Note: This story was updated at 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, to reflect the schedule change to a doubleheader on Saturday and a doubleheader Sunday.

Mines (15-23, 12-12 RMAC) at UCCS (25-12-1, 14-5-1 RMAC) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – Doubleheader – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (15-23, 12-12 RMAC) at UCCS (25-12-1, 14-5-1 RMAC) – Sunday, 12 p.m. – Doubleheader – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HEADED SOUTH
Mines baseball is heading south this weekend for a four-game, RMAC series at UCCS in Colorado Springs. The Orediggers are riding back-to-back series victories as they continue chasing a berth in the conference tournament. The Mountain Lions are third in the RMAC standings and hoping to clinch their postseason spot this weekend. After adjustments for weather, the action starts Saturday with a noon doubleheader. The series concludes Sunday with another doubleheader at noon.
 
SCHEDULE CHANGE
Mines and UCCS initially moved Friday's start time to 3 p.m. to avoid poor weather. However, a second change shifted the series to a pair of doubleheaders Saturday-Sunday. Both will start at 12 p.m.
 
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
Going south generally means warm weather. That's not the case this weekend. Friday's high temperature in Colorado Springs is 47 degrees with snow in the forecast which is why the schedule was changed. The sun comes out Saturday, but the temperature only bumps into the low 50s. By Sunday, clear skies and a high of 65 degrees will make for a pleasant end to the weekend. Heavier layers along with sunscreen will be needed for those planning to attend.
 
LAST WEEKEND
The Orediggers made the short trip to Regis last weekend and walked away with a series win. Alex Honeyman started on the mound on Friday, and grinded out 7.0 innings of one-run baseball before Kenji Bray took over and spun two flawless innings with two strikeouts in the 6-1 win. Alex Dunagan's two-run home run in the first inning keyed the offense. On Saturday, early runs for Regis resulted in a 12-5, RU victory in game one of the doubleheader. Mines bounced back in game two with a 20-3 victory fueled by home runs from Ben Leiphart and Tyler Hummel. Jackson Kay and Dillon Alcouffe handled business on the mound there. Sunday's contest saw the Orediggers charge to a 9-3 lead after six innings of action. Regis attempted to rally, but Tai Nguyen came out of the bullpen and shut down the threat while clinching a 14-13 victory and the series win. Brody Duvall and Tyler Pina both came a hit short of going for the cycle in the finale.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
University of Colorado Colorado Springs rolled to a 25-8-1 (14-5-1 RMAC) start to the season before running up against #1 Colorado Mesa last weekend. The Mavericks handed the Mountain Lions four consecutive losses, but by relatively narrow margins. Game one went 17-13. Saturday featured scores of 5-1 and 5-3. On Sunday, CMU surged late for a 7-3 victory. That series moved UCCS' road record to 8-8. However, the Mountain Lions return home this weekend where they are 17-4-1. As a team, UCCS ranks #6 in the nation in batting average, #3 in total home runs, #2 in home runs per game, #6 in scoring, and #1 in slugging percentage. Needless to say, the Mountain Lions can score – especially at home. Individually, Brendan Killeen wields the most efficient bat for UCCS as he touts a .427 batting average. However, Trevor Dale swings the biggest bat. He touts 18 home runs, ranking top-10 in the nation, along with seven doubles and two triples while hitting .379 and slugging .871. Dale has scored 52 runs on 50 hits and also owns 47 RBI. The UCCS pitching staff owns a combined ERA of 8.72. Gerrit Erickson is the team's wins leader at 5-2 in 10 appearances and eight starts with a 6.60 ERA and 1.79 WHIP. Ryder Mancuso touts two complete-game efforts thanks to 38 strikeouts in 44.2 innings of work on the way to a 3-3 record and a 9.07 ERA. Jason Fink and Jacob Brown are also over 30 strikeouts on the season. Liam Whalen and Mason Hartle boast three saves apiece.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between Mines and UCCS dates back to 2017 when the Mountain Lions added baseball as a NCAA-sponsored sport. The Orediggers lead the rivalry, 24-13. Last season's conference series was cut short by poor weather, The team's only played a doubleheader in Golden and the result was one win and one loss. They also split a non-conference showdown earlier in the year in Colorado Springs. Prior to 2025, Mines had taken three straight conference series from the Mountain Lions. The Orediggers haven't dropped an RMAC set to UCCS since ever. They have either split or taken three of four. Mines has never swept the Mountain Lions either.
 
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 plays its final home series of 2026 against Colorado Christian April 24-26. 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.