The newly anointed No. 1 ranked Colorado Mesa Mavericks will continue an eight-game home stand this weekend when they host the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys on Easter Weekend. The four-game series will begin on Thursday this week with the Easter holiday on Sunday. The Friday doubleheader will begin at a new time of 3pm with the second game to follow shortly after.
New Mexico Highlands holds onto a 12-13 record at home this year but have enjoyed the same success on the road where they are 2-11. They have a series split with Dixie State and a series win with Regis both coming at home. They have taken on some of the top teams in the region including West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian.
Cowboy Auggie Francis is one of the top sluggers in the conference. He possesses a .413 batting average with eight doubles, six triples, and nine home runs with 29 runs driven in. He had a six RBI game earlier in the year against Fort Hays State and a two home run game last weekend against Colorado Christian.
Colorado native JT Mossberg has the best numbers on the Highlands pitching staff. He has a 5.60 ERA with a 2-2 record. He picked up the win in his last two outings against Colorado Christian and Regis.
WEEKEND RECAP
Colorado Mesa swept a four-game series with the Adams State Grizzlies last weekend at Suplizio Field. The Mavericks enjoyed one of their best team statistical weekends of the year as they batted .372 and had a team ERA of 1.69. They averaged over 10 runs a game and struck out just a little over three times per game. Adams State hit .175 against Maverick pitching and averaged less than two runs per game.
RMAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Andrew Morris was named the RMAC Pitcher of the Week after his complete game shutout of Adams State. He allowed just one hit and struck out a career-high 11 batters. His one hit came in the second inning but was wiped out by a double play to end the inning. Later, he was named the NCBWA Region Pitcher of the Week.
RMAC STANDINGS
Colorado Mesa regained the top spot in the RMAC standings following the sweep of Adams State. They took over for MSU Denver who split with Dixie State at home last weekend. Also, with one win this weekend, the Mavericks will claim a spot in the RMAC Tournament which will be hosted by the regular season champion.
LANDO
Senior right hander AJ Landis enjoyed his best outing of his career in his Friday night start against Adams State. Landis pitched a career-high seven innings and tied a career-high with seven strikeouts all while allowing just one hit. He paired with Nick Cardinale and Jahred Butler on the complete game shutout.
THIEVES
The Mavericks were thieves on the bases in the series against Adams State. As a team they stole 14 bases including six in the series finale which is the most since May 28, 2017 when they stole more against Quincy in the NCAA Championships in Grand Prairie, Texas.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Freshman Tanner Garner made three starts this weekend and might be pushing for more in the future. Garner batted .818 (9-for-11) in the series with four runs scored, two doubles, a triple and seven runs driven in. He had an OPS of 2.000 and swiped two bases.
THE STREAK OF 40
The Mavericks finished last season with a 43-16 overall record making it six straight seasons that Colorado Mesa has won 40 or more games. The last time the Mavericks didn't win 40 games was in 2012 when they went 39-16 and lost in the Central Regional in Mankato, Minn. The high mark during the streak came in the 2017 season where the team won 50 games and reached the NCAA Championship Final Four that included a win over No. 1 ranked Delta State.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Mavericks moved up to No. 1 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper coach's poll and have now held the top spot in all three polls at one point during this season. They held steady at No. 2 in the Perfect Game poll and moved up one spot to No. 7 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's poll.
THE SKIPPER
Head coach Chris Hanks enters his 21st season guiding the Mavericks and has an impressive 862-351 record, the most wins from a coach in program history. The Carbondale, Colo. native won his 850th game as the Maverick skipper on March 16, 2019 in an 11-0 win over No. 9 Colorado School of Mines. He has led Colorado Mesa to three region championships, a feat that has earned him ABCA Region Coach of the year three times now. Last season, he earned his 10th RMAC Coach of the Year award while leading the Mavericks to the regular season and tournament titles.
UP NEXT
Colorado Mesa will head out on their final roadtrip of the regular season when they travel across the mountains to face an upstart MSU Denver team that is battling for the top spot in the conference. The Roadrunners are on the road this weekend, heading south on I-25 to face the UCCS Mountain Lions for four games.
