TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
EL PASO, TEXAS – UTEP is gearing up to open its home slate on Friday as the Miners host the 2020 UTEP Invitational with a total of nine games scheduled at Helen of Troy Softball Complex between Friday and Sunday.
UTEP will play host to IUPUI, Omaha and NM State over the course of the three-day tournament, which begins with a 10:30 a.m. game between IUPUI and NM State. Omaha and NM State will play in the 1 p.m. game on Friday before UTEP plays on its home turf for the first time this season.
The Miners will take on IUPUI at 3:30 p.m. on Friday before facing Omaha immediately following the conclusion of that game at approximately 6 p.m. On Saturday, Omaha will take on NM State (12 p.m.) and IUPUI (2 p.m.) back-to-back before UTEP hosts IUPUI at 4:30 p.m. that afternoon.
Sunday's schedule will feature IUPUI taking on MM State at 10 a.m. before UTEP faces Omaha for the second time at 12:30 p.m. to close out the weekend.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
- UTEP – UTEP enters the weekend fresh off its first two wins of the 2020 season after taking a pair of contests from Idaho State at last weekend's Highlander Classic in Riverside, California. Overall, the Miners are 2-8 on the season with eight neutral site games and a pair of road losses to NM State and UC Riverside. At the dish, UTEP is led by sophomore infielder Kasey Flores, who enters the tournament with a .333 average, 10 hits, three home runs and four RBIs. Zaylie Calderon leads the Miners in the circle with a 4.67 ERA in 15 innings pitched, while the freshman has made three starts on the season. The Miners are hitting .257 as a team with 10 home runs.
- IUPUI – The Jaguars are 2-3 on the young season with wins over Western Illinois and Evansville. As a team, IUPUI is hitting .269 in five games with 36 base hits, including nine doubles, two triples and a home run. The Jaguars are led by Rachael Gregory, who enters the tournament with a .615 clip and five RBIs. Kayana Diederich leads IUPUI in the circle with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings. Opponents are hitting .231 against the freshman righthander.
- NM STATE – The Aggies are 5-3 on the season with a notable win over Nebraska in the season opener. On opening weekend, NM State defeated Nebraska, Bradley and UTEP in the Aggie Invitational, while the Aggie took two from Omaha last weekend. Freshman Matalasi Faapito leads NM State at the plate and in the circle. The freshman has posted a .542 average with five home runs and 12 RBIs. In the circle, Faapito has a 3.69 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched and has started three games for the Aggies.
- OMAHA – Omaha comes into the tournament with a 5-4 overall record with wins over IUPUI, Green Bay, Miami (OH) and NM State twice. Senior Emma Dargy leads the Mavericks at the plate with a .393 average in nine games. Dargy has 11 hits on the season with three doubles, five home runs and 17 RBIs. Junior Sydney Hampton leads the Maverick pitching staff with a 2.72 ERA in 28.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .229 against the righthander.
BUY TICKETS
Single-game tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children, and may be bought at the Helen of Troy ticket window or by calling (915) 747-5234. Gates are scheduled to open 30 minutes prior to the first game of the day.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats for every game this weekend will be available through the UTEP Invitational Tournament Central Page. All four UTEP games will be available to stream live on CUSA.TV for subscribers only.
For complete coverage of UTEP Softball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepsoftball (Instagram) and @UTEPSoftball (Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.