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Aggies head south to visit Miners for three-game rivalry series.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo and Story By Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
EL PASO, Texas – The closest rivalry in all of Conference USA will see another chapter written this weekend. NM State Softball will make the 40-mile trip south to the Helen of Troy Softball Complex for a battle with UTEP as both teams hit the midway point of the CUSA season. The Aggies (21-14, 8-4), who have won 75% of the Battle of I-10’s all-time meetings, have their eyes on a fourth series victory. The Miners (12-19, 2-10) look to re-enter the win column after being swept by Liberty to drop to ninth place in the league standings.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (21-14, 8-4 CUSA) at UTEP (12-19, 2-10 CUSA)
Where: Helen of Troy Softball Complex – El Paso, Texas
When: April 4-6 | Friday (6:00 PM MT) / Saturday (6:00 PM MT) / Sunday (12:00 PM MT)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: SIDEARM (UTEP)
All-Time Record vs. UTEP: 42-14
Under Kathy Rodolph: 42-14
All-Time Record in El Paso: 16-10
Last Meeting: UTEP 2 @ NM State 3 – March 23, 2024 (Las Cruces, N.M.)
Current Streak: NM State, 1 win (since March 23, 2024)
COACH’S THOUGHTS
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the series at UTEP: “Any time we’re going to play UTEP or UNM, it is definitely a rivalry series. We’re going to bring our best and they’re going to bring their best. We need to be able to attack early. We don’t want to go deep into the game with UTEP, because they can swing it. I expect them to come out fighting for their life.”
LAST TIME OUT
NM State hosted Sam Houston over the weekend weekend, earning three wins in as many tries. Kathy Rodolph‘s pitching staff was spectacular, allowing just two earned runs across the entire weekend, both of which came in the second innings. The final 18 frames for Sam Houston saw zero earned runs cross, with the last 17 being scoreless. At the plate, the Aggies belted five home runs and scored 19 runs en route to a convincing sweep that vaulted them from fifth place into a tie for second in CUSA standings.
THIS ONE MEANS MORE
A pair of Aggies call El Paso home, as both Lauren Garcia and Desirae Spearman hail from the Sun City. However, a duo from Carlsbad, N.M., will have even more to play for. Johnna Aragon and her cousin, Faith, each made their collegiate debuts with UTEP in 2024 as the latter earned a CUSA All-Freshman Team selection. Over the offseason, the pair transferred to NM State and made a new home with the Crimson & White.
The Aragons have combined to make 43 starts and have a collective batting average of .317 across 145 at-bats this season. Faith, the reigning CUSA Pitcher of the Week, leads the team with 81.0 innings pitched and has eight victories across 12 starts in the circle. The pair has combined for three home runs, both getting their first career long ball just hours apart on Feb. 15.
Last season, the duo combined to see a total of just five at-bats with UTEP as the team collectively batted .283.
THERE’S ALWAYS TAMARA
Tamara Carranza has recently established herself as one of the hottest freshmen in CUSA Softball. The shortstop has been a consistent force on defense this season, but is now coming off her best two weekends at the plate. The true freshman hit the first two home runs of her career at FIU as part of a six-hit weekend in which she batted .667. Against Sam Houston, Carranza extended her hitting streak to six games, including a game-tying three-run home run on Friday.
In CUSA play, the California native is batting .394 and has the second-highest OPS on the team (1.170). For the season, her batting average has vaulted to .288, up from its non-conference mark of .167.
SHE DOES IT ALL…
On Monday, Desirae Spearman was named as the third-best two-way player in the country by Softball America. The true sophomore was not only last year’s CUSA Freshman of the Year, but her remarkable campaign as a pitcher and outfielder won her Player of the Year honors in the league as well.
This season, Spearman has delivered just as well in the circle. She is one inning pitched (80.0) behind Faith Aragon (81.0) for the team lead, while pacing the Aggies in strikeouts thrown (73) and ERA (2.71). In 15 starts, the two-way star has amassed nine victories, making her one of just five pitchers CUSA to do so in 2025.
At the plate, the second-year Aggie has staked a clear claim as the best hitter in CUSA, ranking among the nation’s top five in eight different offensive categories. Over the past two weekends, Spearman has been walked 10 times as opposing pitchers have begun to opt out of pitching to the superstar. In the 11 at-bats she has faced over the six games, the El Paso native still mashed five home runs on eight hits for an OPS of 3.046. She paces the conference in batting average (.506), home runs (17), total bases (104), walks drawn (37), slugging percentage (1.169), on-base percentage (.659), OPS (1.828) and runs scored (43).
SUPER SLUGGERS
Spearman is also one of just two players in all of NCAA Division I with at least 17 home runs this season. The sophomore’s prowess as a home run threat has granted her 37 walks drawn this season; a mark that places her well atop the conference and tied for second in the nation. The second-year Aggie is on pace (58.50) to shatter her own mark of 43 RBIs that led last year’s squad. However, Spearman is far from alone in an Aggie lineup that has been daunting for opposing pitchers in 2025.
The team ranks 32nd in the nation with a slugging percentage of .535, while ranking second in CUSA with a .322 batting average. The unit is slotted within the top 30 nationally in hits (309), doubles (59) and home runs (42), with just under half of its base knocks (144) courtesy of seven incoming transfers.
Five Aggies rank among the conference’s top 40 in hits, due in large part to two newcomers; Kristiana Watson (44) and Faith Aragon (32). The former is one shy of the CUSA lead with 12 doubles, while sitting tied with Spearman for second in the conference with 39 RBIs. Watson, having appeared in all 32 games thus far, is on track to tally 63.38 RBIs during the regular season.
AGGIES OF THE WEEK
NM State added some hardware earlier this week, courtesy of Faith Aragon. The sophomore standout was named CUSA Pitcher of the Week after tossing two complete games against Sam Houston as the Crimson & White swept Sam Houston. Across 13 scoreless innings, first-year Aggie allowed just six hits and one walk while striking out 15 batters, including a career-high nine on Saturday. Aragon picked up her second career honor after earning the same distinction once with UTEP a season ago.
Last month, Devin Elam returned from an eight-game injury absence and made an immediate impact that earned her CUSA Co-Hitter of the Week honors. The 2024 All-CUSA First Team selection posted a .600 batting average as she racked up six hits in three outings against Jax State, leading the offense to another series win. With a walk, two doubles and a home run, Elam notched 11 total bases and a 1.736 OPS. For the week, the California native tallied seven RBIs to pace an NM State offense that scored 26 runs in a 3-1 week that began with a rivalry win over New Mexico.
After the opening week of the season, Lauren Garcia earned similar recognition. The UNM transfer posted a team-high .600 batting average, boosted by three walks for an on-base percentage of .667. Her squad-best eight extra-base hits resulted in a then-nation’s best 1.667 slugging percentage and an otherworldly 2.333 OPS. Conference USA recognized the remarkable weekend by tabbing Garcia as the first CUSA Player of the Week for 2025.
SCOUTING THE MINERS
UTEP is under the direction of T.J. Hubbard, who holds a 80-151 record in his six seasons with the program. The Miners are out to a 12-19 start in 2025, holding a 2-10 record in CUSA play. Last weekend, Liberty swept a three-game set against Hubbard’s bunch in Virginia as the Lady Flames remained undefeated in league bouts.
On the field, the Bearkats are led by Ajia Richard, who paces the squad with a .471 batting average, nine home runs and 25 RBIs. The pitching staff has posted a collective ERA of 5.01 this season, ranking just ahead of Kennesaw State’s 5.04 mark for worst in CUSA.
SERIES HISTORY
The Aggies and Miners have met 56 times in history, with NM State holding a 42-14 advantage. In El Paso, the visitors have prevailed 16 of 26 times. The first year in UTEP Softball’s program history was 2004, coinciding with Kathy Rodolph‘s arrival at NM State, making her the only coach to ever represent the northern half of the Battle of I-10. With 42 victories, Kathy Rodolph has more wins against UTEP than any other school since taking the reins of the Crimson & White.
LAST SEASON’S MATCHUP
NM State hosted UTEP in late March for the first-ever CUSA installment of the rivalry. The Aggies took the three-game series by claiming the bookends, only falling in a high-scoring 12-10 affair in game two. Desirae Spearman made her return to the circle after not pitching for 20 games due to injury, getting the nod in the second half of a Saturday doubleheader. The true freshman was remarkable, striking out a career-high 12 Miners for an individual record that still stands. Spearman, a native of El Paso, also scored the winning run on an electric inside the park home run just a couple innings before striking out Ajia Richard to clinch the series victory.
For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2025 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).
