Mines (17-20, 12-12 RMAC) vs. #13 MSU Denver (38-8, 23-5 RMAC) – Friday, 6 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (17-20, 12-12 RMAC) vs. #13 MSU Denver (38-8, 23-5 RMAC) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – DH – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (17-20, 12-12 RMAC) vs. #13 MSU Denver (38-8, 23-5 RMAC) – Sunday, 12 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HOME FINALE
Colorado School of Mines baseball has two weeks remaining in the 2023 regular season, and this weekend marks the Orediggers' final home games of the spring. They'll welcome #13-ranked MSU Denver to Jim Darden Field on Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 12 p.m., and Sunday at 12 p.m. Senior Day will also be celebrated on Saturday starting at 11:40 a.m. before the start of the doubleheader. The Roadrunners are riding 16 straight wins, Mines is still smarting from four straight losses, and both teams are battling for postseason seeding.
 
WATCH US
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".
 
FOLLOW US
Fans can follow Colorado School of Mines Baseball on Twitter and Instagram at @OrediggersBSB. The Twitter page features in-game updates along with featured players, news and schedule updates and other applicable Mines baseball news. Instagram also includes player features, awards, and other outstanding photography from the Mines Athletics Communications staff as well as other contributors.
 
WEATHER REPORT
Everyone has their own application they use for weather, and each application can often very in its projections for the forecast. That being said, a quick Google search reveals nearly pristine conditions for the Orediggers' final home series of 2023. Friday features a high of 54 degrees with partly-cloudy skies and light winds in the single digits. However, the 6 p.m. start time could lead to lower temperatures after sunset so fans should still bring some layers. Saturday brings a temperature spike to 68 degrees. The chance for precipitation is zero percent and winds remain light. Sunday is a near mirror of Saturday, but the chance for precipitation goes up. Sunscreen, a windbreaker, and plenty of water are the recommendations for fans planning to attend.
 
LAST TIME OUT
By the time Mines opens its series against #13 MSU Denver, 11 days will have passed since the Orediggers' last game. Before the extended break, Mines played five home games in seven days. The Orediggers started the home stand with a 9-8 win against Northern Colorado on Tuesday, April 11. Matthew Dobberthien earned the win on the mound in relief. Garret Nielsen and Danny McDermott both hit home runs while Nielsen and Adam Houghtaling added doubles. The following Sunday and Monday, Mines put in a four-game series against Regis which the Rangers swept. Trent Nielsen led Mines with a .385 average and two home runs. I-Ly Hsue was tops in runs scored with four. Mason Andrews notched five RBI thanks to a double, triple, and home run. The score in the opener was 14-7 followed by 8-6, 12-8, and 8-1. Kevin Zapanta and Weston Siefken were arguably the Orediggers' top two arms. Zapanta provided a complete-game effort in which he surrendered just two earned runs with seven strikeouts and three walks, but still took the loss. Siefken tossed 4.1 innings of three-hit, shutout relief while striking out four and walking one. Mines was supposed to play at Northern Colorado on April 19 and host UNC on April 25. Both games were canceled due to weather.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
Metropolitan State University Denver makes the short trip to Golden this weekend riding a 16-game win streak. That makes the Roadrunners the hottest team in the RMAC, and the second-hottest team across all three divisions of the NCAA. The only other NCAA team with a longer active win streak is Southern New Hampshire which has won 22 consecutive games. MSU Denver's last loss was Saturday, March 25, at Regis by a score of 14-13. The Roadrunners have since swept CSU Pueblo, New Mexico Highlands, Adams State, and Colorado Christian. As a team, MSU Denver ranks #1 in the nation in batting average (.373), doubles (149), doubles per game (3.24), hits (607), runs (549), runs per game (11.9), and slugging percentage (.643). Tanner Garner's .465 batting average is #1 on the team. Cam Yuran is #1 in runs (72) and home runs (16). Ross Smith leads the team with 27 doubles. Jake Williams is tops in RBI with 69. On the mound, Jack Slominski is the ace. He's 9-1 in 11 starts including one complete game and three total shutouts with 53 strikeouts compared to 14 walks in 61.2 innings of work leading to a 3.36 ERA. Another notable starter is Reichle Arcilise who touts a 6-1 record and a 4.99 ERA thanks to 62 strikeouts across 48.2 innings. Eric Cox owns the ninth inning. He has seven saves in 15 appearances. His 18.0 innings of work have led to 24 strikeouts and just five walks.
 
MINES AGAINST THE ROADRUNNERS
The Orediggers and Roadrunners already played once this season. It was a non-conference game at Jim Darden Field as part of the RMAC Round-Robin weekend. Mines took a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a Trent Nielsen home run with Mason Andrews and Jackson Woolwine on base. However, MSU Denver, which was also ranked #13 at the time, won the game thanks to seven-run third inning. The final score was 11-6 as Carter Gorling took the loss. Woolwine smacked two doubles and Adam Houghtaling also hit a home run. That loss moved Mines to 32-34 in the series against MSU Denver dating back to 2009. The Roadrunners have won four straight against the Orediggers and nine of the last 10. Mines' last win against MSU Denver was a 2-0 victory at the Roadrunners' yard last season. Tyler Blomster was the winning pitcher in that game thanks to a complete-game, shutout effort. I-Ly Hsue hit a double and scored a run to lead the offense.
 
OREDIGGERS LEAD RMAC ACADEMIC TEAMS
Luke Folsom, Adam Houghtaling, and Kevin Zapanta were named RMAC First-Team All-Academic on Thursday afternoon as the league unveiled its academic squads. No program in the conference had more first-team selections than the Orediggers. Nomination criteria for the top squad required a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50, or better, outstanding performance on the field, completion of two consecutive semesters at their institution, and use of a season of eligibility. Mason Andrews, Jackson Bakovich, Chandler Cole, Carter Gorling, I-Ly Hsue, Collin Kringlen, Marcus Lee, Blake Ripp, Nic Roma, Weston Siefken, Brady Veltien, Ryan Vermeer, and Jackson Woolwine also appeared on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll.
 
STANDINGS UPDATE
The short version. At this point, Mines needs three wins in its last eight games to clinch a postseason berth. Each Colorado Christian loss drops that number as CCU closes out against Regis and New Mexico Highlands. The long version. The RMAC regular season standings are coming down to the wire. Eight of the nine teams in the conference have eight games remaining. MSU Denver only has four and closes its regular season this weekend in Golden. That being said, Colorado Mesa and the Roadrunners are a near lock for the top two seeds in the RMAC Tournament. The Mavericks are first at 22-2, and they close out against New Mexico Highlands and Adams State. MSU Denver is second on winning percentage at 23-5. Regis could spoil the party if it can win at least six of its last eight games while CMU drops at least seven games and MSU Denver loses all four. While not impossible, that is unlikely, and Regis looks promising as the #3 seed for the conference tournament. The last three spots for the six-team, double-elimination RMAC Baseball Tournament are much more up in the air. CSU Pueblo is currently #4 at 14-14 with Mines sitting #5 at 12-12. Alone at #6 is UCCS with an 8-16 mark. However, Adams State and UCCS are tied for #7 at 7-17. New Mexico Highlands is still not mathematically eliminated from postseason play, but the Cowboys are 2-22 in conference play.
 
PROJECTED BRACKET
If you've just read the standings update, this section will hopefully summarize the postseason outlook. If the season ended today, Colorado Mesa would be #1 and hosting the RMAC Tournament. The Mavericks would play sixth-seeded UCCS in the first round. MSU Denver would be #2 and facing Mines. That leaves third-seeded Regis and fourth-seeded CSU Pueblo. As stated above, the top three seeds are likely locked in. Note, that is the author's opinion and could change as anything can happen in baseball. The fourth, fifth, and sixth seeds are a giant coin toss. However, it is likely Mines and CSU Pueblo will be either fourth or fifth with the ThunderWolves dropping no lower than #5. The Orediggers dropping to #6 is a possibility and they need every win they can get to avoid that situation.
 
SENIOR DAY
Mines will celebrate the respective careers of eight seniors this weekend at Jim Darden Field. The formal recognition will take place Saturday before the start of the doubleheader. On-field recognition is slated for 11:40 a.m. followed by the tradition of Dads' First Pitch. The seniors being celebrated are Caden Bonds, Shuta Araki, Danny McDermott, Adam Houghtaling, Blake Ripp, Kevin Zapanta, Garret Nielsen, and Reece Noel. Each senior is featured below.
 
SHUTA ARAKI
In his first and only season with the Orediggers, Araki has appeared in 14 games with three starts on the infield. Those appearances have led to six runs on three hits with one RBI and a .231 batting average. He has also walked twice and stole two bases. Araki came to Mines after playing at Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely from 2019-21. He hit .230 as a freshman and batted .230 and .226 the following seasons.
 
CADEN BONDS
Bonds arrived in Golden in 2019 by way of McKinney, Texas, and McKinney North High School. Over the last five seasons, he has batted .289 with 93 runs on 143 hits including 25 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs with 90 RBI. He earned Honorable Mention All-RMAC at second base in 2022 after playing at shortstop in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Bonds also helped Mines make its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019 as the Orediggers won the most games in a season in program history.
 
ADAM HOUGHTALING
After starting his collegiate career at San Jacinto College in Texas, Houghtaling came to Mines in 2021 and has done nothing but rake at the plate while providing stellar defense at first base with appearances on the mound as well. In three seasons, Houghtaling has produced a .359 batting average fueled by 108 hits resulting in 63 runs thanks to 38 doubles, two triples, and 18 home runs with 76 RBI. He has hit for the cycle twice and is tied for #11 in program history in career doubles and home runs. On the mound, Houghtaling has made 15 appearances with one start. In 30.1 innings he has struck out 24 and walked just eight for a career ERA of 8.31. He was named ABCA Second-Team All-Region, NCBWA Second-Team All-Region, and Second-Team All-RMAC at first base in 2022. The Manvel, Texas, native has appeared in 101 games with 538 putouts while committing just four errors on defense.
 
DANNY MCDERMOTT
The storied history of McDermott's playing baseball in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference continued in 2019 when Danny McDermott joined the Orediggers. He's been Mines' primary man at third base for 157 games including 146 starts with appearances at designated hitter as well. McDermott's five season have led to a .293 average at the plate with 108 runs on 151 hits including 32 doubles, four triples, and 25 home runs with 109 RBI. His 25 home runs rank #7 in program history, his RBI rank #13, and his 72 walks are #4 in the program record book. The Aurora, Colo., native was part of the 2019 squad that went to the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history.
 
GARRET NIELSEN
From 2019-22, Garret Nielsen played baseball at NCAA Division I UC Berkeley. He decided to play his final season with his brother Trent at Colorado School of Mines. Garret's swan song has been nothing short of glorious. In just 37 games as an Oredigger, he has hit .397 with 34 runs on 54 hits including 16 doubles and 13 home runs with 54 RBI. He's also walked 16 times and stole five bases. Nielsen was named RMAC Player of the Week on March 14. His 13 home runs are tied for #9 on the program's all-time, single-season list. His 54 RBI in a single season rank #8 in program history. Nielsen's time at Cal resulted in five runs on nine hits including four doubles and one home run with eight RBI.
 
REECE NOEL
The left-handed pitcher named Reece Noel came to Mines after one season at Iowa Western Community College followed by two more seasons at Colby Community College. In one appearance out of the bullpen, Noel recorded two outs without allowing a run. That means his career ERA as a Oredigger is 0.00 and his average strikeouts per nine innings is over 13. While at Colby, Noel appeared in five games with four starts in his first season, going 0-2 with a 5.25 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 12.0 innings. His second season at Colby CC was cut short due to injury.
 
BLAKE RIPP
After starting his collegiate career with his brother at NCAA Division I George Washington University, Blake Ripp decided to come to Mines in 2021. The right-handed pitcher has proven clutch in relief and solid in six starts. Through the last three seasons, he gone 8-6 with one save and a 5.02 ERA thanks to 66 strikeouts and just 24 walks in 86.0 innings of work. In his senior season alone, Ripp is 4-3 in 13 appearances and three starts with one save and a 3.75 ERA after striking out 30 batters and walking only six. He was named RMAC Pitcher of the Week earlier this season after 6.0 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball against New Mexico Highlands.
 
KEVIN ZAPANTA
He's a right-handed pitcher from Denver, Colo., by way of Overland High School. Kevin Zapanta arrived in Golden as a true freshman in 2019. After taking a redshirt his first year, Zapanta has gone on to win 11 games with seven losses and two saves on the merits of a 5.45 ERA. In 36 appearances and 25 starts, the graduate student has struck out 164 batters and walked 41 in 143.2 innings of work. His career strikeouts rank #7 in the program record book. Zapanta also broke the program's single-game strikeouts record thanks to 15 whiffs against Adams State on May 1, 2022. He was Second-Team All-RMAC in 2022 while also winning NCBWA Regional Pitcher of the Week once and RMAC Pitcher of the Week twice.
 
WALTER PENNINGTON UPDATE
Former Colorado School of Mines pitcher Walter Pennington is in his third season as a professional baseball player. He has made six appearances in 2023 for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals which is the Double-A affiliate for the Kansas City Royals. In those six outings, Pennington touts a 0.00 ERA thanks to nine strikeouts and one walk with three hits in 5.2 innings of work. During 2023 spring training, Pennington made six appearances for Kansas City and finished with a 4.50 ERA thanks to three strikeouts and three walks in 4.0 innings of work. He surrendered just two runs. 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 112-80 with a mark of 70-56 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.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes the 2023 regular season on the road at UCCS with doubleheaders on May 5 and May 6. Both days begin at 12 p.m. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will 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.