Cowgirls Head To UCCS Looking To Continue Momentum

Las Vegas, New Mexico - The Cowgirls Softball team will head to Colorado Springs to face the Mountain Lions of UCCS.
 

COACH PUGH: For Coach Kali Pugh in her New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls career, she collected her first career win on January 31, 2026, against Sul Ross State in a run-rule victory in Los Lunas, New Mexico.

New Mexico Highlands University named Kali Pugh the new coach of the Cowgirls' softball program on May 28, 2025.

Pugh comes to NMHU from Arizona's Yavapai College, where she led the Roughriders to the 2025 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time since 2022.

Pugh has eight years of experience coaching at the junior college level, including five years at her alma mater.
 

Last Season: The Cowgirls were 15-38 overall and 9-35 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference last year.
 

RMAC Poll:  New Mexico Highlands was selected to finish ninth in the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Softball Coaches' Poll. 
 

Gauntlet of Schedule: The Cowgirls open their season with five ranked programs in their out-of-conference schedule, including the defending national champions, and opened their conference play with the defending RMAC champions. 

#1 West Texas A&M

#14 Oklahoma Baptist

#12 Oklahoma Christian 

#17 Central Oklahoma 

UT Tyler (Defending National Champions) 

#13 Colorado Christian (RMAC) (Defending Conference Champs)

*Rankings based on NFCA rankings as of 3/17/2026

Last Time Out:
 

Colorado Mesa (CMU)  10  - NMHU 1
 

The Mavericks drew first blood, plating four runs in the second inning off of a 2 RBI triple and back-to-back singles with an RBI to make it 4-0. They continued to add on, plating three in the 3rd inning to take a commanding lead. The Cowgirls would pick up their first hit on a Hallie Watkins double, followed by a Jazmyn Griego single as Watkins was thrown out at third.

Cheyenne Ben would hit Griego in for an RBI on a single. However, the Mavericks would plate 3 more runs in the 5th, and the Cowgirls would fall.

 

 Game 2: CMU 10  - NMHU 3
 

The Mavericks struck in the first inning with a two-run home run to take over the lead 2-0. However, Hallie Watkins got the Cowgirls their first hit of the game with a single, and Hannah Hopkins followed with a double; however, the Cowgirls were unable to get a run across.

However, the bottom of the third would be more kind to the Cowgirls as Andrea DeLaTrinidad would reach on a fielder's choice, followed by a double by Cheyenne Ben. Then Watkins would hit a sac fly to score DeLaTrinidad as Ben advanced to third. The Mavericks attempted to throw her out, but the throw got away, and she came across to score, making it 4-2.

In the top of the fourth, the Mavericks would get two solo homeruns to make it 6-2. Yasmin Villa had a sac fly in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-3. However, the Mavericks would add four more runs at the top of the 7th, and the Cowgirls would ultimately drop the second game 10-3.

 

Game 3: CMU 9 - NMHU 1
 

The Mavericks scored first once again in the game, with a single score in the first run in the second inning. Then a solo shot for the Mavericks gave them a second run.

Jolissa Valdez then doubles, and Andrea DeLaTrinidad doubles into right center to make it a 2-1 ball game in the third.

The Mavericks would then get the third run for their lead in the 6th off another solo home run, their second of the game and sixth of the series.

The Mavericks extended the lead in the 7th with two three-run home runs. The Mavericks would secure the series win in this one.
 

 Game 4: CMU 2  - NMHU 11
 

CMU was able to get on the board in the first inning on an RBI single. Jazmyn Griego had a double down the left field line that would score the Cowgirls' first run in the first to tie it up at one a piece.

The Mavericks scratched another run on an error in the second to give them a 2-1 lead in the second.

The Cowgirls would tie the game up, and Hallie Watkins tripled. In the fourth, Kylee Sam would knock a base hit through the middle to score a run, and with bases loaded, a wild pitch would score Shaeylene Saladin to make it 4-2 Cowgirls.

Andrea DeLaTrinidad hits a double over the left fielder to give the Cowgirls a 6-2 lead. Hallie Watkins walks and runs, coming home to extend the lead in the fourth. Jazymyn Greigo hits a sac fly to continue to build on the lead in the fourth for the Cowgirls.

Liliana Vigil German knocks in one on a single; the lead continues to grow. Olivia Boswell singles to left, making it 11-2 Cowgirls. The Cowgirls would secure the run-rule victory.

This victory for the Cowgirls is their first against Colorado Mesa since 2015
 

Each Cowgirl in the starting batting order recorded a hit
 

This is the Cowgirls' second victory via the run rule this season

Hitting:(20 AB Min.)
 

Home Runs: Jazmyn Griego (4)
 

Hits: Jazmyn Griego (31)
 

Stolen Bases: Olivia Boswell  (7-9) (SB-ATT)
 

RBI: Jazmyn Griego (25)

Pitching: (15 IP Min)
 

ERA: Liliana Vigil German  (5.13)
 

Strikeouts: London Lamb (32)

 

COACHES CORNER: "We are excited to get back into playing games this weekend. We still have tons of work to do as a team and are resilient enough to keep pushing ourselves. We haven't hit our peak yet, and it's exciting to see how much better we have gotten since the beginning of Fall. We want to make a statement and keep winning the day against ourselves and our opponents. It's not easy, and it's not supposed to be; that's the beauty of where we are in this time." Coach Kali Pugh on her feelings about the team's current trajectory following last weekend and her thoughts as they head into this weekend's matchup.
 

University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS):
 

UCCS enters this weekend's series at 13-12 overall and 7-9 in the RMAC. They split their series last weekend, with Fort Lewis going 2-2 in Durango. Dwight Sanders was named head coach of the UCCS softball team in July 2023 and is heading into his third season with the program in 2025-26. Sanders led the softball program to a monumental turnaround in his second season at the controls in 2025 as the Mountain Lions posted a 33-24 overall record and came just one win shy of reaching the RMAC Championship game. UCCS secured multiple wins in the RMAC Tournament for the first time since the 2014 season and won three games in the conference tournament for the first time since 2006.
 

Game Day at NMHU:  Tickets for New Mexico Highlands softball can be purchased at NMHUAthletics.com/Tickets.  
 

No outside food or drinks will be allowed.
 

No pets allowed.
 

NMHU has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all on-campus events.
 

Fans enter the complex using the north gate.
 

Follow The Cowgirls: All RMAC Conference games air on the RMAC Network. 

Up Next: The Cowgirls will be back at home next weekend as CSU-Pueblo comes to Historic Las Vegas.