This Week's Matchup

• The University of Colorado Colorado Springs baseball team opens the 2020 season on the road in Pomona, California as they will be taking on California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly Pomona).
• The four-game series will be split over three days, with the first game scheduled for Friday, February 7 at 7 p.m. (MT).
• Saturday, February 8 will feature a double header with the games scheduled for 1 p.m. (MT) and 4 p.m. (MT), respectively. The series finale will take place Sunday, February 9 at 12 p.m. (MT).

Game Coverage

• Live stream and live stats for the series against Cal Poly can be found at the following links:
  • Live Stream: https://www.ccaanetwork.com/cpp/?B=140800
  • Live Stats: https://broncoathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Last Season

• In only their third season, UCCS finished 2019 with a 28-24 overall record and a 20-16 conference record. That conference record earned them the fourth spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and birth in the RMAC Tournament for the third straight year.
• As a team, UCCS finished 2019 batting .318 (fourth in RMAC), and accumulated 536 hits (fifth in RMAC), 122 doubles (third in RMAC), 61 home runs (fourth in RMAC) and 354 runs (fifth in RMAC).
• Defensively, UCCS posted a fielding percentage of 97 percent, ranking third in the RMAC. They also recorded the second fewest errors in the conference at 55 and turned 35 double plays, tied for the fourth most.
• On the mound, UCCS finished with a cumulative ERA of 5.82, ranking fifth in the RMAC. The Mountain Lion pitching staff allowed 457 hits, 309 runs (266 earned) and racked up 281 strikeouts (80 looking) in 411 innings of play last season.
• Individually, UCCS had three players, all returning, hit over .350 last season. Matt McDermott, Matt Clarke and Jake Anderson led the team in batting average at .384 (ninth in RMAC), .378 and .375, respectively. Clarke and Anderson ranked first and second on the team in hits with 76 (seventh in RMAC) and 72 hits, respectively. McDermott ranked third with 68.
• Clarke also led the team in doubles with 20 (third in RMAC), followed by McDermott with 18 (sixth in RMAC), while Anderson led the team in runs batted in (RBI) with 51.
• Evan Richards, also returning, led the team in home runs with 13 (eighth in RMAC), followed again by McDermott with nine.
• Focusing on pitchers, Daniel Silva, returning, was the top starting pitcher for UCCS last season as he finished with a 3.80 ERA (fifth in RMAC) and a 7-3 record (fifth most wins in RMAC) in over 87 innings pitched. Silva also led the staff in strikeouts with 57 (10^th in RMAC).

RMAC Standings

• UCCS enters the 2020 season ranked fourth in the RMAC Preseason Poll after finishing the 2019 regular season in the fourth position.
• Colorado Mesa University, Dixie State University, and Colorado School of Mines are the top three teams according to the RMAC preseason poll.

The Series

• UCCS has a slight edge over Cal Poly with their 6-5 record. The two teams have gone back and forth over the last three years, splitting the last 10 games 5-5. UCCS has won the last three games in a row, with the most recent game ending in a 12-6 win for the Mountain Lions.

Scouting Report

• Cal Poly finished the 2019 season with a 30-28 overall record, including a 23-21 record in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) which was good enough for sixth in the conference.
• The Broncos, as a team, finished the year hitting .283 (sixth in CCAA) while accumulating 534 hits (third in CCAA), 110 doubles (led CCAA), 37 home runs (second in CCAA), 327 runs scored (third in CCAA) and 306 RBI (third in CCAA). Cal Poly also stole 51 bases in 72 attempts (second in CCAA), had an on base percentage of .370 (fifth in CCAA) and a slugging percentage of .408 (third in CCAA).
• Individually, Ryon Knowles (.337) and Cesar Lopez (.323), both returning, ranked first and second in batting average for Cal Poly, respectively. Knowles also led the team in hits (68, tied for ninth in CCAA), RBI (41) and stolen bases (12, sixth in CCAA).
• Brennan McKenzie, also returning, led the team in home runs a season ago with six and finished second on the team in hits (67) and RBI (39, tied).
• Cal Poly's pitching staff finished last season with combined ERA of 5.44. In 485 innings of play, Cal Poly allowed 542 hits, 326 runs (293 earned), 192 walks, 93 doubles, 11 triples and 46 home runs. The Broncos collectively struck out 424 batters and had an opponent batting average of .285.

Hot Takes

• UCCS was ranked in the eighth spot in the South-Central Region according to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) preseason poll. Matt McDermott and Matt Clarke both received First Team All-Region nods in the NCBWA poll as well.
• McDermott and Clarke also received NCBWA Preseason All-American honors, with McDermott landing on the First Team and Clarke landing on the Third Team.
• Along with being the fourth ranked team in the RMAC preseason poll, Clarke, McDermott and Daniel Silva (Sr. P) were named as players to watch in the conference.

Weather

• The forecast for San Luis Obispo, CA this weekend shows high temperatures of 70, 68 and 60 degrees for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Clear skies are expected Friday and Sunday, with some scattered clouds on Saturday.
• Wind is expected to gust up to 13 miles per hour on Sunday, but remain under 10 miles per hour on Friday and Saturday.

UCCS Under Coach Dave Hajek

• In their first three years as a program at UCCS, the Mountain Lions are 78-74 under coach Dave Hajek. They have made the RMAC Tournament all three years under coach Hajek and have improved their record each year as well.
• Entering his fourth season as head coach, Hajek will look to again have his team improve their record and make a deep run in the RMAC Tournament.

Upcoming Matchup

• Next weekend, UCCS will again be on the road 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. (MT) and 3 p.m. (MT), respectively.
• The games on Saturday, February 15, are scheduled for 12 p.m. (MT) and 3 p.m. (MT) as well.