By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Led by three returning First Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selections, reigning champion Colorado Mesa University was the unanimous pick as 2026 favorite as selected by the league’s head coaches in the RMAC Preseason Baseball Coaches’ Poll, presented Thursday.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
2025 Preseason Baseball
Coaches’ Poll
|
| PL |
Team |
1sts |
2nds |
3rds |
Points |
| 1. |
Colorado Mesa |
8 |
|
|
64 |
| 2. |
CSU Pueblo |
|
5 |
3 |
53 |
|
MSU Denver |
1 |
4 |
2 |
53 |
| 4. |
UCCS |
|
|
3 |
41 |
| 5. |
Regis |
|
|
1 |
32 |
| 6. |
Colorado School of Mines |
|
|
|
31 |
| 7. |
Adams State |
|
|
|
23 |
| 8. |
New Mexico Highlands |
|
|
|
14 |
| 9. |
Colorado Christian |
|
|
|
13 |
Notes:
Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their team.
8 points for a 1st-place vote, 7 for 2nd, etc.
64 points maximum in baseball |
Along with the preseason poll, the 16-person 2026 Preseason All-RMAC Team was also announced, led by the Mavericks’ outfield duo of Cameron Cartwright and Kolby Felix and starting pitcher Liam Hohenstein along with Colorado State University Pueblo starting pitcher Jacob Petershiem, who were all First Team All-RMAC selections last season.
Colorado Mesa received the maximum eight-first place votes and 64 points in the poll, in which coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team. Colorado State University Pueblo and Metropolitan State University of Denver were tied for second in the poll at 53 points each. The Roadrunners received the remaining first-place vote, while the ThunderWolves claimed five of the nine second-place votes.
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs was picked fourth with 41 points followed by Regis University in fifth (32 Points) and Colorado School of Mines in sixth (31 points) to round out the projected six-team tournament field. Adams State (23 points), New Mexico Highlands (14), and Colorado Christian completed out the nine-team poll.
Leading the Preseason All-RMAC Team is Cartwright, a consensus First Team All-American last season, returns after leading the RMAC with a .479 batting average last season while hitting 23 home runs and recording 89 RBI. Felix complimented his teammate with a .356 batting average that included 21 doubles and 13 home runs, and saw him score 72 runs.
On the mound, Petersheim finished his third full season in Pueblo with a 5-3 record and 6.75 ERA while leading the ThunderWolves with 16 appearances, including eight starts. Hohenstein posted a 4-4 record and 6.31 ERA in his 14 appearances and 11 starts last season.
The RMAC’s preseason teams are determined by placing returning players in order of head coaches’ voting from the league’s 2025 All-RMAC Teams.
The 2026 baseball regular season begins Friday, Jan. 30, with six teams in action. Conference play begins March 5-8, leading up to the 2026 RMAC Baseball Championship on May 6-9, hosted by the regular-season champion.
The RMAC’s baseball teams are looking to finish 2026 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, the host of the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship. Regional tournaments begin May 14 followed by Super Regional action the following weekend, with the D2 World Series starting May 30.
All RMAC baseball games broadcast by its nine baseball-playing member institutions 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.
With the start of the spring sports seasons just around the corner, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is presenting its third RMAC Network “Peak Pricing” sale, beginning Thursday and available until Friday, Jan. 30. During the sale, fans can purchase the final months of an annual subscription for 25% off using the code RMACSPRING26 during the purchasing process.
2025 Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Baseball
|
| Player |
School |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| Royce Vandine (H) |
MSU Denver |
C |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Pasco, Wash. |
| Evan Bilter |
Colorado School of Mines |
1B |
6-1 |
RJr. |
Pleasanton, Calif. |
| Mason Hagel-Pitt (2) |
Colorado Christian |
2B |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Arvada, Colo. |
| Kennedy Hara (2) |
Colorado Mesa |
SS |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Aiea, Hawaii |
| Erubiel Ortiz (G) |
MSU Denver |
3B |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Cameron Cartwright (1) |
Colorado Mesa |
OF |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Sun City, Ariz. |
| Kolby Felix (1) |
Colorado Mesa |
OF |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Parker, Colo. |
| Jack Moulin |
Regis |
OF |
6-0 |
RJr. |
San Clemente, Calif. |
| Ayden Tauscher |
Adams State |
OF |
6-1 |
Sr. |
Murrieta, Calif. |
| Ethan Wood |
Regis |
DH |
6-2 |
So. |
Austin, Texas |
| Liam Hohenstein (1) |
Colorado Mesa |
SP |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Castle Rock, Colo. |
| Sage Ferguson (2) |
Colorado Mesa |
SP |
6-4 |
Sr. |
Hawthorne, Nev. |
| Nolan Livsey (2) |
MSU Denver |
SP |
6-2 |
RSr. |
Engelwood, Colo. |
| Ryder Mancuso (2) |
UCCS |
SP |
6-2 |
Sr. |
Palisade, Colo. |
| Jacob Petersheim (1) |
CSU Pueblo |
SP |
6-3 |
RSr. |
Broadway, Va. |
| Jack Novak |
CSU Pueblo |
RP |
6-1 |
Jr. |
Highlands Ranch, Colo. |
| Symbols in parentheses are 2025 All-RMAC Recognitions: 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection; G - was an Gold Glove Team selection.; five starting pitchers due to a tie in voting. |
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 71 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.