By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa University, the 12-time defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference baseball championships, is the unanimous preseason favorite to win the league’s 2025 regular-season title in the RMAC 2025 Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll released Wednesday.

In conjunction with the release of the preseason poll, the RMAC also revealed its Preseason Player to Watch List, recognizing 22 of the league’s top baseball student-athletes. Five returning First Team All-RMAC selections highlight the list and are joined by 13 returning second-team selections.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2025 Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
PL	Team	Points
1.	Colorado Mesa (8)	64
2.	Regis (1)	56
3.	MSU Denver	48
4.	CSU Pueblo	44
5.	Colorado School of Mines	37
6.	UCCS	25
	Adams State	25
8.	Colorado Christian	14
9.	New Mexico Highlands	11
First-place votes in parentheses. 9 points were awarded for a first-place vote, with one point less for each succeeding place. (Maximum score = 64). Coaches were not allowed to vote for their team

Regis University received the remaining first-place vote, with coaches unable to vote for their own teams, and picked up 56 points to finish second in the polling. Metropolitan State University of Denver was third in the poll with 48 points and was picked narrowly ahead of Colorado State University Pueblo, which received 44 points.

Colorado School of Mines (37 points) was picked fifth in the poll. It was followed by the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and Adams State, tied for sixth place with 25 points each. Colorado Christian (14 points) and New Mexico Highlands (11) rounded out the nine-team poll.

Colorado Mesa powered its way to a 24-8 RMAC record last season to claim its 12th consecutive title. The Mavericks then went unbeaten in the RMAC Baseball Championship for their second-straight tournament title. Senior starting pitcher Caleb Ruter, a First Team All-RMAC selection last season, returns to lead the way after posting a 5-1 record and 4.53 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched.  Colorado Mesa also returns three Second Team All-RMAC picks in senior relief pitcher Ethan Voss, junior outfielder Kolby Felix, and senior designated hitter Christos Stefanos.

Regis looks to build on its first-ever back-to-back 30-win campaigns. The Rangers scored 31 wins in 2023, followed by 32 victories in the first season under head coach Pat Jolley. Regis finished tied with Colorado School of Mines for second in the league slate with a 20-12 record and went 3-2 in the RMAC Baseball Championship. The Rangers return a pair of First Team All-RMAC honorees in senior catcher Adam Paniagua and senior outfielder Maxim Fullerton. Paniagua finished last season batting .429 with 17 home runs and 60 RBI despite playing only 38 games. Fullerton posted a .347 batting average with 10 home runs and 62 RBI in 2024. Joining that pair are redshirt senior shortstop Clayton Conn and senior outfielder Garrett Rede, who were both Second Team All-RMAC picks. 

MSU Denver tied with Adams State for fourth in the RMAC regular-season race with a 19-13 league mark and posted a 28-24 overall record last season. Senior outfielder Jesse Velders returns to lead the Roadrunners after a First Team All-RMAC season that saw him bat .460 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI. Also returning to power MSU Denver are three returning Second Team All-RMAC picks: senior starting pitcher Dylan Webber, junior second baseman Tyler Tobey, and junior outfielder Cam Yuran.

The 2025 NCAA Division II regular season schedule begins Friday, Jan. 31. The nine-week RMAC regular-season race starts Friday, March 7, with four four-game league series on tap. The top six teams after the RMAC regular season advance to the 2025 RMAC Baseball Championship on May 7-10, hosted by the regular-season champion.

RMAC Preseason Player to Watch List

Cesar Loma, Graduate Student, Right-Handed Pitcher, Adams State

• Loma returns after recording four wins in 12 starts en route to Second Team All-RMAC recognition. He struck out 59 batters in 59.0 innings pitched, both career bests.

Seth Raker, Sophomore, Infielder, Adams State

• Raker batted .359 with 16 doubles, six home runs, 50 runs scored, and 46 RBI to claim Second Team All-RMAC honors last season.

Gavin Acosta, Senior, Infielder, Colorado Christian

• Acosta returns after playing 48 games in his first season with the Cougars. He batted .276 with 11 doubles, two home runs, and 21 RBI in 2024.

Kolby Felix, Junior, Outfielder, Colorado Mesa

• Felix’s 2024 campaign saw him earn Second Team All-RMAC and Second Team ABCA All-Region honors. After missing the first month of the season due to injury, he rallied to bat .414 with nine doubles, 15 home runs, 41 runs scored, and 43 RBI.

Ethan Nunez, Sophomore, Outfielder, Colorado Mesa

• The 2024 RMAC Freshman of the Year, Nunez began his CMU career batting .366 with 13 doubles, 12 home runs, 50 RBI, and 51 runs scored. He showed off his power in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional last season with a two-homer outing against Angelo State.

Caleb Ruter, Senior, Left-handed Pitcher, Colorado Mesa

• Ruter looks to build off a 2024 outing that earned First Team All-RMAC and Second Team ABCA All-Region honors. He posted a 5-1 record in 13 appearances (nine starts) while recording 62 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched.

Ethan Voss, Senior, Right-Handed Pitcher, Colorado Mesa

• Voss, a Second Team All-RMAC and Second Team ABCA All-Region selection, was one of the Maverick's top arms out of the bullpen last season. In 18 appearances, he posted a 5-1 record with four saves. Voss’ 2.98 ERA was bolstered by 57 strikeouts in 51.1 innings pitched, with opponents only batting .253 against him.

Christos Stefanos, Senior, Catcher, Colorado Mesa

• Stefanos powered Colorado Mesa in 2024 with 12 home runs and 10 doubles en route to Second Team All-RMAC recognition. He batted .371 and had 47 RBI in his 37 games played.

Mason Andrews, Senior (RS), Outfielder, Colorado School of Mines

• Andrews' 17 home runs last season placed him third in the RMAC home run race and earned him First Team All-RMAC recognition. He finished the season batting .372 with 12 doubles, 17 home runs, 65 runs scored, and 56 RBI – finishing among the RMAC’s Top 10 in each category.

Alex Honeyman, Junior, Left-Handed Pitcher, Colorado School of Mines

• A Second Team All-RMAC pick at starting pitcher, Honeyman posted a 6-4 record while starting 13 games. He finished with three complete games to his credit and posted 60 strikeouts in 63.0 innings pitched.

Tyler  Pina, Junior, Catcher, Colorado School of Mines

• Pina earned Second Team All-RMAC honors at catcher after batting .344 in 33 games (24 starts) with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 20 runs scored, and 30 RBI. He posted a .991 fielding percentage and was charged with only two passed balls during the season.

Elijah  Borjas, Senior, Utility Player, CSU Pueblo

• Borjas returns to the ThunderWolves after earning Second Team All-RMAC and RMAC Gold Glove Team recognition in 2023 and 2024. Last season, he batted .358 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI in 50 games played. Borjas has back-to-back errorless campaigns to his credit with his last error charged against him on April 22, 2022.

Jesse Velders, Senior, Infielder, MSU Denver

• A First Team All-RMAC pick last season, Velders also earned Second Team All-America recognition from the NCBWA and D2CCA. He led the RMAC in batting average (.460, 5th in Division II), on-base percentage (.562, 4th in Division II), and slugging percentage (.860, 4th in Division II). Velders had 61 runs scored, 22 doubles, 10 home runs, 57 RBI, and 22 walks in 46 games played for the Roadrunners last season.

Dylan  Webber, Senior, Right-handed Pitcher, MSU Denver

• Webber posted a 5-3 record over 14 appearances (nine starts) and earned Second Team All-RMAC honors last season while recording 37 strikeouts in his 60.1 innings pitched.

Tyler Tobey, Senior, Infielder, MSU Denver

• Tobey was a Second Team All-RMAC and Second Team ABCA All-Region selection last season after batting .370 with 21 doubles, 39 runs scored, and 32 RBI in 42 games during his first season with the Roadrunners.

Cam Yuran, Senior, Outfielder, MSU Denver

• Yuran surpassed the 200-career hit milestone last season en route to Second Team All-RMAC honors. He missed the season's final three weeks and played only 44 games. Still, he posted a .340 batting average with 15 doubles, nine home runs, 41 runs scored, and 46 RBI.

Andrew Rodriguez, Sophomore, Right-Handed Pitcher, New Mexico Highlands

• The reigning RMAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year, Rodriguez returns after making 12 starts for New Mexico Highlands last season. He recorded a pair of victories and struck out 43 batters in 53.2 innings pitched

Adam Paniagua, Senior, Catcher, Regis

• Paniagua missed the final month of the season, but his .427 batting average, 17 home runs, 60 RBI, and .924 slugging percentage in 38 games (all starts) carried him to First Team All-RMAC and Second Team ABCA All-Region honors.

Maxim Fullerton, Senior, Outfielder, Regis

• Fullerton enjoyed a First Team All-RMAC season in 2023 after batting .347 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs, 54 runs scored, and 62 RBI.

Clayton Conn, Senior (RS), Infielder, Regis

• A Second Team All-RMAC pick last season, Conn enjoyed the best season of his Regis career. He led the RMAC in walks (40), runs scored (76), hit by pitch (20), stolen bases (34), and triples (5). He batted .354 over 56 games and had a .500 on-base percentage.

Garrett Rede, Senior, Outfielder, Regis

• Rede posted a .388 batting average and .671 slugging percentage en route to Second Team All-RMAC honors last season. He recorded 14 doubles, 10 home runs, and 62 RBI during the campaign while also notching 13 stolen bases.

Caleb Stubbings, Graduate Student, Infielder, Parker, Colorado

• After missing the season's first month, Stubbings batted .355 in 33 games with 11 doubles, eight home runs, and 30 RBI. He became UCCS’ career home run leader, finishing the season with 37 home runs.

About the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colo., with 15 member institutions across five states. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 67 NCAA Division II national champions and 54 national runners-up since 1992.