Mines (5-8) at Quincy (3-7) – Friday, 2 p.m. CT – Quincy, Ill. [Live Stats] [GLVC Sports Network]
Mines (5-8) at Quincy (3-7) – Saturday, 12 p.m. CT – Doubleheader – Quincy, Ill. [Live Stats] [GLVC Sports Network]
Mines (5-8) at Quincy (3-7) – Sunday, 12 p.m. CT – Quincy, Ill. [Live Stats] [GLVC Sports Network]

---

LAND OF LINCOLN
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, but his impact in Illinois made that state his land, apparently. Either way, the Colorado School of Mines Baseball team is headed to the Land of Lincoln this weekend for a four-game series at Quincy. Action begins Friday with a single, nine-inning game at 2 p.m. CT. Saturday's doubleheader starts at 12 p.m. CT and features a pair of seven-inning contests. Sunday's finale is a nine-inning showdown starting at 12 p.m. CT. It marks Mines' final non-conference series, and gives the Orediggers a shot at bringing a winning record into RMAC play.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Contrary to what was previously reported, live video of all four games will be offered free of charge through the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Sports Network. There will also be free live stats linked above, at www.minesathletics.com and on social media. All of Mines' home games and every regular-season conference contest will also have free live video on the RMAC Network. Conference postseason play will be pay-per-view.
 
WEATHER FORECAST
If this weekend series was being played in Golden, the weather would be immaculate. However, that is not the case, but the forecast is not horrible in Quincy, Ill. Friday features partly-cloudy skies and a high of 66 degrees with minimal chance of rain. Saturday and Sunday will be mostly sunny, but drop into the 40s making the doubleheader and finale chilly affairs. If fans are planning to attend the games, they should bring layers and sunscreen.
 
SUCCESS IN COLORADO SPRINGS
Last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday saw Mines play a trio of non-conference games in Colorado Springs. The Orediggers started the trip with a 19-10 win against Adams State on Saturday. Darkness shortened the game to eight complete innings. Jackson Babcock was the star, going 5-for-5 while hitting for the cycle with five runs on six hits including two home runs, a grand slam, a double, single, and triple. Gray St. Amant was the winning pitcher. Sunday brought a 13-8 loss at the hands of UCCS. Babock homered again and hit a double. Alex Honeyman made the start and took the decision. On Monday, Mines rallied to an 8-7 victory to finish the trip with a 2-1 record. Jackson Woolwine sparked the rally with his game-tying, three-run home run in the seventh inning. Tyler Hummel also went 3-for-4 and scored twice. Seaver Newby earned the win on the mound after providing 7.2 innings of relief.
 
CYCLE FOR BABCOCK
As referenced above, Oredigger true freshman Jackson Babcock hit for the cycle against Adams State in Colorado Springs. For those who don't know, hitting for the cycle in baseball involves an individual recording at least one single, one double, one triple, and one home run in the same game. Babcock became the first Mines player to hit for the cycle since Adam Hougtaling did it at Colorado Christian in 2023. Houghtaling actually hit for the cycle twice in his career with the first occurrence coming at UCCS in 2022. Babcock started his quest with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. He notched his triple as the leadoff man in the second inning. The third baseman homered again in the fourth. It was a grand slam – his second of the season. Babcock recorded his single in the sixth inning and then doubled in the eighth inning just before the game was ended due to darkness. Overall, the League City, Texas, native finished the game 5-for-5 with five runs and six RBI. He reached base in all six plate appearances. Additionally, Babcock's five runs tied the program's single-game record.
 
HITTER OF THE WEEK SWEEP
For his efforts in Colorado Springs, Jackson Babcock swept the weekly awards for NCAA Division II baseball. He was named RMAC Player of the Week on Tuesday. Wednesday brought South Central Region Hitter of the Week distinction from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA). On Thursday, Babcock completed his sweep of the accolades by earning NCBWA National Hitter of the Week. He became the first Oredigger to win NCBWA National Hitter of the Week since Mason Andrews claimed it on March 14, 2024. It only took the Clear Creek High School graduate 13 collegiate games to accomplish the sweep of the awards. It should go without saying that all three honors were the first of his collegiate career.
 
8-FOR-8
Another notable stat from Babcock's outstanding weekend was recording a hit in eight straight at-bats. That streak dated back to the doubleheader against Fort Hays State on Feb. 14. From his last at-bat against the Tigers until his third at-bat on Sunday against UCCS, the true freshman was not put out and each recorded at-bat (not plate appearance) resulted in a hit. That streak ties Babcock for the second-longest in program history. He's tied with Elliott Riege who had eight straight from Feb. 12-19 in 2011. The record belongs to Kyle Wallace who went nine consecutive at-bats with a hit in 2012. Jackson Woolwine (2024) and Luke Folsom (2022) both pieced together seven straight at-bats.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Much ado has been made about Jackson Babcock in this preview, and rightfully so. This section will summarize his season so far. Through 13 games, Babcock is batting .417 with 14 runs on 24 hits including six doubles, one triple, and four home runs with 19 RBI. He's also walked four times and been hit once while stealing five bases. The Texan is slugging .863 and boasts a .518 on-base percentage. He ranks #1 on the team in batting average (among everyday hitters), runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, on-base percentage (among everyday hitters), and stolen bases. In the RMAC, Babcock is #1 in batting average, #2 in slugging percentage, #2 in hits, #3 in OPS, #3 in home runs, #5 in stolen bases, #6 in doubles, #6 in triples, and #7 in RBI. It was mentioned above, but he's also listed in the program record book twice just 13 games into his collegiate career.
 
CHASING HISTORY
Multiple Orediggers are attempting to rewrite the program record book. Currently, Jackson Woolwine and Mason Andrews are top-15 in career runs with Andrews ranking #4. Woolwine is tied for #9 in career doubles. Andrews sits #2 in all-time home runs. He's just six shy of taking down Mikey Gangwish as the Orediggers' long ball king. Teammate Trent Nielsen is tied for #15 on the same list. Andrews' career RBI are tied for #7 in program history. Career walks are the real race to watch. Andrews, Woolwine, and Wayne Moeck are each inside the top-15 and within six walks of each other as they chase Kyle Wallace's record of 84. Woolwine has also entered the top-10 in career stolen bases at Mines. Another for Andrews are his career total bases.  At 339, he's #9 in program history. Finally, on the mound, junior pitcher Alex Honeyman is three strikeouts away from 100 in less than three seasons. He's also five wins shy of entering the program's top-10. Brief, but gives fans an idea of what is happening.
 
FUN NUGGET
At this relatively early point of the 2025 season, Mines touts multiple statistical rankings in the nation's top-25. Those are team statistics. However, the fun nugget is on the individual side. No player in the nation has more sacrifice flies this season than Wayne Moeck. That's right, the Oredigger centerfielder is tied for #1 in NCAA Division II with four sac flies in 13 games. Six players have matched that number, but none have surpassed it thus far in 2025.
 
SCOUTING QUINCY
Just three seasons ago, Quincy went 47-11 and was the #1 seed in the Midwest Region. Then, last year, QU went 28-26 but did make a deep run in the GLVC tournament. Now, the Hawks sit 3-7 just one week before the start of GLVC play. One of Quincy's wins was over then-#1 ranked and defending national champion Tampa. It was a 9-2 game on the Spartans' home field and served as part of a 2-1 series loss for QU. Quincy also took one game off Lincoln Memorial and another from Georgia Southwestern State. As a team, the Hawks are hitting .254 and the pitching staff has a combined ERA of 6.56. At the plate, Ben Dahlof owns the top batting average on the squad at .394. Matt Mateo is first on the team with 10 runs scored. Jake Vitale has hit four doubles and one triple. David Broughton boasts eight RBI. Mateo and Carson Moreno have one home run each. On the mound, Roman Harrison owns two of Quincy's three wins. He's 2-1 in four relief appearances and zero starts. His ERA is 4.26 thanks to 10 strikeouts and 10 walks across 6.1 innings. Also notable are Tom Conzemius' 17 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of relief. No QU pitcher has provided more than 11.2 innings of work. Logan Mueller and Kyle Manship both own a save.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE HAWKS
According to available records, Mines and Quincy have never played each other in baseball. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but the author doesn't know about it. That same author can say with 100-percent confidence that this weekend marks the first meeting between the Orediggers and Hawks since at least 2010.
 
HOMECOMING – KIND OF
This weekend marks a homecoming of sort for Mines sophomore relief pitcher Nick Lacson. We say sort of because, while Lacson is from the state of Illinois, he's from the opposite side. Lacson's hometown is Tower Lakes which is in the northwest suburbs of Chicago – possibly closer to Wisconsin than Chicago. The distance from Tower Lakes to Quincy is about 320-330 miles. Chicagoans can also book a one-hour, 55-minute flight from Chicago O'Hare to Quincy for $155. All that being said, Lacson played his prep ball at Barrington High School where he earned three varsity letters and posted a 1.35 ERA across 20.2 innings of work with 33 strikeouts and eight walks. Held opposing hitters to a .176 average. Lacson was all-conference as a sophomore.
 
IN THE PROS
Over the last seven years, three 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).
 
WALTER PENNINGTON
Walter Pennington had a milestone season in 2024. After spending 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 in the Kansas City Royals minor league system, the former Oredigger left-handed pitcher broke into the big leagues. He made his MLB debut with the Royals against the Rockies at Coors Field, just miles from his childhood home. That appearance made the Broomfield, Colo., native just the second Mines player to ever make the big leagues and the first in over a century. Eventually, Pennington was traded to the Texas Rangers for known-veteran Michael Lorenzen. Pennington moved between triple-A Round Rock and the Rangers' big-league club. For the year, the lefty's big-league resume featured a 1-0 record with a 3.00 ERA in 16 games and one start. He struck out 17 and walked 11 across 18.0 innings of work. For his career in the minor leagues, Pennington is 23-11 with a 3.49 ERA in 149 appearances and four starts. He also boasts 10 saves and 258 strikeouts with 245.0 innings under his belt. To round it all out, Pennington named to the International League (AAA) All-Star team. More to come on Pennington as the season progresses.
 
THE SKIPPER
The 2025 campaign marks Mines' seventh season with Robby Bales as head coach. During his tenure as the Oredigger skipper, Bales holds an overall record of 151-114 with a mark of 95-71 in RMAC play. He has coached his players to 26 All-RMAC awards, 19 all-region awards, eight all-America nods, seven CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, one MLB Draft Pick and had one player signed as a free agent in the MLB. Furthermore, Bales touts two RMAC Pitchers of the Year during his time at the helm including RMAC Pitcher of the Year, NCBWA South Central Region Pitcher of the Year, D2CCA South Central Region Pitcher of the Year and the RMAC's all-time wins leader in Tyler Blomster. Additionally, Bales has guided Mines to the NCAA Tournament once, and RMAC Tournament four times, 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, 2021, and 2023 as the team boasting the highest combined GPA in the conference.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines opens RMAC play with a four-game series at Adams State March 7-9. Free live stats and video of the series will be available on the RMAC Network.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines baseball on "X" (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @OrediggersBSB. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, "X" and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.