PUEBLO, Colo. — Colorado State University Pueblo Baseball returns home this weekend as they host New Mexico Highlands for a four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series.
 
The two teams open the four-game set with their 21st Annual Pack the Park game on Friday, April 10, at Pueblo's Runyon Field, beginning at 6:05 p.m., before transitioning back to Rawlings Field for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 11, beginning at 1 p.m., before concluding the series with a noon nine-inning game on Sunday, April 12.
 
CSU Pueblo enters the weekend looking for some momentum in league play, as they have lost five of their last nine games, including dropping three of four games last weekend at Colorado School of Mines. The Pack is sporting a 14-19 overall record and 6-10 in league play, having lost two series, won one, and tied one so far this season in RMAC play.

After opening the Mines series by losing its first three games, the Pack closed out the series with a 10-6 win last Saturday in Golden, Colo., against the Orediggers. Since opening the season by winning seven of its first 12 games, the Pack has posted a 7-14 record and is 8-7 at home this season, including being 3-5 at home in RMAC play as they won three of four games at home against Colorado Christian and were swept in a four-game league series against third-ranked Colorado Mesa.

Historically, CSU Pueblo holds a 55-43 all-time advantage over New Mexico Highlands, including winning four of the last five games in the series. Last season, the Pack took three of four games in Las Vegas, N.M., against the Cowboys, with NMHU's lone win being an 8-7 victory in the third game of the series. The Pack leads the series, 25-23 at home and 29-20 at Highlands. The Pack, though, has won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series, and they hold a 48-38 all-time lead in RMAC match-ups.

Following this weekend's home series with New Mexico Highlands, the Pack returns to the road next weekend (April 17-19) as they travel to Denver, Colo., for a four-game league series at 30th-ranked MSU Denver.

ABOUT CSU PUEBLO
CSU Pueblo's offense continues to drive the team's success this season. The ThunderWolves enter the weekend hitting .317 as a team with 338 hits and 251 runs scored across 33 games. CSU Pueblo has also produced 64 doubles, nine triples, and 25 home runs while posting a .416 on-base percentage and averaging 7.6 runs per game, which is sixth-best in the nine-team league.

The Pack has scored eight or more runs in 16 games this season and holds a 12-4 record in those contests, while going 2-12 when scoring five or fewer runs. In last weekend's three-game series at Mines, the Pack scored 37 runs and allowed 39 runs.

Sophomore first baseman Tyler Clementz (Gilbert, Ariz./Basha) continues to pace the ThunderWolves offensively with a .379 average, appearing in 23 games and tallying 33 hits, 15 runs, 5 doubles, 12 RBI, and 7 hits by pitches.

In addition to Clementz, senior rightfielder Jeremiah Sanchez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) leads the team with 43 hits, 11 doubles, and 30 runs scored and is 6-for-10 on the stolen bases, while junior centerfielder Logan Kelly (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) is hitting .307 with 31 hits, 23 runs scored and 19 RBI.

Junior utility player Jason Arriola (Riverside, Calif./Norco) has driven in a team-high 33 runs, while hitting .277 with four home runs, seven doubles, two triples, and is 6-for-6 on stolen bases. Senior utility player George Andrews (Overland Park, Kan./Coffeyville CC) leads the team in home runs (5), slugging percentage (.597) and has a 1.029 OPS, while junior third baseman Jimmy Pelletier (Laval, Quebec/University of San Francisco) has hit four home runs and has had 20 RBI, recorded 22 hits, scored 20 runs and has a 1.087 OPS and senior second baseman Taehyung Kim (Marana, Ariz./St. Cloud State) has hit three home runs, and had 18 RBI and had walked 11 times and has a .583 slugging percentage and a 1.010 OPS.

On the mound, CSU Pueblo owns a 7.40 team ERA with 184 strikeouts in 261.1 innings pitched. The ThunderWolves currently rank third in the RMAC in ERA.

Clementz leads the pitching staff with a 4-1 record and has a 5.52 ERA in a team-high 44.0 innings and is expected to start Sunday's series finale. Redshirt senior Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway) leads the team with 29 strikeouts and has made eight starts and is 2-3 with a 7.00 ERA and has tossed 36.0 innings, while sophomore Frank Flores Jr. (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) has logged 22 strikeouts in 34.1 innings and is 2-3 with an 8.39 ERA.

Senior Alex Oliver (Grove, Okla./Coffeyville CC) is one of the top arms out of the bullpen as he has made 11 appearances and is 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA and has had one save in 10.2 innings, while senior Luke Ruby (Fort Collins, Colo./Resurrection Christian) has been effective in both starting and relief roles, posting a 4.39 ERA in eight appearances and three starts, while senior Cole Bloomer (Arapahoe, Colo./Lamar CC) is 3-1 with a 5.49 ERA and in 19.2 innings, he has tallied 14 strikeouts and eight hits and junior Jack Novak (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge) leads the team with three saves and in 28.1 innings, he is 0-5 and has struck out 20.

Defensively, CSU Pueblo ranks sixth in the RMAC with a .954 fielding percentage and leads the conference with 34 double plays, which is tops in the RMAC and fourth nationally in Division II.

Bobby Applegate is in his fifth season leading the ThunderWolves and owns a 124-119 career record at CSU Pueblo, including a 79-65 mark in RMAC play.

ABOUT NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
New Mexico Highlands enters the weekend with a 6-28 overall record and a 1-15 mark in the RMAC. The Cowboys have dropped seven straight games and 22 of their last 23 games overall, with the lone win being a 15-11 win on March 27 at UCCS. Last weekend, the Cowboys were swept in a four-game home series against MSU Denver as they were outscored 68-19 against the Roadrunners, including suffering a 29-10 loss in the series finale.

The Cowboys are hitting .300 as a team and have scored 207 runs this season. In addition, the Cowboys have hit 64 doubles, seven triples, and 17 RBI, and have a .420 slugging percentage and a .388 on-base percentage. The Cowboys are averaging 6.1 runs per game.

Junior utility player Truett Ross leads the Cowboys with a .380 batting average as he has had 30 hits, scored 17 runs, eight doubles, and has a .506 slugging percentage and a .974 OPS.

In addition to Ross, junior outfielder Jonathan Davis is hitting .346 with 28 hits and 17 RBI, while junior catcher Tamden Webb-Tate leads the Cowboys with 22 RBI and is hitting .284, and has had three home runs, and junior utility player Alex Galvan is hitting .317 with 26 hits and 12 runs scored.

On the mound, New Mexico Highlands carries a 10.86 team ERA and has allowed opponents to hit .373 through 34 games. Additionally, the Cowboys have tallied 170 strikeouts and have walked 133 in 253.2 innings of work.

Senior pitcher Ramon Brion (1-4) leads the Cowboys with 44.2 innings pitched and has made nine starts and tossed two complete games, which is tied for tops in the league. In his 44.2 innings, he has recorded 38 strikeouts, and has walked 12, and has a 7.25 ERA. In addition to Brion, redshirt sophomore Aidan Joyce has also made nine starts and is 1-6 and has tossed 35.2 innings.

The Cowboys' bullpen is led by sophomore Cadin Gates, who is 0-3 with a 5.14 ERA and has made 13 appearances and tossed 21 innings, while senior Jimi Welscher is 0-3 with a 7.92 ERA and has made 11 appearances and two starts, and in 25 innings, he has struck out 13 and walked four.

Defensively, Highlands has recorded a .939 fielding percentage and has committed 69 errors this season, and has turned 15 double plays.

Steve Jones, who is in his first season in his second stint as the Cowboys' head coach, has compiled a 556-423 record in his 18th season as a head coach. Jones spent 17 seasons from 1998-14 with the Cowboys and compiled a 550-395 record.