SERIES HISTORY
Colorado Mesa owns a 93-26 record all-time against the Rangers with scores dating back to the 2000 season. The Mavericks have won 20 of their last 21 matchups with the lone loss coming in the game three of last season's series in Grand Junction.
Colorado Mesa took three of four from the Rangers in 2022 with that series taking place at The Diamond. The Mavericks averaged over 10 runs a game during that series.
The last time the Mavericks lost a series to the Rangers came in 2004 when the Rangers took three of four from Colorado Mesa in Denver when they boasted a pair of all-Americans.
SCOUTING THE RANGERS
Regis features one of the top hitters in the RMAC in Matt Marlow. The senior is batting .466 with four doubles, a triple and two home runs with a team-high 30 runs driven in. Last weekend against MSU Denver, he had a game where he went 5-for-6 with five runs scored and six runs driven in.
Sophomore Brady Gilmore isnt having the sophomore season he had hoped for but has plenty of time to get it on the right track this weekend. He is still the ace of the staff with a 2-1 mark on the year and gave teams fits during his freshman campaign.
Ethan Sloan is a lefty out of the bullpen to keep an eye on. He has 40 strikeouts in 22 and two-thirds innings pitched.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Just call'em the Bergman Bombers, both of them.
Both the Colorado Mesa baseball and softball teams lead the country in slugging percentage. The baseball boys lead the country with a .630 slugging percentage which is five points higher than second place MSU Denver while softball girls lead the country at .679 which is six points higher than second position Mississippi College.
Harrison Rodgers leads a group of three players north of a .700 slugging percentage at .796 while the softball team is led by sophomore sensation Rylee Crouch who leads the country in slugging at 1.108.
When you make it out to the Bus Bergman Sports Complex, you are going to see some offense.
STAKING CLAIM
Junior Robert Sharrar began the season platooning with Paul Schoenfeld in centerfield. Recently, Sharrar has staked claim as the everyday centerfielder after back-to=back strong weekends at the plate. In the two series with Mines and Colorado Christian, Sharrar batted .424 with a triple and three home runs while playing a stellar centerfield.
For the season, the Newbury Park, Calif. native is batting .395 with five home runs and 21 runs driven in.
ITS HOW YOU WIN THE GAMES
It's no secret in baseball that scoring runs is how you win games. Julian Boyd and Harrison Rodgers are doing that better than anyone in the conference and sit at No. 3 and No. 4 nationally. Boyd averages 1.60 runs per game (43 total runs) while Rodgers is just a tick behind at 1.59 runs per games (40 total runs).
Some would ask what the best way to score runs, well it sounds simple but you need to get on base. Boyd is one of the best players in the country at doing that as he reaches over 56 percent of the time he goes to the plate. He has a .442 batting average and has 23 walks which is second-best in the conference currently.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore pitcher David Craig was named the RMAC Pitcher of the Week for his performance last weekend against Colorado Christian in his first start of the season.
The College of San Mateo transfer allowed just four hits, walked three and struck out five in six shutout innings. He didnt allow an extra base hit and combined with Jacob Rhoades for the first shutout of the season for Colorado Mesa.
For the season, the Highlands Ranch native is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 16 and a third innings with 19 strikeouts against 12 hits.
PRO MAVS
The Mavericks had three players drafted last season with Andrew Morris, Haydn McGeary and Spencer Bramwell all getting selected in the MLB Amateur Draft. Since 2003, Colorado Mesa leads all Colorado state colleges with 18 MLB Draft picks in that time.
1. Colorado Mesa 18
2. Air Force 10
3. Lamar CC 9
4. Regis 8
5. Northern Colorado 7
6. CSU Pueblo 5
7. MSU Denver 5
8. Trinidad State 4
9. Northeastern JC 4
10. Mines 3
Andrew Morris was the highest selection during that time as he went in the fourth round to the Minnesota Twins this past June while Bligh Madris was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth round in 2017 as the only top ten round selections. Madris was recently dealt to the Houston Astros after making his MLB debut last June.
Probably the most famous Maverick that is included in the list is Sergio Romo who was selected in the 28th round of the 2005 draft by the San Francisco Giants. Romo went on to win three World Series rings with the Giants.
NOT ONLY TEAM OF THE DECADE
The Mavericks were deemed the team of the decade after finishing the decade with the best record in all of NCAA Division II Baseball. But they have also been the best in DII over the last five years. Colorado Mesa has a .792 winning percentage (243-64) in the last five seasons which tops 2022 National Champion North Greenville (.784), South Central Region rival Angelo State (.773), Central Missouri (.763) and Tampa (.762).
Since 2017:
Colorado Mesa 243-64 (.792)
North Greenville 236-64-1 (.784)
Angelo State 235-69 (.773)
Central Missouri 229-71 (.763)
Tampa 208-65 (.762)
Minnesota State 202-65 (.757)
Illinois-Springfield 213-68-1 (.755)
Southern New Hampshire 210-68 (.755)
Augustana 224-77-1 (.742)
Azusa Pacific 204-77 (.726)
RMAC DOMINATION
Colorado Mesa has won ten straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles and are the conference coach's selection to win it for an 11th season. Since 2009, Colorado Mesa has won nearly 81 percent of their games against RMAC competition as they have a 389-92 record in that span.
