Mines (22-9, 13-7 RMAC) at CSU-Pueblo (17-16, 12-8 RMAC) – Friday, 3 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (22-9, 13-7 RMAC) at CSU-Pueblo (17-16, 12-8 RMAC) – Saturday (DH), 1 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (22-9, 13-7 RMAC) at CSU-Pueblo (17-16, 12-8 RMAC) – Sunday, 12 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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ON THE RMAC NETWORK
Every Mines home game and RMAC road game can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. Additionally, Oredigger home games will have play-by-play commentary provided by Mines alum Michael Tanner who pitched for the Orediggers from 2013-17. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC".
 
SOUTHBOUND AND DOWN
This weekend, the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team journeys south on I-25 for four-game series at CSU-Pueblo. Fresh off a big series win over Dixie State, Mines looks to chip away at the three games standing between it and first place in the RMAC standings. It marks the Orediggers' first road trip since appearing at Regis March 22-24. On the other side, CSU-Pueblo is just four games out of first place as it continues an eight-game home stand. However, the ThunderWolves also sit #6 in the conference which marks the last available spot in the RMAC Tournament. It's a weekend with big implications for both teams as the Orediggers and ThunderWolves renew their rivalry.
 
WEATHER REPORT
Weather has already impacted the weekend series between Mines and CSU-Pueblo before it has even started. Friday's opener was moved up to a 3 p.m. start due to inclement weather in the evening forecast. As it stands now, Friday shows partly cloudy skies and a game-time temperature around 50 degrees. Saturday looks to be overcast with a chance of rain and temps in the mid-40s. Sunday's forecast looks to be the best of the weekend, boasting partly cloudy skies and a high near 70 degrees. All-weather gear is recommended for those in attendance.
 
LOOKING BACK
Last weekend, Mines came up with a big series win over Dixie State at Jim Darden Field. The Orediggers dropped game one 11-7 despite a late comeback featuring runs in five straight innings. Mines bounced back on day two with a doubleheader sweep. Trevor Kehe stole the show by batting 1.000 through the two games, hitting two home runs with four runs and eight RBI. Tyler Blomster and Walter Pennington got the wins on the mound as both moved up the all-time wins ranks in the Oredigger record book. Mines finished it off on Sunday with a 12-6 win. Danny McDermott hit the first two home runs of his career and Drew Hill struck out 13 batters.
 
SCOUTING CSU-PUEBLO
CSU-Pueblo welcomes Mines to town with a record just one game over .500. However, the ThunderWolves have recently come up with some big wins including series splits over Colorado Mesa and Dixie State. At 12-8 in the RMAC, CSU-Pueblo sits just four games out of first place but is also the last team into the conference tournament. Dakota Popham and Gilbert Sauceda are the ThunderWolves' top threats at the plate. Popham is currently hitting .397 with Sauceda at .385 on the year. The duo boasts 67 combined runs and 56 total RBI with six home runs, three triples and 20 doubles. On the mound, Beau Brieske (4-4) is the man to watch. He has 78 strikeouts in 51 innings and nine starts. Despite the strikeout potential, Brieske is just 4-4 on the year with a 4.59 ERA. Andrew Coverly serves as the CSU-Pueblo closer with five saves and a 1-2 record, touting 21 strikeouts in 17.1 innings and a 10.38 ERA. As a team, the ThunderWolves rank #13 in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.5 on the year.
 
WHAT'S A THUNDERWOLF?
Colorado State University-Pueblo was previously known as the University of Southern Colorado with Indians as the nickname of its athletics teams. However according to CSU-Pueblo's athletics website, "The University of Southern Colorado (now Colorado State University-Pueblo) adopted the "ThunderWolf" as its mascot prior to the 1995-96 academic school year. The ThunderWolf came to life as USC looked to modernize its image following over 60 years of being known as the "Indians." The term Thunder Wolf (Thunderwolf/Thunderwolves) is part of a number of pop-culture references, but is not actually part of the existing animal kingdom. In the context of CSUP, the thunderwolf is a mythical creature intertwined in legend with colors reflecting Colorado's diverse geography.
 
RAWLINGS FIELD
Rawlings Field at Rawlings Sports Complex is the home of CSU-Pueblo baseball. The facility opened in 1994 and boasts capacity for 2,500 fans. The complex was made possible with a $1 million gift from the publisher of the local newspaper, Robert H. Rawlings. In 2008, the baseball field was fitted with a synthetic turf backstop and infield. Lights were added in 2009. There is limited chair-back seating with rest of the stands made up of metal bleachers. Thankfully, baseball is played in the spring and allows fans to avoid the annual tarantula migration.
 
RECENT HISTORY
Mines' 2019 senior class started playing in 2016. Since that time, the Orediggers are 8-5 in the all-time series against CSU-Pueblo. Mines' seniors found the most success last year in 2018. The Orediggers went 5-1 against "The Pack" including a series win at Jim Darden Field and two victories to end CSU-Pueblo's RMAC tournament run. As a team in 2018, Mines hit .348 as a team while slugging .614 with 13 home runs, three triples and 11 doubles. The Orediggers out-scored the ThunderWolves 67-34. Individually, Jace Selsor and Trevor Kehe led the way as both batted over .400. The duo combined to score 21 runs with 14 RBI including five bombs. On the mound, Tyler Blomster made two starts against CSU-Pueblo, going 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 11.0 innings of work with zero walks.
 
MIKEY GANGWISH
Senior catcher Mikey Gangwish once again etched his name in Oredigger baseball history. Last weekend, Gangwish became Mines' all-time leader in RBI, driving in the 156th run of his career. Gangwish was already the Orediggers' home run king with 37 in his career. The Albuquerque, N.M., native also owns the #1 spots in Mines' history in single-season home runs (24), single-season RBI (86), single-game RBI (7), single-season total bases (175) and single-game total bases (12 – x2). Additionally, Gangwish is the active career leader in NCAA Division II in home runs (37), and ranks #3 in career RBI among active players in DII.
 
NATIONAL HITTER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt junior Trevor Kehe earned the weekly awards trifecta April 8-10 thanks to his domination of the Dixie State pitchers last weekend. Kehe was named RMAC Player of the Week for the second time in his career on Monday. Then, the Golden, Colo., native was named NCBWA Regional Hitter of the Week late Tuesday and NCBWA National Hitter of the Week on Wednesday for the first time in his career. In four games against the Trailblazers, Kehe hit .800 with eight runs and 12 RBI on three home runs and two doubles. His overall average was fueled by a perfect day at the plate on Saturday as he went 5-for-5 in the doubleheader. Kehe also stole three bases which ties him for #1 in the RMAC this season.
 
RMAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore starting pitcher Drew Hill provided Mines a sweep of the RMAC weekly baseball awards after his impressive performance in the series finale against Dixie State. Hill struck out 13 batters in six innings of work and surrendered just two runs on four hits. He also struck out four batters in one inning due to a dropped strike three and fanned 11 Trailblazers through the first four innings.  His 13 strikeouts are the most in a single game for an Oredigger in over 14 years. Hill also moved to 63 strikeouts on the year which is tied for #7 on Mines' single-season list. The honor marks the first weekly award of Hill's career. He ranks #2 in the RMAC for total strikeouts in 2019.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS
Mines baseball boasts 16 listings among the RMAC's individual offensive leaders. Derek Daly and Trevor Kehe rank #3 in the league in slugging percentage and runs scored, respectively. Kehe also ranks #5 in on-base percentage, #10 in total hits and #2 in stolen bases. Daly is tied for #3 with 39 RBI and #2 in total home runs. Joe Popp is tied for #6 behind 13 doubles. Among pitching leaders, Drew Hill is #2 in total strikeouts and #1 in strikeouts per nine innings. Tyler Blomster and Walter Pennington rank #6 and #7 on the total strikeouts list as well. Pennington also touts the second-most wins with six on the campaign. Gabe Garvens ranks #5 with three saves.
 
NATIONAL LEADERS
As a team, the Orediggers are #3 in the nation in home runs per game and #6 in total home runs. Additionally, Mines ranks #4 in slugging percentage, #16 in doubles per game and #24 in batting average. Individually, Derek Daly is #2 in DII in home runs per game, #5 in total home runs, #6 in RBI per game and #9 in slugging percentage. That's across all players in NCAA Division II. Adding to the list is Trevor Kehe ranks #8 in runs per game. Drew Hill sits #12 in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings. Walter Pennington's 6-1 record ranks #29. Joining Gangwish among active career leaders is Jace Selsor. The senior first baseman ranks #4 among active players with 154 runs in his career. Selsor also sits #3 among active players with 243 career hits.
 
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
If the 2019 season ended today, MSU Denver would be the RMAC Regular Season Champion and host of the conference tournament. The Roadrunners would host and play CSU-Pueblo in the first round. Colorado Mesa takes the #2 seed and plays Dixie State. Mines would claim the #3 seed and get a showdown against UCCS. For those just tuning in, six teams make the RMAC Tournament. Currently, just four games separate the #1 seed from the #6 seed. There are 16 games remaining in the regular season. The Orediggers are still slated to face three of the top six teams including CSU-Pueblo this weekend.
 
BITS AND PIECES
Mikey Gangwish is currently riding a 21-game reached-base streak. Joe Popp has reached base safely in 18 games. Gangwish also boasts an active six-game hitting streak. Fourteen different Orediggers have combined for a total of 80 multi-hit games in 2019. Additionally, 15 individuals have turned in a total of 52 multi-RBI performances. Mines is 7-1 with Walter Pennington on the mound. The squad is a perfect 7-0 when Ben Stinson or Danny McDermott start the game batting sixth in the order. The Orediggers are 21-1 when leading after the sixth inning and 11-0 when leading after the seventh frame. Mines has out-scored its opponents 240-192 this season. In the opening frame, the Orediggers hold a 35-10 advantage in scoring and a 16-5 advantage in the ninth inning.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
After its series at CSU-Pueblo, Mines returns to Jim Darden Field to host Colorado Christian April 18-20. Live stats and video of the three-game series will be available at www.minesathletics.com.