CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State softball is down to its final two home series of the 2026 season, and one of them will come this weekend when the Eagles host Colorado School of Mines for a four-game set this Saturday and Sunday in Chadron.
The Eagles (4-33, 4-24 RMAC) will face the Orediggers (12-16, 17-24 RMAC) at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday before play concludes at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The two programs split a four-game series in Golden, Colorado last season, with Mines winning the first two games before CSC took both on day two to salvage a split. This season's Oredigger squad will be motivated to bank results as they currently sit in seventh place in the league standings, the first team out of the RMAC Tournament.
A livestream of each game will be available on the RMAC Network with live stats available at chadroneagles.com. Saturday's games will also be broadcast live on the radio on Double Q Country and doubleqcountry.com, with Dave Collins on the call.
Any potential schedule changes will be communicated online and on social media (@ChadronState_SB on X/Twitter, @chadronstatesoftball on Instagram).
Looking Back
Chadron State lost four consecutive games to Regis, with all four defeats coming by less than two runs – 6-5, 6-4, 6-5 and 5-4.
RECAPS:
Thursday |
Friday
In all four games, Chadron State scored in the first inning and held the lead before Regis came from behind in either the fifth (twice), sixth or seventh innings.
Tight Margins
Last weekend's series was a prime example of a frustrating trend that has followed the Eagles throughout the 2026 season.
Chadron State has now lost 12 RMAC games by two runs or less (seven one-run losses, five two-run losses). The series against Regis marked the second time in 2026 that the Eagles suffered a sweep but didn't lose any of the four games by more than two runs, alongside a series from February 28-March 1 against New Mexico Highlands.
The Eagles have been on the right side of some close games, as well. Three of CSC's four wins on the season have come by a one-run margin (two in walk-off fashion), with the other being a three-run victory.
Hot Hitter
First baseman
Brogan Allen will enter the weekend's action on an eight-game hitting streak and coming off a series in which she racked up 10 RBI in four games against Regis.
The Wyoming native went 7-for-13 with an OPS north of 1.500 during the four-game series, highlighted by a three-run home run in game two. She only struck out once in 14 trips to the plate.
Allen had five RBI apiece on Saturday and Sunday. In game three, she went 3-for-3 at the plate with three separate RBI singles, totaling four runs driven in.
This season among qualified hitters, Allen leads the team with a .313 batting average, .380 on-base percentage, .530 slugging percentage, 26 hits, 10 extra-base hits, four home runs and 19 RBI.
Hot Corner
Brianna Cordray also is coming off a strong offensive weekend, hitting 6-for-12 with four doubles and four RBI. Cordray, who along with Allen combined to drive in 14 of CSC's 16 runs scored in the Regis series, is also on a 10-game streak without committing an error defensively at third base.
Cordray, who hails from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, leads all CSC freshmen in at-bats (90, fourth on team) and games started (35, tied for third on team). She holds the overall team lead with seven doubles on the season.
For the season, Cordray ranks third on the team in both batting average (.267) and RBI (12).
RMAC Update
With four weeks to go in the regular season, a group of six has separated themselves into the playoff places with others hoping to close the gap. Below is the current RMAC standings:
| Team |
RMAC Record |
Overall Record |
| #9 Colorado Christian |
28-0 |
38-2 |
| CSU Pueblo |
23-5 |
27-11 |
| UCCS |
18-10 |
24-13 |
| MSU Denver |
17-11 |
24-14 |
| Black Hills State |
17-11 |
20-19 |
| Colorado Mesa |
17-11 |
18-18 |
| Colorado School of Mines |
12-16 |
17-24 |
| Regis |
11-17 |
12-22 |
| New Mexico Highlands |
10-20 |
12-30 |
| Adams State |
7-23 |
8-32 |
| Fort Lewis |
6-22 |
7-31 |
| Chadron State |
4-24 |
4-33 |
Out of CSC's four remaining opponents, three are currently outside playoff position (Mines, Adams State and Fort Lewis). The top six teams qualify for the RMAC Tournament, and the six teams currently in playoff position are the same six that qualified for last year's field.
Quick Hits
- Pitcher Belle Akins leads the team with 89.2 innings pitched (9th in RMAC). She is among the RMAC's strikeout leaders, ranking tied for third in the league with 67 total K's and tied for first in the league with 21 batters struck out looking.
- Overall, Eagle pitching has done a good job with their control. Chadron State ranks fourth in the RMAC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.29) and fewest hit batters (14).
- The Eagles have shown a tendency to move runners over. They rank third in the RMAC in total sacrifice bunts (27). Elizabeth Thorngren leads the team individually with six while Tiffani Meinhas five and Brianna Cordray and Macie Selfors each have four.
- Primary leadoff hitter Charley Pitrat ranks tied for fifth in the RMAC in walks drawn with 22.
- Tiffani Mein, CSC's primary catcher, ranks tied for third in the RMAC with seven baserunners caught stealing.
- CSC is 12th in the RMAC in team batting average (.219), on-base percentage (.303) and slugging percentage (.301).
- The Eagles' team ERA of 6.61 ranks ninth in the RMAC.
In the Polls
The Eagles were picked 11
th in the RMAC Preseason Poll, one year after finishing ninth.
Colorado Christian, the reigning RMAC regular season and tournament champs, were picked to win the league again, receiving 7 of 12 first-place votes. Colorado Mesa placed second in the poll, receiving three first-place votes, while MSU Denver came third and garnered the other two first-place votes.
The rest of the poll features UCCS, CSU Pueblo, Colorado School of Mines, Black Hills State and Regis rounding out the top eight. Chadron State is scheduled to host six of the top seven teams in the preseason poll at home this season.
New Mexico Highlands, Fort Lewis, the Eagles and Adams State rounded out the poll.
In the national polls, the RMAC has one nationally-ranked program – Colorado Christian at No. 10.
The Eagles are 0-6 against nationally ranked teams, losing four to No. 9-ranked CCU, one to No. 14 Angelo State and one to No. 25 UT Tyler, who were No. 1 in the country at the time of the game against CSC.
Scouting the Orediggers
Colorado School of Mines will enter at 17-24 overall and 12-16 in the RMAC. The Orediggers are coming off a positive weekend where they took three of four games at home over Black Hills State. The Orediggers finished seventh in the standings last season and currently are in the same position.
Mines will be getting used to playing on the road again as they played in their home stadium for five consecutive weekends prior to this series with CSC (four home series plus a series flipped due to weather). Starting with this series against the Eagles, they will be on the road for 12 of their final 16 games.
Speed is the name of the game for the Orediggers. Mines leads not just Division II, but all of college softball with 27 triples this season and have racked up four inside-the-park home runs. The Orediggers rank third in the RMAC with 79 stolen bases.
Kellan Ton is one of CSM's top offensive threats, batting .438 (fifth in RMAC) with six triples, two home runs (both inside the park), 16 RBI and 25 stolen bases (third in RMAC). Kendall Aragon is batting .400 even with a team-high 29 RBI while Katie Bauer bats .348 with 24 RBI.
In the circle, Taylor Wayne (6-7, 4.20 ERA) has been the primary workhorse with her 83 innings pitched nearly 30 more than anyone else on the roster. Madyson Ortiz (4-5, 4.15 ERA, 54 IP) and Rylee Church (3-4, 3.70 ERA, 53 IP) are the other primary arms.
Head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk is in her second season at Mines. Echo-Hawk has also served as a Division I head coach at Portland State and the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) and an assistant coach at Division I New Mexico State for two seasons. She played softball at the University of Nebraska and remains the Huskers' all-time hits leader with 266.
Coach's Corner
Skye Koehl (pronounced "kale") is in his first season in charge of the Chadron State program.
Koehl joins CSC after two seasons as the head coach at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colorado. Her teams placed second and third in NJCAA Region 9 during her two seasons in charge.
As a player, Koehl won a junior college national championship with Temple College (Tex.) before transferring to Division I Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for her final three seasons.
