The top-ranked Colorado Mesa baseball team will conclude the regular season this weekend with a four-game series against the Colorado Christian Cougars at Suplizio Field. The series has been moved up one day from the regular Friday series opening format. The two teams will play a single nine-inning game on Thursday at 6:05pm followed by a seven-inning doubleheader beginning at 3:30pm on Friday. The series will conclude on Saturday with a single nine-inning game beginning at noon.
 
NINE IS FINE
Colorado Mesa won their ninth straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title with a 13-8 win in game three of the series with CSU Pueblo. The regular season title was the program's 27^th regular season title overall.
 
The regular season title gives the Mavericks the opportunity to host the conference tournament next week at home. That tournament is scheduled to begin on Wednesday May 19.
 
CHASING HISTORY
The Mavericks are chasing a bit of national history that has gained some steam in recent weeks. Colorado Mesa is averaging 13.7 runs per game which leads the country in the category. If the Mavericks keep the pace, they will shatter the NCAA record for scoring that was set in 2000 by Savannah State as they averaged 12.59 runs per game (617 runs in 49 games).
 
CHASING HISTORY 2.0
Outfielder Matthew Turner is on a trajectory to do something that hasn't been done in over 20 years as a part of the Colorado Mesa program. Turner's next home run he hits will be his 20^th of the season, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since 1997 when Chris McClure hit a school record 25 home runs. He would become just the fifth Maverick to hit 20 home runs in a season.
 
Turner currently is ranked third in the nation in total home runs with 19 and the national leader sits at 21 home runs. He is the national leader in runs per game at 1.79.
 
DOWN ON THE FARM
The Mavericks had several players selected in recent MLB Drafts but with the restructuring that has gone on in the last year, they are down to three players playing professionally.
 
Bligh Madris was selected in the 2017 draft in the ninth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is currently playing with the Altoona Curve in the Double A Northeast. The Las Vegas native is in his fourth season of minor league baseball and skipped a level during his tenure. He is a career .252 hitter in the minors with 51 doubles and 22 home runs. He has appeared with the big club in spring training hitting a home run off Brandon Workman prior to the 2019 season.
 
Kyle Leahy is beginning his second season of minor league baseball after being selected in the 17^th round of the 2018 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently playing for the Springfield Cardinals in the Double A Central Division. The Erie, Colo. product has appeared in just one game this brief season making the start in game four of the season.
 
The final player playing baseball professionally is the most recognizable name of the group in reliever Sergio Romo who is in his 16^th year of Major League Baseball. The three-time World Series Champion was drafted in the 28^th round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. He was selected to one all-star game in 2013 and is now pitching for the Oakland A's, his sixth team during his career.

Bligh Madris Baseball Reference Page
Kyle Leahy Baseball Reference Page
Sergio Romo Baseball Reference Page
 
POSTSEASON PLANS
The NCAA released their South Central Region Rankings this week with Colorado Mesa ranked No. 1 in the true initial rankings. West Texas A&M is sitting second with fellow Lone Star member Angelo State in third. MSU Denver is currently in the fourth and final qualifying slot. UCCS is ranked fifth followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville in sixth place to round out the rankings.
 
This year's four-team South Central Regional will be played at Foster Field on the campus of Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas. The NCAA is selecting predetermined host sites for their eight NCAA regional tournaments.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Colorado Christian is on the verge of qualifying for their first-ever RMAC Tournament as the currently hold a slight edge for the sixth and final spot in the standings with New Mexico Highlands and Colorado School of Mines nipping at their toes.
 
Jordan Medina leads the Cougars offensively in nearly every category including average, hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs. Medina collected six hits last weekend in the series with MSU Denver and has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games played.
 
On the mound, bullpen ace JC Watne has become one of the elite relievers in the RMAC as he has five saves with a 1.83 ERA. He has 19.2 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts and opponents are hitting just .261 off of him. He had a season-high six strikeouts in an appearance against CSU Pueblo earlier this year.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH COLORADO CHRISTIAN:
Colorado Mesa is 80-8 all-time against the Cougars that includes a 40-4 record at home in those matchups. The Cougars won the most recent matchup in the series 8-5 at Suplizio Field in 2019 but Colorado Mesa has won 33 of the past 35 matchups that dates back to the 2014 season.
 
FUN FACT:
Colorado Christian is university of choice for numerous politicians from Colorado State representatives, Colorado State senators, US Senators and even a Taiwanese politician. Chang Sho-wen, a graduate of CCU, was elected to the legislature in 2004 and reelected in 2008.
 
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Mavericks have an impressive mark at home winning over 81 percent of their games in Suplizio Field since 2005. They also have not been shutout at home in 515 consecutive games dating back to February 14, 2004 in a 3-0 loss to Western Oregon in which the Mavericks were no-hit by the Wolves.
 
30 SKIPPER
Colorado Mesa head coach Chris Hanks is in the dugout for his 23^rd season as the skipper of the Mavericks. Hanks has an 931-363 record as the head coach and is the all-time wins leader in Colorado Mesa history as well as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
He has led the Mavericks to 17 NCAA Regional Tournaments, four NCAA National Championship Tournament appearances and twice a National Runner-up. He has won the RMAC regular season championship 16 times and nine RMAC Tournament Championships.
 
900-WIN CLUB
On February 26, 2021, head baseball coach Chris Hanks won his 900^th game as the skipper of the Colorado Mesa Mavericks. He is the tenth NCAA Division II coach to reach the milestone and his .713 winning is second among those with 900 wins only trailing Mike Kennison of Delta State who has a .758 winning percentage.
 
Coach Hanks is the all-time winningest baseball coach in program history and the all-time winningest baseball coach in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference history.
 
PRESEASON RMAC POLL
Colorado Mesa was picked to win the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after receiving all eight possible first-place votes. The Mavericks are seeking their ninth straight regular season title and their seventh straight RMAC Tournament Championship later this season.
 
Colorado School of Mines was picked to finish second followed by UCCS, MSU Denver and CSU Pueblo.
 
The Mavericks were 14-4 when the season was halted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
WINNINGEST TEAM OF THE DECADE
The Mavericks will have their names etched in the record book after boasting 440 wins from 2010-2019 and will go down as the Winningest Team of the Decade. The Mavs' .753 winning percentage was fifth best during the time frame.
 
During the decade, they were one of just two schools to qualify for the NCAA Division II tournament all ten years, making three appearances in the Championships. That included a pair of runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2019. The Mavericks had a 29-22 record in the NCAA Tournament during the decade.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Colorado Mesa will host the RMAC Tournament next weekend at Suplizio Field beginning on Wednesday. Game times for the tournament will be at 10am, 2pm and 8pm for the first two days but stay tuned to CMUMavericks.com for the latest updates and when the Mavericks will be scheduled to play.