by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
UTEP softball head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk announced the addition of pitcher Kira McKechnie on Wednesday. McKechnie played her first two years at Fresno State and will have two years of eligibility with the Miners.
McKechnie will join fellow transfer pitcher Julia Wright, and UTEP sophomore hurlers Devyn Cretz and Allie Johnson for the 2018 season.
“We are excited to have Kira on our roster for the upcoming season,” Echo-Hawk said. “It is always nice to add some depth to your pitching staff.”
McKechnie, a native of Sacramento, Calif., made a relief appearance in the circle during the 2017 campaign against San Diego and recorded a strikeout. In 2016, McKechnie made a pair of appearances in the circle, throwing 1.1 innings, while allowing two hits and no runs.
McKechnie attended Christian Brothers High School and was a dual-sport athlete. She was a four-year letterwinner in both softball and basketball. McKechnie was voted softball team captain in 2015 and capped her senior year with multiple accolades, which includes Sacramento Bee’s 2015 All-Metro first team, Cal-Hi first team All-State, CAL All-Optimist All-Star team, MaxPreps first team All-State and Cal-Hi D3 Athlete of Honor.
She was named Female Athlete of the Year by Character Combine, Bee Preps Show and MaxPreps Christian Brothers, while earning the Credit Union Athlete of the Week in 2015.
During her senior season, McKechnie hit .462 with 40 RBI, 11 doubles, a triple and eight home runs. She added 18 runs and was walked nine times. In the circle, McKechnie (12-7) fashioned a 1.95 ERA and recorded 195 Ks 140 innings (23 starts/25 appearances).
McKechnie has competed for the California Breeze (2005-09), Capital City Comets (2009-12), Nor Cal Patriots (2012-14) and Central Cal Dirt Dogs (2014-15). She also attended the 2012 OnDeck Elite Futures Camp and 2013 Colorado Sparkler All-Star/All-American game.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
The former Chapin High School hurler wrapped up her UTEP career ranked tied for third in wins (24) and second in saves (five).
Staff Report June 7, 2017 86 Views
IRVING, Texas – UTEP softball’s Kaitlin Fifield is among 14 honorees for the Spring Conference USA Spirit of Service Award, as announced on Wednesday. The award is given to the student-athletes who donate their time in the community, have a high academic standing and excel in their respective sports.
Fifield donated much of her time to community service as the El Paso native worked with the Miracle League on multiple occasions, mentoring baseball teams with disabilities. Fifield assisted with instructions to kids at UTEP Softball’s Free Clinic.
Fifield also made time to help with UTEP events, which included Orange Fever Fiesta (fundraising event) and the UTEP-Army football game (hospitality/greeting).
Fifield’s classroom efforts were apparent as she was named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll all four years at UTEP.
The former Chapin High School hurler wrapped up her UTEP career ranked tied for third in wins (24) and second in saves (five).
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by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
IRVING, Texas – UTEP softball junior Courtney Clayton was named to the 2017 InTouch Credit Union Conference USA Softball All-Academic Team league officials announced on Wednesday.
It’s the second consecutive year that the Health Promotion major earned a spot on the academic team and is one of 14 student-athletes named to the exclusive list. Clayton fashions a 3.87 GPA, while being named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and recognized as a C-USA Academic Medalist for the third year in a row.
The Cornelius, Ore., native hit .314 (50-159) with four home runs and 21 RBI in 2017. Clayton led the squad in runs (29), while tallying seven doubles. She only struck out five times to rank in the top half of the nation in toughest to strikeout. Defensively, she recorded 109 putouts and 83 assists.
Clayton recently reached the 100-run club on the program’s all-time list. She’s the sixth player to accomplish the feat as she has crossed the dish 101 times. Clayton also ranks no. 5 on the program’s all-time hit’s list with 180 and is ranked tied no. 4 with Stacie Townsend in career doubles (38).
Last year, Clayton was the first Miner to be named to the academic team since Colleen Hohman received the honor in 2014.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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IRVING, Texas � �For the first time since 2008 and second time in program history, a trio of UTEP softball players were named to the All-Conference USA team.
Utility player Kaitlin Ryder, and infielders Taylor Sargent and Cortney Smith were announced to the second team as voted by the league�s 12 head coaches on Tuesday.
Ryder, Sargent and Smith each established career highs in respective categories during the 2017 campaign. Ryder set her career best with a .354 batting average, which ranked second on the team, while Smith led the Miners with career highs in batting average (.364), home runs (eight), slugging (.636) and on-base percentage (.438). Sargent led the squad with a career-high three triples, ranked fourth on the team with a career-best .326 average and recorded a career-high 19 RBI.
Ryder came up with big moments during the season as the junior racked up a career-high five RBI during UTEP�s 12-2 (5) triumph against Southern Miss. She also connected on a career-high two home runs at Incarnate Word to lead the Miners in an 11-3 (5) victory. The Chatsworth, Calif., native ranked second on the team in long balls (five) and RBI (28). She added 22 runs, seven doubles and a triple. Ryder played 31 contests in the outfield and 16 games behind the plate.
Sargent, who was hitting .250 after March 26, picked up the pace and finished with that career-high .326 average. The Albuquerque, N.M., native lit up the stat sheet the last 17 games of the season by hitting .429 (24-56) with 12 RBI, seven doubles, three triples, two stolen bags and eight runs. The junior set a career high with three RBI at UTSA (April 2) and crossed the dish a career-most three times during a 10-2 (6) win against WKU.
During UTEP�s epic 10-inning victory at UTSA, Sargent finished the 3-for-6 with a double and a RBI, along with 11 putouts at first base.
Smith returned her sophomore season, providing power to the lineup with her team-leading eight dingers. The Moreno Valley, Calif., native also established career marks in runs (26), hits (47), doubles (nine), triples (one) and RBI (22). Smith led the Miners past powerful Utah State, 8-5, when she connected on a career-best two home runs, a pair of solo shots. Smith recorded a career high three hits two times during the season, the first came on a 3-for-4 outing, while also tying her career most with three RBI at UC Riverside, and the second came on a 3-for-3 effort with a career-best three runs during a 12-2 (5) victory against Southern Miss.
Sargent and Smith were the backbone behind UTEP�s 30 double plays turned in 2017. Sargent led the team with 15 double play, while Smith ranked tied second with 12. Ryder contributed to one of the double plays behind the plate. The Miners� 30 double plays led C-USA and ranks tied third nationally. UTEP�s .63 double plays turned per game ranks second in the nation.
For Sargent and Smith, it�s their first accolade as Ryder was named to the All-C-USA Preseason team on Jan. 18. Ryder was also named the team�s MVP at Dinner with the Miners on April 27. The 2008 squad saw two first teamers in Camilla Carrera and Stacie Townsend, and second team pick Amber Bennett.
In 2015, a trio of Miners earned postseason awards as Kawehiokalani Netane was named first team, Ashley Eldridge was recognized to the second team and Courtney Clayton was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
UTEP softball head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk took her Senior Day lineup card and worked some magic as UTEP (12-36, 6-18 Conference USA) spoiled Florida Atlantic�s (35-20, 15-9 C-USA) bid for the no. 3 spot in the C-USA Tournament.
The Miners used three runs in the third that started with a Taylor Grohmann single to defeat the Owls, 6-4, in their final contest of 2017 on Senior Day at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
�The season hasn�t gone the way we wanted, but [the Miners] came out and they fought,� Echo-Hawk said. �That�s how we�ve been all year, we just keep fighting. It may not be pretty, it may not go the way we wanted it to but the team never quit. They just kept battling � even yesterday they were scrappy. Today they committed to each other, said they were going to show up and play with everything they have. As a whole, our entire team played a great game. And everyone contributed.�
One the of magical moves was when Grohmann, a senior pitcher, was inserted as pinch hitter in the no. 2 spot for junior Courtney Clayton in the third inning. Grohmann�s first career at-bat produced a single on a 2-1 pitch to left with junior Kaitlin Ryder on and two outs.
�It was nice because [Grohmann�s] mom last night asked me if I can give her an at bat and I said �absolutely�, this day is about [the seniors] and that�s the most important thing,� Echo-Hawk said. �She got up there and singled. We worked on some things this past week and, man, when she hit it, it was so exciting. You couldn�t ask for a better moment.�
Continuing the third frame, sophomore Cortney Smith reached after being hit by a pitch to load bases for Kiki Pepi who connected on a two-run single to right that plated Ryder and Grohmann to give the Miners a 2-0 lead. Smith would eventually cross the dish in the frame on an error to put her squad up, 3-0.
Pepi then used her third RBI of the game to put the Miners up 4-1 on a single to right that scored Clayton. In the sixth, sophomore Brianna Red led off with a bunt single, senior Miranda Gutierrez and Ryder each drew walks that set up a Clayton sacrifice fly to center to plate Red. Pepi then gave the Orange and Blue a 6-1 lead another sac-fly to center that scored Gutierrez.
The Owls, however, would not go down easily as they scratched out three runs in the seventh with two outs, but senior hurler Kaitlin Fifield would not let her team come out on the losing end. Fifield earned her third save of the season after throwing 2.2 frames and it was only fitting that Delaney Rickey grounded out to the pitcher to end the Senior Day contest. Fifield ended her career with five saves to rank no. 2 on UTEP�s all-time list.
Grohmann (2-2), whose bat was lit, earned the win after throwing an inning and tallying a strikeout. Senior Erika Harrawood made the start, her staff-leading 17th of the season. Harrawood pitched 3.1 innings, striking out three and walking none.
�It feels great to see our senior pitchers end their careers the way they did,� Echo-Hawk said. �It was a perfect ending for Grohmann to get her last career strikeout. For them to come out and pitch some of their best innings was just a great thing. I think it just shows they have a lot of heart and play for the love of the game.�
Back to the offense, the Miners registered seven big hits on the day, led by Pepi�s 3-for-3 outing. She also finished with four RBI to rank no. 7 with 103-career RBI on the program�s all-time list. Pepi, who was stuck at 99 RBI for the past few weeks, finally broke into the 100-RBI club; the seventh Miner to accomplish the feat. She also finished as the team leader in 2017 with 36 RBI.
�[Kiki] had a great weekend,� Echo-Hawk said. �We worked a little bit on scoring runners this week in practice and changing our mentality. She executed that plan and looked for the pitches we asked her to. To end her career on a RBI was pretty awesome.�
Clayton recorded her seventh double of the season in the fifth, while it was her 38th-career double to rank tied no. 4 with Stacie Townsend. Clayton will enter her senior campaign with 180 hits (ranked fifth) and 101 runs (ranked sixth). Clayton�s .349-career batting average is ranked fourth.
Ryder didn�t have a hit on the day, but did draw a pair of walks and scored run. She hit .455 this weekend and will enter her senior season ranked sixth with a .329-career average. Taylor Sargent finished her junior season with a career highs in RBI (19) and batting (.326), while leading the squad with three triples, also a career best. Sargent will enter her senior year with 650 putouts, ranking fifth on the school�s all-time list.
Smith singled and finished as the team leader in batting with a .364 average. Sophomore Lindsey Sokoloski only struck out once in 136 at bats as one of the national leaders in toughest to strikeout in 2017. She finished her second season with a .316 average. Sokoloski hit .625 (5-8) against FAU to lead the team.
�It�s always nice to know your team is going to play for these seniors to make sure they go out on a good note. It�s also good for our team for next year to end on a positive note,� Echo-Hawk said. �They showed what they�re capable of and moving into next year, we can ride that a bit.�
Photo courtesy UTEP Athletics
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
The UTEP softball team recorded 23 total hits as senior Miranda Gutierrez connected on her first career hit in game one on her way to three total hits, and Lindsey Sokoloski and Kaitlin Ryder each collected five hits on the day.
Cortney Smith added four hits in the two-game set, homering in game two, while Courtney Clayton and Ryder connected on back-to-back home runs in the second contest. But Florida Atlantic took both games, 7-4 and 11-8, on Saturday night at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
The Owls (35-19, 15-8 Conference USA) pounded out 27 hits on Saturday and is vying for one of the top spots in the C-USA Tournament later this week. The Miners (11-36, 5-18 C-USA) had been struggling offensively the last few weeks but finally produced some runs on an Owls’ pitching staff that had a 1.94 ERA entering the weekend.
The Senior Day contest is Sunday with a 1 p.m. start. Seniors Kaitlin Fifield, Taylor Grohmann, Gutierrez, Erika Harrawood and Kiki Pepi will be honored following the game. The five fathers of each senior will toss out the first pitch prior to the contest.
UTEP 4, FAU 7
With the Miners down 5-0, they got within a run with a four-run third inning. Gutierrez led the third frame off with her first career hit, an infield single. Ryder followed with a single to left and Clayton reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Smith came up with a single to center that plated Gutierrez and Ryder to make the score 5-2. Pepi then reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt, while being thrown out at second on a run down. But Clayton and Smith crossed the dish during the chaos to make the score 5-4.
But in the top fourth, Florida Atlantic star shortstop Emily Lochten hit a solo shot, her 18th long ball, over center and Tatum Buckley registered a RBI to pull away from UTEP.
Starting pitchers Erika Harrawood (3-13) and Amanda Wilson (15-9) then kept goose eggs on the scoreboard the rest of the way. Harrawood threw a complete game and struck out four batters on 162 pitches.
UTEP would get more base runners on which included another Gutierrez hit in the sixth, while also drawing a walk in the fourth. But the Miners couldn’t sustain more offense to punch the runners across home plate.
Gutierrez finished 2-for-2 with a run, while Smith went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Sokoloski went 2-for-3.
UTEP 8, FAU 11
The Owls struck first with two runs in the top first led by a Buckley RBI, and a stolen base each from Lochten and Madisyn Palmer.
The fighting Miners, after an intense talk from head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk in the middle first, would take a 3-2 lead in the home half as Ryder led off with a single to left. Clayton sacrificed Ryder over that setup Smith’s eighth home run of the season and first since April 1. Smith launched a two-run shot over left on the first pitch to tie the contest. Pepi followed with a single to right and would advance on a Taylor Sargent groundout. Sokoloski used her first double of the contest to drive home Pepi to take the 3-2 advantage.
The Miners would strike again in the fifth with the score 9-3. Ryder led the bottom half off with her fifth home run and Clayton smacked her fourth dinger of the season as both were towering shots over left field to make the score 9-5. After a pair of outs and a Sargent single through the right side, Sokoloski connected on her second double that scored Sargent to bring the Miners within three runs.
But the two squad would trade runs the next two frames. Smith registered her third RBI to tie her career high in the sixth and Sokoloski crossed the dish on an error on a Gutierrez at bat in the seventh. UTEP had runners at the corners, but again, couldn’t get that key hit to bring more runners home.
Sokoloski (3-for-3) tied her career high in hits and is hitting .321 on the season. The sophomore has only struck out once in 134 at bats to rank in the top three in the nation in toughest to strikeout. Smith went 2-for-4 and is currently leading the team with a .362 average. Ryder (3-for-5) also tied her career high in knocks and scored a pair of runs. Pepi finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Clayton registered a hit along with a RBI and run scored. Clayton now has 179-career hits, needing nine to pass no. 4-ranked Amber Bennett on the program’s all-time list. Clayton’s two runs on the day gives her 100 to rank sixth on the all-time list, needing eight to surpass Ashley Ellis. Clayton is the sixth Miner to join the 100-run club.
Fifield tossed a complete game, striking out three and only walking one on 141 pitches.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
The UTEP softball team will host defending Conference USA Champions Florida Atlantic on Senior Weekend (May 6-7).
The Miners (11-34, 5-16 C-USA) and Owls (33-18, 13-8 C-USA) will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 3 p.m., whileSunday’s Senior Day contest will start at 1 p.m. at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
Seniors Kaitlin Fifield (El Paso), Taylor Grohmann (El Paso), Miranda Gutierrez (Chino Hills, Calif.), Erika Harrawood (El Paso) and Kiki Pepi (San Diego, Calif.) will be honored immediately following Sunday’s contest.
As part of the Senior Day festivities, the fathers of each senior will throw out the first pitch.
SENIOR SENDOFF
Kaitlin Fifield (Chapin High School), Taylor Grohmann (Americas High School) and Erika Harrawood (Franklin High School) all played their high school softball in El Paso and have donned the Orange and Blue colors for four years.
Kiki Pepi joined the program prior to the 2015 season as she transferred from Oregon State, while Miranda Gutierrez was no stranger to the Sun City as she joined the program prior to 2016 from El Paso Community College. Fifield ranks tied no. 3 in program history in wins (24), while ranking high in multiple pitching categories in the school’s record books.
Harrawood, who came into her senior season winless and recently tallied a career-high seven strikeouts at UAB, has won a trio of contests and notched a save at rival NM State in 2017. Grohmann has won eight games in her career which included a 5-3 mark in 2016. Pepi provided a big bat for the Miners during her three seasons and is one RBI short of joining the 100-RBI club.
Gutierrez didn’t see much playing time in her two seasons, but she was one of the vocal leaders in the dugout while being a tremendous teammate along the way.
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Florida Atlantic is 3-0 against UTEP as the two programs met in Boca Raton in 2014. The Owls took the first two contests 7-0 and 2-0 on April 18. The two schools then battled it out the next day in an 11-inning affair with FAU coming out on top 4-3.
Then-sophomore Kawehiokalani Netane connected on a three-run home run in the third that gave her squad a 3-2 lead. The Owls scored a pair in the first, another run in the bottom third to tie the contest and a walk-off single in the 11th frame.
SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Owls are 33-18 overall and 13-8 in Conference USA action after sweeping UTSA in Boca Raton. The Owls outscored the Roadrunners 10-5 in the series, winning by the scores of 1-0, 3-0, and 6-5. FAU will also play a pair at NM State on May 4 before heading to El Paso. The Owls are hitting .264 as a team and ranks second in C-USA with 103 stolen bases.
The Owls are also one of 12 national programs to hit triple digit numbers in stolen bags. Emily Lochten has been locked in as she ranks fifth in C-USA in hitting (.406), while leading the way in home runs (17), slugging (.855) and on-base percentage (.543). She ranks seventh in RBI (37) and is tied for the league lead with 48 runs. Lochten ranks no. 8 in hits (56), fourth in stolen bases (34) and second in walks (42).
Delaney Rickey has been productive as she has tallied 28 RBI and has stolen nine bases. Mia Olson (21), Tatum Buckley (18), Alex Miller (18) and Lauren Whitt (10) have each hit the double-digit RBI mark in 2017. Olson has connected on four home runs. Madisyn Palmer leads the team in stolen bases (38), while ranking second in hitting (.318) and runs scored (35).
The FAU pitching staff ranks second in the league in ERA (1.89). Opponents are hitting .253 in 352.1 innings pitched. Buckley (9-6) leads the staff in ERA (1.87) and has struck out 48 batters in 108.1 innings of work with only 18 walks. Amanda Wilson (14-9) leads the team in wins and has fashioned a 1.89 ERA in a team leading 159.2 frames. She’s added a team-high 62 Ks and has walked 45 batters.
LAST WEEK
UTEP fell in all three contests at UAB April 29-30. The Miners lost the first game 3-1 as Courtney Clayton singled in Cortney Smith. In the second game, Erika Harrawood tallied a career-best seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. After five scoreless innings, the Blazers scored three runs in the sixth to pull away late from the Miners in game two.
In the rain-shortened series finale, UAB scored five first-inning runs and claimed a 5-0 victory (5). Brianna Red singled and drew a walk in the contest. Red started all three games during the weekend, producing a .333 average, a walk and sacrifice bunt. Defensively, she recorded three putouts and a pair of assists.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT FROM LAST WEEK
Cortney Smith hit .667 (4-for-6) during the weekend at UAB. Smith registered a .750 on-base percentage with perfect slugging (1.000). Defensively, the sophomore shortstop tallied three putouts and five assists with no errors. Smith opened the series with a 1-for-2 performance, including a double in the sixth inning in which she crossed the dish.
Smith also walked in the first inning. In game two, Smith went 2-for-3 for her 11th multiple-hit game of 2017. Smith connected on her second double of the day and team-leading ninth of the season. Smith opened the contest with a single. In a shortened game on Sunday due to heavy rainfall, Smith went 1-for-1, while drawing a walk.
Smith is currently leading the Miners in hitting with a .353 average and has the second-most assists (83) on the squad.
K-ZONE
Erika Harrawood registered a career-high seven strikeouts at UAB in game two this past weekend, surpassing her previous high of six Ks at UTSA in 2015. Harrawood threw a solid outing, going 6.0 frames and allowing six hits in a 3-0 loss. Harrawood leads the staff in Ks (46) in 89.2 innings of work.
#TURNUP
UTEP recorded its 28th double play of the season at UAB, ranking first in Conference USA in that department. The Miners rank second in the nation in double plays per game (.62) behind Auburn (.84). The Miners are also tied third nationally with UT Arlington and UC Riverside in double plays (28). Campbell has turned 30 while Auburn leads the way with 43.
FIELDING DOUBLE PLAYS
UTEP has three players ranked in the top 10 in Conference USA in double plays. Taylor Sargent (13) is tied third with Stephani Texeira (FIU), Karlee Jensen (LA Tech), Katie Smith (LA Tech) and Lauren Whitt (FAU). Courtney Clayton (12) is ranked tied no. 8 with Pauline Tufi (LA Tech) and Danii Fernandez (UAB). Cortney Smith (11) is ranked no. 11.
SECOND MOST DOULBE PLAYS
UTEP’s 28 double plays turned in 2017 is already the second most turned in program history. Last season’s squad turned a program-best 30 double plays. In fact, since Tobin Echo-Hawk arrived to UTEP, the Miners have turned 97 doubles plays in 204 games (.48 per game). The 2007 squad turned 21, while 19 double plays were turned during the 2005 season. The previous four seasons (2010-13), 46 double plays were turned.
BAT GIRLS
UTEP is hitting .295 to rank tied third with Charlotte in Conference USA and no. 68 nationally, while it would rank the third best average in program history if the season ended today. UTEP hit .307 in 2016 and .303 in 2007. UTEP’s slugging (.407) ranks sixth, while its hits (357) rank sixth. Marshall leads C-USA in batting (.320), while UTSA leads with 415 hits.
UTEP RANKINGS IN C-USA ONLY GAMES
The Miners rank fourth in batting average (.298) and third in hits (167) in Conference USA games only. UTEP ranks seventh in runs scored (77), while its on-base percentage (.363) and RBI (74) ranks sixth. UTEP ranks fourth in slugging (.389). LA Tech leads the way in runs scored (112) and RBI (105). Marshall and LA Tech are each hitting .302, while UTSA leads with 197 hits.
EXTRA BASE HITS
The Miners rank fourth in Conference USA with 10 triples and tied sixth with 52 doubles. The Miners rank fourth in C-USA and no. 56 nationally with .22 triples per game.
Binghamton leads the nation with .48 triples per game, while Southeast Missouri State and Florida State leads the nation with 21 triples. Marshall, Southern Miss and LA Tech are tied for the lead league with 12 triples. LA Tech leads the way in C-USA with 77 doubles.
5 IN THE TOP 25
UTEP has five players ranked in the top 25 in Conference USA in batting. Cortney Smith (.353) ranks 12th, Kaitlin Ryder (.346) ranks 15th, Taylor Sargent (.344) ranks 16th, Kiki Pepi (.333) ranks 18th, and Courtney Clayton (.313) ranks no. 23. UTEP has the most players in the top 25, while Marshall, Charlotte, North Texas and FIU each have three. Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic and UTSA each have two. LA Tech and Southern Miss each have one.
RACKING UP HITS
The Miners have collected 357 hits, ranking seventh in Conference USA. UTEP’s 17 hits at UTSA (April 1) are tied for the most during the Tobin Echo-Hawk era, as 17 hits were recorded against Incarnate Word on Feb. 11, 2016. The 17 knocks are tied for eighth on the all-time list. Last season, the Miners set a single-season record with 451 knocks.
MORE ON THE HIT PARADE
UTEP has recorded 10-plus hit games 79 times during the Tobin Echo-Hawk era. The previous four seasons, the Miners tallied 10-plus hits in 50 contests. Since Echo-Hawk took the helm at UTEP, the Miners are hitting .297 (1,626-5,482), while the previous four years saw a .268 average (1,462-5,462). The Miners have connected on 15-plus hits in 14 different contests from 2014-17 and eight different times from 2010-13. The most hits recorded the last eight seasons were 24 at Brown on March 3, 2012 – tied most in program history.
