University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, May 12
Edinburg, Texas
6:00 pm
University of Northern Colorado
at
UT Rio Grande Valley
@NCBearsBaseball Starts Key Series Against UTRGV Friday
5/10/2017 10:10:00 AM | Baseball
Northern Colorado starts an important two weeks at UT Rio Grande Valley on Friday
EDINBURG, Texas – The final two weeks of the baseball season have arrived, and they are a big two weeks for Northern Colorado. The Bears, who are currently on the outside looking in for the WAC Tournament have two great opportunities to move into the tournament, facing UT Rio Grande Valley and Chicago State to close out the year. UNC will take on UTRGV this weekend on the road looking to gain ground in the WAC standings starting Friday night.
Leading Off
• The Bears are coming off a tough weekend, in which they were swept by CSU Bakersfield in Bakersfield.
• UNC's bats struggled last week hitting .258 and scoring just four runs over the three-game series.
• It was not just the bats that had a tough time against the Roadrunners, but the arms did not have their best weekend as well, having an 11.45 ERA.
• While some parts of the Northern Colorado offense struggled, Jack Pauley continued to be the lead bat for the team. He hit .385 over the weekend with five hits all being singles striking out just once.
• Relievers Dylan Shiraki and Troy Watson each made a pair of appearances out of the pen last week combining to go 6.1 innings allowing no runs on four hits striking out three and walking just one.
• This weekend's series is the last road series of the season for UNC. The Bears are looking to end it on a high note having gone 5-21 away from Jackson Field this season. Northern Colorado has one more road game following the weekend trip, playing at Air Force next Tuesday at 1 pm.
• Last year's series between Northern Colorado and UT Rio Grande Valley was canceled when a mid-March blizzard hit the Denver metro area, closing DIA and making it so UTRGV was unable to make it to Greeley for the series.
Scouting UT Rio Grande Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley has been a tough team to beat at home this season going 21-9 when playing in Edinburg. That has helped the team get out to a 25-23 record on the year. The Vaqueros are 6-12 WAC play coming into the weekend. UTRGV is in the middle of the WAC both in the batter's box and on the mound. The team is hitting .272 with three starters hitting above .300 for the year. Jose Garcia leads the way for the Vaqueros hitting .340 on the seaon with 42 runs scored and 30 RBIs. Not only does he get on via a hit, but has good plate presences to earn a team-leading 40 walks.
On the mound, UT Rio Grande Valley possesses a nice 1-2 punch in the starting spot with Carter Johnson and Andrew Garcia. Johnson is 5-4 on the season with a 2.62 ERA. Garcia is not far behind with a 4-2 record and 4.12 ERA.
History Against UT Rio Grande Valley
Formely known as UT-Pan American, UT Rio Grande Valley has struggled against Northern Colorado. UNC holds a 31-7 advantage against the team including going 12-6 when in Edinburg. The two teams have been facing each other since 2006 when they were both DI Independents before joining the Great West, and then WAC. The last time the Bears were in Edinburg they took two of three from the Vaqueros.
March to Mesa
Northern Colorado faces a pair of key series over the final two weeks of regular season play. The Bears are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the WAC Tournament, but are only one game out of the final spot. UNC faces UT Rio Grande Valley and Chicago State over the final two weekends who are one and two games ahead of them, respectively. New Mexico State is the only team to punch their ticket to Mesa.
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.
Kieling It
Catcher Alex Kiel has been a consistent behind the dish all year long for the Bears. He has played in 41 of the team's 43 games and started 37 of them. Over the past month he has led the team with a .340 batting average and has his first two career home runs, including a walk-off against Metro State. During that time he has a 13-game hit streak, that was ended last Friday, and a 17-game on base streak that is currently in tack.
Lords of the (SAC) Flys
Northern Colorado baseball has become the Lords of the Sac Fly this season recording 23 on the season ranking second the WAC, and rank 50th in the NCAA. Leading the Bears is Jack Pauley and his seven, ranking second in the WAC and 11th in the nation. Tyler Yamaguchi and Cole Maltese are also in the Top 50 of the rankings with six and five, each.
Bears Dig The Long Ball
UNC can hit the long ball. The team has 40 home runs this season including 11 of multi-home run games. They are ranked 90th in the NCAA in home runs hit.
Eleven different Bears have hit a long ball this season, led by Cole Maltese's nine, which puts him 148th 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 (.352) and RBIs (34). The average has him ranked sixth 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 11-6 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 been a doubles machine this year for UNC. The junior has 20 doubles averaging one every other game. That ranks first in the WAC and ninth nationally. Those 20 doubles this year also have him ranked eighth in the single season records for doubles at UNC. Minnick is currently seven behind record holder Patrick Perry and his 27 in 2004.
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.
Hamilton combined for UNC's second shutout of the season with a strong 7.0 innings pitched allowing six hits while striking out six as well. Dylan Shiraki closed out the shutout for the team facing the minimum over the final two innings.
For the season Hamilton is 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA, he has struck out 51 and walked 22 over 56.0 innings pitched.
Close Calls
One or two run ball games have been common for Northern Colorado this season, through 43 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
The final road game of the year is set for UNC on Tuesday May 16. The Bears will stay in state, heading south to face Air Force at 1 pm.
In the Hole
Northern Colorado closes out the regular season by hosting Chicago State. The Bears and Cougars start a three-game series on Thursday, May 18 and concludes with Senior Day on Saturday May 20th.
| Game | Probable Starters | Game Links |
| Friday, May 12 at 6 pm | RHP Connor Leedholm (1-5, 5.48 ERA) vs RHP Carter Johnson (5-4, 2.62 ERA) | Video | Live Stats |
| Saturday, May 13 at 5 pm | RHP Aaron Hamilton (3-5, 4.78 ERA) vs RHP Andrew Garcia (4-2, 4.12 ERA) | Video | Live Stats |
| Sunday, May 14 at 11 am | TBA vs RHP Luis Acosta (0-2, 6.19 ERA) | Video | Live Stats |
Leading Off
• The Bears are coming off a tough weekend, in which they were swept by CSU Bakersfield in Bakersfield.
• UNC's bats struggled last week hitting .258 and scoring just four runs over the three-game series.
• It was not just the bats that had a tough time against the Roadrunners, but the arms did not have their best weekend as well, having an 11.45 ERA.
• While some parts of the Northern Colorado offense struggled, Jack Pauley continued to be the lead bat for the team. He hit .385 over the weekend with five hits all being singles striking out just once.
• Relievers Dylan Shiraki and Troy Watson each made a pair of appearances out of the pen last week combining to go 6.1 innings allowing no runs on four hits striking out three and walking just one.
• This weekend's series is the last road series of the season for UNC. The Bears are looking to end it on a high note having gone 5-21 away from Jackson Field this season. Northern Colorado has one more road game following the weekend trip, playing at Air Force next Tuesday at 1 pm.
• Last year's series between Northern Colorado and UT Rio Grande Valley was canceled when a mid-March blizzard hit the Denver metro area, closing DIA and making it so UTRGV was unable to make it to Greeley for the series.
Scouting UT Rio Grande Valley
UT Rio Grande Valley has been a tough team to beat at home this season going 21-9 when playing in Edinburg. That has helped the team get out to a 25-23 record on the year. The Vaqueros are 6-12 WAC play coming into the weekend. UTRGV is in the middle of the WAC both in the batter's box and on the mound. The team is hitting .272 with three starters hitting above .300 for the year. Jose Garcia leads the way for the Vaqueros hitting .340 on the seaon with 42 runs scored and 30 RBIs. Not only does he get on via a hit, but has good plate presences to earn a team-leading 40 walks.
On the mound, UT Rio Grande Valley possesses a nice 1-2 punch in the starting spot with Carter Johnson and Andrew Garcia. Johnson is 5-4 on the season with a 2.62 ERA. Garcia is not far behind with a 4-2 record and 4.12 ERA.
History Against UT Rio Grande Valley
Formely known as UT-Pan American, UT Rio Grande Valley has struggled against Northern Colorado. UNC holds a 31-7 advantage against the team including going 12-6 when in Edinburg. The two teams have been facing each other since 2006 when they were both DI Independents before joining the Great West, and then WAC. The last time the Bears were in Edinburg they took two of three from the Vaqueros.
March to Mesa
Northern Colorado faces a pair of key series over the final two weeks of regular season play. The Bears are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the WAC Tournament, but are only one game out of the final spot. UNC faces UT Rio Grande Valley and Chicago State over the final two weekends who are one and two games ahead of them, respectively. New Mexico State is the only team to punch their ticket to Mesa.
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.
Kieling It
Catcher Alex Kiel has been a consistent behind the dish all year long for the Bears. He has played in 41 of the team's 43 games and started 37 of them. Over the past month he has led the team with a .340 batting average and has his first two career home runs, including a walk-off against Metro State. During that time he has a 13-game hit streak, that was ended last Friday, and a 17-game on base streak that is currently in tack.
Lords of the (SAC) Flys
Northern Colorado baseball has become the Lords of the Sac Fly this season recording 23 on the season ranking second the WAC, and rank 50th in the NCAA. Leading the Bears is Jack Pauley and his seven, ranking second in the WAC and 11th in the nation. Tyler Yamaguchi and Cole Maltese are also in the Top 50 of the rankings with six and five, each.
Bears Dig The Long Ball
UNC can hit the long ball. The team has 40 home runs this season including 11 of multi-home run games. They are ranked 90th in the NCAA in home runs hit.
Eleven different Bears have hit a long ball this season, led by Cole Maltese's nine, which puts him 148th 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 (.352) and RBIs (34). The average has him ranked sixth 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 11-6 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 been a doubles machine this year for UNC. The junior has 20 doubles averaging one every other game. That ranks first in the WAC and ninth nationally. Those 20 doubles this year also have him ranked eighth in the single season records for doubles at UNC. Minnick is currently seven behind record holder Patrick Perry and his 27 in 2004.
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.
Hamilton combined for UNC's second shutout of the season with a strong 7.0 innings pitched allowing six hits while striking out six as well. Dylan Shiraki closed out the shutout for the team facing the minimum over the final two innings.
For the season Hamilton is 3-4 with a 4.50 ERA, he has struck out 51 and walked 22 over 56.0 innings pitched.
Close Calls
One or two run ball games have been common for Northern Colorado this season, through 43 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
The final road game of the year is set for UNC on Tuesday May 16. The Bears will stay in state, heading south to face Air Force at 1 pm.
In the Hole
Northern Colorado closes out the regular season by hosting Chicago State. The Bears and Cougars start a three-game series on Thursday, May 18 and concludes with Senior Day on Saturday May 20th.
Players Mentioned
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