Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following an exciting conclusion to the 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, two RMAC schools have landed two spots in NCAA South Central Regional Tournaments. The opening round of the NCAA Tournament features 16 regional sites and will be conducted as a double-elimination tournament. Colorado Mesa enters the NCAA postseason ranked No. 17 in the nation and earned hosting duties as the region’s No. 2 seed after closing the regular season with a 23-9 conference record. MSU Denver enters the regional round as the No. 5 seed and will travel to San Angelo, Texas, for their opening round of play.
 
The Mavericks enter the NCAA postseason with a point to prove after narrowly falling in the RMAC Tournament championship game. Led by long-tenured head coach Chris Hanks, Colorado Mesa has been a dominant force all season long, proving that once its offense gets going, it is difficult to contain. Hanks’ teams are never afraid of the spotlight and this year’s CMU program is no different as the nationally-ranked Mavs are aiming for another 40-win season. Another factor working in the Mavs’ favor is the newly finished Bus Bergman Sports Complex, where they will host their opening-round contests. Home field advantage will be crucial for Colorado Mesa as fans will surely insert themselves into the game with their prideful support.
 
CMU’s offense is led by a gauntlet of sluggers in the second, third and fourth spots, featuring Caleb Farmer, Haydn McGeary and Spencer Bramwell, respectively. That string of hitters has each blasted over 20 home runs the season, led by McGeary, who ranks first in the nation with 29 homers to date. Although Farmer, McGeary and Bramwell provide the long ball for the Mavs, Colorado Mesa’s entire batting lineup has proven effective at loading the bases for its heavy hitters.
 
After scoring a combined 548 runs this season and 44 runs throughout the RMAC Tournament, CMU has shown that it is difficult to slow down and even harder to stop once its momentum picks up. Coupled with a powerful offense, the Mavs posted several highlight-reel plays, throughout the year, on the defensive side, including multiple web gems from Caleb Farmer, whose arm has picked off multiple runners from third base.
 
The Roadrunners will square off against fourth-seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament after claiming the RMAC’s automatic qualifier, following their title run at the RMAC Tournament. MSU Denver will rely on a potent offense that ranks first in the nation for doubles (153), second in the nation for slugging percentage (.611), third in the nation for hits (642), fourth nationally in home runs (109) and 13th in team batting average (.338). Led by head coach Ryan Strain, MSU Denver cruised to the RMAC Tournament title averaging 8.2 runs per game.
 
The Roadrunners enter the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history after earning their first conference tournament title since the 2002 season. This team has shown that it is not intimidated by any program and will have the opportunity to test its mettle against an impressive Texas A&M-Kingsville program and a No. 6 nationally-ranked Angelo State team.
 
In his five short years, MSU Denver head coach Ryan Strain has constructed a program that is not afraid of a scrap. The Roadrunners went 4-1 at the RMAC Tournament on their way to the title, but that record does not tell the full story. Friday’s showdown against top-seeded Colorado Mesa was a 14-10 slugfest that ultimately went in favor of the Mavericks. Facing elimination the following day, MSU Denver’s offense came to play and exploded to a 13-3 win over No. 6 seed UCCS. Riding a wave of momentum, the Roadrunners went toe-to-toe with the Mavs for the second time in as many days, this time fighting back from a 4-2 deficit to eventually hoist the trophy with an 8-5 win.
 
When needed, Strain’s bullpen has proven to be a dominant force that can be relied on in even the most crucial moments. Despite falling behind early against the Mavericks in the tournament title game, the Roadrunners used four arms in Austin Stone, Conner Nantkes, Brandon Moore and closer Eric Cox to put an explosive Colorado Mesa team away.
 
The 2022 NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament gets underway Thursday, May 19, for the Mavericks and the Roadrunners. Colorado Mesa awaits the loser between third-seeded West Texas A&M and sixth-seeded St. Edward’s. First pitch against the Buffs or the Hilltoppers is slated for 7 p.m. MT inside CMU’s Bus Bergman Sports Complex.
 
MSU Denver will play the Javelinas Thursday at 2:30 p.m. CT at Angelo State’s Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium in San Angelo, Texas, in the opening round. Should the Roadrunners fall to Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Roadrunners will have an opportunity to face off against the top-seeded Rams on Thursday evening.