Mines (2-9) vs. Colorado Christian (2-10) – Friday, 3 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (2-9) vs. Colorado Christian (2-10) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (2-9) vs. Colorado Christian (2-10) – Sunday, 12 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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BACK AT HOME
The Colorado School of Mines baseball team is back at home this weekend for a non-conference series against an RMAC foe. The Orediggers host Colorado Christian for three games starting Friday at 3 p.m. Game two is slated for Saturday at 12 p.m. Sunday brings a 12 p.m. finale between Mines and CCU.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
Fans planning to attend Mines' home games are encouraged to purchase digital tickets online in advance at tickets.minesthletics.com. Tickets are available at the gate if needed. Mines students and employees can access their free tickets by logging in with their Mines SSO. Blaster Card scanning no longer works to get into any Oredigger home game.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Fans can watch all three games this weekend with a subscription to the RMAC Network. There will also be free live stats linked above and at www.minesathletics.com. Miles Dunklin will provide play-by-play for a majority of the Orediggers' home contests.
 
WEATHER FORECAST
Friday will be sunny and warm, but breezy with partly cloudy skies and a high of 61 degrees. Winds could gust over 20 mph, but should die down into the evening. Saturday's outlook includes cloudy skies, a high of 61 degrees, but less wind and a minimal chance of precipitation. Sunday is nearly identical to Saturday, but with a 40 percent chance of light rain in the afternoon. Layers and a good shell will be the key for fans planning to come out to Jim Darden Field.
 
LOOKING BACK
Mines had last weekend off from competition. Prior to that, the Orediggers were in Hays, Kan., for a three-game series at Fort Hays State over Valentine's Weekend. The trip yielded Mines' first wins of the season and a series victory. Everything started with a Saturday doubleheader which the Orediggers won, 21-7 and 11-8. The first game was a wire-to-wire win with Alex Honeyman starting and getting the decision while Grady Booth got a three-inning save. Game two required Mines to come from behind after trailing 8-2. Jackson Kay earned the pitching victory in relief and Brandon Schaff recorded the save. The Sunday finale was a 4-2 loss for the Orediggers in a pitchers' duel. Mines did tie the game in the top of the eighth, but FHSU put it away with two runs in their half of the same inning. For the series, Evan Bilter hit .500 with two runs and seven RBI on seven hits including two doubles and a home run. Brody Duvall, Alex Dunagan, and Keyan Lundvall also went long for the Orediggers.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian comes to Golden sporting a record of 2-10. The Cougars split opening weekend at home against Northwestern Oklahoma State. They were swept at Saint Leo in Florida the next weekend and again at Central Oklahoma over Valentine's day. Last weekend, CCU also took a break from competition. As a team, Colorado Christian is hitting .270, fielding .958, and the pitching staff owns a 10.43 ERA. The best bats in the CCU lineup are Lukas Hinze, Nathan Mensen, and Aidan Welsh. Hinze is hitting .364 with 11 runs and eight RBI on 16 hits including three doubles and one home run. Mensen touts 10 runs and a .368 batting average bolstered by two doubles and one home run. Welsh's line includes a .297 mark at the plate with seven runs and 12 RBI on 11 hits including three doubles and two home runs. Mensen has also stolen five bases. On the mound, Chad Naf and Caleb Perry hold CCU's two wins. Cody Hill has a save. Naf leads the team with his 7.63 ERA thanks to 11 strikeouts compared to five walks in three starts lasting a total of 15.1 innings.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Records currently available date back to 2006. From 2006 to current day, Mines holds a 66-31 record in the rivalry with Colorado Christian. Even so, CCU won last year's regular-season series 3-1. It was the last series of the regular season for both teams and Mason Andrews became the Orediggers' all-time home run king. Mines' win in the series opener also marked six consecutive wins for the Orediggers against the Rangers. Prior to last season, Mines had taken three consecutive RMAC series from Colorado Christian.
 
THE RETURNERS
The 2026 roster for Oredigger baseball features 19 players who saw action for Mines in 2025. That list includes 10 bats and nine arms with Luke Parker touting experience at the plate and on the mound. Highlighting the group of veterans at the plate are Evan Bilter, Tyler Hummel, Jackson Babcock, and Tyler Pina. Bilter, Hummel, and Babcock had the top three batting averages among everyday players on the team last year with Pina serving as the starting catcher and a 2024 Second-Team All-RMAC selection. On the mound, the Orediggers will benefit from returning starters Will Niles, Alex Honeyman, and Grady Booth who all started at least nine games in 2025.  
 
FRESH FACES
Mines Baseball Head Coach Robby Bales put in work during the offseason and brought in 19 fresh faces to bolster the Oredigger roster. The list of newcomers includes 14 true freshmen and four transfers, and one familiar face who worked his way back on the team. Logan Burchfiel, Owen Elser, Justin Kubojiri, Owen Hicks, Keyan Lundvall, Tai Nguyen, Justin Holcomb, Brandon Schaff, Alex Piscotty, Drew Fairman, Matthew Turner, Mateo Aldecocea, Brady Syers, and Sam Strong are the true freshmen. Alex Freund (College of the Canyons), Dylan Burke (Sacramento City College), Jake Verwiel (San Francisco), and William Schulte (Johnson County CC) represent the transfer class. Dillon Alcouffe was a member of the Mines squad in 2023 and 2024. He rejoined the team this fall.
 
IN THE PROS
Over the last eight 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 the trio is Walter Pennington (2017-20).
 
WALTER PENNINGTON
Walter Pennington was signed as a free agent by the Kansas City Royals in the summer of 2020. He spent 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 in the Royals' minor league system where he found success including a nod to the International (AAA) All-Star team. In 2024, Pennington 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. Last year, Pennington was moved from the Texas Rangers to the Baltimore Orioles where he was eventually designated for assignment as he worked through injuries. Pennington was recently released by the Chesapeake Baysox, the double-A affiliate of the Orioles.
 
THE SKIPPER
The 2026 campaign marks Mines' eighth season with Robby Bales as head coach. During his tenure as the Oredigger skipper, Bales holds an overall record of 161-145 with a mark of 103-93 in RMAC play. He has coached his players to 27 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 next weekend, hosting Adams State Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Jim Darden Field. Live video will be available with a subscription to the RMAC Network. There will also be free live stats 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.