#17 Mines (8-0) at Cal State San Marcos (2-2) – Friday, 1 p.m. (PT) – San Marcos, Calif. [Live Stats] [CCAA Network]
#17 Mines (8-0) at Cal State San Marcos (2-2) – Saturday, 11 a.m. (PT) – DH – San Marcos, Calif. [Live Stats] [CCAA Network]
#17 Mines (8-0) at Cal State San Marcos (2-2) – Sunday, 11 a.m. (PT) – San Marcos, Calif. [Live Stats] [CCAANetwork]

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CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'
The famous song by The Mamas & the Papas only seems appropriate with the latest weather along The Front Range, but for the #17 Colorado School of Mines Baseball team, it won't just be a dream. The Orediggers are headed to California for a four-game series at Cal State San Marcos. Action opens Friday with a single, nine-inning game at 1 p.m. (PT). Saturday features a doubleheader with a nine-inning affair to start at 11 a.m. (PT) followed by a seven-inning game. Sunday brings the finale with a single, nine-inning showdown at 11 a.m. (PT).
 
LIVE COVERAGE
This weekend's series will include live stats as linked above and video on The CCAA Network. There is a fee for the video with a month pass costing $10. Additionally, all of Mines' home games and every conference game will air live, and for free, on the the RMAC Network with Miles Dunklin providing play-by-play commentary for home games all season long.
 
FAN INFORMATION
California State University San Marcos policy requires a mask in the general seating area at CSUSM Baseball Field and on paved surfaces around the venue.
 
LOOKING BACK
Mines stayed red-hot last weekend as the Orediggers swept four games from the Hillcats of Rogers State. In the first-ever meeting between the two programs, Mines opened with a 5-2 victory behind 5.0 innings of work on the mound by starting pitcher Kevin Zapanta. The Orediggers continued with a convincing, 13-3 victory as Luke Folsom, Taylor White and Mason Andrews all hit home runs. Andrews actually hit two in the game. Saturday featured a nail-biter victory by a score of 8-7 in which Blake Ripp earned the win in relief while Folsom and Andrews went long again. Tyler Blomster finished it off on Sunday with a nine-inning, 2-0 shutout. The pitching ace allowed just five hits and struck out seven on his way to 2-0. The 4-0 weekend puts Mines at 8-0 for the first time since 2002.
 
SCOUTING CAL STATE SAN MARCOS
Cal State San Marcos canceled its 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cougars opened 2022 with a doubleheader against Regis followed by two games against Concordia Irvine. They split with both opponents for a current record of 2-2. Most significant in the early going was CSUSM's 15-3, eight-inning victory against #25 Concordia Irvine on Tuesday at Irvine. A pair of five-run innings fueled the win. Offensively, Kevin Van Linge leads the Cougars by hitting .571 in 14 at-bats. However, Niki Diaz swings the big bat as he is tops on the team with five runs, eight hits and 10 RBI as well as three doubles. On the mound, Garrett Apker is the ace. He has no decision thus far but touts a 1.50 ERA thanks to 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings while surrendering just one run on four hits and three walks. Thus far, opposing hitters have been held to .182 against Apker. As a team, CSUSM has committed seven errors in its first four games while hitting .314 and slugging .394. With the cancellation of last season, Cal State San Marcos has a total of 25 players wearing Cougar blue for the first time.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between Mines and Cal State San Marcos. In fact, it's the first California team the Orediggers have faced since at least 2010. The Cougars are members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Their baseball team was picked to finish #11 out of 11 teams in the conference's preseason poll.
 
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – AGAIN
Tyler Blomster's nine-inning shutout at Rogers State netted the Oredigger graduate student his second straight RMAC Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA Regional Pitcher of the Week awards. The McKinney, Texas, native allowed just five hits with seven strikeouts and zero walks on 102 pitches. His production limited RSU hitters to .161 at the plate and he surrendered zero hits for extra bases. Not a single Hillcat advanced past first base until the ninth inning. Blomster is the only pitcher in the RMAC this season with a nine-inning complete game. He is also the only hurler in the conference with a solo shutout. He spun the shutout just one week after becoming the league's all-time wins leader. In two starts this season, Blomster is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP thanks to 20 strikeouts and one walk in 15.0 innings of work. He has held opposing hitters to a .151 average in the same span. Tuesday marked Blomster's second conference award of the season and seventh of his career. It was also his third career NCBWA Regional Pitcher of the Week award.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
First and foremost, fans should note that national rankings have zero bearing on whether a team is selected for the NCAA Tournament. That is based solely on the regional rankings released late in the season. That being said, Mines' hot start has vaulted the Orediggers back into the nation's top-25. In the first regular-season edition of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association's Division II Top-25, Mines debuted at #17. The only other RMAC team in the poll was Colorado Mesa at #3. The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings have not yet updated since its preseason poll. It marks the Oredigger's first national ranking since 2020.
 
IN THE PROS
Over the last four years, four Orediggers have entered baseball's professional ranks. Mikey Gangwish (2016-19) was the first as he played professionally in Australia before returning to a contract with the Evansville Otters of the independent Frontier League. He has since retired and returned to pursue a master's degree at Mines. The second was Trevor Kehe (2017-19) who was drafted in the 36th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He worked in the Orioles organization for three years and advanced as far as High-A ball with the Aberdeen IronBirds before retiring this last summer. Rounding out the trio is Walter Pennington (2017-20). The left-handed hurler signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Royals in the summer of 2020 and played the 2021 season with the organization's Low-A affiliate, the Columbia Fireflies. Pennington currently remains under contract with the Royals amid the MLB lockout.
 
FUN FACT OF THE WEEK
The 2022 Orediggers returned almost all of their starting infield and two thirds of their outfield from the 2021 team. However, through eight games this season, it has been youth leading the charge at the plate. True sophomore Luke Folsom is tied for the team lead in RBI and home runs with eight and three, respectively. He also leads Mines with nine runs scored. Tied with him is redshirt freshman Mason Andrews who also has three home runs and eight RBI in just four games, three starts and 15 at-bats. Andrews is the only Oredigger with multiple home runs in a single game. But don't get it twisted. Mines' veterans are pulling their weight as well. Graduate student Toby Scoles boasts a team-best four doubles with seven runs to boot. Collegiate veterans Alex Bumpus, I-Ly Hsue and Taylor White each tout two home runs apiece. Maybe not that fun of a fact, but something interesting with just eight games played.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines has next weekend off before starting RMAC play at MSU Denver March 4-6. Live stats and video of all four games in Denver will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines baseball on Twitter at @OrediggersBSB. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.