DII Report: RMAC DII baseball 2023 preview
The air is thin in the RMAC, and that leads to a lot of exciting baseball. Here's a look at the top of the conference.
I hope you have been enjoying the DII baseball fall reports and season previews. With the season already creeping so very close, today, we turn our attention to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The past few seasons in the RMAC have essentially been Colorado Mesa Country. However, MSU Denver, Colorado School of Mines and Regis have all made strides to make some noise in the standings. The Mavericks lose a ton of talent in their explosive names with several — like two-time player of the year Haydn McGeary, Caleb Farmer, and Spencer Bramwell — currently in the minor leagues. With the experience the Orediggers are returning, they can very well be a surprise team in all DII baseball.
RMAC 2023 final DII baseball standings
Colorado Mesa
Head coach: Chris Hanks
Returning player to watch: Conrad Villafuerte, OF, and Harrison Rodgers, IF. There wasn’t a lot of room to make a name for yourself when the top of the order was loaded with professional talent. Both Villafuerta and Rodgers showed the ability to make contact (hitting north of .330) and some pop; Rodgers was fourth on the team in home runs.
Pitcher to watch: Kannon Handy, LHP. Handy has been the ace of the staff and sits 88-92 mph. Also watch Jared Ure, RHP, and Anthony Durbano, RHP, as both return from Tommy John Surgery. Ure is a monster at 6-foot-5 and is up to 95 this fall. Durbano was the closer in 2021 preinjury. He sits upper 80s with a plus slider. These two will be key in the new-look Mavs lineup.
Newcomer to watch: Kennedy Hara, MIF. The freshman from Hawaii has the chance to be a special player and make a quick impact. Also keep tabs on Paul Schoenfeld, a JUCO centerfield transfer from Butler CC.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Stevenson Reynolds, 1B. He backed up McGeary at DH and Jordan Stubbings at first last year. He is a big bat that hit .365 in limited opportunities last year. Expect to see him in the middle of the lineup.
What Coach Hanks said: We lost 7 positional starters who all played since 2019. Their back-ups will finally have the opportunity to play. The strength of our team should be our pitching as we have quality and depth. We will need them to hold down the fort until our new positional group has a chance to stabilize thorough a very difficult pre-season schedule.
MSU Denver
Head coach: Ryan Strain
Returning players to watch: Ross Smith, OF, Cam Yuran, OF, Caleb Albaugh, SS, and Jake Williams, 1B. All four can get the bat on the ball, each one hitting well over .340. Smith, Yuran and Williams combined for 50 home runs, so this lineup has plenty of returning pop.
Pitcher to watch: Eric Cox, RHP. The Roadrunners closer is five saves shy of the RMAC career record. He sits 88-91, with a cutter and slider arsenal.
Newcomer to watch: Carson Brown, RHP. The transfer from Utah Valley sits 88-92 with a splitter and changeup as well and should make an instant impact.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Cody Schultz, 2B. Schultz played for Germany at the World Baseball Classic qualifier and in U23 World Cup. He has plenty of experience on the big stage.
What Coach Strain said: We're looking forward to the season with this group. We've got a lot of returning players from last year’s regional team, and hopefully we can continue our success from last year into this year.
Regis
Head coach: Drew LaComb
Returning players to watch: Matt Marlow, IF, and Colten Chase, IF. The infield duo both hit north of .360 last season with very good bat-to-ball skills (Marlow was hit by a pitch more than he struck out!).
Pitcher to watch: Ethan Sloan, LHP. Sloan commands two primary pitches in an upper-80s fastball and a plus slider.
Newcomer to watch: Mason Ashcraft, RHP. The transfer from University of New Mexico will be a weekend starter for the Rangers.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Blake Shepardson, RHP. Per Lacomb, he has the ability to be a top arm in the RMAC. I’m excited, you?
What Coach LaComb said: We are excited to see what this year’s group can do. We believe we have gotten stronger and more athletic on the position player side and have added depth to our bullpen. This team is very competitive and more confident than year’s past. The goal for this year’s group is to improve upon last year’s solid season and compete deep into post season.
Colorado School of Mines
Head coach: Robert Bales
Returning players to watch: Luke Folsom, UTIL, and Adam Houghtaling, 1B/LHP. Folsom is all over the place, playing DH, third base and being the 2022 Sunday starter. He led the nation in doubles while hitting .414 with 50 runs, 61 RBI and 15 home runs. Houghtaling was a plus in the field (only one error last season) and at the plate where he batted .417 with 16 doubles, one triple and 14 home runs.
Pitcher to watch: Kevin Zapanta, RHP. Zapanta throws from a three-quarters slot and sits right around 90, touching 95. He set the program single-game strikeouts record last season, and we all like strikeouts.
Newcomer to watch: Garrett Nielsen, OF. The Cal-Berkeley transfer is described as a hard-swinger which should fit right in in the RMAC. His younger brother Trent also transfers in from San Jose State.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Wayne Moeck, CF. Moeck has been the starting centerfielder the last two years. Bales describes him as an outstanding defender (he is) with unreal plate discipline (he walked five more times than he struck out).
What Coach Bales said: This year’s team is extremely exciting. After last year’s program historic start, we didn’t finish the way we wanted to and have nearly everyone back. I am in the spoiled position of having to make some tough decisions on who gets playing time and at bats thanks to some key newcomers. At the end of the day, the RMAC has continued to improve each year and is deeper than it’s ever been. Being one of the six teams to make the regional will be tougher than ever, much less winning the conference.
THE DII NATION PODCAST
Have you subscribed to the DII Nation Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever your favorite platform is to listen to podcasts? I’m sharing our most recent episode once again, as we were joined by a pair of former Wayne State (MI) alum that have made it to the big leagues. World Series champion Hunter Brown and 11-year veteran Anthony Bass join Bethany Bowman and I to tell their story and show the right way to make big-league dreams come true.
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