by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
UTEP track and field will be hosting the 2017 Conference USA Outdoor Championships from May 11-14 at Kidd Field.
The Miners women’s team will be looking to win its first outdoor conference title in program history. The women’s team comes into the competition full steam after claiming its third consecutive C-USA indoor title.
The Fastest Kid in El Paso race will be taking place on Saturday, May 13. Kids ages 5-13 are invited to participate in the 100m dash at 3 p.m. at Kidd Field. To sign-up for the race please, contact UTEP Marketing at (915) 747-6065.
Leading the way for the Miners will be sophomore Tobi Amusan. The All-American opened the outdoor season with the second-fastest time in the nation of 12.63 in the 100m hurdles registered at the UTEP Springtime. The hurdler has claimed six first-places finishes this season, including a stellar performance in the 200m that rates her eighth nationally with a time of 22.60.
Lucia Mokrasova will also highlight the Miners kicking off the championships on Thursday with the heptathlon set to start at 2:45 p.m. MTMokrasova enters the meet ranked eighth nationally with 5,671 points registered at Texas Relays.
Highlighting the distance races will be Middle Tennessee Agnes Abu. The senior comes into the championships ranked sixth in the nation in the 800m.
On the men’s side, freshman Emmanuel Korir will be the Miner to watch. The mid-distance runner was named to The Bowerman Watch List after posting the fastest time in the nation of 1:43.73 in the 800m. Korir also ranks third in the nation in the 400m with a time of 44.67.
Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. A four-day pass can be purchased for $20 or a daily ticket can be purchased for $8 for adults or $4 for kids. Students are able to attend the championship free with their Miner ID.
For additional athletes to watch at the championship, click here. For information about parking, tickets and live results, click here.
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
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Several well-known Miners have formed an alumni basketball team and, with the support and votes from UTEP fans, hope to make a national tournament that pays the winners $2million for the win.
The team, known as the �Glory Road Boys�, is made up of five former players: Omar Duran, Earvin Morris, Brent Murphy, Ioana Tofi and Jason Williams. �The team is looking to make the The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a national basketball tournament to be held this summer, similar in structure to the NCAA�s annual college basketball tournament.
The main difference, according to the TBT website, is�64 teams (with 16 in each region) are either selected based on their fan vote totals or play their way into the tournament.
The top nine (9) vote-getters in each region as of June 1 @ 12p ET get in automatically. Six (6) additional teams in each region will be chosen at-large.
The final team in each region will play-in through the TBT Jamboree in Philadelphia, set for June 17th and 18th.
The winner-take-all $2 million purse is divided among the team, their coach, a booster, a top fan and 99 other fans who voted their team into the 64-team tournament.
The bio for the �Glory Road Boys� reads as follows:
�We are very excited for the opportunity to represent our University and the great city of El Paso. Our identity comes primarily from our school�s great basketball tradition. The fact that UTEP is the only school from Texas to win a National Championship is astonishing considering all the great Universities and tradition of great players from Texas. Also for the fact that the Disney movie Glory Road demonstrated how the 1966 team broke color barriers and changed basketball is very appealing to some who might not know the story behind it. We also have a strong competitive players that are elite on their teams overseas and want to represent a great basketball alumni group of UTEP.��Omar Duran, GM
Should the team get the required number of fans signed up and voting, the team would be part of the West Region. �To sign up to vote and support the team, click HERE.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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IRVING, Texas-� For their efforts toward a championship season, the No. 48�UTEP men�s golf team racked up top honors and more in Conference USA awards, including Golfer of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Frederik Dreier, who was the reigning Player of the Year, won the honor again while head coach Scott Lieberwirth earned his first C-USA Coach of the Year.
Dreier and sophomore transfer Aaron Terrazas earned First Team C-USA recognition while junior Charles Corner earned a spot on the Second Team list. The awards are determined by the most recent Golfstat rankings.
All, plus Nicklas Pihl and Andreas Sorensen, were part of the conference championship team that brought UTEP its first Conference USA title and only the second title in program history. The other was a Western Athletic Conference Championship in 1985.
Dreier became the first player in program history and only the third player in Conference USA history to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors. UAB�s Chris Devlin won it in 1999-2000 and Graeme McDowell earned it again for the Blazers in 2001-2002.
�As a goal, I wanted to win the conference Player of the Year again, it was always in the back of my head, but I never thought about it while I was on the golf course,� Dreier said. �I was just trying to play my game. If my played my best, I knew I could do it again. I was just trying to stick to my golf game and if that was enough then that would be good.�
The�ability to lead was what Lieberwirth spoke�on with Dreier.
�His [Dreier]�leadership the past couple of years has been right up there among the best student-athlete leaders that I�ve been around,� Lieberwirth said. �He�s a great student, great player and a great person too. All of those things are what we�re going to miss about Freddie. There�s not too many players that you�re that sad to see go after four years because its time, but he�s going to be a guy that I�ll defiantly miss being around. He�s meant a lot to this team, to me, and to this program. �
The senior was a staple in the Miners� line up since his sophomore year, leading the team in top-10 finishes (7) while compiling a 71.3 stroke average this season. He finished in a tie for seventh during the match play portion of the C-USA Championships and defeated his Charlotte opponent, John Gough 2UP in the championship match play.
�I was very honored to win it [Player of the Year]�last year, but to win it back-to-back is very special,� Dreier said. �I�ve been practicing hard and fighting hard this year so I�m very happy that it paid off in the end.�It�s been a very special year for the team, but to round it out with a conference championship, was very special.�I�m very happy with what I�ve accomplished as an individual but also with what the team has accomplished.�
Sixth-year head coach Scott Lieberwirth was honored with his first C-USA Coach of the Year award and his sixth overall. He was a five-time WAC�Coach of the Year during his eight-year tenure at NM State prior to UTEP.
�It�s special,� Lieberwirth said of the recognition. �This is a great team that we have and it�s always an honor to be recognized by your peers and receive an award like this, but there are no �Coaches of the Year� awards without having good players. A lot of this goes back to them [players], they�ve done such a great job of working very hard and performing at a very high level.
�These awards are defiantly nice from an individual standpoint but we always do preach that we�re looking for team accolades. I consider this a team award as much as anything. These guys [players] did a lot of the legwork in order for this to happen.�
With Lieberwirth at the helm of the program, the Miners won three team titles in the fall season�to add to the one team title won in 2015. Before that, the program�had not won a tournament title since 2005.
�I�m so happy for Coach Lieberwirth,� Dreier said. �I know how much he wants his team to do well, in school,�on the golf�course and in our personal life, so he is helping us a lot and is very deserving of that award. He has been great for us this year, all of the guys are really close to him and he�s a great guy as well. There are so many good things to say about him but I�m really happy for him.�
Terrazas, who transferred from Oklahoma and joined the Miners in the spring, earned first team honors after a stellar spring season that saw him as UTEP�s top finisher two times. The sophomore finished at the top of the UTEP scorecard at the John Burns Intercollegiate with 1-over 217 (74-71-72) and then tied with Dreier as the top finisher at the Lone Star Invitational. He finished in the top-50 at the Conference USA Championships at 35th with 4-over�220 (73-73-74) and defeated his Southern Miss opponent, Tyler Young, 1UP in the semifinal match play.
Corner�s breakout season began this spring, where he notched five top-50 finishes, and added�four top-10 finishes.The junior topped his regular season run with a sixth-place finish during the stroke play portion of the conference championships with 3-over 219 (73-70-76), leading the team, and defeated both his match play opponents. His clutch 1UP�finish against Southern Miss�s�Matt Lorenz helped secure UTEP�s victory in the semifinals.�Corner was also�the top UTEP finisher at the prestigious Western Intercollegiate, edging into the top-10 with 2-over 212 (72-69-71) that earned him a Conference USA Player of the Week honor the week of April 12.
The Miners won the automatic bid to the NCAA Regional tournament beginning May 15, where�81 teams and 45 individuals will be selected to compete in the six NCAA Men�s Regional Championship sites.
�I�m just excited for this group to get this championship,� Lieberwirth said. �We�re solely focused on doing what we can to continue our season as long as we can, meaning getting through the Regional and into the National Championship.�
2016-17 CONFERENCE USA MEN�S GOLF AWARDS
Golfer of the Year: Frederik Dreier, UTEP
Freshman of the Year: Ilari Saulo, Middle Tennessee
Coach of the Year: Scott Lieberwirth, UTEP
First Team
Joey Savoie, Middle Tennessee
Ian Snyman, North Texas
R.J. Keur, UAB
Frederik Dreier, UTEP
Aaron Terrazas, UTEP
Second Team
Cory Churchman, North Texas
Thomas Rosenmueller, North Texas
Taylor Eyster, UAB
Charles Corner, UTEP
Zander Lozano, UTSA
All-Freshman Team
John Gough, Charlotte
Matty Lamb, Charlotte
Conor Purcell, Charlotte
Ilari Saulo, Middle Tennessee
Chip Thomas, Middle Tennessee
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.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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Freshman Emmanuel Korir earned a spot in the Men�s Watch List for The Bowerman Award.
The mid-distance runner is one of 10 men earning recognition on the list. Previously, Korir took up residence in the �Also Receiving Votes� section. This is the Iten, Kenya, native�s first out door recognition.
Korir gives UTEP its 17th Watch List mention in program history � which is the seventh most by a men�s program in the Bowerman Watch List history.
Korir turned at the UTEP Invitational when he clocked a time of 44.78 in the 400m on April 22. Less than one week later, Korir challenged Donavan Brazier�s year-old collegiate record at 800 meters. Korir negative split the race at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge in Berkley, Calif., and crossed the finish line in 1:43.73.
The Miners will be hosting Conference USA Championships on May 11-14 at Kidd Field. For ticket information please call, 915-747-5234.
