Mines (15-27, 12-16 RMAC) vs. Colorado Christian (10-32, 5-19 RMAC) – Friday, 12 p.m. – Doubleheader – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (15-27, 12-16 RMAC) vs. Colorado Christian (10-32, 5-19 RMAC) – Saturday, 12 p.m. – Doubleheader – Jim Darden Field [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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LAST HOME WEEKEND
This Friday and Saturday, Mines baseball will play its final home games and final conference games of the regular season. The Orediggers will close their home and RMAC slate against Colorado Christian with a doubleheader Friday at noon and another doubleheader Saturday at noon. Both teams are fighting for a spot in the conference tournament which should make for some thrilling baseball across the two days of action. It also marks the final games on dirt and natural grass at Jim Darden Field as the surface is set to be replaced with artificial turf this summer.
 
SCHEDULE CHANGE
Earlier this week, Mines and Colorado Christian agreed to change the series schedule. As mentioned above, the four-game set will feature a doubleheader Friday at noon and a doubleheader Saturday at noon. The first game each day will be scheduled for nine innings with a seven-inning contest to follow. Sunday's forecast featuring rain, low temps, and potential lightning forced the change.
 
PAY FOR PARKING
Fans are reminded that paid parking is enforced on the Mines campus until 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. That means those planning to attend Friday's games should plan to pay for parking either on the app or using the kiosk located at the east end of the parking lot closest to Jim Darden Field.
 
SENIOR DAY
With Saturday marking the final home games of 2026, Mines will celebrate its Senior Day as well. Festivities include a ceremonial first pitch from the senior dads to their sons before game one. The senior class will be recognized on the field following the conclusion of Saturday's doubleheader.
 
HEAD ON A SWIVEL
Oredigger softball will also be playing its final home games this weekend, overlapping with Mines baseball on both Friday and Saturday. With the close proximity between Joe Coors Jr. Field and Jim Darden Field, fans should keep their head on a swivel for foul balls from all directions.
 
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
Friday and Saturday should feature suitable conditions for playing baseball, but the forecast could shift at any time. The series will start under sunny skies with a high temperature near 70 degrees, but the wind could gust well over 15 mph. Clouds roll in on Saturday and the temperature drops into the mid 50s, but the sun should pop out every now and then through the afternoon with less wind than Friday. Fans planning to attend should bring layers and sunscreen.
 
MEET THE SENIORS
Saturday's Senior Day festivities will honor 13 Orediggers who are wrapping their time as members of the Mines baseball team. The eclectic and impressive group of graduating Orediggers includes Dillon Alcouffe, Evan Bilter, Alex Dunagan, Tyler Easter, Alex Honeyman, Tyler Hummel, Ben Leiphart, Tyler Pina, Grant Reising, Joe Reitz, Ryan Semin, Nicholas Spidel, and Jake Verwiel. At the plate, the senior class has combined to play in a total of 665 games for Mines, generating 438 runs on 625 hits with 150 doubles, 10 triples, and 50 home runs with 436 RBI and 54 stolen bases. On the mound, the Oredigger seniors have combined for 115 appearances with 180 strikeouts across 253.2 innings of work. Each senior will be individually recognized on the field Saturday afternoon after the series finale.
 
LEADING THE NATION
The 2026 season is coming down the home stretch and two different Orediggers have clawed their way to #1 in the nation in two separate statistical categories. Brody Duvall ranks #1 in NCAA Division II in hits per game and Alex Dunagan is #1 in the nation in total doubles. Currently, Duvall averages 2.00 hits per game and his .486 batting average also ranks #2 nationally. Furthermore, Duvall is #36 in doubles per game, #22 in total hits, #15 in runs per game, #13 in total triples, and #9 in triples per game. Dunagan's #1 ranking comes by way of 21 doubles across 42 games which also ties him for #6 in program history for doubles in a season. Additionally, Dunagan is #3 in the nation in doubles per game and #18 in total sacrifice flies.
 
FAREWELL TO DIRT AT DARDEN
Briefly mentioned above, this weekend marks the end of an era at Jim Darden Field. Since being built in 1937 as a Depression-era project of the Public Works Administration, Jim Darden Field has featured natural grass and a dirt infield. This summer, after nearly 90 years of trials and tribulations on the natural surface, Darden Field will be resurfaced with artificial turf. The upgrade was made possible by a myriad of support and generosity from the Mines administration to alumni, family, and friends of the program.
 
RMAC OUTLOOK
Mines currently sits fifth in the RMAC standings at 12-16 which puts the Orediggers in line for a spot in the six-team, double-elimination conference tournament bracket. However, Mines only has four RMAC games remaining and the four teams behind the Orediggers in the standings have eight conference games to play. That being said, Regis, Adams State, Colorado Christian, and New Mexico Highlands are all sitting on five wins. Two victories for Mines this weekend would assure the Orediggers a spot in the postseason. Anything less puts qualifying in the hands of other teams and a potentially infinite equation that could require quantum computing for anyone to figure out. In short, if the Orediggers win two games this weekend, they're in the RMAC Tournament.
 
LAST WEEKEND
Mines was in Colorado Springs last weekend for a four-game set at RMAC rival UCCS. It proved to be a tough trip for the Orediggers after they were swept by the Mountain Lions. The score in game one was 19-4 and the contest ended after seven innings. Game two went 15-8 in favor of the home team. Mines rallied hard in game three, but a walk-off home run by UCCS dealt the visitors a 17-16 loss. The final score in the finale was 8-4. Brody Duvall still found success in the defeats, batting .588 across four games with eight runs on 10 hits including four doubles and one triple with two RBI. Evan Bilter hit .500 and produced six RBI. Bilter, Jackson Babcock, Alex Dunagan, Tyler Pina, and Tyler Easter all hit home runs for the Orediggers as well.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian comes to Golden with a record of 10-23 (5-19 RMAC). The Cougars had last weekend off from RMAC play and went to Kansas to play Fort Hays State. An 11-5 win in the opener at FHSU bolstered CCU's overall record before the visitors fell to the Tigers 11-9 and 9-8. Colorado Christian's five conference wins include one at Adams State, one at CSU Pueblo, two against Regis, and one at MSU Denver. As a team, CCU is #32 in the nation in total triples but has struggled hitting batters – ranking #3 in the nation in that category with 108 HBP from the pitching staff. On paper, Lukas Hinze is the Cougars' most productive hitter. He touts a .325 average with 46 runs on 52 hits including 14 doubles, three triples, and six home runs with 32 RBI and eight stolen bases. He leads the team in runs scored, total hits, doubles, triples, and RBI while sitting second in home runs. On the mound, Brady Ritzmann is CCU's go-to arm. He's 2-4 in 10 starts with a 6.99 ERA and 1.90 WHIP thanks to 26 strikeouts and 15 walks across 46.1 innings and two complete-game efforts.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Since 2006, Mines and Colorado Christian have met on the baseball diamond exactly 100 times. That includes three non-conference contests earlier this season. In those games, CCU took two of three at Jim Darden Field including an 10-8 win in the opener and a 16-3, run-rule victory in the finale. Mines posted its own run-rule win on Saturday with an 18-6 score. Despite the two losses, the Orediggers are still 67-33 in the last 100 games against the Cougars.
 
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.