LAST GAME RECAP
Colorado Mesa used a seven-run second inning to propel themselves to an 11-4 win over NYIT in the opening round of the NCAA Divison II Baseball Championships in Cary, N.C. Trevin Reynolds secured his fourth win of the postseason after pitching six innings to earn the quality start. The Mavericks got timely hitting from Caleb Farmer, Spencer Bramwell and Josh Shapiro who all had multiple hits in the opener. 

REYNOLDS WRAP
Junior Trevin Reynolds put the wraps on the NYIT offense in game one as he has done in his other starts during the postseason beginning with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament. The Las Vegas native is now 4-0 in four postseason starts with a 1.24 ERA and a .178 opponents batting average. He has struck out 29 batters and walked eight in 29 innings pitched. 

FROM THE 9-HOLE
Senior Josh Shapiro continues to excel from the bottom of the order. In game one of the tournament, the Salt Lake City native went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three runs driven in. In the postseason, he is batting .471 with four doubles, a home run and nine runs driven in with an OPS north of 1.200.

This season, Shapiro is batting .371 (36-for-97) from the 9-hole in the lineup. In all other spots in the order, the senior is hitting .290 (16-for-55).

MIGHTY MITE
The first home run of the NCAA National Championships came from one of the most unlikely hitters. Sophomore shortstop Chase Hamilton lifted a home run to left field that knocked off the fair pole for a two-run home run. The home run was Hamilton's fifth of the season and came on the 10th pitch of the at-bat and went 347-feet with an exit velocity of 95-mph according to the Trackman stats.

RULE BOOK SAVE
Senior AJ Landis was able to give closer Will Dixon some extended time off by pitching the final three innings of the opening game to pick up his first save of the season. Landis allowed one run on three hits, walked three and struck out three on 51 pitches. The save was Landis' fifth of his four-year career as he earned four saves during his junior season as the closer.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Freshman Conrad Villafuerte was the lone young buck to play in the first game of the National Championships. The Fountain Valley, Calif. native was 0-for-3 with a run scored as he filled in for the nicked up Haydn McGeary. Andrew Morris will likely get the start against Central Missouri on Monday. Morris, the 17-year-old freshman, enters the game with a 6-1 mark and a 3.78 ERA with opponents hitting just .211 off of him.

TONIGHT'S GAME
The Mavericks and Mules will play tonight for a spot in the National Semifinals and be one of the four remaining teams in the tournament. 17-year-old freshman Andrew Morris will likely get the start for the Mavericks. Morris, the Boulder, Colo. native, is 6-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 64.1 innings this season. Against Angelo State in the Super Regional, Morris pitched seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits, one walk and three strikeouts. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the No. 1 hitting team in NCAA Division II.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
The Central Missouri Mules are one of the most storied programs in Division II baseball having claimed National Championship titles in 1994 and 2003. Colorado Mesa has played Central Missouri before back in 2006 at a tournament in Las Vegas that was played at UNLV. The Mules claimed an 8-2 win over the Mavericks in the lone meeting.

The Mules are led offensively by All-American Erik Webb who has a batting average of .416 with 26 doubles and 20 home runs. He was 1-for-4 with a double in their tournament opener against Ashland on Saturday. He was also intentionally walked one time.

Expect Luke Lucas or Mason Green to get the ball for Central Missouri tonight. Lucas is 6-0 with a 1.88 ERA in seven starts this season. He started the game that helped the Mules clinch the Central Super Region title over defending National Champion Augustana. Green is 8-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 14 starts this year. He has 83 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched with opponents batting just .203 off of him.

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. With their win over Dixie State on Friday evening, the Mavericks made it seven straight seasons of 40 wins. 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
Colorado Mesa remained in the No. 1 slot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings and at No. 2 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association rankings after they weren't updated following the regional rounds. The only rankings that were updated came from Perfect Game who had the Mavericks slotted at No. 2 behind North Greenville. North Greenville failed to make the trip to Cary as they were defeated by Catawba in the Southeast Super Regional.

THE SKIPPER
Head coach Chris Hanks enters his 21st season guiding the Mavericks and has an impressive 882-354 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. This season he was named the RMAC Coach of the Year for the 11th time in his tenure.