GOLDEN – The Colorado School of Mines baseball team will look to continue its ascension up the RMAC standings when the team travels to Alamosa this weekend to battle with Adams State at the ASU Baseball Field beginning on Friday.
The Orediggers (11-14, 9-9 RMAC) got back to .500 in conference play with a 3-1 weekend against RMAC Mountain Division leader New Mexico Highlands last weekend at Jim Darden Field. Mines hit .375 during the series while the pitching staff posted a 3.94 earned run average. Mines has now won six of its last eight contests.
Sophomore Tommy Rodgers led the pitching staff with a 6 2/3-inning quality start, in which he limited NMHU to just three hits and one run with six strikeouts.
Fellow sophomore Christian Rooney struck out five batters over five innings while limiting the Cowboys to just four hits and one run on the way to a win and Nate Olinger secured Mines' third in of the series after allowing seven hits and five runs over five innings.
Sophomore Brett Kovach earned his first save after striking out one and allowing two hits over three innings in two appearances out of the bullpen.
Junior Zach Bothwell led the offense with a .538 batting average with four runs scored and four RBI. Fellow junior A.J. Schillinger hit .500 over the four games with two triples, four runs scored and five RBI and Olinger hit .429 with two runs scored and a team-high six RBI and two stolen bases. Charlie Basil (.400) and Evan Brown (.400) hit over .400 during the series as well.
Olinger continues to lead the team at the plate with a .365 batting average with team highs in hits (35), doubles (nine), total bases (49) and slugging percentage (.510). He is also tied for the team lead in home runs with one.
Basil sits second on the team with a .337 batting average with 16 runs scored, four doubles, one triple, one home run and 13 RBI. Bothwell is now hitting .313 on the year with 16 runs scored, three doubles and 12 RBI. He also leads all qualified players with a .410 on-base percentage.
Schillinger is hitting .311 on the year with a team-best three triples and sits second on the team with 17 runs scored. Logan Smith leads the team with 18 runs scored on a .297 batting average and Cody Marvel leads the team with 19 RBI on the year.
Olinger leads Mines' starting pitching with a 3-1 record and a 3.99 ERA on the year with 18 strikeouts in 29.1 innings pitched. Rodgers sits second on the team with a 4.82 ERA and a 2-1 record with 24 strikeouts in 28 innings.
Ben Gilman (3-3) boasts a 5.09 ERA over 35.1 innings with 20 strikeouts and has moved into fifth place on the programs all-time strikeout charts.
Rooney (3-4) has a 5.95 ERA over a team-high 39.1 innings with a team-best 27 strikeouts.
Nathan Smythe leads all pitchers with a 1.93 ERA over six appearances and 9.1 innings out of the bullpen with nine strikeouts.
Adams State (10-19, 8-11 RMAC) enters the series having lost four straight games after being swept by RMAC leader Colorado Mesa last weekend in Grand Junction.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Mines vs. ASU
Game 1: Ben Gilman (3-3, 5.09 ERA) vs. Kyle Sedlak (3-2, 4.05 ERA)
Game 2: Nate Olinger (3-1, 3.99 ERA ERA) vs. Andrew McMahon (3-4, 6.55 ERA)
Game 3: Tommy Rodgers (2-1, 4.82 ERA) vs. J.D. Heredia (1-5, 7.80 ERA)
Game 4: Christian Rooney (3-4, 5.95 ERA) vs. Ben Williams (1-3, 8.16 ERA)
