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RMAC TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team opens the 2018 RMAC Baseball Tournament Wednesday as the No. 2 seed against fifth-seeded MSU Denver in Grand Junction, Colo. The field is made up of six teams in a double elimination format. Colorado Mesa serves as the host and No. 1 seed. UCCS is the No. 3 seed with CSU-Pueblo at No. 4 and Regis at No. 6. All six teams are guaranteed two games over the first two days, running at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. In the six-game, double elimination format, the bracket can break off a number of ways depending what happens through the first five contests.
 
MINES IN THE POSTSEASON
Wednesday marks the Orediggers' third straight appearance in the RMAC Tournament. In 2017, Mines advanced to the championship game where it fell 15-7 to Colorado Mesa. The Orediggers enter the 2018 postseason seeking their first tournament title in program history and their first NCAA Tournament berth in program history. Since 2016, Mines is 4-4 in the RMAC Tournament.
 
FACING THE ROADRUNNERS
Mines and MSU Denver faced off four times in 2018 at The Regency Athletic Complex in Denver. The Orediggers took three games off the Roadrunners, winning 10-8, 4-2 and 11-1 before dropping the finale 6-5. Joe Popp led Mines' offense in the series, batting .438 and scoring seven runs with three RBI on two doubles. Walter Pennington pitched a complete-game victory with five strikeouts and Tyler Blomster got the win as well behind seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
Roadrunners enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed with an overall mark of 22-26 while going 18-16 in RMAC play. Most recently, MSU Denver was swept by Colorado Mesa in the regular-season finale at Grand Junction. Donny Ortiz Jr. has led the Roadrunner's offense all season as their only First-Team All-RMAC Selection. He's hitting .374 with 19 doubles, two triples and four home runs, scoring 47 runs and driving in 42 more. MSU Denver's pitching ace is Logan Soole who is 5-2 in seven starts with a 3.29 ERA and 40 strikeouts.
 
REGULAR SEASON FINALE
Mines closed the regular season with a bounce-back weekend at Regis. The Orediggers headed into Denver after losing three out of four games to Colorado Mesa in Golden. Mines dropped the first game 8-0 as it was shut out for just the second time this season. However, the Orediggers rattled off three-straight wins, 9-4, 9-4 and 7-6 to take the series and end the season on a high note. Ben Stinson had a breakout weekend as the designated hitter, batting .500 with nine RBI and one run while making the first start of his career. Tyler Blomster improved to 7-0 with his complete-game victory on day one of the series.
 
RMAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Junior catcher Mikey Gangwish was named the RMAC Player of the Year Tuesday as he also garnered First-Team All-RMAC honors and RMAC Gold Glove distinction. The award follows a record-breaking regular season for the Albuquerque native. Over 46 games, Gangwish set the program's single-season record for home runs (20), RBI (67) and total bases (150). He finished the regular season batting .391 and slugging .862 with 63 runs on 68 hits. Gangwish ranks fourth in NCAA Division II in total home runs and RBI and fifth in home runs per game and RBI per game. He is No. 2 in the country in slugging and No. 4 in total bases.
 
ALL-RMAC RECOGNITION
Joining Gangwish on the All-RMAC squads were Tyler Blomster, Jace Selsor, Trevor Kehe, Joe Popp, Walter Pennington and Gabe Garvens. Blomster Selsor and Kehe all earned first-team nods with Selsor and Kehe joining Gangwish on the Gold Glove team. Popp was named to the second team while Pennington and Garvens garnered honorable mention distinction.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
Despite a home-heavy schedule and its prolific offense inside the friendly confines of Jim Darden Field, Mines has thrived on the road this season. The Orediggers hold a mark of 15-4 when playing away from Golden, going 13-3 in true road games and 2-1 in neutral-site contests.
 
PLAYING AT ALTITUDE
As part of the appropriately named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Mines has played just three games at an altitude under 5,000 feet. After opening the season with a three-game set in Houston (80'), the Orediggers have played their remaining 43 contests above 5,000 feet with eight games being played over 6,000 feet of elevation (UCCS – 6,035' / Adams Sate 7,543'). With Grand Junction sitting at 4,593 feet, Mines will be playing their first games under the mile-high mark since Feb. 4.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Orediggers reentered the national polls Monday with a No. 28 ranking in the national coaches poll. Mines climbed as high as No. 14 in the baseball writers' poll before dropping out after its series loss to Colorado Mesa. Statistically, the Orediggers rank No. 2 in the nation in slugging, No. 3 in home runs per game and doubles per game, No. 4 in total doubles and No. 5 in total home runs. In the NCAA South Central Regional standings, Mines sits fifth with the newest poll set to come out Wednesday as the Orediggers begin the 2018 postseason.
 
SELSOR, HE'S SO HOT RIGHT NOW
Over the last 10 games, Jace Selsor is batting .400 with two doubles and two home runs. He has scored 11 times and driven in 13 more. The only Oredigger with a higher batting average over the same period is Ben Stinson batting .500 in 14 at-bats. In the power categories over the same span, Mikey Gangwish has five home runs and three doubles, slugging .903 with 13 runs and 13 RBI. Trevor Kehe is not far behind with four home runs and three doubles while scoring 14 times.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Fans can check the RMAC Tournament Bracket (linked above) to track Mines' next games through the tournament. A RMAC Tournament victory would give the Orediggers an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, otherwise Mines will need to finish sixth or better in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings. Live stats and video of the tournament will be available at MinesAthletics.com.