Mines (9-21, 6-10 RMAC) vs. CSU Pueblo (13-16, 5-7 RMAC) – Thursday, 6 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (9-21, 6-10 RMAC) vs. CSU Pueblo (13-16, 5-7 RMAC) – Friday, 12 p.m. – Doubleheader – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (9-21, 6-10 RMAC) vs. CSU Pueblo (13-16, 5-7 RMAC) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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BACK AT DARDEN FIELD
Mines baseball is back at Jim Darden Field this weekend for a home conference series against CSU Pueblo. The RMAC foes are slated to play four times starting with a single, nine-inning game on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. Friday features a doubleheader at 12 p.m. Action concludes Saturday with another nine-inning contest at 12 p.m. Both teams are in the middle league standings making each win count just a little more.
 
NOTE THE SCHEDULE
It's stated above, but still worth noting that this week's schedule is slightly different. While most RMAC series run Friday-Sunday, this week's series starts Thursday night and ends Saturday due to Easter. Fans should plan accordingly so they don't show up at the wrong time on the wrong day for games.
 
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 Oredigger home games and conference contests 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
A mix of warm and cool weather spans the outlook Thursday-Saturday. During the day Thursday, the temperature is projected to be near 70 degrees with sunshine aplenty. However, once the sun drops behind the mountains, Jim Darden Field cools off quickly. Friday features partly-cloudy skies and a high of 47 degrees. There is a five percent chance of precipitation as well. Clear skies return Saturday and the high should be close to 60 degrees with no chance of rain or snow – allegedly.
 
ROAD TRIP RECAP
The Orediggers traveled to Grand Junction, Colo., last weekend and played four games against then-#3 Colorado Mesa. Mines battled all weekend, but big innings doomed the Orediggers. The Mavericks won the opener, 16-0. They grabbed both ends of the doubleheader by scores of 18-4 and 10-2 as well. Sunday's finale saw Mines' defense shut down CMU for seven of the eight innings, but four runs for the home team in the opening frame were too much in the 7-1 loss. Tyler Pina hit .500 for the Orediggers across four games. Owen Hicks had a home run for Mines as well. Six different pitchers also posted 0.00 ERAs led by Kenji Bray who tossed 3.0 innings of relief.
 
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
Colorado State University Pueblo baseball has an overall record of 13-16 while sitting 5-7 in RMAC play. The ThunderWolves are fresh off a series win against Colorado Christian. They dropped the opener 10-6 before rolling to wins of 9-7, 3-1, and 14-8. Prior to that, The Pack split at Regis and was swept by then-#7 Colorado Mesa. As a team, CSU Pueblo ranks #4 in the nation in double plays turned and double plays per game. Cooper Latino, defending RMAC Player of the Week, leads the team in batting average at .372. However, Jeremiah Sanchez is #1 on the squad with 24 runs and 10 doubles. George Andrews has hit four home runs and Jason Arriola boasts 25 RBI thanks to six doubles, two triples, and three home runs. Tyler Clementz leads the ThunderWolves' pitching staff with a 4-1 record in seven starts. His ERA is 5.12 thanks to 24 strikeouts and 14 walks in 38.2 innings. Also notable are Jacob Petersheim's 25 strikeouts and 21 strikeouts from Frank Flores Jr.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Game four of this weekend's series will mark the 100th meeting between Mines and CSU Pueblo since 2007. During that span, the Orediggers have won 42 of the 96 games played. Last year, the ThunderWolves won the regular-season series in Pueblo. However, before that, the Orediggers had taken four straight from CSU Pueblo, including a 4-1 victory at the 2024 RMAC Tournament in Grand Junction, Colo.
 
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 is currently a free agent. He was signed as a free agent by the Kansas City Royals in the summer of 2020. Pennington 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 168-153 with a mark of 109-99 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 will be a short trip to Regis next Friday-Sunday. Fans can watch the series 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.