A Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title run is on the horizon. But it’s not just the Colorado Mesa University baseball team who find themselves at the top of the conference. Colorado School of Mines (CSM) are making their push to knock off the Mavericks, who were picked unanimously to win the conference.
Entering the weekend, CMU was trailing Mines in the standings. The Orediggers took two from the Mavericks on April 8 and 9, scoring a combined 25 runs in both games. CSM has quite the power punch this year, with three of their top hitters in the top five for home runs in the RMAC. It’s quite the surge by Mines, who last year finished second in the RMAC with a 21-15 record. They are a mere three wins away from matching that total, and their elite offense might just get them there.
CMU is looking to secure their 13th RMAC title and their seventh straight RMAC championship. With Mines ahead of them and MSU-Denver nipping at their heels, the talent is there from opposing teams to end the streak.
The Mavericks still lead the pack in terms of earned run average with a 4.87 mark and they continue to be the best at limiting opposing offenses. The CMU staff ranks first in the conference in opponent batting average. Kyle Leahy had a couple starts that inflated his ERA to 4.20 in 60 innings, but is coming off a dominant complete game against Regis, where he pitched like a true ace. Hitting his corners and working through two-out singles, it showed why Leahy is more than capable of leading this staff.
The pitching staff hasn’t been able to find that same consistency they featured last year, and it’s always tough to repeat that kind of success. Their team ERA (4.18) is a full run above what the mark was last year, which was 3.18. Chris Ramirez has pitched some gems, and Reagan Todd has been a welcome addition, leading the team in ERA at 3.71 and three complete games. The starters have had some bumps along the way, but their control and location against Regis this past weekend showed why they are still a tough group to overcome.
CMU has played nine more games away from home, where they sport a 12-9 record. That can be tough for any team to overcome, but the Mavericks have fought their way through the demanding road schedule.
Hunter Douglas has been a force atop the Maverick lineup. Batting leadoff and playing a sound centerfield, Douglas has hit at a .414 clip, an average good for third in the conference. He’s also getting on base at a high rate with a .515 on-base percentage. It’s the type of surge the Mavericks were lacking at the beginning of the year, and one Douglas has provided as he’s forced himself into the everyday lineup.
The hitting has kept on pace with last year’s production. The Mavericks hit 68 home runs last year and sit at 30 this season. CMU continues to show a disciplined approach at the plate, mustering 155 walks, but have had trouble driving in key runs in certain situations. The team has shown timely hitting, and it’s something that will eventually start to click. With the RMAC featuring plenty of talented arms, it’s tough to expect five to 10 runs a game every night.
With 12 games left remaining until the RMAC tournament, it’s pivotal for the Mavericks to fine tune their game to repeat as RMAC champions. Luckily for CMU, eight of those 12 games are at home, a welcome stretch after a month’s worth of road games.
An upcoming series against Mines might just determine who will take the RMAC crown this season. The Mavericks will play the Orediggers in Golden on April 27-29 for a four-game series.
These home games will be a nice stretch for CMU, but it’s possibly their toughest stretch this year. With so much on the line, it’s difficult to predict an outcome. But one thing fans can be sure of: it’s going to be an exciting finish to the 2018 baseball season.
