UTEP Athletics

UTEP Softball Welcomes Delaware for First-Ever Matchup in El Paso

4/1/2026 5:30:00 PM

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP softball returns to Helen of Troy Field April 2–4 to host Delaware for a three-game Conference USA series.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. MT on Thursday, followed by a 4 p.m. start on Friday. The series concludes Saturday at 11 a.m., with UTEP hosting its annual Easter egg hunt for children ages 0–12 on the field following the game.

Ticket Information

UTEP is offering $5 discounted tickets with promo code HUNT.

Single-game tickets are available for $8.35. Fans can secure their seats 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) during business hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Schedule

Coverage: Live Stats | ESPN+

Last Time Out

The Miners (11-20, 3-9 Conference USA) are coming off a competitive road series at Kennesaw State, where they secured their first conference series win of the season. UTEP opened the weekend with a 7-5 victory before clinching the series with a 5-1 win on Saturday. The Miners nearly completed the sweep, rallying late in Sunday's finale before falling just short, 10-9.

Marissa Burchard led the offensive effort over the weekend, going 5-for-9 (.556) at the plate. Bri Garcia added a pair of doubles, while Halle Hogan drove in a team-high four RBI. In the circle, Arianna Flores earned back-to-back wins across three appearances, tossing 8.1 innings, while Tatyana Vega recorded consecutive saves, logging 9.2 innings with a team-best six strikeouts.

The Leadoff Report

Offensive Leaders

UTEP enters the weekend with a potent offense, hitting .303 as a team through 31 games with 250 total hits, including 62 doubles, three triples and 21 home runs. The Miners have also drawn 93 walks and recorded 19 stolen bases.

Marissa Burchard has been the catalyst at the top of the lineup, pacing the team with a .378/.455/.612 slash line. She leads the Miners in runs scored (28), hits (37), doubles (12), total bases (60) and stolen bases (9-10), while standing as the only player on the roster to surpass 20 runs, 30 hits and double-digit doubles this season.

Burchard, along with Brantley Lavas, has started all 31 games this season, while Aaliyah Betancourt (30 starts), Bri Garcia (29) and Iliana Munoz (26) have appeared in every contest.

Kenna Carranza provides power in the middle of the lineup, leading the team with four home runs—including a grand slam—and 20 RBIs. Lavas tops the squad with 15 walks, followed closely by Carranza with 14. Halle Hogan and Camrynn Guthrie have each tallied three sacrifice flies, while Garcia leads the team with nine sacrifice bunts.

In the Circle

Tatyana Vega anchors the pitching staff with a team-best 5.08 ERA and an 8-7 record. She leads the Miners in appearances (24), starts (10), complete games (3), innings pitched (95.0) and strikeouts (47), while also accounting for both of UTEP's saves this season. Arianna Flores has made 11 starts across 19 appearances. As a staff, UTEP owns a 7.48 ERA with 87 strikeouts.

Defensive Notes

The Miners hold a .973 fielding percentage, ranking among the top 35 nationally. Munoz leads the team with 123 putouts, while Betancourt has recorded a team-high 62 assists. Burchard and Garcia have each turned six double plays, and Carranza has thrown out five runners attempting to steal. UTEP has turned 11 double plays and caught 17 runners stealing as a team.

National Rankings

Nationally, the Miners rank among the top 50 in multiple categories, including 10th in doubles per game (2.00), 21st in total doubles (62) and 34th in fielding percentage (.973).

Individually, Burchard ranks inside the top 35 nationally in both doubles and doubles per game, while Vega ranks among the nation's leaders in appearances and saves. Garcia also sits seventh nationally in sacrifice bunts per game.

Walk-Off Wins

Five of UTEP's victories this season have come via walk-off fashion:

vs. UT Arlington – 16-15 comeback win after trailing by 10 runs
vs. Montana – 15-14 (8 innings)
vs. Idaho State – 5-4
vs. Houston Christian – 3-2
vs. Sam Houston – 3-2

Game Situations

UTEP has played several tight contests this season:

7-4 in one-run games
1-3 in two-run games
2-13 in games decided by five or more runs
1-2 in extra-inning games
0-3 in shutouts

Scouting Delaware

Delaware enters the weekend following a 2-2 week, which included a midweek win over Villanova and a competitive series at Liberty, where the Blue Hens outscored the Flames 22-19 and outhomered them 4-2 despite dropping two of three games.

Among Conference USA programs, Delaware ranks fourth in walks (120) and hit-by-pitches (25), fifth in home runs (30) and stolen bases (30), and third in strikeouts (178) by its pitching staff.

Sydney Shaffer headlines the offense, leading the conference in walks (28) while ranking third in home runs (10), sixth in on-base percentage (.488), eighth in slugging percentage (.705) and seventh in OPS (1.243). Sorella Gallucci and Maddie Diamond also rank among the top 10 in walks. Freshman Allie Nankivell leads all CUSA freshmen and ranks seventh overall with a .413 batting average.

In the circle, Josie Crossman ranks among the league leaders with 80 strikeouts, two saves, eight wins and 94.2 innings pitched.

Series History

This weekend marks the first-ever meeting between UTEP and Delaware.

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/X) and UTEP Softball on Facebook or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.

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