PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo Baseball looks to continue its hot play in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this weekend as they travel to Las Vegas, N.M., for a four-game series against New Mexico Highlands University.
This weekend's series will start with a 3 p.m. nine-inning game on Friday, April 11, followed by a doubleheader that begins at noon on Saturday, April 12, concluding with a nine-inning game on Sunday, April 13.
The Pack comes into this weekend's series with New Mexico Highlands having won two straight and seven of its last eight games overall and is sporting a 20-14 overall record and its fourth in the RMAC standings with a 10-6 record. Since splitting a four-game series at home against Regis, the Pack has won its last two RMAC series as they swept a four-game set at Colorado Christian two weeks ago and took three out of four games last weekend at home against Colorado School of Mines. The top six teams at the end of the regular season earn a spot in the RMAC Tournament.
The Pack is playing its third RMAC series on the road this weekend, boasting a 5-3 record in the league while holding an 8-4 record overall away from home, which includes a 5-3 mark on opponents' home fields. Furthermore, the Pack has a home record of 12-10, with a 5-3 record in RMAC play.
CSU Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands have met 94 times previously on the diamond since 2007. The Pack holds a 52-42 all-time lead in the series, but the two teams split their four-game series last season that was played at the University of New Mexico's Santa Ana Star Field. The Pack is 25-23 at home against the Cowboys, while holding a 26-19 lead at Highlands and is 45-37 all-time in conference games.
Following this weekend's four-game road RMAC series against New Mexico Highlands, the Pack will return home next weekend (April 17-19) to face MSU Denver at Rawlings Field.
ABOUT CSU PUEBLO
Heading into this weekend's action, the Pack is sixth in the league in hitting with a .334 batting average as they've recorded 359 hits, scored 300 runs, hit 87 doubles, an RMAC-leading 19 triples, and 33 home runs. The Pack is averaging 8.8 runs per game, which is fourth in the RMAC and 23rd nationally, and has tallied double-digit runs in three of its last six games and 12 times overall on the season. Along with leading the league in triples (19), Pack is third in doubles with 87, which is 11th nationally in Division II, and is third in the league in both walks (168) and hit by pitches (56).
Leading the way offensively for the Pack is fifth-year senior first baseman
Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC) leads the team in hits (47), doubles (14), RBI (44), walks (24), and has a 1.182 OPS and a .675 slugging percentage. In addition, he is tied for second in runs scored (34) and home runs (6). He ranks in the Top 10 in the RMAC in batting average, hits, doubles, on-base percentage, walks, and RBI. He enters the weekend riding a 42-game reached base streak dating to last season as he has been on base in all 34 games this season and has hit safely in 32 of the Pack's 34 games.
Senior left fielder
Wyatt Reginato (Cottonwood, Calif./Folsom Lake) is the team's No. 2 hitter as he enters the weekend with a .398 batting average, leads the team in multi-hit games with 17, and has had seven multiple RBI games. He has recorded 45 hits, scored 28 runs, hit seven doubles, three triples, 27 RBI, and is 11-for-12 on stolen bases. Reginato enters the weekend amid a four-game hit streak, which is the second-longest active streak on the team.
One of the hottest hitters for the Pack is senior right field
Elijah Borjas (Denver, Colo./Lakewood) as he is hitting .446 (13-for-29) over his last eight games and has tallied a .931 slugging percentage and a 1.460 OPS. On the season, he is hitting .362 as he has tallied 42 hits, scored 34 runs, hit eight doubles, three triples, six home runs, and 38 RBI, which is seventh in the RMAC. Borjas is second in multi-hit games and leads the team in 12 multiple RBI games.
Freshman center fielder and designated hitter
Noah Williams (Carson, Calif./Redondo Union) leads the team and is ninth in runs scored with 38 and is third in the league in stolen bases with 19 as he is 19-for-26 on the season in steals. In addition, Williams has recorded 39 hits, and seven doubles, leads the league, and is third nationally in triples with six, and has hit five home runs and driven in 26 runs. The seven triples are tied for fifth on the school's single-season chart while the single-season school record for triples is 10 set by Bennie Jones in 1994.
Castaneda, Reginato, Borjas, Williams, senior third baseman
Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) and senior shortstop
Rob Mansour (La Verne, Calif./Cuesta College) have each recorded 20 or more hits and 20 or more runs scored. Howard has tallied 30 hits and scored 25 runs and leads the team in home runs with seven, while Mansour has had 27 hits, scored 25 runs, and has walked 23 walks, which is sixth in the RMAC.
The Pack's 33 home runs are seventh-most in the league, along with Howard's seven, Castaneda's six and Borjas' six, and Wiliams' five, senior infielder
Kade Snodgrass (Derby, Kan./Neosho County CC) and junior designated hitter
George Andrews (Overland Park, Kan./Coffeyville CC) have hit two. Five others have hit one homer each.
The Pack leads the league in stolen bases with 75 as they are 75-for-99 on the season. Williams is third in the RMAC with 19 stolen bases, while Reginato is 11-for-12 on steals and sophomore center fielder
Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) is 9-for-10 on stolen bases. The Pack's 75 stolen bases are ninth on the school's single-season charts.
On the mound, the Pack has the fourth-best ERA in the league at 7.78. The Pack's pitching staff is fourth in the league in both strikeouts per nine innings (7.7) and WHIP (1.89). The Pack's pitchers have struck out 232 batters in 269.2 innings of work and opposing hitting are batting .337 on the season. In addition, the Pack's pitchers have walked 125 batters and have hit 49 opposing batters.
The top starter for the Pack is senior
Travis Farrell (Las Vegas, Nev./Otero JC). Farrell enters the week second in the RMAC in ERA (3.83), leads the league lead in wins (7) and is second in the league in strikeouts (47) and third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.33). Farrell, who is 7-1 this season, has made nine starts and has had five quality starts, and has recorded five or more strikeouts in seven of his nine starts. He leads the league in innings pitched at 54 and has walked just 14 batters on the year.
In addition to Farrell, the No. 2 starter this season for the Pack is junior
Luke Ruby (Fort Collins, Colo./Resurrection Christian) as he is 1-3 with an 8.04 ERA. In 28 innings, he has struck out 24 and walked just 10, and has allowed 38 hits and 28 runs (25 earned runs), while fifth-year senior
Nick Perry (Denton, Texas/Richland) is the No. 3 starter and he is 4-2 with an 8.00 ERA. In 36 innings, he has recorded 33 strikeouts and walked just 11 and is fourth in the RMAC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.00) and fifth in walks allowed per nine innings (2.75).
Leading the way for the Pack bullpen this season has been sophomore
Jack Novak (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge), who is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA and is tied for the team lead with 11 appearances and has earned three saves, which is fifth in the RMAC. In 16.2 innings, he has allowed 11 hits and eight runs (five earned), while striking out nine and walking a team-high 14. Along with Novak, junior
Alex Oliver (Grove, Okla./Coffeyville CC) has a save as he is 0-1 with an 7.53 ERA in nine appearances. In 14.1 innings, he has allowed 19 hits, and 15 runs (12 earned), while walking eight and fanning 10.
In addition, junior
Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway) has been the team's workhorse out of the bullpen as he is tied for the team lead appearances with 11 and has made three starts. He has tossed 34.2 innings, which is third-most on the team including 19 innings in relief. He is 3-1 with a 7.81 ERA and has recorded 28 strikeouts and walked just two batters and leads the league and is second nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (14.00). He has started the last two games and is 2-0 and has tossed 12 innings and allowed 10 hits and five runs (three earned) while striking out four and walking two.
Defensively, the Pack is second in the RMAC in fielding percentage at .968 as they have committed just 37 errors in 1,083 fielding chances and have turned 25 double plays, which is third-most in the RMAC. The 37 errors are the second fewest in the league behind Colorado Mesa's 32 errors.
Leading the Pack this season is
Bobby Applegate, who is in his fourth season as the program's head coach. Applegate, who was the Colorado Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year in 1995 playing for the time University of Southern Colorado, has compiled a 98-94 overall record at his alma mater and is 61-51 in RMAC games.
ABOUT NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
New Mexico Highlands comes into its fifth RMAC series of the 2025 season sporting a 9-23 overall record and a 1-15 mark in the league. The Cowboys have lost six straight games and 16 of its last 17 games overall with the lone win being a 7-3 win at home on March 29 against UCCS. Since the win over UCCS, NMHU lost the final two games of its series to UCCS and then was swept last weekend at MSU Denver. In the series against the Roadrunners, the Cowboys were outscored 47-24 in the four-game set.
In the Preseason RMAC Coaches Poll, the Cowboys were tabbed to finish ninth in the league. The league's head coaches gave the Cowboys 11 points, three points behind No. 8 Colorado Christian, who earned 14 points. Last season, Highlands went 10-40 overall and 6-26 in the RMAC.
Statistically, NMHU ranks seventh in the league in batting with a .293 average (287-for-979) as a team. The Cowboys have recorded 287 hits, scored 189 runs, hit 68 doubles, four triples, and 31 home runs. Additionally, they have recorded 177 RBI and are averaging 5.7 runs per game, placing eighth in the RMAC.
Leading the offensive charge for Highlands is junior catcher Bryant O'Neal. O'Neal boasts a .394 batting average as he leads the team in hits (43), doubles (11), home runs (11), RBI (29) and slugging percentage (.798). He is also tied for second in runs scored (21), has walked 9 times, and has been hit eight times.
Junior infielder Forrest Simpson is hitting .343 as he has had 35 hits, scored 16 runs, hit 10 doubles, three home runs, and 25 RBI, while senior outfielder Roman Robles is hitting .330 with 29 hits, 18 runs scored, has hit eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 18 RBI.
On the mound, Highlands holds a 9.94 ERA as a pitching staff. They have struck out 168 and walked 166 batters in 233.2 innings pitched. The Cowboys lead the league in shutouts with two and are fourth in the league in hit batters with 60.
The Cowboys' top pitcher is junior Ramon Brion, who is 2-3 with a 5.05 ERA. He has made eight appearances and eight starts and has tossed one complete game and one shutout. In 41 innings of work, he has struck out 30 and walked 14.
In addition to Brion, senior lefthander Dominick Castillo is 1-4 with an 8.48 ERA and in 40.1 innings of work, he has struck out 22 and walked 22 and has tossed one complete game and one shutout.
Sophomore Andrew Rodriguez, who was named the RMAC Preseason Player of the Watch List, is 1-5 with a 9.66 ERA. In 36.1 innings, he has recorded 28 strikeouts and has walked 22.
The top arms out of the bullpen for the Cowboys this season is senior Brandon Casini, who is 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA and in seven appearances and nine innings of work, he has struck out five and walked seven. Sophomore Aidan Joyce leads the team in appearances (12) and saves (2) and is 1-0 with a 10.97 ERA. In 10.2 innings, he has had nine strikeouts and has walked 14 and senior Tyler Sunstrom is 1-1 with a 13.78 ERA in 11 appearances and 16.1 innings of work. Sunstrom has struck out 14 and walked 15 this season.
Defensively, Highlands is last in the league in fielding percentage at .941. The Cowboys have turned 25 double plays, which is sixth in the league and have committed 62 errors in 1,050 fielding chances.
New Mexico Highlands is coached by Harry Estep, who is in his second season with the Cowboys and has compiled a 19-63 overall record and is 7-41 in RMAC play at Highlands.
