Baseball heads to Colorado Mesa for weekend series

Nationally ranked Mavs open season, Storm vie for first win

Dixie State Red Storm (0-3) at Colorado Mesa Mavericks (0-0)
Feb. 14 - 16, 2014
Sam Suplizio Field | Grand Junction, Colo.

Radio: None
Video: CMU America One (CMUMavericks.com) ($)
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | #DixieBase

Dixie State against CMU: 10-9 all-time advantage

Projected Starters:
FRIDAY: Dixie State RHP Kort Christoffersen (Ogden, UT/Weber) (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. Colorado Mesa RHP Kyle Davis (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SATURDAY (1): DSU RHP John Conquy (Las Vegas, NV/Durango) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. CMU LHP Nevin Wilson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SATURDAY (2): DSU LHP Bronson Anderson (Lehi, UT/Lehi) (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. CMU RHP Joey Danner (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
SUNDAY: DSU RHP Chance Abrath (Salt Lake City, UT/West) (0-1, 9.00 ERA) vs. CMU RHP David Johnson (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

• Dixie State entered the 2014 season unranked in every major Division II college baseball preseason poll. The Red Storm was selected second in the Pacific West Conference predicted order of finish.

• The Hurricanes pitching staff is expected to led in the starting rotation by three Beehive State residents who also pitched in the junior college ranks at USU-Eastern: Kort Christoffersen (Ogden, UT/Weber), Chance Abrath (Salt Lake City, UT/West) and Kody Christoffersen (Ogden, UT/Weber).

STARTING OUT

• Dixie State's nonconference schedule opens with formidable weekend opposition: A tough three-game sweep at Cal Poly Pomona last weekend, the nationally ranked Mavericks of Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, and the home-opening series against Montana State-Billings (Feb. 21 – 23).

• A trio of DSU hitters have led the way for the team. Drew McLaughlin (Scottsdale, AZ/Desert Mountain) carries the best batting average at .417 (5-12). Tyler Blair (Henderson, NV/Green Valley) also has five hits and a .385 average. Donald Glover (Las Vegas, NV/Legacy) is hitting .400 with three doubles and three RBI.

• John Conquy (Las Vegas, NV/Durango) and Evan Parker (Ogden, UT/Bonneville) has scoreless innings in the CPP series. Conquy scattered four hits over four innings and struck out three. Parker has punched out three batter in two dominating frames.

FAMILIAR FOE

• The Red Storm travels to Grand Junction to face the nationally ranked Mavericks in a four-game series. Colorado Mesa is ranked 12^th by the NCBWA, 13^th by D2Baseball.com, 19^th by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, and 21^st by College Baseball Lineup.

• CMU set a school record in 2013 for the lowest season ERA (3.32). Two returning pitchers, Joey Danner and Kyle Davis, combined to win 17 games for the Mavs and will pitch in the first and third games of the series, respectively.

• Offensively, three NCBWA preseason All-Americans will lead CMU. Nate Robertson, a 2013 A-A at shortstop, was a second team selection and named RMAC preseason player of the year. Third team nods went to infielder Kevin Mitchell and pitcher-turned-outfielder Garrett Carpenter.

Print Friendly Version