EL PASO, TEXAS – UTEP Softball is set to open the UNLV Boyd Rebel Gaming Classic on Friday as the Miners will take on a trio of teams this weekend at Eller Media Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Miners enter the weekend with a 4-10 overall record after posting back-to-back wins over IUPUI and Omaha to close out last week's UTEP Invitational. This weekend will mark the final non-conference tournament of the season for UTEP, who is scheduled to host Louisiana Tech on March 6-8 to open Conference USA play.
UTEP opens the tournament at 11 a.m. MT on Friday with the Miners set to take on Houston, a team that enters the weekend on a seven-game winning streak. At 4 p.m. MT on Friday, the Miners will face the host UNLV Rebels (12-4).
Saturday's slate has UTEP squaring off against I-10 rival NM State (9-3) at 11 a.m. MT before facing the Houston Cougars once again at 1:30 p.m. MT that afternoon.
The Miners will wrap up the weekend at 12 p.m. MT on Sunday by taking on the Rebels for the second time.
SERIES HISTORY
- HOUSTON – The Cougars lead the all-time series with an 18-6 record against the Miners. The last meetings against Houston came in 2013 when UTEP hosted the Cougars for a three-game series. UTEP's last win over the Cougars came in 2010 with a 2-1 road victory for the Miners.
- NM STATE – The Aggies lead the Miners all-time with a 36-12 overall record in the series. The two teams met earlier this season with NM State prevailing in a 9-1 victory over UTEP in Las Cruces.
- UNLV – The Miners and Rebels have met seven times in the series history entering the weekend with UNLV holding a slight advantage with a 5-2 record against UTEP in the all-time meetings. The two teams faced off in Las Vegas last season with UNLV winning, 5-2, in that contest. UTEP's last win over the Rebels was an 8-7 victory on the road in 2018.
MINER NOTABLES
- UTEP enters the weekend hitting .273 as a team, while the Miners are led by sophomore Kasey Flores, who is hitting .372 with seven home runs, 12 RBIs and an on base percentage of .426 on the season. The Miners are currently ranked third in Conference USA with 18 home runs as a team through 14 games, while Flores is second in the league with seven long balls on the season.
- Infielder Ilena Santos has been on a tear recently with the junior hitting .440 in the last nine games, including five home runs, four doubles and 17 RBIs. Over that stretch, Santos is slugging 1.200 with a .500 on base percentage. Last weekend alone, Santos hit four home runs, had two doubles and drove in 13 runs to help lead UTEP to two wins in the team's home tournament. She is currently ranked third in C-USA in home runs and RBIs.
- Freshman Isabella Kelly leads the Miner pitching staff heading into this weekend's tournament with 10 appearances on the season, including eight starts in the circle. Kelly is 3-6 on the season with all three wins coming over her last seven appearances. She enters the weekend with a 6.51 ERA in 52.2 innings pitched on the year.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats for every game this weekend will be available through the Boyd Rebel Gaming Classic Tournament Central Page. UTEP's game versus UNLV at 3 p.m. on Friday will also be streamed live for fans to watch.
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.