#23 Mines (2-1) at Fort Hays State (4-0) – Saturday, 12 p.m. (CT) – DH – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
#23 Mines (2-1) at Fort Hays State (4-0) – Sunday, 12 p.m. (CT) – DH – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 
WEEKEND RUNDOWN
The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team is headed to Hays, Kan., this weekend for a four-game set against Fort Hays State. The series was supposed to be the Orediggers' 2020 home openers. However, snow forced the contests moved to Larks Park in America's Heartland. With the move, the series switched from a 1-2-1 format to a pair of doubleheaders starting Saturday at noon (CT) and ending Sunday. The weekend marks a reunion between Mines and its former head coach Jerod Goodale who now leads the FHSU Tigers. There will be more to come on that. Weather and reunions aside, the weekend promising to be entertaining as the nationally-ranked Orediggers face off against undefeated Fort Hays State.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Every Mines home game can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. 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". Fans can also follow @OrediggersBSB on Twitter for live in-game updates.
 
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
For the second time in three years, NCAA Division II Baseball opened its season in the month of January. For Mines, opening day took place at Minute Maid Park – home of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. The Orediggers' trip to the gulf coast was also their second in the last three years. Mines found success early thanks to a 2-0 win over #21-ranked Arkansas Monticello. It marked the Orediggers' first 1-0 start since the 2017 season. In that victory, Walter Pennington (1-0) tossed 5.1 innings of three-hit, shutout baseball and struck out seven batters. Danny McDermott smashed a solo home run and Alex Bumpus scored as well to take care of the offense. Saturday brought a 6-2 win over Arkansas Tech that featured 5.0 shutout innings and seven strikeouts courtesy of Drew Hill (1-0). At the plate, Gabe Garvens exploded for two runs on two hits including one double. Sunday's finale resulted in a nail-biting, extra-innings loss to #4-ranked Central Missouri. Mines fell despite 5.0 innings and nine strikeouts from Tyler Blomseter (0-0) while Trevor Howard racked up three runs and Toby Scoles notched two RBI.
 
WEATHER REPORT
Contrary to popular belief, the plains of Hays, Kan., forecast a relatively stellar forecast for the weekend, while the Alpine desert of Golden, Colo., promise mostly snow with one day of sunshine – hence the change in venue. Saturday's doubleheader looks to open under clear skies with a temperature of 45 degrees. With minimal chance of precipitation, humidity looks to sit under 50 percent with winds up to 15 MPH. By the end of those two games, temps look to go over 50 degrees while winds gust up to 20 MPH which could make for a sneaky chilly day despite the sunny skies. Sunday will be colder, but partly cloudy skies and no rain or snow means baseball will be played. Wind promises to play a factor again thanks to a forecast of 20 MPH, or more. For fans planning to attend, the safe bet for apparel is layers and a solid outer shell to fight off the Kansas winds since any sort of windbreak comes at a premium in middle America.
 
SCOUTING FORT HAYS STATE
Those fans really into NCAA Division II Baseball know that Fort Hays State carries a history of success including a National Runner-Up finish in 2000. However, the Tigers haven't appeared in the NCAA postseason since 2006. Furthermore, FHSU is fresh off its worst season in history after a record of 3-40. That being said, Fort Hays State has already exceeded its win total from 2019 thanks to an opening-weekend sweep of MSU Denver. After four games, the Tigers are hitting .276 as a team with 18 runs on 32 hits including six home runs. The pitching staff boasts a 3.38 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 32.0 innings of work. Individually, Jared Maneth totes a .714 batting average in just seven at-bats thanks to five hits and three RBI. The power of the order comes from Garrett Stephens who's hitting .417 with five runs and five RBI on three home runs. Fort Hays State's early pitching ace is Padraic Walsh (0-0). He tossed 5.0 innings and gave up only one run on four hits while striking out four batters. He did not factor in the decision. In fact, Zach Berg is FHSU's only starting pitcher with a win on the mound this season.
 
ASIAN CATS
Fort Hays State University Athletics goes by the nickname Tigers. While numbers vary from expert to expert, there appear to be nine types of tigers. It's unclear which subspecies is associated with FHSU. There is a choice of Sumatran, Siberian, Bengal, South China, Malayan, Indo-Chinese, and Sumatran (again?). The Bali, Javan and Caspian tigers are also options, but are also extinct. Tigers are the largest species of cat that reach up to 10 feet in length and weigh up to 670 pounds. Despite that fact, lions continue to carry the title "King of the Beasts" despite weighing just 400 pounds on average. Speaking of tigers and lions, fans of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite might interested to know that ligers really do exist. The liger is a crossbreed of a male lion and female tiger. In fact, the actual largest cat in the world is an adult male liger named Hercules. He's nearly 11 feet long and weighs 922 pounds. Seems like the FHSU Ligers could have been more intimidating, but we digress. According to www.animalplanet.com, Siberian tigers are the largest while Sumatrans are the smallest. Did you know that tigers even have stripes on their skin? It's estimated tigers only hunt successfully 5-10 percent of the time. That being said, an adult tiger can consume up to 88 pounds of meat in one kill. Finally, this has nothing to do with tigers, but Hays, Kan., is touted as the largest city in Northwest Kansas with a population just over 20,000. So there's that.
 
LARKS PARK
Larks Park serves as the home of Fort Hays State Baseball. The park is owned by the city of Hays, similar to Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colo. However, the facility is operated by the FHSU Athletic Department under a 10-year lease. Originally built in 1940, the park features a limestone frame with all the assumed amenities and seating for 1,200 fans. Lights were installed in 2000 and field turf took over the surface in 2013. The foul lines measure 322 feet to left field and 319 to right field while center field sits 405 feet away from home plate. Power alleys come in at 349 feet. The facility also houses the Hays Larks which play in the Jayhawk League as part of the National Baseball Congress. In summary, it's a pretty nice field.
 
ALL THE REUNIONS
This weekend marks a number of reunions significant to Oredigger fans, FHSU supports and residents of Hays, Kan., alike. As previously mentioned, it's the first time Mines faces former head coach Jerod Goodale who departed for his alma mater in the summer of 2018. Goodale led Mines baseball from 2012-18 and left with a career record of 180-160. He ranks #1 in all-time winning percentage among Oredigger skippers and #2 on the all-time wins list. Additionally, Goodale led Mines to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2018 season. The second reunion is that of a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference variety. While the Orediggers still play in the RMAC, Fort Hays State was a familiar conference foe dating back to 1967. The Tigers left the league for good in 2006, but not before winning six conference baseball titles. The final reunion is between multiple Orediggers and their host families. Mines has sent a number of its players to Hays for summer ball with the Larks. Active Orediggers among the Larks alumni are Tyler Blomster, Walter Pennington and Toby Scoles. The numerous ties promise to bring a lot of familiar faces and a raucous crowd to Larks Park this weekend.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Feb. 21, 2016 marked the last time Mines faced Fort Hays State. The Orediggers rolled past the Tigers by a score of 16-1 at Jim Darden Field in Golden, Colo. Nate Olinger went 4-for-4 with three runs and two RBI on two doubles. Logan Smith racked up two runs and three RBI. From the designated hitter position, Caleb Thomas was 2-for-3 with three runs while Jacob Bevan scored three times as well. On the mound, AJ Valerio and Clark Martin teamed up for seven innings of one-run baseball. The victory gave Mines a series split on the weekend after going 1-2 through the first three games. It also moved the all-time series to 68-12 in favor of the Tigers.
 
EARLY PRODUCTION
As expected, the Orediggers have relied heavily on their pitching staff in the early going and the hurlers have delivered. Mines' starting rotation of Walter Pennington, Drew Hill and Tyler Blomster boast a combined ERA of 1.15 with 23 strikeouts over 15.2 innings. With the bullpen included, Mines' staff ERA is 2.28 thanks to just seven earned runs over 27.2 innings. A total of 29 strikeouts aided the effort as well. At the plate, Caden Bonds leads the way in batting average .400 on the season. Trevor Howard owns four runs scored while Toby Scoles touts four RBI. Gabe Garvens has a duo of doubles, Jason Hall has one triple and Danny McDermott holds the lone long ball of the season. Mines averages 4.0 runs on nearly 6.0 hits per game in the early going.
 
ANOTHER RETURNER
Last week's preview featured a brief overview of Orediggers returning for the 2020 season. However, the author failed to mention one familiar face in Jace Selsor. After playing first base from Mines from 2016-19, Selsor returned for the 2020 campaign as a student assistant and made his coaching debut at first base last weekend inside Minute Maid Park in Houston. During his time playing for the Orediggers, Selsor claimed the 2018 ABCA/Rawlings National Gold Glove as the top defensive player at first base in NCAA Division II. His name is listed 29 times in the Oredigger record book including seven inscriptions at #1. Selsor returned to the team after earning his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and is currently pursuing a masters at Mines.
 
PROFESSIONAL UPDATE
Early last summer, Oredigger outfielder Trevor Kehe was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 36th round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft. The first MLB draft pick since Marshall Schuler in 2010, Kehe signed with the Orioles and reported to play in the Gulf Coast League (GCL) in Florida. He put together a modest summer that featured 12 runs on 13 hits with three doubles and run home run while hitting .250. Kehe also stole five bases and racked up seven RBI. He's set to report to the club back in Florida in early March. In the same summer that Kehe was drafted, catcher Mikey Gangwish signed to play professional baseball in Australia with Ainslie-Gungahlin. Gangwish's success oversees led to a recent professional contract with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League. The independent club boasts five division titles and two league championships in 2006 and 2016.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
After its trip to Houston, Mines opens at Jim Darden Field against Fort Hays State on Friday, Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. Live stats and video of the game will be available at www.minesathletics.com.