Mines (10-19, 5-7 RMAC) vs. #22 Colorado Mesa (18-8, 11-1 RMAC) – Thursday, 5 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (10-19, 5-7 RMAC) vs. #22 Colorado Mesa (18-8, 11-1 RMAC) – Friday, 12 p.m. – Doubleheader – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (10-19, 5-7 RMAC) vs. #22 Colorado Mesa (18-8, 11-1 RMAC) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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BRING ON THE MAVERICKS
The Colorado School of Mines Baseball team is back at home this weekend. The Orediggers are set to host defending RMAC champion and #22-ranked Colorado Mesa. After changes to the schedule, the series will start Thursday night at 5 p.m. with one nine-inning game. Action continues with a Friday doubleheader at noon. The series finale is one nine-inning game on Saturday at 12 p.m. With Mines on a four-game skid and CMU riding a five-game streak, things could get interesting at Jim Darden Field.
 
COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION
Admission to all four games this week will be complimentary. Fans are encouraged to consider a donation to the Mines Student Emergency fund, or Mines athletics in lieu of paying for a ticket. It's encouraged but not required.
 
PACKED WEEKEND
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were supposed to be relatively quiet at the Clear Creek Athletic Complex on the campus of Colorado School of Mines. However, the weekend forecast has changed all of that. In addition to the baseball series on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the Oredigger track & field team will be hosting a meet all day Thursday. Mines softball is also hosting Black Hills State at noon on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday.
 
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. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Firestick, and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC." Fans can also follow @OrediggersBSB on "X" (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Live stats of all games are linked above and at www.minesathletics.com as well.
 
WEATHER FORECAST
Thursday has a chance for a light afternoon shower just before first pitch, but a high of 75 degrees and mostly sunny skies in the evening have conditions primed for baseball. Friday will be overcast but warm enough at 70 degrees. There will only be a light breeze and the chance for rain comes later in the evening. Saturday will be a gamble, but a necessary gamble. A chance for rain all day and plummeting temperatures mean fans should dress warm, bring an umbrella, and hope the weather holds off just long enough. With Saturday's outlook in mind, fans should also keep an eye on www.minesathletics.com and social media for any changes to the game time.
 
LAST WEEK
Mines baseball closed spring break with a quick trip to MSU Denver. The Orediggers were swept by scores of 20-8, 11-9, 13-10, and 9-6. Evan Bilter was Mines' top hitter with a .600 batting average across four games. He totaled five runs, two doubles, one home run, and five RBI. Jackson Woolwine and Tyler Easter also stacked up five RBI apiece while Woolwine hit .500. Tyler Hummel smacked three doubles and scored five times. Mason Andrews scored five runs as well thanks to a double and a home run. Oredigger pitchers struck out 23 batters in 27.0 innings of work, but also walked 27. Luke Parker, Seaver Newby, Alex Honeyman, and Grady Booth took the losses. As a team, Mines hit .369 but suffered from a 16.67 ERA. MSU Denver batted .417 and slugged .748 thanks to 11 doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. The Roadrunner pitching staff posted an 8.71 ERA.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
After a rocky start to the 2025 campaign, Colorado Mesa has seemingly gotten things back on track. Sitting 18-8 overall and 11-1 in RMAC play, the Mavericks have put themselves in a solid position to win a 13th straight conference title. Their latest surge has the Grand Junction, Colo., squad ranked #22 in the baseball writers' poll and #28 in the coaches' poll. In non-conference play, CMU took a series at Cal Poly Pomona, was swept at Chico State, split with Northwest Nazarene, and took three of four against MSU Billings. In RMAC action, Mesa has swept New Mexico Highlands, took three of four from CSU Pueblo, and swept Colorado Christian. As a team the Mavericks are hitting .333 and slugging .532 with a combined ERA of 3.84. Individually, Christos Stefanos sits atop a loaded lineup with plenty of notable names. Stefanos is hitting .422 with 18 runs on 35 hits including eight doubles and five home runs with 33 RBI. Kolby Felix is running hot behind a .386 average, 26 runs, and eight home runs with 24 RBI. Paul Schoenfeld touts a .388 average thanks to eight doubles, one triple, and four home runs. Gauge Lockhart, Ethan Voss, and Liam Hohenstein lead Colorado Mesa's pitching rotation. Lockhart is 5-0 in four starts with a 2.67 ERA fueled by 26 strikeouts in 27.0 innings. Voss is 5-1 in seven starts with a 4.36 ERA. He has 17 strikeouts in 33.0 innings compared to seven walks. Hohenstein is just 2-3 with a 4.40 ERA but has struck out 34 and walked 15 in 28.2 innings.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE MAVERICKS
Mines trails Colorado Mesa in the all-time series, 118-20. That margin is fueled by 11 straight wins for the Mavericks. The Orediggers' most successful run came between 2016-18 when they took seven games off CMU. That included three wins in four tries during the 2016 campaign and three straight victories during the 2018 season. Last year, Mines led Colorado Mesa in each of the four games but fell by scores of 10-6, 15-9, 11-9, and 15-8. The last time the Orediggers defeated the Mavericks included two straight wins on March 13 and March 14 in 2022. Mines won 6-4 and 6-5.
 
ONE SEASON, TWO CYLCES
Two different Orediggers have hit for the cycle in 2025. 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. Jackson Babcock did it first in a non-conference game against Adams State in Colorado Springs. He became the first Mines player to hit for the cycle since Adam Houghtaling 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. Jackson Woolwine hit for the cycle at home against New Mexico Highlands. His cycle featured a double in the first inning, a groundball RBI in the second inning, a single in the third inning, a home run in the fifth inning, and a triple in the sixth inning. Woolwine hit the milestone (pun intended) in a game scheduled for seven innings where Mines only batted six times.
 
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 156-125 with a mark of 100-79 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 goes to CSU Pueblo for four games April 4-6. Live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be offered free of charge with links at www.minesathletics.com.
 
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.