL SARGENT
Senior Taylor Sargent, after a 2-for-4 effort against NM State, is hitting .300 on the year and has started all 11 games at first base, while also seeing time in right field. She's recorded a team-most 67 putouts and three assists. Sargent has 717 career putouts, ranking fifth in program history. Sargent drilled her first home run of 2018, a two-run home run against Saint Mary's College in the first inning on Feb. 10. It was her first long ball since going yard against North Texas on May 1, 2016. Sargent has added nine hits, two runs and four RBI, while only striking out once in 30 at bats.

GARCIA'S RETURN
Redshirt junior Linda Garcia, after missing all of 2017 due to injury, made her way back to the softball diamond in Tempe, Ariz. Garcia recorded three at bats in pinch hit situations (vs. Mizzou, no. 3 Oregon & UC Davis), while she also made an appearance behind the plate against San Jose State. Garcia also made her first start since May 11, 2016 when she got the nod at the designated player position against Boise State. Garcia tallied a putout against SJSU. Garcia's last full season in 2016, she hit seven home runs and registered 20 RBI.

FIRST CAREER RUNS
Freshman Jordyn Quevedo and sophomore Bryanna Molina each recorded a run during clutch victories at the Marucci Desert Classic. Quevedo made the most of her opportunity when she was inserted as pinch runner in the sixth inning at UNLV, while she also stole her first career base to set up her run scored during a three-run sixth. Molina finally crossed the dish for the first time in her career during a pinch-hit opportunity against South Dakota. Molina reached on a fielder's choice with bases loaded during UTEP's six-run third.

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