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PREVIEW | Baseball Heads West Again for a Four-Game Set Against Biola

2/12/2020 10:00:00 AM

By: Jake Wise - Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
This Week's Matchup
  • The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team will be on the road again this week in La Mirada, Calif. taking on Biola University.
  • This series will feature two days of double headers, beginning on Friday, February 14 at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. (MT).
  • On Saturday, February 15, the games are scheduled for 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. (MT).
Game Coverage Last Time Out
  • UCCS split their opening series of the 2020 season against Cal Poly Pomona last weekend, 2-2. The Mountain Lions scored 13 runs on 29 hits including five doubles and one home run. Junior Matt Berg and senior Matt McDermott led the charge as they each recorded six hits in the series. McDermott drove in a team high three RBI and recorded the team's only home run in the game on Friday.
  • Following suit were redshirt senior John Mallon and senior Matt Clarke with four hits each in the series. Mallon tallied one of the five doubles and one RBI while Clarke tallied two RBI. Sophomore Ryan Schmidt recorded two hits in three games of play, both of which were doubles.
  • On Friday, UCCS found themselves in an opening day classic as extra-innings were needed to decide the first game of the year. After both teams put up one run in the third, UCCS added three in sixth to take the lead. Cal Poly bounced back with one in eighth, and after UCCS added one in the top of the ninth, CPP hung three in the bottom of the inning to force extras.
  • In extras, UCCS scored one in the top of the 12th, but CPP came back with two in the bottom of the 12th to take home the win, 6-7.
  • On Saturday, UCCS bounced back with a win in the first game of the double header, 3-1, but couldn't get the second win on Saturday as they fell 1-2 in the afternoon game.
  • To close out the series, the Mountain Lions got the 3-1 win on Sunday thanks to a complete game effort from junior Jonathan Cowles.
The Series
  • This matchup against Biola marks the first time UCCS has played the Eagles. The Mountain Lions will look to start the series off on the right foot beginning Friday.
Scouting Report
  • Biola ended the 2019 season with a 29-19 overall record and finished fifth in the Pacwest Conference. The Eagles have started the 2020 season with a 4-1 record and have outscored their opponents 30-28 in five games played.
  • As a team, Biola is batting .287 thanks to 47 hits this season including eight doubles, one triple and six home runs. Defensively, the Biola pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.80 as well as 39 total strikeouts in 45 innings of action.
  • Individually, RobertAnthony Cruz leads the team in batting average (.421) hits (eight), doubles (three), home runs (two) and RBI (five). Four other players are hitting over .300 for the Eagles to start the season. Tyler Baca is hitting .389 with seven hits (second of the team), while Ben Smith Ryan Gallegos and Conner Kostecka all have six hits and are hitting .353, .333 and .300, respectively.
  • Defensively, Larson Kindreich (2-0) is the top pitcher for Biola to start the season. In two starts and 13 innings pitched, Kindreich has not allowed a run, walked only four and struck out 20. 12 of those 20 strikeouts came in his most recent start against California State University, San Bernardino.
  • The other three starting pitchers for Biola have a combined ERA of 6.27 and six combined strikeouts.
Hot Takes
  • After their first series of the year, UCCS is hitting .216 with 29 hits, five doubles and one home run. Defensively, the Mountain Lion pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.78 and 32 strikeouts.
  • Junior Matt Berg leads the team in batting average at .400, followed closely by senior Matt McDermott at .375. McDermott also owns the only home run and leads the team in RBI (three) for the Mountain Lions in the very early stages of the season.
  • The Mountain Lion pitching staff had themselves a good season debut, with junior Jonathon Cowles leading the way after a complete game win on Sunday. Cowles (1-0, 1.29 ERA) went seven innings and allowed four hits, one run (earned) and struck out four in his first appearance this season.
  • Junior Brian Marquez (1-0, 1.50 ERA) earned the other win for UCCS in the first game on Saturday as he went six innings and allowed only two hits, one run (earned) while tallying five strikeouts.
  • Senior Daniel Silva (0-0, 1.50 ERA) pitched well in a no-decision effort in the season opener on Friday, going six innings and allowing seven hits, only one run (earned) and striking out a team high nine batters. Senior Christian Manmano (0-0, 2.57 ERA) also pitched well in his start on Saturday which also ended with a no decision for him. Manmano threw seven innings and allowed nine hits, two runs (both earned) and struck out four.
Award Winners
  • After a great performance in his opening start, junior Jonathan Cowles was named the RMAC Pitcher of the Week. Cowles threw a complete game and allowed only one run on four hits with four strikeouts. The only run he allowed was in the first inning, meaning he threw six shutout innings to finish his start.
Weather
  • The forecast for this Friday and Saturday in La. Mirada, Calif. shows perfect baseball weather. On Friday, the high will be 71 degrees with clear skies and low winds. Clear skies are also forecasted for Saturday with the high projected to be 75 degrees.
UCCS Under Coach Dave Hajek
  • The Mountain Lions are now 80-76 with coach Hajek leading the team. After going 2-2 last weekend, the Mountain Lions have yet to end the first weekend of play with a losing record under Coach Hajek. In each of the last three seasons, the UCCS has gone at least 2-2 in the first series of the year.
Upcoming Matchup
  • Next weekend, UCCS will host Northwest Missouri State University in their home opener at Mountain Lion Park. This will be a three-game series as opposed to the usual four-game series.
  • The first game will be on Friday, February 21. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 22, will feature only one game, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.
  • Sunday, February 23, will be the series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. as well.
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