EL PASO - The UTEP softball team will host Conference USA leader, Liberty, this weekend for a three-game series at Helen of Troy Field. The teams will play at 6 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. on Saturday, and at 10 a.m. on Sunday. All games can be seen live on ESPN+. It is Senior Weekend for UTEP as eight seniors will be honored after Saturday and Sunday's games.

  Tickets   
Tickets are $8 and 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    
April 26 at 6pm | Live Stats | ESPN+      
April 27 at 11am | Live Stats | ESPN+      
April 28 at 10am | Live Stats | ESPN+      
^All Times Mountain     
 
  Leading Off    

• UTEP leads Conference USA in doubles per game (1.71) and double plays per game (0.53). The Miners' doubles per game ranks 15th in the nation.   
• UTEP has batted .293 through 38 games paced by six players who are batting at or above the mark, three who have 100-plus plate appearances (Ajia Richard, Lexi Morales, and Halle Hogan). 
• Richard leads the way with a slash line of ..385/.439/.738 with 47 hits that include 14 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs. Richard leads the conference in doubles per game which ranks 21st in the nation. 
• Eight Miners have double-digit RBIs this season as Richard leads the way with 36.       
• Twelve players, including Richard who accounts for nine, contributed to UTEP's total of 31 home runs. Richard, Kenna Collett, and Anna Sample have each hit one out of the park for a grand slam this season.      
• The UTEP pitching staff holds a 3.71 ERA. Faith Aragon (11-7) has a team-high 79 strikeouts in 111.0  innings pitched.    
• Zaylie Calderon leads CUSA and ranks fourth nationally with seven saves, including three in league play which paces CUSA pitchers. Her seven saves are tied for second in the league's single-season history and her 11 career saves rank seventh in conference history. Calderon is 2-1 with a save and a 1.10 ERA in her last six appearances. She has struck out nine batters in 12.2 innings during that stretch.

  In The CUSA Spotlight    
Week 11 POW – Faith Aragon 
Aragon delivered masterful performances to help the Miners (23-15, 9-9 CUSA) secure a pair of shutout road victories at LA Tech. She pitched nine scoreless innings, surrendering just three hits and striking out seven Bulldogs from the circle. Aragon notched her first career save after tossing the final two frames of a 1-0 triumph over LA Tech in Friday's series opener. She struck out two batters and allowed a hit and a walk. In Sunday's finale, she went the distance in a 4-0 victory for her third shutout of the season. Aragon tallied five strikeouts and allowed just two hits. 

Week 5 POW – Ajia Richard 
Richard hit 4-10 and posted a slash line of .400/.455/.900 in a series victory over MTSU. She contributed significantly with two runs, two doubles, a home run, and 5 RBI. Richard opened the weekend with a solo shot to get the scoring underway on Friday and followed it up with a two-run single in her first at-bat Saturday that gave the Miners (16-6, 2-1 CUSA) the lead for good. She capped the weekend with a pair of RBI doubles in the series finale.     
 
Week 2 POW – Bri Garcia 
Garcia had an impressive week for the Miners (10-2), who achieved a commendable 6-1 record. She started all seven games at second base and went 8-17 at the plate, resulting in a slash line of .471/.550/.882. Garcia drove in 10 runs, crossed the plate seven times and delivered key hits, including a pair of doubles and home runs. Her defensive performance was equally outstanding with nine putouts and 13 assists for a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage. Garcia's exceptional week earned her a spot on the UTEP Invitational All-Tournament Team.      

  By The Numbers    
Nationally, UTEP ranks in the top-100 in eight categories which rank in the top-three in CUSA.           
15. Doubles per Game (1.71)* 
17. Double Plays per Game (0.52)* 
44. Doubles (65) 
63. Slugging Percentage (0.461) 
65. On Base Percentage (0.379) 
74. Batting Average (0.293) 
84. Shutouts (7) 
94. Scoring (4.82) 
*Conference USA Leader       
  
UTEP has seven players nationally ranked in the top-100.           

*Conference USA Leader     
     
  The Opponent    
Liberty

• Liberty brings a 29-18 (17-4 CUSA) record.    
• The Flames are hitting .254 and have a total ERA of 2.98.     
• Liberty leads CUSA and ranks 42nd nationally with nine shutouts on the year. The Lady Flames have tallied six of their nine shutouts in their 21 CUSA contests, lowering their season ERA from 4.14 to 2.98 and giving them league-leading marks in ERA (2.03), opponent batting average (.190) and strikeouts (137) in conference play.
• Freshman Kaylan Yoder has accounted for four of the team's blanks in that span and leads CUSA in ERA (1.52), opponent batting average (.186), and strikeouts (69) in those contests.
• Liberty leads the all-time series, 1-0. The last meeting was in 2004: Liberty 4, UTEP 3.

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.