CMU Baseball Begins Defense of Conference Championship

The Colorado Mesa Mavericks baseball team is set to begin defense of it's most recent RMAC Championship when they host Colorado Christian this weekend at Suplizio Field.

The Mavericks are off to a good start, having started the season against three nationally ranked opponents. The Mavs are 8-2 with a two-game sweep of UC San Diego, and taking three of four from Dixie State and Cal Baptist.

The Mavericks, as they are pretty much every year, were the pre-season pick of RMAC coaches to win the conference. That poll generally reflects the success or lack thereof the previous season. The Mavs went 31-7 in conference play on the way to an overall record of 47-13.

The Mavericks' team will look very different this season compared to the team that played in the national championship game last year. Only two position player starters who were regular starters return -- Kevin Mitchell at first base, and catcher Austin Wallingford. The Mavericks lost Austin Kaiser and Garret Carpenter to graduation, shortstop Nate Robinson was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, and at least three other eligible players did not return this season.

The pitching staff will have an air of familiarity however, with Matt Delay, Matt Allen, and Ryan Reno all returning. The trio  was a combined 19-4 last season. Reno is a pre-season all-conference selection, while Delay was selected as the RMAC Pre-Season Pitcher of the year. Other pitchers who saw significant playing time last year that return in 2015 include Dakota Behr, Tyler Ehlers, and Trent Allianic.

Head Coach Chris Hanks returns for his 17th season with the Mavericks. Hanks has led the Mavs to 12 NCAA tournament appearances, and ten RMAC titles.

Though the weather is questionable for the weekend, the Mavs are scheduled to face Colorado Christian at 3:00pm Friday, noon on Saturday (doubleheader), and noon on Sunday.