PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo returns home to Rawlings Field this weekend to play a four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series against the Colorado School of Mines.

Due to weather issues forecast in the Southern Colorado area later this week, the two teams are now scheduled to open the four-game series with a single nine-inning game on Saturday, April 5 at 2 p.m., before playing a doubleheader on Sunday, April 6 beginning at noon and concluding the four-game set on Monday, April 7 with a single nine inning game starting at noon. If the weather forces Saturday's to be postponed, the teams will play doubleheaders beginning at noon on both Sunday and Monday.

CSU Pueblo comes into this weekend's series with Mines sporting a 17-13 overall record and a 7-5 mark in the RMAC after sweeping a four-game series last weekend at Colorado Christian. The Pack has won four straight games and seven of its last 10 games overall. In last weekend's four-game sweep over the Cougars, the Pack outscored CCU, 47-17 and recorded 54 hits, including 20 extra base hits at All-Star Park in Lakewood, Colo.

The Pack are 9-9 at home this season, including a 2-2 mark at home in RMAC play as they split a four-game home series with Regis two weeks ago. Since the beginning of the 2023 season, the Pack 32-31 in home games, including a 21-15 mark in home RMAC contests.

CSU Pueblo and Mines have met 92 times previously on the diamond since 2007. The Pack holds a 51-41 all-time lead in the series, but the Orediggers have won four straight games in the series, including picking up a 4-1 win in an elimination game of the RMAC Tournament. The Pack holds a commanding 34-18 lead at home in the series, while Mines leads 21-17 in Golden. The Pack is also 48-36 against the Orediggers in RMAC games. Mines has won seven of the last 10 games in the series.

Following this weekend's four-game home RMAC series against Mines, the Pack will return to the road for a four-game series next weekend (April 11-13) in Las Vegas, N.M., against New Mexico Highlands.

ABOUT CSU PUEBLO
Heading into this weekend's action, the Pack is sixth in the league in hitting with a .329 batting average as they've recorded 314 hits, scored 271 runs, hit 79 doubles, 14 triples, and 29 home runs. The Pack is averaging 9.0 runs per game, which is third in the RMAC and have tallied double-digit runs in two straight games and 12 times overall on the season. The Pack leads the league in triples (14), is fourth in the league and 14th nationally in Division II doubles with 79 and is third in the league in both walks (150) and hit by pitches (49).

Fifth-year senior first baseman Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC) currently leads the Pack and is seventh in the RMAC in hitting with a .413 average (43-for-104) and enters this week's action having hit safely in 29 of the Pack's 30 games and has been on base in all 30 games this season. Castaneda leads the Pack in hits (43), doubles (12), RBI (41) and has a 1.218 OPS. In addition, he is third in runs scored (31), second in home runs (6), and slugging percentage (.702) and walks (22). He ranks in the Top 10 in the RMAC in batting average, hits, doubles, on-base percentage, walks, RBI, and total bases.  

Senior third baseman Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) leads the team in home runs (7), slugging percentage (.821), hit by pitches (9) and is second in doubles (11) and third in RBI (31). Howard is hitting .385 on the season and has a 1.300 OPS. He is third in the league in slugging percentage, 12th in home runs and 10th in RBI.

Senior outfielder Wyatt Reginato (Cottonwood, Calif./Folsom Lake) is the team's No. 3 hitter as he enters the weekend with a .374 batting average and leads the team in multi-hit games with 14 and has had six multiple RBI games. He has recorded 37 hits, scored 26 runs, hit seven doubles, one triple and is 9-for-10 in stolen bases.

Senior outfielder Elijah Borjas (Denver, Colo./Lakewood) has a hot bat heading into this weekend's action as he hit .429 last weekend with an 1.143 slugging percentage and a 1.672 OPS and is now hitting .347 on the season as he has tallied 35 hits, scored 32 runs, hit seven doubles, three triples, five home runs and has had 34 RBI, which is second on the team and sixth in the RMAC. Borjas has had nine multi-hit games and a team-leading 11 multiple RBI games.

Freshman outfielder Noah Williams (Carson, Calif./Redondo Union) leads the team and is eighth in the RMAC in runs scored with 34 and is third in the league in stolen bases with 17 as he is 17-for-23 on the season in steals. In addition, Williams has recorded 35 hits, seven doubles, and leads the league and is fourth nationally in triples with four and has hit four home runs and driven in 21 runs.

Williams, Borjas, Castaneda, Reginato, Howard and senior shortstop Rob Mansour (La Verne, Calif./Cuesta College) have each recorded 20 or more hits and 20 or more runs scored. Mansour has had 26 hits and scored 22 runs and has been walked 22 times, which is fifth-most in the league.

The Pack's 29 home runs are seventh-most in the league as long with Howard's seven, Castaneda's six and Borjas' five, Williams has hit four, and senior infielder Kade Snodgrass (Derby, Kan./Neosho County CC) has hit two. Five others have hit one homer each.

The Pack leads the league in stolen bases with 64 as they are 64-for-86 on the season. Williams is third in the RMAC with 17 stolen bases, while Reginato is 9-for-10 on steals and Castaneda is 8-for-9 on the season.

On the mound, the Pack has the fourth-best ERA in the league at 7.91. The Pack's pitching staff is third in the league in both strikeouts per nine innings (8.0) and WHIP (1.91). The Pack's pitchers have struck out 212 batters in 237.2 innings of work and opposing hitting are batting .337 on the season. In addition, the Pack's pitchers have walked 113 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 (3.61) and is tied for the league lead in wins (6) and is second in the league in strikeouts (41) and third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.15). Farrell, who is 6-1 this season, has made eight starts and has had five quality starts and has recorded five or more strikeouts in six of his eight starts. He leads the league in innings pitched at 47.1 and has walked just 13 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 1-2 with a 7.77 ERA. In 24.1 innings, he has struck out 23 and walked just nine and has allowed 31 hits and 24 runs (21 earned runs), while fifth-year senior Nick Perry (Denton, Texas/Richland) is the No. 3 starter and he is 3-2 with an 8.13 ERA. In 31.0 innings, he has recorded 29 strikeouts and walked just eight and is second in the RMAC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.63) and third in walks allowed per nine innings (2.32).

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 3.07 ERA in a team-leading 10 appearances and has earned two saves, which is fifth in the RMAC. In 14.2 innings, he has allowed 10 hits and eight runs (five earned), while striking out eight and walking a team-high 13. Along with Novak, junior Alex Oliver (Grove, Okla./Coffeyville CC) has a save as he is 0-1 with an 8.03 ERA in eight appearances. In 12.1 innings, he has allowed 17 hits, 14 runs (11 earned), while walking seven and fanning nine.

In addition, junior Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway) has been the team's workhorse out of the bullpen as he has made 10 appearances and two starts and has tossed 27.2 innings, which is third-most on the team including 19 innings in relief. He is 2-1 with a 7.81 ERA and has recorded 26 strikeouts and walked just two batters.

Defensively, the Pack is second in the RMAC in fielding percentage at .970 as they have committed just 31 errors in 1,071 fielding chances and have turned 23 double plays, which is fourth-most in the RMAC. The 31 errors are second fewest in the league behind Colorado Mesa's 28 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 at the time University of Southern Colorado, has compiled a 95-93 overall record at his alma mater and is 58-50 in RMAC games.

ABOUT COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
Colorado School of Mines comes into its fifth RMAC series of the 2025 season sporting a 10-23 overall record and a 5-11 mark in the league. The Orediggers have lost eight straight games since collecting 19-15 home win over New Mexico Highlands in the final game its four-game set on March 17. Since that win over the Highlands, Mines has been swept in its last two series against MSU Denver and Colorado Mesa. In last weekend's four-game set at home against the nationally-ranked Mavericks, Mines was outscored, 61-28 and has been outscored over its last eight games, 114-61.

Mines has won one RMAC series as they swept New Mexico Highlands and opened league play by losing three of four games at Adams State. Mines enters the weekend sitting seventh in the league standings.

In the Preseason RMAC Coaches Poll, the Orediggers were tabbed to finish fifth as they earned 37 points by the leagues head coaches and was just seven points shy of CSU Pueblo, who was tabbed fourth in the preseason poll. Last season, Mines went 29-21 overall and tied for second in the league with a 20-12 record.

Statistically, Mines is fifth in the league in hitting as they are batting .334 (369-for-1,101) as a team. The Orediggers have recorded 369 hits, scored 252 runs, hit 88 doubles, seven triples, and 28 home runs. In addition, they have recorded 219 RBI and are averaging 7.6 runs per game, which is sixth in the RMAC. The 88 doubles is tops in the RMAC and fourth-best nationally in Division II, while their seven triples are fifth-most in the league.

Leading the way offensively for Mines is redshirt sophomore infielder Tyler Hummel. Hummel is hitting .439 as has had 36 hits, scored 23 runs, hit six doubles, one home run and nine RBI.

In addition to Hummel, freshman infielder Jackson Babcock is hitting .370, but leads the team in hits (47), doubles (13), home runs (6), RBI (32) and slugging percentage (.630). Babcock's 13 doubles are second-most in the league and 27th nationally.

Redshirt junior outfielder Jackson Woolwine is hitting .382 as he is tied for the team lead in hits with 47 and leads the team in runs scored (35), triples (2) and is second in home runs (4), RBI (25). In addition, he has been walked 20 times and leads the league with 21 stolen bases as he is 21-for-23 on steals.

Two other Orediggers, redshirt sophomore utility player Evan Bilter and senior infielder Canon Humphreys are also hitting over .365 this season as Bilter is hitting .385 with 47 hits, 30 runs scored, eight doubles, three home runs and 25 RBI, while Humpheys is hitting .368 with 42 hits, 24 runs scored, 11 doubles, two home runs and is 6-for-9 on stolen bases.

On the season, Mines has stolen 56 bases, which is second-most in the league behind CSU Pueblo's 64 steals. Five Mines players have stolen five or more bases this season. In addition, the Orediggers lead the league in sacrifice bunts with 20 and are second in sacrifice flies with 18.

Meanwhile, on the mound, Mines has a 9.64 ERA as a pitching staff. They have struck out 226 and walked 152 batters in 253 innings of work and have recorded two saves. Additionally, Mines' pitchers have hit a league-best 83 opposing hitters this season, which is fifth-most among Division II schools.

The Orediggers top pitcher is freshman righthander Will Niles as he is 1-2 with a 6.94 ERA. He has made seven appearances and five starts and in 23.1 innings, he has struck out 28 and walked nine.

Junior lefthander Alex Honeyman is 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA in seven starts this season. In 25.2 innings, he has struck out 20 and walked 11, while freshman righthander Grady Booth is 0-5 with a 9.20 ERA in seven starts. He has tossed 29.1 innings and has struck out 25, walked 20 and hit 10 opposing batters.

The top arms out of the bullpen for Mines this season have been sophomore Sam Monk and sophomore Seaver Newby. Monk is 0-1 with a 5.48 ERA in 12 appearances and in 23.0 innings, he has struck out 18 and walked 14 and hit eight batters, while Newby is 5-3 with a 6.81 ERA in 12 appearances. He leads the team in saves (2), innings pitched (39.2) and strikeouts (33) and has walked just four and hit seven.

Defensively, Mines is eighth in the league in fielding percentage at .943. The Orediggers have turned 20 double plays, but have committed a league-leading 63 errors in 1,096 fielding chances.

Mines is coached by Robby Bales, who is in his seventh season with the Orediggers as he program's head coach and 10th season overall at Mines. During his time in Golden, he has posted a 156-129 overall record and is 100-82 in RMAC play. He has led the Orediggers to one NCAA Regional appearance and multiple appearances in the RMAC Tournament, including advancing to the regional and conference tournament finals in 2019.