SERIES HISTORY WITH MSU BILLINGS
Colorado Mesa and Montana State Billings have met up in six of the last seven seasons with the Mavericks owning a 23-7 record all-time against the Yellowjackets. The first meeting came back in 2013 with all 30 matchups coming in Grand Junction at either Suplizio Field, Canyon View Park or The Diamond at Hamilton Ballpark.

In last season's series, the Mavericks took three of the four games dropping the series finale. The average margin of victory in the Mavericks three wins was eight runs.

Colorado Mesa has won every series except for a series split in 2017. 

SCOUTING THE YELLOWJACKETS
The Yellowjackets are 6-5 to start the young season and will be facing their third straight RMAC opponent this week. MSU Billings won the series against both Cal State San Bernadino and Regis but was swept by CSU Pueblo in between.

River Smith is the Yellowjackets leading hitter early in the season. He is hitting .410 with six doubles and 11 runs driven in. He went 9-for-16 in the Yellowjackets series win over Regis.

Sam Coxen and Brennen Chappell lead MSU Billings with 17 strikeouts in their three starts a side. Coxen will likely pitch game one of the series while Chappell will throw game two of the series.

THE RETURN
Colorado Mesa welcomed back their All-American outfielder Cameron Cartwright last weekend. The Parker, Colo. native missed the first weekend along with the first game of the series against Quincy with an injury. That injury was thought to keep him on the bench until the start of the conference schedule in March.

Cartwright was missing some rhythm and timing but finished the weekend with three hits including a double and two runs scored despite the limited batting practice leading up to the series. 

TSE FOR TWO
Redshirt freshman Trever Tse has emerged as the everyday second baseman with incumbent seemingly moving over to the hot corner for the long term. Tse had a strong weekend in his first games in uniform at The Diamond at Hamilton Ballpark.

In the series with Quincy, the Poway, Calif. native started three of the four games but made an appearance in all four games. He batted .500 (7-for-14) with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored and five runs driven in. He finished the weekend with an OPS over 1.400.

For the season, he is batting .357 with an OPS .955. 

THICK AS THEIVES
Colorado Mesa has opened the season by averaging 10 stolen bases per four game series. The Mavericks are 20-for-23 stealing bases so far with 14 of those stolen bases coming last weekend against Quincy. 

The program record for stolen bases in a season is 143 which came during the 2013 season. We will stay on the lookout if the stolen base trend continues throughout the season.

THE ESPINOZA EXPRESS 
Junior Rafael Espinoza has earned starts in the first two weeks of the season and has given a fairly consistent result in both outings. He has allowed four hits in both starts and a total of five runs for a team best 4.82 ERA among starters. He is tied for the team lead in strikeouts with nine.

The Imperial, Calif. native has pitched nine and a third innings and allowed five runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out nine in his two starts.

Espinoza is in his first season with the Mavericks after stops at Fort Hays State and more recently Division I Seattle University. 

FERGALICIOUS
Senior Sage Ferguson seems to have emerged as the top target to be the team's closer this year. He leads the team in appearances and has been the final pitcher on the mound in three of those four appearances.

On the season, he has allowed one run on five hits and struck out eight in five innings pitched. He doesnt have a save yet with the lone save belonging to CJ Zwahlen who picked up a three inning save against Quincy last weekend. 

Ferguson pitched two innings in the series opener last weekend in Grand Junction and recorded five strikeouts. 

MAVERICKS IN MILB
The Colorado Mesa baseball team currently has seven players competing at some level of professional baseball. All seven finished in the minors with one of them seeing action in Major League Baseball during the 2025 season. Check out the full list of Colorado Mesa Baseball Alums and ways to follow along on their professional journey:

Bligh Madris (2015-18) // St. Louis Cardinals
Kyle Leahy (2016-18) // St. Louis Cardinals
Haydn McGeary (2019-22) // Chicago Cubs
Spencer Bramwell (2018-22) // Miami Marlins
Caleb Farmer (2018-22) // Washington Nationals
Andrew Morris (2019-21)  // Minnesota Twins
Andrew Pogue (2025) // Detroit Tigers

RMAC DOMINATION
Colorado Mesa won its 13th straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title in 2025 and is looking for more. The Mavericks have won 28 overall regular season titles and 23 tournament titles after winning their third straight last season.

Since 2009, Colorado Mesa has won 82 percent of their games against RMAC competition as they have a 504-110 record in that span prior to the season.

THE BEST AROUND
Two seasons ago, head coach Chris Hanks eclipsed the 1,000 win mark in his career. He is one of just 17 head coaches across NCAA Baseball that is over the 1,000 win mark and is fourth in wins in NCAA Division II of active head coaches.

Top-10 Division II Active Head Coaches by wins
1. John Schaly (Ashland) - 1,352-742 (39 seasons)
2. Greg Guilliams (Flagler) - 1,214-601 (36 seasons)
3. Jeff Messer (Slippery Rock) - 1,154-760 (40 seasons)
4. Chris Hanks (Colorado Mesa) - 1,117-430 (28 seasons)
5. Joe Urso (Tampa) - 1,067-297 (26 seasons)
6. Jim Gantt (Catawba) - 1,040-516 (30 seasons)
7. Greg Appleton (Columbus State) - 998-528 (29 seasons)
8. Tim Mead (Walsh) - 959-970 (42 seasons)
9. Paul O'Neil (UNC Pembroke) - 897-560 (30 seasons)
10. Pat Dolan (St. Cloud State) - 891-456 (27 seasons)

NCAA Active Head Coaches with 1,000 wins
1. Paul Mainieri (South Carolina) - 1,533
2. John Schaly (Ashland) - 1,352
3. Dave Van Horn (Arkansas) - 1,304
4. Elliott Avent (NC State) - 1,295
5. Greg Guilliams (Flagler) - 1,214
6. Rich Hill (Hawaii) - 1,208
7. Jeff Messer (Slippery Rock) - 1,154
8. Chris Hanks (Colorado Mesa) - 1,117
9. Steve Owens (Rutgers) - 1,075
10. Rick Heller (Iowa) - 1,074
11. Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt) - 1,070
12. Joe Urso (Tampa) - 1,067
13. Mike Bianco (Ole Miss) - 1,049
14. Jim Gantt (Catawba) - 1,040
15. Augie Schmidt (Carthage) - 1,032
16. Rich Maloney (Ball State) - 1,024 
17. Yogi Lutz (Alvernia) - 1,021

COLORADO MESA TURNS 100
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.

Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
 
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com
 
MAVS ON THE RMAC NETWORK
The RMAC Network has moved to a pay-pre-view model for the upcoming 2025-26 season.  This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them with access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
 
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.