University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, April 28
Greeley, Colo.
1 pm
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Utah Valley
Utah Valley Visits @NCBearsBaseball This Weekend
4/27/2017 9:58:00 AM | Baseball
Northern Colorado and Utah Valley square off against each other for a three game series this weekend
GREELEY – Northern Colorado baseball returns home this weekend to host Utah Valley in a Western Athletic Conference series. With the weather forecast looking grim at times, the teams will now play a doubleheader starting at 1 pm on Friday, followed up by no game Saturday and the series finale at 12 pm Sunday.
Leading Off
• Northern Colorado was swept over the weekend at New Mexico State, dropping their road record to 4-16 and 15-22 overall. The Bears' conference record also fell to 4-8, which puts UNC eighth in the WAC.
• Northern Colorado was outscored 23-9 and out hit 35-23 against the Aggies.
• The Bears missed numerous opportunities to score against New Mexico State after leaving 29 runners on base during the three-game series.
• UNC did have the long ball working over the weekend with four, solo home runs. Dean Lawson, Brett Minnick, Jack Pauley, and Nick Tanner all accounted for one home run. The Bears have 39 home runs on the season.
• Alex Kiel had a productive series against New Mexico State, going 5-13(.385) with 3 RBIs. Kiel extended his hit streak to a season-long, 10 games.
• Northern Colorado opens a three-game series against Utah Valley over the weekend, with a doubleheader scheduled for Friday (4/28).
Gameday Happenings
Once again this year UNC baseball has teamed up with Vs Cancer to help fight childhood cancer. UNC Athletics will be helping raise money for the foundation all weekend long. If you are unable to make it to the games, you can donate online by clicking here.
Scouting Utah Valley
Utah Valley comes into Greeley with a record of 13-25 and fourth place in the WAC with a 6-6 conference record. The Wolverines are 6-17 on the road and are currently on a two-game losing streak. Utah Valley dropped two out of three games to WAC opponent Chicago State (4/21-4/22) and fell to the University of Utah on Tuesday (4/25). The offense for the Wolverines has underperformed, ranking near the bottom in most offensive categories in the WAC, while also leading the conference in strikeouts with 317. Jackson Overlund has played well after leading the team in batting average (.350), RBIs (30) and doubles (16). He also is second on the team with five home runs and 23 runs scored. Zac Willis has also contributed for Utah Valley with a team leading six home runs and adding 24 RBIs. The pitching staff for Utah Valley has struggled with a conference-worst team ERA of 7.06. Patrick Wolfe has been solid for the Wolverines with 16 appearances out of the bullpen, a 2.00 ERA, and a conference-leading nine saves.
History Against Utah Valley
Northern Colorado trails Utah Valley in the all-time series 16-32 dating all the way back to 2004. The teams competed as independents in Division I before joining the Great West and then the WAC together. The Bears are 11-13 when taking on the Wolverines in Greeley, including sweeping UVU's most recent trip to Colorado in 2015.
March to Mesa
Half way through the WAC season and the Bears are on the outside looking in. The Bears trail Seattle by 1.5 games for the sixth and final spot that makes it to the WAC Tournament at the end of May. UNC has a chance to really jump up the standings this weekend with CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley two games ahead of them for second in regards to the tournament.
The WAC Tournament will take place May 24-28 at Hohokum Park, the spring training home of the Oakland A's. The top six teams in the conference qualify for the tournament.
Leed(Holm)ing the way
Connor Leedholm has rounded into form his last three outings for UNC going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched. During this time he has allowed five earned run on 17 hits whiles striking out 10. Those efforts first out of the pen, have now moved him into the starting rotation for the Bears.
Lords of the (SAC) Flys
Northern Colorado baseball has become the Lords of the Sac Fly this season recording 22 on the season to lead the WAC, and rank 25th in the NCAA. Leading the Bears is Jack Pauley and his seven, ranking second in the WAC and fourth in the nation. Tyler Yamaguchi and Cole Maltese are also in the Top 10 of the rankings with six and five, each.
Bears Dig The Long Ball
UNC can hit the long ball. The team has 39 home runs this season including 11 of multi-home run games. They are ranked 48th in the NCAA in home runs hit.
Ten different Bears have hit a long ball this season, led by Cole Maltese's nine, which puts him 82nd in the nation.
The Bears had a day of long balls against Air Force on April 11th. They hit five home runs in the game, including back-to-back-to-back solo shots from Maltese, Jack Pauley and Brett Minnick. Maltese ended up hitting two dingers in the game.
Along Came Pauley
Redshirt sophomore, Jack Pauley has made an instant impact for Northern Colorado this season. He leads the team in batting average (.340) and RBIs (32). The average has him ranked ninth in the WAC.
Pauley had a monster opening WAC weekend hitting .615 against Sacramento State. He had eight hits on the weekend, including four doubles and two triples. Pauley also had five RBI and scored five times. He came up with the game-tying hit against Sac St on Sunday on one of his three doubles in the game.
He earned his first career WAC Hitter of the Week honor for his performance against NDSU at the beginning of March. He hit .538 in the series with three extra base hits including a pair of homers. He led the team seven RBI and six runs scored.
Jackson Magic
Jackson Magic has made a few appearances this season for Northern Colorado as they have earned a pair of big comeback victories at home. The first against Sacramento State on March 26, and then again on April 14 against Metro State. For the year the Bears have enjoyed the friendly confines of Jackson going 10-4 in home games.
On Sunday, March 26th afternoon UNC scored six runs in the bottom of the ninth to earn the comeback win and sweep of Sacramento State. The Bears trailed by as much as seven in the game as the Hornets scored at least one run in five of the first six innings. The trio of Evan Johnson, Jack Pauley and Nick Tanner came up with big hits for the Bears in the comeback. Johnson put UNC within one on a bases loaded clearing double, while Pauley tied the game up on his third double of the game. Nick Tanner had the walk-off hit with a single to left scoring Cole Maltese.
Having trailed all game long, Northern Colorado scored four in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off win. Alex Kiel hit his first career home run, a three run shot to end the game.
Minnick Doubling Up
Brett Minnick has be a doubles machine this year for UNC. The junior has 18 doubles averaging one every other game. That ranks first in the WAC and seventh nationally.
14 K Gold Performance
Aaron Hamilton turned in a performance for the ages against San Jose State. He pitched a complete game two-hit shutout striking out 14, and allowing no walks. The 14 strikeouts tied a school-record, with Donnie Alexander.
He went mono-a-mono with Sacramento State ace Justin Dillion as both put up zeros through the first five innings. Hamilton allowed two runs in the sixth, while Dillion five, ending both of there days and Hamilton earning the win.
For the season Hamilton is 2-4 with a 5.14 ERA, he has struck out 45 and walked 20 over 49.0 innings pitched.
Close Calls
One or two run ball games have been common for Northern Colorado this season, through 30 games, 12 have been decided by that margin. UNC is 7-5 in those games.
Three of them have gone into extra innings all lasting just 10 innings. UNC is 1-2 in those games winning at San Francisco while falling to BYU and Regis.
New Faces
Three of the fresh faces for the Bears are receiving some attention nationally. They are RHP Aaron Hamilton, OF Jack Pauly and RHP Troy Watson. DIBaseball.com rated both Hamilton and Pauly as some of the top draft prospects for the 2017 and 2018 draft, respectively from the WAC. Watson was ranked the No. 3 impact freshman for this season.
UNC also welcomes Nate Rasmussen as a volunteer assistant to staff. Rasmussen will serve as outfield coach, first base coach, and camp director as well as assisting hitters.
Exceeding Expectations
In the preseason WAC coaches poll, Northern Colorado has been picked to finish eighth in the conference for the second consecutive year. The Bears will need to surprise the teams in the conference in order to book a trip to Mesa, Arizona at the end of May.
UNC has been able to exceed expectations the past two seasons. Last year the team was picked to finish eighth and ended up fifth in the conference. While in 2014 Northern Colorado was picked last, but finished seventh in the WAC.
Following the Bears
Want to stay up to date with all things UNC Bears Baseball? There are a few ways to. During all games this year there will be live updates on the team's Twitter account @NCBearsBaseball.
For home games there will also be a live stream and live audio broadcast of the games as well as live stats on UNCBears.com.
Making the Grades
There were seven UNC players who earned spots on the 2016 Academic Honors list. Those earning honors are Jake Garcia, Cam Huber, Brett Minnick, Cole Maltese, Dan Reese, Payton Tapia, Corey Nakakura.
Wild Wild West
The Bears roster is comprised of almost every state in the western part of the US. Eleven different states are represented on the roster, as far east as Nebraska and as west as Hawaii.
Home Grown
Head coach Carl Iwasaki and his staff have done a good job of keeping the home grown talent in the state. 12 of UNC's 35 hail from the Centennial State.
Hawaiian Connection
The Bears have four players who hail from Hawaii plus head coach Carl Iwasaki and assistant Kaiona Correa all coming to Colorado from the islands.
Class of 2018
Help arrives for Northern Colorado with eight new players joining their roster for the 2018 season. The Bears add three infielders, a catchers, two utility players and a pair of right handed pitchers.
On Deck
UNC starts a seven-game road trip next weekend when they had to Bakersfield, Calif. Northern Colorado and CSU Bakersfield face each other in a three-game WAC series.
In the Hole
The road trip continues the weekend after that, this time in Texas at UT Rio Grande Valley. The Bears and Vaqueros will play a three-game series over May 12-14.
| Game | Probable Starters | Game Links |
| Friday, April 28 at 1 pm | RHP Connor Leedholm (2-4, 5.14 ERA) vs LHP Jackson Cofer (2-5, 5.08 ERA) | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
| Friday, April 28 at 4 pm | RHP Aaron Hamilton (1-3, 4.62 ERA) vs RHP Jake Mayer (2-7, 6.29 ERA) | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
| Sunday, April 30 at 12 pm | TBA vs RHP Paxton Schultz (1-3, 4.10 ERA) | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
Leading Off
• Northern Colorado was swept over the weekend at New Mexico State, dropping their road record to 4-16 and 15-22 overall. The Bears' conference record also fell to 4-8, which puts UNC eighth in the WAC.
• Northern Colorado was outscored 23-9 and out hit 35-23 against the Aggies.
• The Bears missed numerous opportunities to score against New Mexico State after leaving 29 runners on base during the three-game series.
• UNC did have the long ball working over the weekend with four, solo home runs. Dean Lawson, Brett Minnick, Jack Pauley, and Nick Tanner all accounted for one home run. The Bears have 39 home runs on the season.
• Alex Kiel had a productive series against New Mexico State, going 5-13(.385) with 3 RBIs. Kiel extended his hit streak to a season-long, 10 games.
• Northern Colorado opens a three-game series against Utah Valley over the weekend, with a doubleheader scheduled for Friday (4/28).
Gameday Happenings
Once again this year UNC baseball has teamed up with Vs Cancer to help fight childhood cancer. UNC Athletics will be helping raise money for the foundation all weekend long. If you are unable to make it to the games, you can donate online by clicking here.
Scouting Utah Valley
Utah Valley comes into Greeley with a record of 13-25 and fourth place in the WAC with a 6-6 conference record. The Wolverines are 6-17 on the road and are currently on a two-game losing streak. Utah Valley dropped two out of three games to WAC opponent Chicago State (4/21-4/22) and fell to the University of Utah on Tuesday (4/25). The offense for the Wolverines has underperformed, ranking near the bottom in most offensive categories in the WAC, while also leading the conference in strikeouts with 317. Jackson Overlund has played well after leading the team in batting average (.350), RBIs (30) and doubles (16). He also is second on the team with five home runs and 23 runs scored. Zac Willis has also contributed for Utah Valley with a team leading six home runs and adding 24 RBIs. The pitching staff for Utah Valley has struggled with a conference-worst team ERA of 7.06. Patrick Wolfe has been solid for the Wolverines with 16 appearances out of the bullpen, a 2.00 ERA, and a conference-leading nine saves.
History Against Utah Valley
Northern Colorado trails Utah Valley in the all-time series 16-32 dating all the way back to 2004. The teams competed as independents in Division I before joining the Great West and then the WAC together. The Bears are 11-13 when taking on the Wolverines in Greeley, including sweeping UVU's most recent trip to Colorado in 2015.
March to Mesa
Half way through the WAC season and the Bears are on the outside looking in. The Bears trail Seattle by 1.5 games for the sixth and final spot that makes it to the WAC Tournament at the end of May. UNC has a chance to really jump up the standings this weekend with CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley two games ahead of them for second in regards to the tournament.
The WAC Tournament will take place May 24-28 at Hohokum Park, the spring training home of the Oakland A's. The top six teams in the conference qualify for the tournament.
Leed(Holm)ing the way
Connor Leedholm has rounded into form his last three outings for UNC going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched. During this time he has allowed five earned run on 17 hits whiles striking out 10. Those efforts first out of the pen, have now moved him into the starting rotation for the Bears.
Lords of the (SAC) Flys
Northern Colorado baseball has become the Lords of the Sac Fly this season recording 22 on the season to lead the WAC, and rank 25th in the NCAA. Leading the Bears is Jack Pauley and his seven, ranking second in the WAC and fourth in the nation. Tyler Yamaguchi and Cole Maltese are also in the Top 10 of the rankings with six and five, each.
Bears Dig The Long Ball
UNC can hit the long ball. The team has 39 home runs this season including 11 of multi-home run games. They are ranked 48th in the NCAA in home runs hit.
Ten different Bears have hit a long ball this season, led by Cole Maltese's nine, which puts him 82nd in the nation.
The Bears had a day of long balls against Air Force on April 11th. They hit five home runs in the game, including back-to-back-to-back solo shots from Maltese, Jack Pauley and Brett Minnick. Maltese ended up hitting two dingers in the game.
Along Came Pauley
Redshirt sophomore, Jack Pauley has made an instant impact for Northern Colorado this season. He leads the team in batting average (.340) and RBIs (32). The average has him ranked ninth in the WAC.
Pauley had a monster opening WAC weekend hitting .615 against Sacramento State. He had eight hits on the weekend, including four doubles and two triples. Pauley also had five RBI and scored five times. He came up with the game-tying hit against Sac St on Sunday on one of his three doubles in the game.
He earned his first career WAC Hitter of the Week honor for his performance against NDSU at the beginning of March. He hit .538 in the series with three extra base hits including a pair of homers. He led the team seven RBI and six runs scored.
Jackson Magic
Jackson Magic has made a few appearances this season for Northern Colorado as they have earned a pair of big comeback victories at home. The first against Sacramento State on March 26, and then again on April 14 against Metro State. For the year the Bears have enjoyed the friendly confines of Jackson going 10-4 in home games.
On Sunday, March 26th afternoon UNC scored six runs in the bottom of the ninth to earn the comeback win and sweep of Sacramento State. The Bears trailed by as much as seven in the game as the Hornets scored at least one run in five of the first six innings. The trio of Evan Johnson, Jack Pauley and Nick Tanner came up with big hits for the Bears in the comeback. Johnson put UNC within one on a bases loaded clearing double, while Pauley tied the game up on his third double of the game. Nick Tanner had the walk-off hit with a single to left scoring Cole Maltese.
Having trailed all game long, Northern Colorado scored four in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off win. Alex Kiel hit his first career home run, a three run shot to end the game.
Minnick Doubling Up
Brett Minnick has be a doubles machine this year for UNC. The junior has 18 doubles averaging one every other game. That ranks first in the WAC and seventh nationally.
14 K Gold Performance
Aaron Hamilton turned in a performance for the ages against San Jose State. He pitched a complete game two-hit shutout striking out 14, and allowing no walks. The 14 strikeouts tied a school-record, with Donnie Alexander.
He went mono-a-mono with Sacramento State ace Justin Dillion as both put up zeros through the first five innings. Hamilton allowed two runs in the sixth, while Dillion five, ending both of there days and Hamilton earning the win.
For the season Hamilton is 2-4 with a 5.14 ERA, he has struck out 45 and walked 20 over 49.0 innings pitched.
Close Calls
One or two run ball games have been common for Northern Colorado this season, through 30 games, 12 have been decided by that margin. UNC is 7-5 in those games.
Three of them have gone into extra innings all lasting just 10 innings. UNC is 1-2 in those games winning at San Francisco while falling to BYU and Regis.
New Faces
Three of the fresh faces for the Bears are receiving some attention nationally. They are RHP Aaron Hamilton, OF Jack Pauly and RHP Troy Watson. DIBaseball.com rated both Hamilton and Pauly as some of the top draft prospects for the 2017 and 2018 draft, respectively from the WAC. Watson was ranked the No. 3 impact freshman for this season.
UNC also welcomes Nate Rasmussen as a volunteer assistant to staff. Rasmussen will serve as outfield coach, first base coach, and camp director as well as assisting hitters.
Exceeding Expectations
In the preseason WAC coaches poll, Northern Colorado has been picked to finish eighth in the conference for the second consecutive year. The Bears will need to surprise the teams in the conference in order to book a trip to Mesa, Arizona at the end of May.
UNC has been able to exceed expectations the past two seasons. Last year the team was picked to finish eighth and ended up fifth in the conference. While in 2014 Northern Colorado was picked last, but finished seventh in the WAC.
Following the Bears
Want to stay up to date with all things UNC Bears Baseball? There are a few ways to. During all games this year there will be live updates on the team's Twitter account @NCBearsBaseball.
For home games there will also be a live stream and live audio broadcast of the games as well as live stats on UNCBears.com.
Making the Grades
There were seven UNC players who earned spots on the 2016 Academic Honors list. Those earning honors are Jake Garcia, Cam Huber, Brett Minnick, Cole Maltese, Dan Reese, Payton Tapia, Corey Nakakura.
Wild Wild West
The Bears roster is comprised of almost every state in the western part of the US. Eleven different states are represented on the roster, as far east as Nebraska and as west as Hawaii.
Home Grown
Head coach Carl Iwasaki and his staff have done a good job of keeping the home grown talent in the state. 12 of UNC's 35 hail from the Centennial State.
Hawaiian Connection
The Bears have four players who hail from Hawaii plus head coach Carl Iwasaki and assistant Kaiona Correa all coming to Colorado from the islands.
Class of 2018
Help arrives for Northern Colorado with eight new players joining their roster for the 2018 season. The Bears add three infielders, a catchers, two utility players and a pair of right handed pitchers.
On Deck
UNC starts a seven-game road trip next weekend when they had to Bakersfield, Calif. Northern Colorado and CSU Bakersfield face each other in a three-game WAC series.
In the Hole
The road trip continues the weekend after that, this time in Texas at UT Rio Grande Valley. The Bears and Vaqueros will play a three-game series over May 12-14.
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