EL PASO - The UTEP softball team will open its regular season with five games this weekend, Feb. 9-11, as it hosts the second annual Dr. Diana Natalicio Memorial Tournament presented by Holiday Inn El Paso West-Sunland Park at Helen of Troy Field. 

The tournament will be played in honor of UTEP's esteemed former President who passed away in 2021. Joining UTEP in the Dr. Diana Natalicio Memorial Tournament field will be Western Michigan, Abilene Christian, and Monmouth.

 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. 9 versus Western Michigan and Abilene Christian. Their season debut will start at 2 p.m. and then take on the Wildcats at 5 p.m. to cap the day.   

Friday, Feb. 9 
2pm vs.  Western Michigan | Live Stats | ESPN+ 
5pm vs. Abilene Christian | Live Stats | ESPN+ 

Saturday, Feb. 10 
11am vs. Western Michigan | Live Stats | ESPN+ 
2pm vs. Monmouth | Live Stats | No Stream 

Sunday, Feb. 11
12pm vs. Abilene Christian | Live Stats | ESPN+
^All Times Mountain  

See the full tournament schedule here.  

 Returning Miners to Watch  
The Miners returned five of their top nine hitters from a season ago including senior outfielder Lexi Morales, one of the key returners that started all 45 games last season. Morales led the team in runs (30), walks (31), doubles (12), and on-base percentage (.471) while ranking second in batting average (.343) and hits (46). 

In the circle, graduate student Zaylie Calderon made 29 appearances with 17 starts. Calderon posted a 4.38 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 116.2 innings and had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with eight putouts and 19 assists.

 New Faces in the Dugout  
A third of the Miners' roster is made up of four transfers and six freshmen: three freshmen infielders (Johnna Aragon, Cici Jefferson, and Madi Mendoza), three pitchers (Fr. Faith Aragon, Gr. Taja Felder, and Fr. Bella Tavares), two catchers (Fr. Lynne Sepulveda and Jr. Kenna Collett), an outfielder (So. Halle Hogan), and one utility (So. Bri Garcia).

 The Opponents  
Western Michigan 

• Last year, the Wildcats posted a 16-36 record and saw three players hit above .300. Of the trio, the Wildcats will return redshirt sophomore pitcher Bubba Rote and sophomore Sammie Schelander. The two combined for 81 hits, 44 RBI, 16 doubles, and six triples while batting a joint .325 on the year.     
• The Broncos will see a mix of both new and familiar faces on the 2024 roster including a depth of experience featuring over 10 upperclassmen. 
• To add to their experienced roster, this past off-season the Broncos hit the transfer portal hard by acquiring four new additions. 
• Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between the Miners and the Broncos.   

• ACU finished at 16-36 in 2023 
• Seven of its top eight hitters return and Talia Nielsen returns after a season in which she was second in the WAC in walks per seven innings. 
• Last season's Cats were a top 30 team in doubles per game, averaging 1.47, and bring back Avery Miloch, whose 13 home runs put her in Division I's top 70. 
• ACU leds the all-time series 4-2.

• Following a 10-34 season in 2023, Monmouth has retooled its offense with the addition of Graduate Student transfer Dani Dabroski from Villanova. Dabroski, a career .258 hitter, played in 172 games (131 starts) as an outfielder and has totaled 73 career runs while batting in an additional 30.  
• Additionally, Monmouth's sophomore Bri Lawson will look to step up in the hitting department in 2024.  
• Last season, Lawson hit the second-best batting average on the team with .260 in 44 games played (44 starts). 
• Saturday's contest will be the first meeting between the Miners and the Hawks.