UTEP softball to begin conference tourney play this week
EL PASO, Texas – No. 6 UTEP softball will play at the Conference USA Tournament for the first time since 2010, as it will have a rematch with No. 7 FIU on May 11 in the first round in Denton, Texas.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT/1:30 MT. The Miners (22-31, 13-11 Conference USA) swept the Panthers (29-26, 12-12 C-USA) on March 25-26 in Miami.
UTEP’sPostseason History
The Miners are playing in the Conference USA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. The Orange and Blue is 3-3 all-time in the conference tournament. In 2008 in Houston, Texas, UTEP defeated Tulsa 8-4 in the first round and fell to UCF 3-0 in the next round. In 2009, when UTEP hosted the C-USA Tourney, the Miners advanced to the championship game after wins against East Carolina (4-3 [13]) and Southern Miss (5-4). But fell to Tulsa, 11-3, in the final day. The Miners were edged 4-2 against UCF in the opening round in the 2010 tournament in Houston.
Tobin Echo-Hawk in the Postseason
This isn’t first rodeo for third-year head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk, as she directed Portland State to four NCAA Tournament appearances (2009, 2010, 2012 & 2013) in five seasons. Echo-Hawk led the Vikings to four conference titles and four NCAA Regional Appearances. She recorded her first NCAA Tournament win as a coach on May 18, 2012, as Portland State topped Mississippi State, 2-0, in Eugene, Ore.
Scouting FIU
FIU heads into the Conference USA Softball Championships as the No. 7 seed after ending the season with a 12-12 conference record (29 -26 overall). The Panthers landed a tournament spot after their three-game sweep of Middle Tennessee last weekend (May 7-8) and finished in the top three in the East Division of the league standings. In their conference series finale, FIU seniors all achieved career highs in hits. FIU finished the 2016 regular season with a collective .325 hitting average. Stephanie Texeira leads the Panthers with a .407 hitting average, 13 home runs, and 45 RBI. Jackie Schoff (.360 hitting average) contributes to the teams’ efforts with 14 RBI and leads the Panthers with 16 stolen bases. In the circle, Meg Kugelmann (7-5) leads the team with a 1.92 ERA in 84 innings, while tallying 54 strikeouts. The FIU pitching staff as a whole boasts a 3.07 ERA and 215 strikeouts.
All-Time Series vs. FIU
UTEP leads the all-time series 6-0 since the two programs first faced off last year (April 11-12, 2015). In their first meeting, the Miners swept the Panthers in a three-game series at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex. UTEP then squared off again with the Panthers this season in Miami (March 25-26), where the Miners swept the Panthers yet again in a three-game series.
