The No. 17 Colorado Mesa baseball team (39-14) will host the NCAA South Central Region #2 Tournament this weekend at The Diamond at the Bus Bergman Sports Complex. The Lone Star Conference's West Texas A&M (39-17) and St. Edward's (30-23) will head to Grand Junction for this season's tournament. Action begins on Thursday at 3pm with the winner of the tournament headed to the NCAA South Central Super Regional at a site yet to be determined.
 
HANDY MAN CAN
Sophomore Kannon Handy has stepped into the staff ace role this season and is one of only four left handers on the staff. The Herriman, Utah native has fared well in that role going 8-1 with a 4.18 ERA and made all 13 appearances on the season in a starting role. He was named to the All-RMAC First Team and more recently to the D2CCA All-Region Second Team that was released Wednesday (May 18) morning.
 
Handy threw the first no-hitter for the program since 2006 and was one-pitch shy of the program's first perfect game.
 
BETTER OUT OF THE PEN
Sophomore Cooper Vasquez has been used both as a starter and a reliever on the mound for the Mavericks this year. The Ohlone College transfer led the California Junior College association in wins last season with nine, but the Mavericks finally have settled on a role for Vasquez.
 
The Oakland, Calif. native is 5-3 with a 6.10 ERA in 41 and a third innings with 49 strikeouts total this season between starting and relieving. As just a reliever, he is 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 19 and a third innings and has allowed four runs on 11 hits, walked eight and struck out 25. Opposing hitters are hitting just .159 off him and have recorded just two extra base-hits.
 
HOME RUN KING
Junior Haydn McGeary hit his 29^th home run of the season during the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament this past weekend and is currently the NCAA Division II leader in round trippers. But he is also tied for the collegiate lead in home runs as well.
 
Ivan Melendez of Texas has 25 home runs to lead NCAA Division I in home runs while Ryan McCarty of Penn State-Abington has 29 to lead NCAA Division III. Livan Reinoso of Tennessee Wesleyan has 29 and is the NAIA leader and Matt Schark of Jefferson (Mo.) and Derek Williams of Mineral Area CC lead the JUCO ranks with 25.
 
COMING UP CLUTCH
Colorado Mesa needed a couple of clutch hits in key moments in last weekend's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament and the Mavericks had the right guy for the right situation.
 
Junior Julian Boyd's number tell you he is one of the guys you want at the plate in key moments. Boyd is batting .500 (21-for-42) with runners on base and is hitting .800 (4-for-5) when the bases are loaded.
 
This past weekend, Boyd stepped in as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and delivered a bases loaded RBI single to center field that cut into the UCCS lead. Just an inning later, he came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied. Boyd slashed a single past the third baseman for the game-winning, walk-off hit.
 
THE QUEST FOR 40
The Mavericks are in search of their ninth straight 40-win season. The last time they didn't win 40 games came in 2012 where they reached the NCAA Central Region Tournament in Mankato, Minn.
 
The run of 40-win seasons also includes a 50-win season in 2017 and a school record 53 wins in 2019 when the Mavericks were the NCAA National Runner-up.
 
ABOUT WEST TEXAS A&M
The Buffs are making their eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season and have turned into a Lone Star Conference and South Central Region stalwart under head coach Matt Vanderburg. They enter the tournament with a 39-17 mark and are coming off a runner-up finish in the Lone Star Conference Tournament.
 
Lone Star Conference player of the year Adam Becker leads the offense with a .409 batting average. The University of Houston transfer added 21 doubles, 21 home runs and 90 runs driven in during this his junior season. He was 10-for-17 with seven home runs and 15 runs driven in during their conference tournament last week at Angelo State.
 
Nick Marshall is the staff ace as he finished the season 11-3 with a 4.43 ERA. He pitched 81 and a third innings and allowed 86 hits, walked 38 and struck out 79 in his sophomore season. The Indian Hills transfer struck out 10 in his first appearance of the year against New Mexico Highlands then had 11 strikeouts in a rivalry matchup with Lubbock Christian.
 
ABOUT ST. EDWARD'S
The Hilltoppers are making a return trip to the NCAA Tournament this season under first-year head coach Bryan Faulds. They finished the season with a 30-23 record and made a strong push towards the end of the season to earn one of the four at-large positions in the region.
 
On the mound, they feature the Lone Star Conference pitcher of the year in Wesley Gafford. The Angelina College transfer went 9-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 97 innings pitched and led the conference with 91 punch outs. He had a season-high 12 strikeouts against Permian Basin but his most impressive start came late in the season when he went six innings against West Texas A&M and allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits, walked one and struck out nine.
 
Stacey Bailey leads the Hilltoppers at the plate with a .385 average in 148 at-bats. He has 10 doubles and 13 home runs while driving in 55 runs. He had eight hits and seven runs driven in during the season-opening series with Eastern New Mexico.
 
THE WINNING WAY
As it was announced by the NCAA last year that Colorado Mesa was the winningest baseball team of the past decade. To shorten the window even more, they have the highest winning percentage since 2017 at .806. They have a higher winning percentage then some of the top programs in Division II baseball including Angelo State (.770), North Greenville (.768), Tampa (.759), and Central Missouri (.747).
 
Colorado Mesa is in search of their 41^st straight winning season.
 
THE SKIPPER
The Mavericks are headed up by living legend Chris Hanks who is the Mavericks all-time leader in wins with an overall record of 980-379 and has won nearly 72 percent of the games he has coached in. He is entering his 24^th season as the head coach and has guided the Mavericks to 17 RMAC Championships, 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and four trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
 
During his tenure, he has been named the RMAC Coach of the Year 12 times, the ABCA Regional Coach of the Year four times and was twice named the NCBWA National Coach of the Year.
 
Coach Hanks is always quick to point to his coaching staff when discussing his personal successes as the staff has been intact for the past 12 seasons with others having been on staff just as long and longer than his entire coaching tenure.
 
PRESEASON POLLS
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll was released earlier this year and once again the Mavericks were picked to win the regular season title unanimously. They received all eight first-place votes possible and will be in search of their 25^th overall and 10^th straight regular season titles. UCCS was picked second followed by MSU Denver, and Regis to round out the top four.
 
Colorado Mesa has gained national attention by being picked No. 2 in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason National Poll despite the Mavericks not making it to Cary last season. Tampa was the preseason pick to make it back to the National Championship Tournament and win it.
 
In the NCBWA Preseason National Poll, the Mavericks were picked No. 4 behind Tampa, defending national champion Wingate and Central Missouri.
 
ON DECK
If the Mavericks win the regional tournament here in Grand Junction, they would advance to their second super regional tournament in as many years the format has been this way.