Q: Coming into this season, you lost a lot of offense, but you bring back several strong pitchers on the mound, including redshirt senior Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway) and junior Jack Novak (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge), who were both named to the Preseason All-RMAC and the Preseason NCBWA All-South Central Region Teams . Talk about your team and the strength of your team coming into the season?
A: "We lost 17 seniors off last year's club, and we lost three others beyond that. So, we have got a lot of new faces. But we have a handful of core guys that are coming back, especially from our catching position. I feel like we have some great strength with senior
George Andrews (Overland Park, Kan./Coffeyville CC) at first base, senior
Devean Alvarez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Chaffey College), who was a starter at second base for us. We're trying to fill some holes at the shortstop position, but we have a good newcomer in redshirt senior
Kyle Miller (Pueblo, Colo./Colorado Mesa) who's come in and he's done a great job for us in the preseason. Sophomore
Tyler Clementz (Gilbert, Ariz./Basha), who was the RMAC Co-Freshman Pitcher of the Year, is going to have a chance to play two-way over at third base and first base and we have a couple of transfers that we're excited about. Senior
Taehyung Kim (Mariana, Ariz./St. Cloud State) and junior
Charles-Etienne Pelletier (Lavel, Quebec/University of San Francisco) will give us some depth in the infield positions. We also have junior
Yahir Ramirez (Fontana, Calif./Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) that we're also excited about. In our outfield core, we have some guys who played quite a few innings last season. Junior
Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) returns, while senior
Jeremiah Sanchez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) and sophomore
Dax Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest), who platooned last year, each have a chance to earn an everyday spot. Junior
Cooper Latino (Parker, Colo./Douglas County) is a veteran platoon player for us. We also have a transfer, junior
Jake Hixenbaugh (Atascadero, Calif./Monterey Peninsula) that did a really good job for us in the fall."
Q: You return several top pitchers from last season and had two pitchers – Petersheim and Novak – named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team. Coach, how is your pitching looking for this coming season?
A: "We have some pretty good veterans coming back on our pitching staff. Jacob (Petersheim) and Jack (Novak) are two key returners on the mound. Sophomore Frank Flores (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) has really taken a big step up coming into his sophomore year. You know, Tyler (Clementz) was the Co-Freshman Pitcher of the Year last season. We've got a great core group of starters that we expect to do a great job this year. Senior
Alex Oliver (Grove, Okla./Coffeyville CC) is going to do a great job for us in the back half of the game and is our potential closer. We have a transfer in junior
Jackson Adam (Windsor, Colo./Missouri Western), who is the older brother of redshirt sophomore men's basketball player Ty Adam and sophomore
Casey Clair (Council Bluffs, Iowa/Ellsworth CC) had a good fall for us. We also have a couple of other players that are working their way in – senior Jacob Olguin-Pacheco (Denver, Colo./Horizon), who is a left-hander and senior
Luke Ruby (Fort Collins, Colo./Resurrection Christian). Both of those guys have played a utility role in our bullpen and our starting staff, who've done a great job for us."
Q: You were picked second in the Preseason RMAC poll (tied with MSU Denver) and are ranked seventh in the Preseason NCBWA South Central Region, and I know preseason polls don't mean anything but talk about how your program is starting to get a little bit of recognition there in the RMAC and in the region. What does that preseason recognition mean to our baseball program?
A: "Well, I think it is a great compliment to our program that we're making great adjustments. Typically, those preseason polls are based on the results of last season, which we had a great season a year ago. We have some guys I think that can fulfill that premonition right now of being in second place in the RMAC. You know, obviously, that's a nice place to be, but that's not where we want to finish. We want to jump a little higher than that and that gives our guys some motivation. It validates the hard work that they've been putting in. But more importantly, it sets a standard for us and where we want to be and continue to move forward to where we want to go."
Q: It was an incredible year for us last season. You got over the 30-win mark, ended up with 32 wins, probably the most successful season you guys have had since maybe the 2015 squad that won 41 games. It was a little bit of a disappointment result at the end of year when we were just short of earning a bid for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional. What has done to help motivate your team heading into the 2026 season?
A: "We felt like we checked a lot of boxes for the regional criteria, and we felt very, very disappointed at the end of the season. It just makes us hungry. We're trying to work with a motto this year that is to leave no doubt, to not put it in the hands of people who make those decisions. We want to try to take care of our own destiny and do a great job with the games that we have in front of us and take care of business."
Q: We've talked a little bit about the guys you've got back, but we lost some key offensive players from last season. Christian Castaneda, who was named both an All-Region and All-American selection and Elijah Borjas, guys that were here for several years playing for our program. The offense will look a little different this year. What do you expect from your team offensively this year?
A: "We graduated a lot of power. A lot of our home runs graduated (49 of 57 home runs departed from last season). And I'll be honest. We don't have as much sock in the line-up as we did last year, but we're just as athletic and we're more of a line-driving hitting team. I think we still have a chance to be a national contender for doubles (The Pack hit 140 doubles last season). We work hard, we play hard and run the bases hard. So, there's a lot of things. I think we're going have a chance to do some things offensively without having to rely on the three-run homer. I'm excited about the offense. We have a little bit more right-left opportunities in our line-up this year than we did last year. And with our team speed (The Pack was 112-for-146 on stolen bases last season), I think we have a chance to create some havoc on the bases."
Q: Last season, we were strong on defense, especially up the middle (The Pack committed 61 errors and turned 36 double plays a season ago). How is your defense looking this year, both in the infield and outfield?
A: "Well, we had an All-Conference player at shortstop,
Rob Mansour, who was very good. He went into the portal and is going to be playing at St. John's University. He was a sure handed shortstop, one of the best glove skill guys in our league. But we feel really comfortable with the guys that have come in. And as I said, we have (Kyle) Miller, who's a local product, transferring from Colorado Mesa, who has done a good job at shortstop. We feel like he can come in and step in for Rob (Mansour) and be a good defender for us this season."
Q: You brought in a lot of guys this season. You have a big roster of new players. How will those new players help you have some different line-up combinations this season?
A: "I've already mentioned Taehyung (Kim) and Charles-Etienne (Pelletier) who are coming to us from both a Division I program and a Division II program, who was an All-Conference performer. They both have logged a bunch of games under their belt. One, is a left-hander hitter, Taehyung and the other is a right-handed hitter, Charles-Etienne. Those two give us the opportunity to have some depth and change some line-ups around and match-up with some teams. That's the great thing we have this season, an opportunity to put a couple of different line-ups with some confidence that these guys will compete and put us in a good position to win games."
Q: One of the keys last season was having three catchers and all three of those catchers are back this year. The returning catchers from last season are senior Cody Macias (San Diego, Calif./Granite Hills), junior Jason Arriola (Riverside, Calif./Norco) and junior JJ Fontana (Fort Collins, Colo./Poudre). Can you talk about the catching position for this coming season?
A: "We have Cody (Macias) who's a senior, and Jason (Arriola), who is a switch-hitting catcher and JJ (Fontana), who is a left-hander hitter for us. The challenge is going to be trying to find opportunities for them to play every single game. So, they have really pushed themselves. They've embraced the challenge of competing for spots. We are excited about the core and I'll be honest, those guys have done such a great job, especially on the receiving side. They've helped our pitching really turn a corner."
Q: Coach let's talk a little bit about your coaching staff. You lost a good friend and your right-hand man in Steve Serratore, who left the Pack for a hitting coach position in the Houston Astros organization. That has to be a pretty cool feeling. Talk about your coaching staff this year with the loss at Coach Serratore?
A: "Well, that's our second coach since I've been here leave for a coaching position in the professional ranks. Steve was our long-time assistant. He came here in the beginning with me and I'm very proud of Steve making that jump to the Houston Astros organization. You know, we bring in good people so they can continue to grow and he's hit a dream spot for him and we're excited for him. It leaves a couple holes, but nothing we can't cover, but we're excited about Steve and his adventures moving forward.
Q: I know you've raved about your pitching coach, Jared Morton, who was a former player of yours and is just an incredible pitching mind. Can you talk about the role Coach Morton and yourself is going to fill this coming season?
A: "Well, first off, I will call more of our offense this season. I'll end up taking more of the approach and command of the offense. Coach Morton will move over into some of Coach Serratore's role in the recruiting portion. It just allows me to get my hands on more of the players and be more involved in the offense, and I'm really excited about that. I have an opportunity to kind of get in the minds of our hitters a little bit more than I did in the past. We gave Steve a lot of autonomy on the offensive side. We've got two good assistants in
Mike Sanchez and
Mike Massaro, both former players in the program and both are good offensive guys. So although we lost Coach Serratore, we still have great coaching coverage to allow our guys success this season."
Q: Coach let's talk about your schedule. You open up this week with MSU Billings. But perhaps the biggest difference this season than last season is you are playing a lot of single games and not doubleheaders in non-conference play. Talk about little about playing single games this season as opposed to doubleheaders in non-conference games?
A: "You know, it's a unique thing that the teams we're playing, recommended that we play single games, which we would prefer single games over doubleheaders. The single games allow us to play that nine inning ball game, so it just happened to work out that way this season. We would prefer all single games. It's more of a Division I-type model, but you know, we do like the single game model of nine inning games."
Q: Talk about little about your first opponent, MSU Billings. What do you expect from them this year?
A: "I think a lot of the teams we're playing, especially MSU Billings, they graduated a lot of players. There's going to be a lot of new faces with a lot of the teams we play. They (MSU Billings) is coming off a very successful season last year as they advanced to NCAA Regionals. They opened this past weekend with four games in three days at Cal State-San Bernardino. They are going to have four games under their belt when they come to Pueblo this week. It is always a good battle when we play them. Coach Waddoups does a fantastic job getting his players prepared and we're excited about the opportunity to play them this week."
Q: Some of your big non-conference games are on the road this season as after playing a five game series at home against Northwest Missouri State, you travel to play back-to-back weekends at Cal Poly-Pomona and Northwest Nazarene, who advanced to the Division II World Series last season. Can you talk more about your non-conference schedule this season?
A: "Well, we have a strong conference and the best way for us to compete in our conference is to make sure we're battle-tested in our non-conference schedule. So, we've got some really good non-conference opponents this season. MSU Billings was a regional team, Northwest Nazarene was a World Series team. So, we're excited about playing those teams and making sure that we're prepared once we jump into our RMAC schedule."
Q: Looking at the Preseason All-RMAC Team, it appears that a lot of teams in our league have lost a lot of good players from last season. Can you talk about what you expect out of the RMAC this season?
A: "You know, it's going to be a mystery. You know. Every year is going to be a little different. When you graduate that many players, you graduate some culture that goes along with it, just like us where we're tooling our team. But we got quite of few core guys, so I feel like our cultures in place. I can't speak for other teams, but those are always the challenges I think in a program, making sure that the new players kind of gravitate to what's expected of them in the new standards of the program. We're excited about the guys that we have and obviously, we can only control what we can control in our clubhouse, and we're excited to get on the field and mix it up with some of those guys."
Q: Coach, what are some keys to the season for your team?
A: "Well, in the RMAC, the offense is so big. But if we can pitch it and play catch, we're going to put ourselves in a position where we got a chance to win some one-run games. I feel like our pitching's got a chance to keep us in some tight games where our offense has an opportunity to manufacture some runs late and hopefully put us on the winning side of one-run ball games."
Q: Talking about the RMAC, how much stronger do you think the league has gotten over the last few years? The RMAC is in the same region as the Lone Star Conference with teams like Angelo State, UT-Tyler, and West Texas A&M that have a lot of pedigree.
A: "Well, I'll tell you, our conference is comprised of a lot of players from the West Region, and our West Region doesn't include a lot of Texas. It's more California and Arizona. There's some really good baseball in those regions, so we have a lot kids from those areas, not only in our program, but in our conference that can really play. We're just looking for the opportunity to compete on a national stage and prove and show that our league and our team belong in those conversations."
Q: Another big key for our team last year was speed as we stole 112 bases, including having five players record double-digit in steals. With that in mind, you were really good at taking that extra base, so do you think the running game will be this season?
A: "Well, stealing second is part of our offensive philosophy. We're going to try to create havoc on the bases. We're going to get out of the box hard. We're going to look for that extra ninety feet every time we can get it, force teams to play catch on us. Our team speed, I feel, is one of our strengths in our program this year. So, what we lack in power, our team speed makes up for that. So, I suspect that we have a chance to be really good in the doubles column this year (The Pack was second in the RMAC with 140 doubles in 2025), both regionally and nationally, but we'll challenge for some stolen base chances, as well."
Q: Coach, you are entering the fifth season as the head baseball coach at your alma mater (Applegate played for the Pack in 1994 and 1995 and was named the Colorado Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year in 1995 and was an assistant coach on the school's 1996 Division II World Series team) and since you've been here, you've changed the culture of the program. Do you feel like the culture you've developed is on pretty solid footing heading into this season?
A: "Our culture is based on our standard. We're going to be on time. We're going to hustle. We are going to give great effort. We're going to execute the game with exactness as best we can. When our players have success, you know, it allows us to open the doors to recruiting. If players are looking to get coaching and want opportunities to play in a successful program, I think this is a program that guys will start looking to a lot more than they did in the past. Regarding past cultures, it's changed quite a bit. I mean, college athletics has changed a lot in the last five years. And we're just trying to keep up and adjust and try to be as competitive as we can be as a program."
Q: Coach, can you talk about how the weather and the altitude in Colorado plays a role on your team and the teams you face during the season?
A: "Well, when we can get outside, it's just not going to be very warm. When we get out there, it's different. We've got a handful of kids, like I said, that are from California and Arizona that probably didn't even own a pair of sleeves until they got out here. So learning how to layer up, learning how to manage some cold on occasion is important, because that's something that they've never had to battle before. We try to get outside as much as we can, trying to condition the mind and the body, and making sure that they can compete for all nine innings through any type of weather conditions that we're battling. And to be quite honest, the RMAC is a unique conference regarding altitude. We're probably about five percent of all college athletics that's competing over a thousand feet in elevation. And our elevation's over 4,200 feet. So that makes us a unique conference in that regard. We've got to play a little different style of baseball. It's a great challenge and the guys love it. It's fun baseball."
Q: One of the highlights of the Pack Baseball schedule every season is the annual Pack the Park Game, which is usually held late in the season, but this year, it will be held on Friday, April 10 at Runyon Field against New Mexico Highlands. Pack the Park is always a big event on the schedule. Coach, can you talk about moving the event a little earlier in the season this year?
A: "Pack the Park is a great event established by Coach Stan Sanchez and Art Gonzales, and it's just something where we get the play our local, community field, Runyon Field, and we try to bring in as many people as we can. We do a free baseball clinic in conjunction with the game. Typically, it's a Friday where we can get the most kids out there. So, this year, we decided to move it so it would benefit our players by having the greatest number of fans, but also the greatest number of kids who can attend our clinic. We're excited about that. I hope that the weather plays in our favor. Highlands has a new coach in Steve Jones, who left for a little bit and has returned this season to the Cowboys. It'll be a great series, and I think it'll be a great weekend for baseball. It's one of the biggest events in our community, where our university and our community engage in something special. Typically, we'll have almost 700 kids at the clinic and get about 2,000 fans at the game. It's a great environment and our players love it."
Q: Coach, this past Saturday, you hosted the program's annual First Pitch Dinner, can you talk about how special that event was for your program?
A: "The event was an exciting opportunity to introduce our team to our community and our fans. This year, instead of bringing in guest speakers for the event, we had the privilege of honoring the 30th anniversary of our 1996 College World Series team. We were able to get a handful of guys from that team that returned to campus. We were able to honor them, and they were able to share some good stories and great memories about those opportunities those players went through. And to be honest with you, I think it's great for our program and our player to just know who the players are that we stand on their shoulders of those that established the tradition of winning and the expectations of winning in our program."
