Mines (0-4) vs. Regis (1-3) – Friday, 4 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (0-4) at Regis (1-3) – Saturday, 11 a.m. - Doubleheader – Denver. Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (0-4) vs. Regis (1-3) – Sunday, 12 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HOME OPENERS
The Colorado School of Mines baseball team started the 2026 season on the road last weekend in California. This weekend, the Orediggers will play their home opener and a Sunday finale sandwiched around a local trip to Regis. Action starts Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Jim Darden Field with Mines and Regis facing off in a single, nine-inning contest. Saturday brings the Orediggers and Rangers to RU's baseball field for a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Mines and Regis return to Jim Darden Field on Sunday for a noon finale. It'll be a non-conference series and bring the first home games of 2026 for both teams.
 
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 four 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 the Orediggers' home contests.
 
RMAC NETWORK CHANGES
At the start of the 2025-26 academic year, the RMAC Network moved to a pay-per-view model for all events. Fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans can contact Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.
 
WEATHER FORECAST
This weekend is offering some of the best weather anyone could ask for in Colorado in February. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all promise sunny skies with just a 10-percent chance of precipitation. The breeze could kick up on Saturday and Sunday. While less than 15 miles separate the two venues, there will be a slight difference in temperatures. Golden looks to top out around 60 degrees on Friday and Sunday. Denver appears to be a touch warmer, sitting in the mid-60s. Fans should still plan to wear layers and sunscreen, even with cooler temps.
 
CALIFORNIA RECAP
Mines opened its 2026 campaign last weekend with a four-game series at Cal State San Marcos. The Orediggers went 0-4 against a veteran squad bolstered with 29 transfers. Game one on Friday finished with a score of 14-3. On Saturday, CSUSM won 14-7 and 6-5. The final score of Sunday's finale was 13-9. Evan Bilter was Mines' top bat throughout the weekend. He batted .500 with three runs on eight hits including two doubles and two home runs with six RBI. Keyan Lundvall and Alex Dunagan added one home run apiece and Jackson Babcock smacked three doubles. On the mound, Alex Honeyman, Alex Piscotty, Luke Parker, and Dylan Burke took the decisions. Will Niles was the most efficient starter, lasting 5.2 innings with a 1.59 ERA thanks to three strikeouts, two walks, and just three hits. Matthew Turner pumped out five strikeouts compared to two walks during his Sunday start.
 
SCOUTING REGIS
Regis went 35-16 in 2025 and posted a RMAC record of 24-6. Last weekend, the Rangers opened their campaign at Biola in La Mirada, Calif. Regis dropped the first two games, 13-7 and 12-4 before picking up a 19-7 win in game three. Sunday brought a 10-2, run-rule shortened loss for RU. Through one series, Ethan Wood is hitting .429 with three runs and eight RBI on six hits including one double and two home runs. Ayden Harrison also touts two home runs and has scored six runs. Parker Burt boasts three doubles as well. On the mound, Grant Belcher earned the win thanks to 5.0 innings of five-hit, four-run baseball. He struck out four and walked four. That marked the longest appearance and most strikeouts by any Ranger arm. Six different RU pitchers provided scoreless relief at Biola.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Current records available date back to 2009. During that span, Mines and Regis faced off 80 times. The Rangers won 44 and the Orediggers won 36. Last season saw RU sweep Mines in Golden. The opener went extra innings and ended with a 9-6 margin. Saturday's doubleheader featured scores of 16-7 and 13-5. The Orediggers' last win against RU was April 13, 2024, as part of a series split in Denver. The 12-5, Mines victory featured a 4-for-4 day from I-Ly Hsue who scored three runs and had one RBI with two singles, a double, and a home run. Marcus Lee earned the win thanks to 4.2 innings of relief. The last time the Orediggers won a four-game series against Regis was during the 2018 season.
 
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 is currently assigned to 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 159-144 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' next action is a three-game set at Fort Hays State Feb. 14-15.
 
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.