LAST WEEKEND
Colorado Mesa took three of four games from No. 16 Dixie State in the opening weekend of the season. The Mavericks hit .342 in the series and hammered out 13 doubles while averaging eight runs per game. The pitching staff limited the Trailblazers to just over five runs per game and a .322 batting average.
SCOUTING THE YELLOWJACKETS
Montana State - Billings dropped a short three game series to Colorado Mines to open up their 2017 campaign. The Yellowjackets were picked to finish third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference behind Northwest Nazarene and conference stalwart Western Oregon. Outfielder Casey Merritt was named the GNAC Player of the Week after batting .636 in the opening weekend.
HOME OPENERS
The Mavericks are 3-2 in their last five home openers. They defeated Nebraska-Kearney 6-5 in last season's opener at Suplizio Field. Their two losses came in 2013 and 2015 to Montana State - Billings and Cal Baptist respectively.
BACKSTOP
Senior
Kyle Serrano has turned himself into one of the top catchers in the nation. After the first weekend, he didn't do anything to hurt that reputation, going 10-for-18 with two doubles, a grand slam and six runs scored.
WELCOME BACK BLIGH
Do everything
Bligh Madris did just that in the opening weekend...everything. He batted .474 with five doubles and six runs driven in while in the final game of the weekend recorded the save with the bases loaded and none out with a one-run lead.
ONE OPPORTUNITY
Senior Matt Haggarty made good use of his lone start on the weekend. Haggarty went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs and hit a mammoth two-run home run to left field.
HOMESTAND
This upcoming weekend marks the first of two 12-game homestands for Colorado Mesa this season. The second comes at the end of March.
ALUMNI UPDATE
2015 Colorado Mesa Maverick Sergio Romo recently signed a one-year, three million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Romo spent the first nine seasons of his big league career with the San Francisco Giants and was recently named to the World Baseball Classic roster for Team Mexico, his second WBC appearance.
PRESEASON ALL-RMAC
Colorado Mesa had four players named to the Preseason All-RMAC team. Sophomore
JR McDermott was named the RMAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year while his catcher
Kyle Serrano was also named to the team. Infielders
Zach McLeod and
Andrew Contreras were also named to the team.
OTHER PRESEASON TEAMS
JR McDermott was also named to the NCBWA Preseason All-American First Team after his tremendous freshman campaign.
Kyle Serrano and
Zach McLeod were each named to the NCBWA Preseason All-South Central Region Team as well.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Mavericks are currently ranked in the top 16 in the four major national polls. They are as high as No. 8 in the Prefect Game poll and as low as No. 16 in the D2Baseballnews.com poll.
ON DECK
Colorado Mesa will be at home for the second straight weekend when they host nationally ranked Cal Baptist in a four-game series beginning on Thursday February 23. The Mavericks took 3-of-4 from the Lancers a year ago in Riverside, Calif.
