Baseball Season Recap

• In the program's sixth season, University of Colorado Colorado Springs head coach Dave Hajek and the Mountain Lions notched a 22-32 record while registering a 15-17 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record by delivering a 10-11 home record and 9-19 road record for the 2022 season.
• The 2022 Mountain Lions started their schedule off with a heavy set of non-conference contests that began with a road trip out to California where UCCS took on California State Polytechnic University.
• Mountain Lions' ace Jonathan Cowles along with Brock Weiss and Christopher Bryant broke the Cal Poly Broncos by allowing just five hits in the game to help start the team off in the right direction as UCCS chalked the season opener in the win column, 7-1. But the remainder of the series would go to the Broncos as a set of tough three one-run loss games swung a 1-3 record the Mountain Lions' way.
• The following series was once again back in California with the Mountain Lions visiting San Francisco State University in a four-game set that ended in a 1-3 series record. UCCS was on the cusp of breaking through in game one's 3-5 loss and game three's 1-5 loss, but the Mountain Lions jumped out on top of the Gators in dominating fashion for game four by throwing a combined one-hitter as breakout redshirt freshmen Caleb Stubbings drove in a game high two RBI for the 6-1 win.
• UCCS began to find their rhythm for a three-game stretch as they returned to Colorado for in-state rival Colorado State University Pueblo in a non-conference showdown that went UCCS' favor, 11-8.
• With two weeks left until the start of RMAC play, the Mountain Lions played host to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponents St. Cloud State and University of Mary for a non-conference pod that resulted in a 1-4 record for UCCS. The Mountain Lions pumped out a 10-run win over SCSU in the first game with Aaron Faragallah and Walker Rumsey each driving in a trio of runs as Jonathan Cowles threw his first compete game of the season. There were a combined 65 runs scored off the Mountain Lion bats in the five games as UCCS also allowed 67 runs heading into conference play.
• Off to a slow start, the Mountain Lions put their non-conference schedule in the rear-view mirror by bouncing back to take three of four against the Cowboys of New Mexico Highlands in the conference opener. UCCS found the gap 15 separate times for a double to help capture a 5-1 win in game one and two double-digit wins to wrap up the series at 15-9 and 16-8, respectively.
• After starting RMAC play on the right foot, the Mountain Lions came to face a pair of tough conference series in then No. 6 ranked Colorado Mesa and MSU Denver with a 2-6 record coming out of the eight games. UCCS was able to claim game four victories from both teams as a seven-RBI game from Stubbings helped boast a 14-6 win in Grand Junction while Faragallah blasted a walk-off grand slam to cap off a game four thriller against the Roadrunners, 8-6.
• The Mountain Lions then faced another pair of setbacks in the beginning of April with the next series coming in as a non-conference RMAC pod between Colorado School of Mines and New Mexico Highlands. UCCS suffered a pair of losses to the Orediggers (1-8, 5-6), and a split 1-1 record against the Cowboys as Cole Philip had a career outing in his first collegiate win after tossing 6.0 innings and allowing two runs on three hits with six strikeouts in the 6-4 win.
• A four-game skid against Regis came through the schedule in the Mountain Lions' first conference series after the pod weekend, but UCCS flipped the switch and reversed their bad fortunes by sweeping Colorado Christian University the following weekend and taking three out of four games against Adams State to win seven out of their next eight games through mid-April.
• With their back against the wall and on the outside looking in for the RMAC tournament, the Hajek and the Mountain Lions needed to add to the win column and they did just that by splitting a road series with CSU Pueblo with an 8-6 win in game three and 10-5 win in game four.
• Sitting with a 12-12 RMAC record, the Mountain Lions put themselves back in playoff contention with the series finale on the line to decide their RMAC Tournament fate. Hosting Colorado School of Mines, the Mountain Lions faced the Orediggers in a four-game series that saw doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday with UCCS needing just one win to push out CCU and claim the No. 6 seed.
• Game one of Friday's doubleheader had a tied 5-5 ballgame through six innings of play, but Mines pulled off the win by plating three runs the next two innings to take an 8-5 win.
• Game two on the other hand would be a different story. The Orediggers jumped out on top to an early 6-1 lead through the first inning to set up what was a six-run second for UCCS as Stubbings accounted for three RBI in the inning. With the conference tournament sealing win within grasps, the Mountain Lions continued to pile on the runs with a run in the third and a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth inning to have Joseph Harris hold Mines in check for 2.2 innings to secure UCCS' RMAC Tournament berth.
• The RMAC Tournament means a clean slate and a new season for all six teams, including the Mountain Lions who drew the No. 1 seeded Mavericks in the first round. From the first pitch, UCCS showed they were ready to compete with the No. 14 ranked team in the country as UCCS led through the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings before the Mavericks scored two runs in the eighth and walked it off in the bottom of the ninth, 6-7.
• After having the Mavericks on the ropes the night prior, the Mountain Lions found their stride by breezing past Regis 8-4 in a big redemption win to setup another elimination game with CSU Pueblo the following afternoon.
• In win or go home fashion, the Mountain Lions sent the ThunderWolves packing with an 8-6 win by blanking CSUP through six straight innings as Tyler Richardson caught fire in the tournament and provided a game-tying two-run homer to help send UCCS to the RMAC Semifinal against MSU Denver.
• The eventual RMAC Tournament Champions gave the Mountain Lions a run for their money in the semifinals as the Mountain Lions season came to an end with a 3-13 loss.

 
Award Winners
UCCS Baseball collected 30 awards from 17 different student-athletes during the 2022 season.

• Morgan Altherr: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Jonathan Cowles: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Zac Dammel: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Joseph Harris: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Nate Heflebower: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Matt Johnson: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Evan Langston: RMAC Pitcher of the Week (Apr. 26)
• Dylan Morace: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Cole Philip: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Tyler Richardson: RMAC All-Tournament Team, RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Walker Rumsey: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Henry Ryan: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• JJ Rytz: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Kiichi Sato: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Jon Sotto: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
• Caleb Stubbings: ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team, D2CCA All-Region Second Team, All-RMAC First Team, NCBWA National Hitter of the Week (Apr. 21), NCBWA Regional Hitter of the Week (Apr. 20), RMAC Player of the Week (Apr. 19)
• Kit Wigington: CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team, ABCA/Rawlings All-America Third Team, ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team, D2CCA All-Region Second Team, NCBWA All-Region Second Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team, All-RMAC First Team, RMAC All-Academic First Team

 
Statistical Leaders

• The Mountain Lion bats slashed .320 in the 54-game season with a slugging percentage of .540 and on-base percentage of .386. The team recorded 601 hits for the third most in the RMAC and 20^th most in Division II.
• UCCS Baseball was one of the top teams in the nation when it came to hitting doubles with the Mountain Lions splitting the outfield gaps for the country's fourth most doubles (152) and the top doubles per game average in DII at 2.81. Eight different Mountain Lions totaled double-digit doubles on the season.
• UCCS' offense was led by redshirt freshman Kit Wigington who swung DII's ninth best batting average (.437) and tallied team highs in hits (76) and doubles (19). In 44 games played, Wigington broke down his hits and doubles to an average of 1.73 hits per game and 0.43 doubles per game which ranked an impressive fifth and 18^th in all of DII. The All-American also added three triples and 16 home runs for 54 RBI to contribute towards a slugging percentage of .845 (ninth in DII).
• Starting catcher Tyler Richardson joined Wigington in the team lead for doubles (19) as he batted a stellar .419 through 32 games and 31 starts.
• Fellow redshirt freshman Caleb Stubbings took the team's crown in home runs (17) and RBI (63) as he and Aaron Faragallah started in a team high 46 games.  
• A total of 16 different Mountain Lions tallied a home run in 2022 for a combined 79 home runs.
• Kiichi Sato showed off his on-base presence by swiping a team high 12 steals on 15 attempts with Walker Rumsey coming a close second after registering 9-of-11 stolen bases. Faragallah also went on to swipe a few bags by going a perfect 4-for-4 on the base paths.
• Sato was an extra base hit machine for the Mountain Lions with 16 doubles and team best three triples as he finished with 51 hits and 24 RBI.
• Faragallah along with Jaeden Hegmann each drew a team high 18 walks as they also each posted on-base percentages north of .400 at .418 and .431, respectively. Faragallah had an impressive senior campaign by contributing 45 RBI to the team's RBI total (399) while batting .361 with 13 doubles, two triples and nine home runs.
• On the bump, reliever Garrett Shriver boasted the team's lowest ERA at 5.32 through 13 appearances with 13 earned runs given up through 22 innings. Starter Jonathan Cowles clipped the lowest ERA amongst starters (8.80) through 15 appearances and 13 starts on the mound as the graduate student allowed 72 earned runs in 73.2 innings of work.
• UCCS' ace recorded two complete games on the season with Cowles adding a team best 6-5 record as he struck out 68 batters. Cowles was also one of the most effective pitchers in the conference in limiting walks as he recorded the RMAC's third best strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.86) while allowing the fourth least amount of walks in the conference (14).
• There was a combined eight saves between three Mountain Lions this season with true freshman Brock Weiss coming in and making an immediate impact with a team high four saves in 17 appearances and 21 innings pitched. Senior Joseph Harris added three saves of his own in the same amount of appearances with 23.1 innings of work with fellow senior Brian Marquez tallying a save.
• Freshman Evan Langston worked his way to a 4-1 record on the bump after tossing 44.1 innings in 14 appearances with five starts. Langston fanned 29 batters in his first collegiate season with one complete game as he also held the opposition to a team low .282 batting average.
• The Mountain Lion defense registered a .947 fielding percentage with UCCS representing one of the best teams in the RMAC in turning double plays. A total of 37 double plays were turned in 2022 for the RMAC's second most as Stubbings turned a team high 25 and Sato turning 20 double plays.

 
Hot Takes

• The Mountain Lions have made the RMAC Tournament in all six years as a Division II program with the team recording an RMAC Semifinal appearance for the second straight year.  
• The 2022 UCCS Baseball team was one of the best offensive teams in program history with the most runs (425), hits (601), doubles (152), and RBI (399) recorded. The team also posted the second-best batting average (.320) and slugging percentage (.540) along with belting the second most home runs (79) in the most games played (54) in program history.
• Kit Wigington made his way into the record books in his first season on the diamond as a Mountain Lion by setting the single season record for highest batting average (.437) and tying Matt Clarke (2019) for the most hits (76).
• Wigington and Tyler Richardson also tied for the second most doubles in a single season by registering 19 doubles each while Wigington slugged for the second-best percentage at .845.
• Caleb Stubbings did damage from the middle part of the lineup by tying for the program's second most home runs in a single season (17) as he drove in the most RBI in a single season with 63.
• Both Stubbings and Wigington tied the program's single game record for RBI after Stubbings recorded seven RBI against CMU on Mar. 20 with Wigington notching seven RBI against UMARY on Feb. 28. As Stubbings tied the RBI record against the Mavericks, he did so by registering three doubles to also tie for the single game doubles record.
• In the same game that Wigington tied the single game RBI record, Kiichi Sato proceeded to break the single season runs scored record by scoring five separate times.
• Henry Ryan drew a season high four walks against CMU on Mar. 20 as he tied Jake Anderson and Matt McDermott for the program's single game record.
• UCCS' 2022 pitching staff combined for the most strikeouts in program history (366) with Jonathan Cowles fanning the second most batters in a single season (68). Cowles' two complete games this season tied his own record for most complete games in a single season.
• One of the most successful pitchers in program history, Cowles caps off a five-year Mountain Lion career by currently standing as the second most winningest pitcher with 18 wins, making the second most starts on the mound with 43 starts, tying for the most complete games with seven, throwing the second most innings with 243.2, and striking out the second most batters with 200 combined strikeouts.
• Jaeden Hegmann wraps up his five-year playing career by playing in a total of 136 career games and has made 128 career starts for the third most games played and third most starts in program history. The Colorado Springs native made his at-bats count by registering the program's second most hits with 174 while driving in the fifth most RBI in UCCS Baseball history at 92 career RBI.
• Walker Rumsey repped the black and gold for five seasons where he made 137 starts and played in 148 games for the second most games played and starts in program history. He showed off his speed on the base paths by nabbing 33 stolen bases for the program's third most.
• On Apr. 15 in a 21-5 win over CCU, the Mountain Lions tied the program's single game record for most runs scored and most RBI recorded (20).
• In the win over St. Cloud State on Mar. 1, UCCS punched out 21 Huskies to set yet another single game record for most strikeouts.

 
2023 Season Outlook

• Head Coach Dave Hajek is set to make his return for the 2023 season as he prepares for his seventh season as the Mountain Lions head coach. Hajek and the Mountain Lions have been active in recruiting so far this year as they prepare to bring in 11 NLI signees including Zach Cody, Jaren Gorsch, Ronan Hella, Carter Flood, Marko Sipila, Landen Sehr, Hayden Zweig, Joseph McDermott, Will Gabriel, Vander Hodges, and Ryder Mancuso.
• Coming off the program's second ever losing season, Hajek is looking forward to hitting the recruiting trail while also developing leaders to get back to the championship level of baseball that the team is well capable of achieving.
• "Next year is going to be about developing leaders," Hajek stated. "The message to our returners is who are the leaders in this group. We want you to step up and be leaders amongst yourselves and your teammates.  As we hit the recruiting trail pretty hard over the next few weeks, the message to those guys coming in is who in this group are leaders. Who are the leaders that are wanting to come in and be a part of something special that we have been growing here a few years now, and get us back to that championship form that we are right on the edge of."

 
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.