EL PASO - The UTEP softball team (6-1) is gearing up for another exciting weekend as it concluded its 12-game home stint with the highly anticipated UTEP Invitational presented by Holiday Inn El Paso West-Sunland Park at Helen of Troy Field from Feb. 16-18.  

Joining UTEP in the invitational field will be Montana, Purdue Fort Wayne, and North Dakota 

Tickets   
Tournament Ticket Packages    
$20/Ticket for Full Tournament    
$12/Ticket for Day Pass   
Seating Chart here.  
 
Tickets can be purchased through the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing tickets@utep.edu, visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets or in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP Campus), Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.    
 
Schedule    
The Miners will begin competition Friday, Feb. 16 versus Montana and Purdue Fort Wayne.  
 
Friday, Feb. 16  
2pm vs. Montana | Live Stats | ESPN+  
5pm vs. Purdue Fort Wayne | Live Stats | ESPN+  
 
Saturday, Feb. 17 
11am vs. North Dakota | Live Stats | No Stream 
2pm vs. Purdue Fort Wayne | Live Stats | No Stream 
 
Sunday, Feb. 18 
12pm vs. North Dakota | Live Stats | ESPN+ 
^All Times Mountain   
 
See the full tournament schedule here.   

Leading Off   

• UTEP leads Conference USA in home runs per game (1.14) and walks (28). The Miners' walk count ranks eighth in the NCAA.  

• UTEP batted .285 through seven games during opening weekend paced by six players who are batting at or above the mark, three of which have 15-plus plate appearances (Ajia Richard, Idalis Mendez, and Lexi Morales). Ajia Richard leads the way with a slash line of .458/.458/.750 on 11 hits with two doubles, a triple, and home run, and six RBI. With just one strikeout in 24 at-bats, Ajia Richard holds the top spot nationally for being the most challenging to strike out, a position she shares with Troy's D'Aun Riggs. 

• Six players posted at least one homerun. UTEP blasted eight home runs with Kenna Collett and Halle Hogan accounting with two each.  

• Taja Felder stands out as one of four players nationwide boasting a flawless 4-0 record, securing her position as a dominant force on the mound. Additionally, Felder holds an impressive national ranking, standing third in innings pitched (23.0) and fourth with one shutout, leading Conference USA in all three categories.  

• Zaylie Calderon shares the top spot nationally with three saves, a position she holds alongside Furman's Emme Buzhardt. 

 By The Numbers      
Nationally, UTEP ranks in the top-50 in seven categories.  
8. Walks (28) 
23. Doubles (10) 
34. Home Runs per Game (1.14) 
38. WL Percentage (0.857) 
39. Total Bases (9) 
47. Shutouts (1), Slugging Percentage (0.503) 
 
UTEP has 10 players nationally ranked in the top-100.  

*Conference USA Leader  
 
The Opponents    
Montana 

• The Grizzlies opened their season going 2-3 at the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, La. 
  Montana has a five-game team batting average of .192, a team ERA of 4.67.  

• Presley Jantzi collected six hits at the Mardi Gras Mambo and leads the team with a .375 batting average.  

• Sophomore pitchers Grace Haegele and Emmalyn Brinka made all five starts for the Grizzlies. 

• The Grizzlies went 10-37 last season, finishing sixth out of six teams in the Big Sky at 4-11. They were picked to finish sixth in this year's preseason poll. 

• Friday's contest will be the third meeting between the Miners and Grizzlies as UTEP went 1-1 at the 2021 Orange and Blue Classic. 

Purdue Fort Wayne 

• Purdue Fort Wayne went 1-3 in its opening weekend, topping Mississippi Valley State.  

• Alanah Jones paces the staff with a 2.69 ERA and threw the complete game for her first career shutout. 

• Brayden Lickey leads the team with a .545 batting average on 11 at bats. She had six hits with two doubles and slugged .727. Both her batting average and slugging percentage lead the Horizon League. 

• The Mastodons went 17-32 last year, finishing eighth out of nine teams in the Horizon League at 9-14. They were picked eighth in this year's preseason poll. 

• Friday's contest will be the first meeting between the Miners and the Mastodons. 

North Dakota 

• UND opened its season 1-4 at the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, La. 

• Izzy Haslett leads the team with a .500 batting average on six hits. 

• In the circle for the Fighting Hawks, Jackie Albrecht appeared in three games with two starts, leading the team with a 2.62 ERA. 

• The Fighting Hawks went 12-38 last year, finishing fifth out of eight teams in the Summit League at 9-10. They were picked fifth in this year's preseason poll. 

• UTEP leads the all-time series 3-0 against UND. 

Give a gift to UTEP Softball by donating to the Diamond Club.              
 
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.