El Paso, Texas, January 15, 2026 – The El Paso Community College (EPCC) Baseball and Softball teams are ready for an exciting 2026 season, holding Media Day today at the Valle Verde sports complex!
EPCC Baseball is once again led by head coach Julien Soucy, in his 7thyear at the helm of Tejanos baseball and is now second on the all-time EPCC career wins list with 124. Manny Sierra is back for his fourth season as the baseball assistant coach, and they are joined by new pitching coach Iain Campa, a former player under Soucy from 2022-2023 and a recent graduate of Abilene Christian University. The baseball team welcomes back 13 sophomores and 20 freshmen. Standouts include Chris Tavarez, a University of Kansas signee, Sal Rocha, Orlando Samaniego and Carlos Rodriguez.
In 2025, EPCC had a record-setting season, finishing fourth in the Western Junior College Athletic Association (WJCAC) with a 21-15 record, culminating with a 39-19 overall record, including a 27-10 mark at home, and a NJCAA Region V playoff berth for the first time since 2008. The Tejanos fell to #3 Weatherford 12-6 and 12-2 in the postseason.
EPCC averaged 7.9 runs per game in 2025, finishing 9th in Region V with 462 runs. EPCC also finished third in the region with 150 stolen bases; 6thin the region with 64 home runs; 7th with 585 hits; and 11th in the region with 402 RBI.
“I’m very excited with a lot of new faces, so that’s the exciting part,” Baseball head coach Julien Soucy said. “Last year we had 23 sophomores, and this year 13, so it’ll be fun to see how the freshman compete, how they respond to adversity, how to handle their first year out here, so looking forward to it.”
EPCC baseball will start the season at home with a doubleheader on Friday, January 30, and Saturday, January 31, 2026, versus Trinidad State Junior College. The first game is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m., with game two 30 minutes following game one.
The EPCC Softball team is ushering in a new era with interim head coach AubreeAna Avila-Oropeza taking over for Katie Gutierrez, who went 15-25 overall, 8-16 in the WJCAC, in 2025. Avila-Oropeza spent last season as the head coach at University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB).
Married and a devoted mother of three, Avila-Oropeza is an El Dorado High School graduate and played at Paris Junior College before transferring to UTPB to finish her college career, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in Psychology.
Avila-Oropeza started her coaching career in 2021 at Midland College as an assistant coach, with a primary focus on pitching and outfield development.In 2024, she returned to UTPB as the Head Softball Coach, leading the program for one year before making the decision to return home to El Paso.
“I’m excited for people to see what EPCC can be,” Softball interim head coach AubreeAna Avila-Oropeza said. “I think new fresh faces, fresh start with new coaches is really going to help shape what we’re hoping to build, so building that culture, building the program, this year will set the tone for that.”
Last season, the Tejanas were tops in Region V in fewest strikeouts as a team with a league-low 126; third with 28 sacrifice hits; 11th in Region V in doubles with 61; and 12th in the region in RBI with 173. Returning in 2026 will be standout infielder and pitcher Maria Ontiveros, Bella Apodaca, Danna Castillo, and Dulce Ontiveros to name a few. The 2026 squad features seven sophomores and 11 freshmen.
EPCC softball will open the season Friday, January 23, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona, with three games at the Pima College Invitational: 9:00 a.m. versus Chandler-Gilbert College; 11:30 a.m. versus Glendale Community College; and 2:00 p.m. versus Scottsdale Community College. EPCC softball will open their home schedule on Friday, February 13, 2026, hosting Yavapai College in a doubleheader scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.
Live streaming of the EPCC Baseball and Softball home games will be produced by El Paso Sports Network,
For more information, please visit: https://www.epcc.edu/Services/Athletics
