---

WEEKEND FORMAT
Following a week off and a trip to UCCS, the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team is back home at Jim Darden Field playing host to Colorado Christian and Colorado Mesa as part of the RMAC Pod Weekend. Each team will play four games with two against each opponent. CCU plays twice Saturday starting at noon with Mesa getting the twin bill Sunday and Mines playing two Monday. The Orediggers will be featured in the second game Saturday and Sunday starting at 3:30 p.m. or approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of game one.
 
SPRING BREAK 2018
Last week was spring break at Colorado School of Mines and the Orediggers celebrated with a trip to Colorado Springs for a four-game set with UCCS. Mines dropped the opener 6-3 due in large part to a Mountain Lion grand slam in the first inning and a record-breaking performance by UCCS pitcher Colin Cicere. The Orediggers bounced back and took the series with three straight wins by scores 9-4, 4-3 and 14-7, including five home runs in the series finale.
 
BATTLE FOR FIRST PLACE
Mines' series victory over UCCS, coupled with Colorado Mesa splitting its four-game set at New Mexico Highlands has the Orediggers and Mavericks tied for first place in the RMAC standings. Pod weekend marks the first two meetings between Mines and CMU with a four-game showdown to follow in April. A split between the Orediggers and Mavericks this weekend at Jim Darden Field leaves the foes deadlocked, but a 2-0 record in the series for either team puts the winner in the driver's seat for a RMAC title. With CCU fighting for its postseason life, it should prove to be an exciting weekend in Golden.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Colorado Christian rolls into Golden with an overall record of 13-13 and an RMAC mark of 8-8. The Cougars are currently in possession of the No. 6 spot in the league standings, making them the last team into the conference tournament if the season ended today. CCU carries the momentum of its first series sweep in conference play since 2010 after taking all four games from Adams State last weekend. Their five-game win streak coupled with a win over Colorado Mesa earlier this season, makes the Cougars a dangerous opponent in the pod.
 
THE MAVERICKS
Colorado Mesa carries an overall record of 21-8 into the pod weekend with a conference mark of 12-4. The Maverick's most recent series resulted in a 2-2 split with New Mexico Highlands in Las Vegas. After going 50-12 overall and 17-5 on the road in 2017, CMU is now 12-7 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site contests through 29 games in 2018. Despite, their struggles on the road, Mesa is 8-0 at home and ranked No. 7 in the national coaches poll and the national baseball writers poll.
 
LEADERS OF THE OPPOSTITION
Hunter Douglas is the leading hitter for CMU, batting .400 on the year with 22 runs and 13 RBI. However, it's Caleb Farmer with power numbers for the Mavericks, slugging .662 with three home runs, one triple and eight doubles. For CCU, Kaleb Johnson leads the way with a .385 average while Austin Maltby brings the muscle with five home runs, two triples and six doubles. On the mound, Joey Loranger serves as the Cougars ace with a 2-2 record in seven starts, boasting a 2.82 earned-run average with 41 strikeouts. For Mesa, Kyle Leahy is 4-0 in seven starts with a 3.15 ERA and 44 strikeouts.
 
RMAC HITTER OF THE WEEK
Trevor Kehe became the Orediggers' fifth RMAC weekly award winner this season after being named the Baseball Player of the Week Tuesday. Kehe gained the honor thanks to some solid hitting at UCCS where he batted .438 while scoring five runs with four RBI behind four doubles and a home run. He finished the series going 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBI in the finale. Kehe's honor marks the third straight week of Mines receiving at least one of the weekly awards.
 
WALTER PENNINGTON
The sophomore has proven he is a man among boys this season. Pennington's 11 home runs rank 18th in the country and he is No. 5 in home runs per game. His love for extra-base hits has him ranked No. 2 in the nation in slugging (0.955). To cap it off, Pennington has back-to-back complete-game victories on the mound and boasts a 4-1 record in six starts with a 4.63 ERA and 29 strikeouts.
 
THE GRAND SALAMI
Jace Selsor became the first Oredigger to hit a grand slam this season with his bomb to the opposite field against UCCS in the series finale. Mines is now No. 1 in the country in slugging (0.606) and home runs per game (1.92). The Orediggers are No. 5 in the nation in total home runs with 50, just four long balls behind the nation's leader, Arkansas-Monticello.
 
TWO-BAGGIN' OREDIGGERS
As a team, the Orediggers have hit 77 doubles this season which ranks 10th in the country. Mines' 2.96 doubles per game ranks second in the nation.
 
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Mines and Mesa are tied at the top of the RMAC standings. MSU Denver (16-17, 12-8 RMAC) is tied for third with Regis (20-14, 12-8 RMAC). UCCS (16-16, 10-10 RMAC) sits fifth with CCU rounding out the tournament field in sixth. CSU-Pueblo (15-14, 7-9 RMAC) is not far behind in seventh while New Mexico Highlands (11-22, 6-14 RMAC) and Adams State (1-29, 1-15 RMAC) round out the bottom third.
 
REGIONAL POLLS
Head Coach Jerod Goodale and the Mines baseball team are currently No. 5 in the South Central Region according to the NCBWA poll. The Orediggers opened the season at No. 9 and jumped up to No. 7 after their 2-1 start to the season. However, an inactive week due to weather dropped Mines out of the regional poll. Five straight series wins including one sweep have moved Mines from receiving votes to No. 9, then No. 8 and now from No. 6 up to No. 5.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the pod weekend, Mines heads to Alamosa, Colo. to face Adams State April 13-15. Live stats will be available at MinesAthletics.com.