PUEBLO, Colo. (May 1, 2019) – Colorado State University-Pueblo Baseball will host University of Colorado Colorado Springs in a four-game series that will include the 15th annual Pack the Park game and Senior Day Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Runyon Field in downtown Pueblo.

The Pack will also battle the Mountain Lions Thursday at 6 p.m. at Rawlings Field on the CSU-Pueblo campus. The two teams will wrap up the regular season Saturday with a doubleheader at Rawlings Field starting at 3 p.m.

Promotions:
Friday's 15th annual Pack the Park game will offer Free Admission for fans of all ages. Fabulous prizes will be raffled off every half inning. There will also be a Free Youth Clinic from 5-6 p.m. Pack Baseball will also celebrate the careers of 14 seniors in a ceremony before the game.

Pack Notes:
The Pack owns a 23-22 record overall. The ThunderWolves stands sixth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with an 18-14 mark. CSU-Pueblo could vault into fourth place in the RMAC standings this weekend with a series win against the Mountain Lions.

Among the 14 seniors who will be making their final appearance at home for the Pack is Gilbert Sauceda (Indio, Calif.). A four-year starter, Sauceda has played in 193 career games. He holds the school record with 146 career walks. He needs just five free passes to tie the RMAC record.

Sauceda leads the RMAC with 38 walks, 21st in D-II. The Pack's first baseman owns a .513 OBP, also the best in the RMAC, which also ranks in the top 25 nationally. His .383 batting average ranks 10th in the RMAC. Sauceda has reached base in 43 of his 45 games this season.

Dakota Popham (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will also be celebrating his senior day.  Popham ranks second in the RMAC with 53 RBIs. This places Popham 24th in D-II. The Pack's third baseman is tied for the RMAC lead with 20 doubles this season. Popham has moved into eight nationally in doubles.

In 2019, Popham ranks fourth in the RMAC with 53 runs scored. His .393 average is good for eighth in the RMAC.

Josh Dahl (Sr., Glendale, Ariz.) will take the mound for the final time at home. Dahl has rang up a RMAC-best 32 batters looking. The right ranks third in the RMAC with 87strikeouts, 30th in D-II.

Robbie Espinosa (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) went 3-for-3 with a home run in the Packs most recent series at New Mexico Highlands University. Adrian Martinez (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) hit .625 with a home run and seven RBIs against the Cowboys.

Senior Connor Hughes (Phoenix, Ariz.) has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games. He has more than doubled his average during this span.
 
Seniors Timmy Burtzloff (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Bret Ricklefs (Meriden, Kan.) have anchored the Pack's bullpen. Burtzloff has a 3.66 ERA in 16 appearances. Ricklefs holds a 4.43 ERA in a team-high 17 appearances. Tylor Beach (Sr., Cedaredge, Colo.) has a 3.60 ERA in relief.

Justin Jaime (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) has three saves in his Pack career. Jaime has not allowed an earned run in four of his last five appearances.

This weekend will also feature the final pack home games of seniors Chris Douglas (Phoenix, Ariz.), Clint Hayes (Idaho Falls, Idaho), Mason Hayes (Jordan, Utah), Andrew Nero (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Talon Schaller (Lakewood, Colo.).

Beau Brieske (Jr., Chandler, Ariz.) became the first Pack player since the program restarted in 1994 to strikeout over 100 batters. With eight strikeouts against the Cowboys, Brieske now has 104 strikeouts this season. He leads the RMAC in strikeouts. The righty ranks eighth in D-II in strikeouts. His 13.94 K/9 inning ranks 10th in the nation and first in the South Central Region.

Easton Adler (Jr., Mead, Colo.) ranks third in the RMAC with a .411 batting average. Adler's .503 OBP also places him third in the RMAC. He has stolen 15 bases this season, fifth-best in the RMAC. Adler ranks 28th in D-II in average.

Scouting UCCS:
With a 19-13 record in RMAC play, UCCS leads the Pack by one game in the RMAC standings and shares fourth place in the conference. They hold a 27-19 record overall.

The Mountain Lions lead the all-time series with the Pack 5-4. The ThunderWolves beat the Mountain Lions 11-5 in the first round of the RMAC Tournament last season, the most recent meeting between the two squads.

UCCS swept the RMAC Player of the Week awards last week. Colin Cicere held Colorado School of Mines to one run in a seven inning complete game to earn RMAC Pitcher of the Week honors. Michael Bennin became the first Mountain Lion to hit three home runs in a game as he claimed the RMAC Hitter of the Week award.

– 30 –
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics