Since 2012, the Maverick baseball team has been the standard in the RMAC, having never finished anywhere below the top. Despite the long standing conference dominance, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) hasn’t advanced past the NCAA super regional since 2019, a year in which they were runner-ups. Last season, the Mavericks played host to the NCAA regionals. In that double elimination tournament, they went 0-2, being swept.

“I think getting used to being around the team and learning how things go last year, and figuring out the whole process of what it means to be part of Mesa baseball was kind of the learning thing last year, and this year, I just felt more comfortable being myself within the structure of the team,” said senior transfer left handed pitcher Caleb Ruter.

Last season, Ruter had a stellar year, going 5-1 in his nine starts. He was second on the team in strikeouts with 62, which leads all pitchers playing this year. His sole loss came in one of those NCAA regional games, where he went six innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs. The pitcher who topped Ruter in strikeouts last season, Cole Seward, is out for the season, suffering a year-ending shoulder injury before the campaign.

“I just think that we lost, as far as position players, like Rob Sharar and Jonathan Gonzalez, and those are obviously big pieces from last year but I feel like we returned a big core of the lineup, and then even in the pitching staff, we’re returning most of our innings and a lot of our key position guys from last year. And so along with all the new guys that we have this year, we’re pretty excited about where we’re at,” said Ruter.

Despite the loss of one of their aces, CMU returns a lot of their production from last year. Junior outfielder Kolby Felix was listed on the RMAC preseason players to watch list. Despite injury keeping him in the dugout for the first 14 games last year, Felix hit .414 over the course of the season, a mark which led the team. In addition to the batting average, Felix’s .931 slugging percentage topped the team. He also chipped in 15 home runs, good for second on the team. The only Maverick to leave the ballpark more often was then senior Rob Sharar, who graduated last spring.

“It means a lot. I mean, people are kind of looking at me from a national standpoint. That’s awesome, but I also have to be humble in a way, not really let it get to my head. I’m here for a reason,” said Felix.

Ruter’s excitement is shared widely, both in conference and national polls. In the RMAC preseason poll, the Mavericks were picked yet again to win the RMAC, earning all eight possible first place votes, equalling 64 total points, a full 18 points ahead of second place. In the two major national polls, the Mavericks saw themselves in the top 10. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers association slotted the Mavericks as the 10th best team in the nation, with D2baseball.com naming them the seventh best team in the land.

“I don’t think there’s a limit just yet. I mean, when you were talking about how many guys have returned, I think it was like 96% of the pitchers back. I mean, that’s huge, there’s really no holes that we’re gonna have […] it should be a really good year,” said Felix.

To start the season, CMU traveled to Pomona, California for a four game series. Unfortunately, due to rain in southern California, the series was shortened to just three games. In those three games, the Mavericks got off to a 2-1 start, only allowing nine runs in the whole series.

“I think it’s a good barometer, because we know they’re a good club. We’re on their turf, and we’re going to be on the road for the first three weeks against all very good opponents, so we’ll be tested. And then the question is, are we ready for that, you know? And I think we are. I think we have the character and athleticism and the quality of players that should be able to do fine, but I don’t think it’s going to be easy,” said head coach Chris Hanks.

Last year Mesa’s pitching was a big weakness for a good part of the year, allowing 10+ runs in 14 games. Through the first three games, the team is boasting a 1.73 earned runs average, and a walk or hits per inning pitched sitting at one. The team also tossed 24 strikeouts and only six walks between them.

“We did a lot of things [different] going back to the fall. We changed a lot in the way we train. I think these guys would know that. I mean, we charted everything this year, from the strike percentage to execution of pitches in different counts. All the guys know their velocity ranges with all their pitches. And it really comes down to the guy who starts the game just keeping things in order out the gates,” said Hanks.

The road trips don’t end anytime soon for Colorado Mesa, as they still have eight games away from The Diamond at Bus Bergman Sports Complex. Once they do return, however, they’ll face the Montana State University-Billings Yellowjackets. First pitch is at 2 pm on Thursday, Feb. 27.