EL PASO - The UTEP softball team will open its regular season with five games this weekend as it participates in the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Abilene Christian at Poly Wells Field in Abilene, Texas.
The Miners will begin competition Friday, Feb. 10 versus Murray State and Abilene Christian. Their season debut will start at 12 p.m. and then take on the Wildcats at 6 p.m. to cap the day.
Friday, Feb. 10
vs. Murray State @ 12 p.m. | Live Stats | WAC International
vs. Abilene Christian @ 6 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Saturday, Feb. 11
vs. Abilene Christian @ 3 p.m. | Live Stats
vs. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi @ 6 p.m. | Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 12
vs. Murray State @ 9 a.m. | Live Stats | WAC International
^All Times Mountain
Due to ACU having a home basketball game, there will be no stream on Saturday. Do note that with the WAC International broadcasts it is required for the user to sign up for an account, but access is free.
See the full tournament schedule here.
Returning Miners to Watch
The Miners returned six of their top seven hitters from a season ago including junior outfielder Lexi Morales, one of the key returners that started in 48 games and played in all 49 last season. Morales led the team in batting average (.294), runs (23), hits (40), on-base percentage (.411) and walks (26).
Redshirt-senior infielder Pate Cathey started in all 49 games for the Miners and slashed .270/.433/.305 while leading the squad in at bats (141), doubles (nine), RBI (25) and total bases (61).
In the circle, sophomore Aalijah Alarcon made 32 appearances with 24 starts with a 10-15 record. Alarcon posted a 4.67 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 132.0 innings and had a .921 fielding percentage with two putouts and 33 assists.
New Faces in the Dugout
A third of the Miners' roster is made up of seven transfers and two freshmen: six infielders (Fr. Grace Aragon, R-Fr. Kendall Angulo, So. Rylan Dooner, R-So. Amaya Lee, Gr. Peyton Angulo, Gr. Caitlyn Brockway), two pitchers (Fr. Breanna Ford, Jr. Kaylee Hewitt), and a catcher (R-Fr. Taylor Montgomery).
Scouting Murray State
Murray State had the best season in program history a year ago going 40-18-1 and 21-7 in conference play. The team won the regular season and tournament titles in the Ohio Valley Conference and appeared in their first ever NCAA Regional. The team returns a dominant 1-2 punch in the circle with Hannah James and Jenna Veber. The two combined for an ERA of 1.23 and an opponent batting average of .198 last season. As a team, the Racers outscored their opponents 269-126 last season and they return four of their top seven hitters including preseason all-conference selection Gracie Osbron.The Racers were selected to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll.
The Series vs. Murray State
Murray State takes the 1-0 advantage over the Miners, recently meeting for the first time last season.
Scouting Abilene Christian
The Wildcats return 12 players from a year ago and add 10 new faces, five freshmen and five transfers. The team is coming off their best season of the Farler era and has a solid core to build upon as they move into the 2023 season. ACU finished 25-26 a year ago and earned the No. 4 seed in the WAC Tournament. ACU lost stud pitcher Sidney Holman-Mansell and dominant first baseman Calie Burris, but they return much of their core from last year. The Wildcats return six of their top seven hitters from a year ago and return well over 70 percent of their offensive production. Avery Miloch returns as the Wildcats top RBI producer and Sadie Eichelberg is back as the leader in hits and returning batting average and on-base percentage.
The Series vs. Abilene Christian
UTEP is 1-3 against ACU, recently meeting for the first time in the 2021 edition of the Miner Invitational.
Scouting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is coming off a 25-27 season that saw them get back to the Southland Conference tournament for the first time since 2015. The team dropped their first game and won two elimination games before falling to HCU to get eliminated. The team lost the Southland Player and Hitter of the year to graduation with the departure of Pal Egan, but they returned several key players including Sydney Hoyt and Siarah Galvan who were named to the preseason All-Conference team. The Islanders were selected to finish fourth in the Southland Conference preseason poll. Galvan led the team in ERA, WHIP, and batting average against last season while Hoyt had the second-highest batting average behind Egan.
The Series vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
It will be just the fourth ever meeting between UTEP and the Islanders, where the Miners lead the record 2-1. The Islanders won the first ever meeting 8-0 in 2005 on a neutral field.
For complete coverage of UTEP Softball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepsoftball (Instagram/Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
