ASU Begins Baseball Season after 35-Year Drought

Daniel Allsup
The Paw Print
Adams State’s return to baseball has been difficult thus far. The Grizzlies have dropped their first seven games after a 35-year drought of collegiate baseball. They lost the first four games to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico. Then they traveled to Regis University in Denver, and failed to secure a victory in the three game series.
The downfall for the baseball team to date has been in their pitching. The pitching staff is allowing an average of 13 runs per game. This equates to a 31-91 run differential through the first seven games. Luckily, all these games have been against non-conference opponents, giving the pitching staff time to iron out the kinks and get prepared for the conference stretch.
The offense has had some bright spots, with five hitters clearing the .300 batting average plateau. Rightfielder Donald Bauer, a sophomore from Wheat Ridge, Colo., is the team leader at .417 (5-12). Bauer also has the lone successful stolen base. Outfielder Drew Wold, who is a junior from Aurora, comes right behind him, hitting safely in ten of his first 27 at-bats, good for a .370 batting average and a .433 on-base percentage. Wold also leads the team in total bases and walks.
Shortstop Jaron Dorchinez, a junior from Englewood, Colo., is hitting .333, and is tied for team lead in homeruns at one. He is also tied for the team lead in runs batted in, with five. First basemen D.J. Knott, a freshman from Windsor, Colo., ties with Dorchinez for the team lead in runs batted in, and leads the team with four doubles. Outfielder Drew Wells, a freshman from Westminster, Colo. at an even .300 so far this season.
Sophomore Thom Aramovich from Evergreen, Colo. has started in two games, going four and a third of an inning in each outing. Combined from both appearances, he has allowed nine earned runs, struck out two and walked six. Freshman Ryker English from Fort Collins has also started two games. He has pitched a total of seven and two-thirds of an inning. In that span, English has permitted nine earned runs. He also struck out three batters, and walked three.
Junior Kyle Sedlack from Colorado Springs is the team leader in innings pitched and strikeouts with five. Over two appearances, Sedlack has given up 12 earned runs. Head Baseball coach, Jim Capra says, “Our pitchers have to get used to the intricacies of the college game, like how small the strike zone becomes.”
This week, the Grizzlies will return to the Denver metro area, and go head-to-head with Colorado School of the Mines in Golden, Colo. The Adams State University baseball team won’t play a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) game until March 1, in Las Vegas, NM against the Cowboys of New Mexico Highlands University. The home opener for the ASU baseball team will be March 15 at 3pm The guest team will be Colorado State University of Pueblo.