PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo Baseball closes out the 2025 regular season this weekend (May 1-3) with a four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series in Colorado Springs, Colo., against UCCS.

The two teams open the final regular season series with a nine-inning game on Thursday, May 1, at noon at UC Health Park, home to the Pioneer League's Rocky Mountain Vibes. On Friday, May 2, the teams will play a doubleheader starting at noon at Mountain Lion Park on the UCCS campus, before concluding the series with another nine-inning game on Saturday, May 3, at noon on the UCCS campus.

The ThunderWolves come into this weekend's series with UCCS as one of the hottest teams in the league, as they have won five straight and 11 of 14 games overall after sweeping a four-game home series last weekend against Adams State. The Pack, who have already qualified for a spot in next week's RMAC Tournament, are sporting a 29-17 overall record and are 19-9 in the RMAC.

Heading into this weekend's action, the Pack is sitting in fourth place in the league standings and is assured of a Top 4 seed in the RMAC Tournament. To move up in seeding for the tournament, the Pack needs to win at least two games this weekend and have both MSU Denver and Regis lose at least two games this weekend, as Regis plays a four-game series at Adams State and MSU Denver plays at No. 15 Colorado Mesa. Should the Pack tie with MSU Denver in the final standings, the tie would be resolved by the performance indicator as the two teams split the season series.

The Pack is playing its fourth and final RMAC series on the road this weekend, as they are 10-2 on the road in league play and are 11-5 overall on the road this season. The Pack has won its last two RMAC road series as they went 3-1 at New Mexico Highlands and 4-0 at Colorado Christian.

CSU Pueblo and UCCS have met 33 times previously on the diamond since 2009. The Pack holds a slim 18-15 all-time lead in the series as the Pack has won two straight games and is 8-2 in the last 10 games in the series. The Pack leads the series 11-8 at home and is 7-5 in away games and is 13-8 in league games against the Mountain Lions. Last season, the Pack went 3-1 at home against UCCS.

Following this weekend's four games at UCCS to close the regular season, the Pack will open play in the RMAC Tournament that begins with the first round games on Wednesday, May. 7. Colorado Mesa, which is currently in first place in the league standings with a 23-3 record, can clinch the No. 1 seed and host the tournament with any combination this weekend of a win and a Regis loss.

ABOUT CSU PUEBLO
Heading into this weekend's action, the Pack is fourth in the league in hitting with a .354 batting. They've recorded 520 hits, scored 439 runs, hit 129 doubles, an RMAC-leading 23 triples, and 48 home runs. The Pack is averaging 9.5 runs per game, which is fourth in the RMAC and 10th nationally, and has tallied double-digit runs in two straight games and 19 times overall on the season. Along with leading the league in triples (22), the Pack is second in the league in doubles with 129, which is No. 2 nationally in Division II, and is third in the league in walks (222) and is third in hit by pitches (81). The 23 triples are tied for eighth on the school's single-season chart.

Leading the way offensively for the Pack is fifth-year senior first baseman Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC), who leads the Pack in batting average (.453), hits (73), runs scored (53), doubles (24), home runs (9), RBI (60), walks (32), on-base percentage (.550) and OPS (1.320). He leads the RMAC in batting average and is in the Top 5 in the league in walks, doubles, hits, on-base percentage, RBI, and is in the Top 10 in the league in slugging percentage (.770), total bases (124), home runs, and runs scored. Coming into this weekend's action, Castaneda, who was named this week's RMAC Hitter of the Week and is currently riding a 54-game reached base streak dating to last season, is the school's all-time leader in career slugging percentage (.753) and is second in school history in doubles (61), home runs (39) and total bases (393) and fourth in school history in RBI (175) and 10th in career hits (213).

Senior leftfielder Wyatt Reginato (Cottonwood, Calif./Folsom Lake) is the team's No. 2 hitter as he enters the weekend with a .409 batting average, leads the team in multi-hit games with 22, and has had nine multiple-RBI games. He has recorded 61 hits, scored 47 runs, hit 10 doubles, three triples, 37 RBI, and is 14-for-16 on stolen bases.

One of the hottest hitters for the Pack is freshman designated hitter Noah Williams (Carson, Calif./Redondo Union), as he is hitting .500 (19-for-38) over his last 12 games and has tallied a .974 slugging percentage, a .574 on-base percentage, and a 1.548 OPS. On the season, Williams is hitting .374 as he has tallied 58 hits and is tied for second on the team in runs scored (52) and leads the team and RMAC in triples (6), is third in stolen bases with 23, and is 23-for-32 on steals. His six triples are tops in the league and sixth nationally in Division II, while his 23 stolen bases are third in the league. Williams has recorded 18 multi-hit games and 11 multiple RBI games.

Borjas has also had a hot bat over his last 12 games as he is hitting .457 (21-for-46) over that span and has tallied a .783 slugging percentage and a 1.392 OPS. On the season, Borjas is hitting .389 as he has tallied 63 hits, scored 52 runs, hit 12 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, and 59 RBI and has a .679 slugging percentage and a 1.126 OPS. He has tallied 16 multi-hit games and leads the team in multiple RBI games with 17 and has a current eight-game hit streak.

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 30 or more hits and 20 or more runs scored. Howard has tallied 32 hits and scored 26 runs and has hit seven home runs, and has an .825 slugging percentage, while Mansour has had 38 hits, scored 36 runs, and has walked 27 times.

The Pack's 48 home runs are seventh-most in the league, along with Borjas, Castaneda and Williams' team-high tying nine home runs, Howard has hit seven,  junior designated hitter George Andrews (Overland Park, Kan./Coffeyville CC) has hit three, while Reginato, senior utility player Kade Snodgrass (Derby, Kan./Neosho County CC), sophomore center fielder Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) and fifth-year senior infielder Edmund King (Imperial Beach, Calif./Southwestern) have each hit two homers. Three others have hit one homer each.

The Pack leads the league in stolen bases with 105, as they are 105-for-135 on the season. Williams is third in the RMAC with 23 stolen bases, while Castaneda is 15-for-16 on stolen bases and Reginato is 14-for-16 on steals. The 105 stolen bases this year are fifth on the school's single-season charts.

On the mound, the Pack has the fourth-best ERA in the league at 7.80. The Pack's pitching staff is second in the league in strikeouts (325) and is third in the league in both strikeouts per nine innings (8.1) and fourth in WHIP (1.84). The Pack's pitchers have struck out 325 batters in 361.1 innings of work, and opposing hitters are batting .329 on the season. In addition, the Pack's pitchers have walked 165 batters and have hit 59 opposing batters, which is seventh in the RMAC.

The top starter for the Pack is senior Travis Farrell (Las Vegas, Nev./Otero JC). Farrell enters the week leading the RMAC in ERA (4.95), is second in the league in wins (7), and is third in the league in strikeouts (55). Farrell, who is 7-2 this season, has made 11 starts and has had five quality starts, and has recorded five or more strikeouts in seven of his 11 starts. He leads the league in innings pitched at 63.2 and has walked just 20 batters on the year.

In addition to Farrell, senior Nick Perry (Denton, Texas/Dallas College Richland) is 5-2 with a 9.47 ERA. In 44.2 innings, he has recorded 43 strikeouts and walked just 16, while junior Luke Ruby (Fort Collins, Colo./Resurrection Christian) is 2-3 with a 7.29 ERA. In 33.1 innings, he has struck out 31 and walked just 12 and has allowed 44 hits and 32 runs (28 earned runs), and redshirt freshman Tyler Clementz (Gilbert, Ariz./Basha) is 2-2 with an 8.63 ERA and in 12 appearances and three starts, he has tossed 32.1 innings and has struck out 29 and walked 11.

Another strong arm the Pack has relied on lately in the starting rotation is redshirt junior pitcher Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway). Petersheim, who was named last RMAC Pitcher of the Week two weeks ago, is tied for the team lead in appearances with 14 and has made six starts. He has tossed 47.2 innings, which is the second-most on the team, including 19 innings in relief. He is 5-2 with a 6.80 ERA and has recorded 46 strikeouts and walked just 12 batters and is second in the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.83) and is second in the RMAC in walks allowed per nine innings (2.27). He has started five straight games and is 4-1 and has tossed 25 innings and allowed 22 hits and 18 runs (14 earned) while striking out 22 and walking 10.

In addition to Petersheim, the Pack bullpen has been led by sophomore Jack Novak (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge), who is 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA and is tied for the team lead with 14 appearances and has earned four saves, which is fifth in the RMAC. In 20.1 innings, he has allowed 13 hits and 10 runs (seven earned), while striking out 13 and walking a team-high 15. Along with Novak, junior Alex Oliver (Grove, Okla./Coffeyville CC) has a save as he is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA in 12 appearances. In 18.1 innings, he has allowed 26 hits and 18 runs (15 earned), while walking 10 and fanning 16, and junior Jake Olguin-Pacheco (Denver, Colo./Horizon) is 1-0 with a 9.62 ERA in 12 appearances and three starts. In 24.1 innings of work, he has struck out 19 and walked 12.

Defensively, the Pack is second in the RMAC in fielding percentage at .967 as they have committed just 50 errors in 1,537 fielding chances and have turned 32 double plays, which is fourth-most in the RMAC. The 50 errors are the second fewest in the league behind Colorado Mesa's 41 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 107-97 overall record at his alma mater and is 70-54 mark in RMAC games. Applegate won his 100th game with the Pack in its 20-6 victory in the Pack's first game of its doubleheader at New Mexico Highlands on April 12 and has led the Pack to back-to-back 29-win seasons.

ABOUT UCCS
UCCS, who has also already qualified for the RMAC Tournament, comes into this weekend's series with CSU Pueblo having lost four straight games and five of its last six overall with the lone win being a 6-4 victory at Mines on April 17. After having the final games of its Mines series canceled due to weather, the Mountain Lions were swept in a four-game series last weekend at MSU Denver. UCCS is sporting 22-21 overall record and is in sixth in the RMAC standings with an 11-15 record. In their four game set at MSU Denver, UCCS was outscored, 46-27, including losing two one-run games.

In the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, the Mountain Lions were tabbed to finish in a tie for sixth place with Adams State as both teams earned 25 points. Last season, UCCS finished with a 16-32 overall record and were 13-19 in the RMAC. UCCS returned just 19 players this season that saw action during the 2024 season.

Statistically, UCCS is fifth in the league in hitting with a .345 average (503-for-1,457) as a team. The Mountain Lions have recorded 503 hits, scored 349 runs, hit 113 doubles, 13 triples, 57 home runs and have record 325 RBI. UCCS is averaging 8.1 runs per game, which is fifth most in the league.

Leading the offensive charge for UCCS is senior utility player Mikey Brinton. Brinton is hitting .412 and leads the team in runs scored (47), home runs (10), slugging percentage (.756) and on-base percentage (.515). In addition, he has recorded 54 hits, 13 doubles, and one triple and a 1.271 OPS.

In addition to Brinton, junior infielder Bryce Peterson is hitting .404 as he leads the team in hits (65), doubles (18), RBI (39) and is second in runs scored (41) and has a .677 slugging percentage and a 1.135 OPS, while redshirt senior outfielder Kit Wigington is hitting .393 as he has had 59 hits, scored 35 runs, hit 15 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 37 RBI. He has a .653 slugging percentage and a 1.106 OPS.

As a team, UCCS has hit 57 home runs, which is fifth-most in the league and is also fifth in the league in stolen bases with 57 as they are 57-for-78 on steals. Redshirt senior outfielder Hayden Iverson is 14-for-17 on stolen bases, while senior outfield Dillon Vroman is second in steals as he is 10-for-13 on the season.

Perhaps the biggest strength for the Mountain Lions is its pitching as they entered the weekend third in the in ERA at 7.46 and they also third in the league in WHIP (1.80), and is tied for the league lead in shutouts with two. UCCS has recorded 254 strikeouts in 334 innings and has tallied eight saves, which is tied for second-most in the league. In addition, they have walked 163 batters, hit 60 and has a 1.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is fourth-best in the league.

UCCS' top starting pitcher is junior Ryder Mancuso. Mancuso is 5-1 with a 7.47 ERA and in 12 appearances and 11 starts, he has struck out 54 and walked 30 in 59 innings. He is fourth in the league in strikeouts and has tossed two complete games.

In addition to Mancuso, junior Jason Fink leads the team in innings pitched with 60.2 as he is 4-4 with an 8.16 ERA. In 13 appearances and 12 starts, he has struck out 41 and walked 22, while freshman Jacob Brown is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA and in 36 innings, he has struck out 26 and walked 11 in 10 appearances and eight starts.

The top arm out of the Mountain Lions bullpen is sophomore Joshua Zotto, who is 3-0 with a 3.10 ERA. He has had 13 appearances in relief and had recorded a save. In 20.1 innings, he has tallied 11 strikeouts and seven walks.

In addition to Zotto, junior lefthander Nick Miszuk is 1-3 with a 7.08 ERA and in 13 appearances and 20.1 innings of work, he has struck out 18 and walked 11, while senior Joe Plise is second in the league in saves with five and is 1-3 with an 8.31 ERA. In 17.1 innings, he has struck out 17 and walked 13.

Defensively, UCCS is seventh in the league in fielding percentage at .961. The Mountain Lions have turned 38 double plays, which is second-most in the league and league the league and Division II with two triple plays. UCCS has committed 57 errors in 1,448 fielding chances.

UCCS is coached by Dave Hajek, who is in his ninth season directing the Mountain Lions baseball program. Hajek is 199-207 as UCCS' head coach and has led the team to seven 20-plus win seasons. Prior to coaching at UCCS, Hajek spent 10 years playing professional baseball, including two seasons with Houston Astros and then spent 12 years coaching within the Colorado Rockies organization.