GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado State University Pueblo Baseball placed two pitchers on the NCBWA Preseason All-Region Team, as
Jacob Petersheim and
Jack Novak were recognized by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association for the South Central Region.
Petersheim earned preseason honors as a starting pitcher, while Novak was selected as a relief pitcher, giving the ThunderWolves two representatives on the prestigious list voted on by NCBWA members from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and Lone Star Conference (LSC). Novak has also proven to be effective in a dual role as both a starter and reliever, providing versatility to the Pack pitching staff.
Novak's selection follows an outstanding 2025 season for CSU Pueblo in a mixed role on the mound. The junior made 16 appearances, tying for the team high, and posted a 2-2 record with a team-best 2.66 ERA. He led the Pack with four saves, which ranked sixth in the RMAC and are tied for seventh on the school's single-season charts. Novak logged 23.2 innings, allowing just 17 hits and seven earned runs, while holding opposing hitters to a .207 batting average.
He recorded 11 scoreless appearances (16.1 innings) on the season and closed the year allowing only two earned runs over his final six outings (9.0 innings). Novak also showed durability, producing six outings of two or more innings, including a career-high 2.2 innings against MSU Billings (Feb. 8), and finished 13 games, tied for 10th in school history. In RMAC play, Novak made eight appearances, posting a 1-1 record with a 3.27 ERA, while limiting conference hitters to a .184 average.
Petersheim returns as a key piece of the Pack's rotation after an accomplished 2025 campaign. The redshirt senior tied for the team lead with 16 appearances and made eight starts, compiling a 5-3 record while ranking second on the team in innings pitched (53.1). He went at least four innings in seven outings and tossed a career-high seven innings against Colorado School of Mines (April 7).
Petersheim struck out 51 batters while issuing just 16 walks, finishing second in the RMAC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.19) and fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (8.61). He recorded four or more strikeouts eight times, including a career-high seven strikeouts versus Adams State (April 26). His performance earned him First Team All-RMAC honors at the conclusion of the season.
In conference play, Petersheim went 4-2 with a 5.66 ERA across nine appearances and six starts, totaling 41.1 innings with 38 strikeouts and 13 walks, continuing to establish himself as one of the league's most reliable arms.
With Petersheim anchoring the rotation and Novak providing impact as both a starter and reliever, CSU Pueblo enters the 2026 season with one of the South Central Region's most respected pitching combinations.
The ThunderWolves open the 2026 season on February 4 with a three-game series at Rawlings Field against Montana State University Billings, as the Pack look to build on last season's momentum behind a pitching staff highlighted by two of the region's top arms.
