Mines (4-8) at Colorado Christian (3-9-1) – Friday, 2 p.m. – Lakewood, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (4-8) at Colorado Christian (3-9-1) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – DH – Lakewood, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (4-8) at Colorado Christian (3-9-1) – Sunday, 1 p.m. – Lakewood, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS
The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team opens Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action this weekend with a four-game series at Colorado Christian in Lakewood, Colo. The series opener is slated for 2 p.m. on Friday at All-Star Park. Action continues Saturday with a pair of seven-inning games starting at 12 p.m. Sunday features the series finale in the form of a single, nine-inning game at 12 p.m. Unlike last weekend, these games count towards the conference standings, and the RMAC is as deep as ever making every game count a little extra.
 
TIME CHANGE
Fans should be aware that Friday's series and RMAC opener was moved from 3 p.m. to 2 p.m. Those planning to attend Friday's single, nine-inning game should plan accordingly.­
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Every Mines home game and all RMAC games can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv. Additionally, the Orediggers' home games will feature play-by-play commentary from Miles Dunklin. 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.
 
RMAC ROUND-ROBIN
Last weekend, Mines participated in a RMAC Round-Robin. The schedule for the Orediggers included four non-conference games in three days against RMAC opponents from across The Front Range. Mines started the Round-Robin on Friday at CSU Pueblo where the visitors earned a 10-6 win. Blake Ripp was the winning pitcher thanks to 4.0 innings of relief in Mines' come-from-behind win. Jackson Woolwine hit the first home run of his career. Garret Nielsen's two-run double gave the Orediggers the lead. Danny McDermott added insurance with a three-run triple. On Saturday, Mines played its home opener and dropped an 11-6 game to #13 MSU Denver. Sunday resulted in a doubleheader split. The opener was a 9-7 loss to Regis. The finale was an 8-6 win against Colorado Christian thanks to home runs off the bats of Mason Andrews, Danny McDermott, and Alex Dunagan.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian enters the weekend 3-9-1. The Cougars started their season with a 20-20 tie at Lynn University in Florida. Right after that, CCU took down then-#22 Nova Southeastern, 7-6. Colorado Christian's only wins since their trip to Florida was a 6-4 decision at Southeastern Oklahoma State, and a 12-8 upset of #13 MSU Denver last weekend. The Cougars' other results from the RMAC Round-Robin included a 30-2 loss at Regis and its defeat at the hands of Mines. Gabe Ramos and Jordan Medina are the top hitters for CCU. Ramos leads the team with a .356 batting average while touting 13 runs and 19 RBI thanks to one double, one triple and six home runs. He has also walked nine times. Medina hits .340 and owns 14 runs with 13 RBI on three doubles, one triple, and five home runs. JC Watne is arguably the top arm for the Cougars and he comes out of the bullpen. In a team-high six appearances, Watne has pitched 14.2 innings with seven strikeouts resulting in a 5.52 ERA. He has not earned a decision but touts two saves. Saxton Sorenson is tops on the team with 16 strikeouts in 14.2 innings and owns a 13.50 ERA.
 
MINES AGAINST THE COUGARS
The Orediggers have dominated the all-time series with Colorado Christian dating back to 2006. Mines touts 57 wins compared to 27 losses when facing the Cougars. The Orediggers have won seven of the last 10 meetings with CCU. Mines and Colorado Christian played this last weekend and the Orediggers won at home, 8-6. Ben Schoneman started and earned the win behind 6.1 innings of work. Marcus Lee got the save thanks to 2.2 innings of shutout relief. Last season, Mines won the regular-season series with wins of 13-8, 14-1 and 5-4. Colorado Christian avoided the sweep with a 10-5 win in game three. The 2022 series saw Luke Folsom hit .533 with five runs on four doubles.
 
HE GETS ON BASE
We don't know this for a fact, but we'd like to imagine that Billy Bean is very interested in Mines' Adam Houghtaling. Why? Because he gets on base. Since May 1, 2022, Houghtaling has reached base safely in 20 consecutive games. He finished the 2022 season touting a .464 on-base percentage. So far in 2023, the Texan has racked up 18 total bases and worked four walks. He's only struck out three times in 46 at-bats. Mr. Bean might also like Oredigger redshirt freshman Jackson Woolwine who touts an on-base percentage of .526 in his first collegiate season. Woolwine's clip is fueled by 10 walks and 19 hits.
 
SPEAKING OF WOOLWINE
Jackson Woolwine has emerged as one of Mines' top hitters in 2023. His .413 batting average ranks #2 on the team, just behind Trent Nielsen's .414 mark. Woolwine also leads the team with 14 runs, 19 hits, and seven doubles. The Boulder, Colo., native touts eight RBI, one home run and five stolen bases as well. He's started all 12 games for the Orediggers in center field and currently boasts a modest, five-game hitting streak.
 
WALTER PENNINGTON UPDATE
With Major League Baseball's Spring Training well under way, the Colorado School of Mines alum Walter Pennington is back in action. Through s13 spring training games with the Kansas City Royals, Pennington has appeared in two games and flawlessly recorded two outs including one strikeout. 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. In 2022, Pennington started with the Royals' High-A club in the Quad Cities (Iowa). He quickly moved up to AA and finished the season with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. In 2022, he went 6-3 with one start and a 5.19 ERA including 61 strikeouts compared to 30 walks in 67.2 innings of work. Pennington was also invited to the Arizona Fall League where he played for Surprise. He made eight appearances with two starts. He did not record a decision, but had one save, tossed 9.1 innings and struck out 10 batters while walking four.
 
IN THE PROS
Over the last five 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 earned his 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. Rounding out but leading the trio is Walter Pennington (2017-20).
 
THE SKIPPER
The 2023 campaign marks Mines' fifth season with Robby Bales as head coach. During his tenure as the Oredigger skipper, Bales holds an overall record of 99-68 with a mark of 58-44 in RMAC play. He has coached 14 All-RMAC players, nine all-region players, three all-Americans, one RMAC Pitcher of the Year, six CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, one MLB Draft Pick and had one player signed as a free agent in the MLB. Additionally, Bales has guided Mines to the NCAA Tournament once, and RMAC Tournament twice, advancing to the regional and conference tournament final in 2019. Bales' teams have also performed in the classroom as the squad brought home the RMAC Brechler Award in 2020 and 2021 as the team boasting the highest combined GPA in the conference.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
With the postponement of next Tuesday's doubleheader, Mines will be off from competition until Friday, March 3, when the Orediggers face CSU Pueblo in a non-RMAC showdown in Pueblo, Colo. That weekend also brings Mines' home opener as they welcome #23 MSU Denver, Regis, and Colorado Christian to Jim Darden Field on Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. Live stats and video will also be offered 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.