On the coattails of a 3-1 series win and a 4-0 series sweep, the Mavs have run their win streak to 13. In their last eight games, the bats have been hot, outsourcing opponents 124 to 41. With the win streak, the Mavericks sit at a 26-8, with an RMAC leading 19-1 mark.
“I think weekly preparation and good team unity[has fueled the win streak],” said head coach Chris Hanks.
The big series at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines) was highlighted by a 25-3 victory coming in just seven innings. Senior center fielder Paul Schoenfeld had a stellar game, going four-for-four at the dish with a double and a home run. That big game was just a small portion of a hot streak by Schoenfeld that saw him boost his batting average to a team best .417, which includes 13 doubles and six long balls.
“[I’ve been] staying with my timing, my rhythm and my approach. It’s just getting here early, getting on the [pitching] machines. [Hanks] has been helping me out,” said Schoenfeld.
Last year’s RMAC freshman of the year, now sophomore outfielder Ethan Nunez, has been out with an injury the better part of this season. In the first game against Adams State, Nunez went in during the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Nunez hit a grand slam to initiate the run rule, and CMU won the game in just seven innings.
“I was just trying to stay simple and stay with my normal approach. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even know the bases were loaded,” said Nunez.
\\ Jordan Messler for the Criterion
Schoenfeld hasn’t just been great offensively. His defense has been strong, with his 61 putouts leading all outfielders. He’s also been credited with only one error, leading to a .985 fielding percentage.
“Just preparation and taking good reps during practice. I’ve also been getting good reps during [batting practice],” said Schoenfeld.
In the RMAC, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) ranks third in team batting average, hitting .350 as a team. Their defense, however, has been their backbone. They top the conference in earned runs average (ERA), with the pitchers combining for a 4.13 ERA and in opponent batting average, allowing only a .251 clip. They also lead the conference in fielding percentage, with having 97.2% of their field tries not result in errors.
Bullpen pitching has kept the Mavs hot too. In the 9-7 win at Mines, senior right handed pitcher Jordan Ellison had a rough start, allowing four earned runs in just 1.1 innings. The clean-up crew of senior righty Emilio Flores, senior lefty Tyler Glowacki, junior righty Cayden Clark and senior right-hander Tristan Wolf held Mines to just three runs over the next 7.2 innings.
“We have a lot of guys, and the only time [other teams] really produce anything is when we walk people,” said Hanks.
While walks do convert to runs, the Mavericks don’t dish out too many. Walks allowed is yet another category CMU leads the RMAC in, only giving 112 free passes to first. Other pitching categories the Mavericks lead are strikeouts(268), doubles allowed(43), triples allowed(3) and home runs allowed(21).
With the 13 game winning streak on the line, CMU has a pair of back-to-back series on the road. They’ll start by heading out to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, before a Thursday through Saturday series at Regis University in Denver.
