Colorado’s club baseball had one goal entering their Fall Ball campaign: learn how to play the game without a coach. Senior first baseman Andrew Garcia and junior outfielder Nathan Hoffman stepped up to try and manage the team while being players, and it all added up for an impressive eleven games.
The Buffs finished the fall 6-5, although their play would suggest a slightly better record. Colorado consistently beat teams from the games within the game, like good baserunning and near-flawless fielding performances. The Buffs did a good job in making opposing teams pay for their mistakes, whether it was a wild throw advancing a runner or scoring on errors.
They opened their season by hosting the Air Force Falcons, one of the more uncommon teams in the National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) that also have a Division 1 team. Day one of the season didn’t go as planned, as the Buffs would drop both games of the doubleheader by a combined 16 runs. That was about the expectation heading into the afternoon, but the improvements made after the 0-2 start would spark a five-game winning streak.
The Buffs bounced back the next day in Game 3, winning it 9-6. The highlight of the afternoon was when sophomore Jared Walsh stole home in the fourth inning. Colorado was able to rally offensively all game, something they didn’t do a day earlier, and get their first win on the season.
The next weekend they welcomed the Colorado School of Mines to Scott Carpenter Park, and the team that took the field this series was a night and day difference from the week prior. This time the doubleheader heavily favored the Buffs, who won the series opener off a mercy rule 10-0 and Game 2 by a score of 5-0. By this point of the season, Garcia and Hoffman were electing to go with a script of pitchers throughout the game. This way, they could evenly spread out innings among the arms on the team to determine who could be true aces.
Junior Matt Longstreet threw a gem in Game 1, shoving four shut-out frames before freshman Eoin Plunkett came in the fifth to close out the mercy rule. A collection of four arms blanked the Orediggers in Game 2, as an early rally by the Buffs was enough to get the win.
Game 3 against the School of Mines was an offensive marathon, ending with 28 combined runs off 27 hits. The Buffs were able to capture the 18-10 win to sweep the series and advance to 4-2. The most noticeable improvement was the fielding, as freshman Finn Simones played nearly perfectly at shortstop, likely cementing himself as the team's starter at the position.
“I think we played great defense, and most importantly our pitching staff responded great after last weekend,” Garcia said following the series. “Our guys challenged theirs and trusted the defense to make plays which we did.”
The team got an extra week off before playing a brief two-game series against Colorado State. The Rocky Mountain Showdown energy was brought to the diamond, as the Rams are the defending champions of their shared division in the NCBA, the Mid-America West. Last season the Buffs had a better overall record, but CSU had a better conference record and more success in the regional tournament.
The Buffaloes set the tone early with a full lineup rally in the bottom of the first and never looked back. Sophomore Victor Moreno got the start and went five innings deep, only allowing two runs with three strikeouts. CU took Game 1 6-3 and had to go in brave-faced for the second match-up, as they were trying to hit off one of the best club pitchers in the nation.
Colorado State’s Chase Brickley threw 70 innings last spring with a 1.15 ERA, finishing with an astonishing strikeout-to-walk ratio of 128-15. The Rams were preserving his arm however, and only let him pitch the first three innings of Game 2, which he did in 11 batters. It was a completely different story for the Rams, evening up the series with a 16-1 victory. That would snap the Buffs’ five-game win streak and take them 5-3 into the final series.
The Buffs would get bested in their final series against Metro State, dropping games two & three. This was the first series that the boys had to play on the road, as Scott Carpenter Park was under renovation. Although they lost the series, Game 1 had the moment of the season. Metro State was in the driver's seat all game when in the bottom of the seventh the Buffs rallied three runs to force extra innings. The Roadrunners would take the lead a half inning later, but with a tie game and a runner on second, senior Jack Hamilton would get a base hit to take home the winning run.
After the walk-off, Metro State would take control, winning Game 2 10-0 and Game 3 10-6. The Buffs got sloppy on defense and didn’t have a good bullpen day, surrendering 20 runs. The two losses would end the fall ball season for Colorado with a 6-5 record, including a 1-3 skid in their last four games.
The team gets three months to prepare for the true NCBA season this February, looking to beat out Colorado State and take back the division. The Buffs have a good idea of the competition level of the Mid-Am West this year but have yet to see Northern Colorado or Wyoming.
Similar to last year, it’s shaping up for the team to have a dangerous batting lineup top to bottom, but shaky pitching. Based on the final fall stats, four pitchers should run the starting rotation this spring: Victor Moreno, Matt Longstreet, Eoin Plunkett, and Jared Walsh. Moreno and Longstreet look to be the team's true aces, both with sub-3.25 ERAs. Moreno finished with 15 strikeouts to just five walks with a team-leading 1.34 WHIP and by far the most innings pitched.
The offense is far more promising, with nine to 10 high-quality hitters. Simones and Hoffman both finished with over 1.000 OPS, including a .454 batting average from Hoffman. Junior Rishi Nair had 10 RBIs and the team's only home run, but arguably the best bat from the fall was junior Zach Andrews. Off 17 at-bats, he collected 10 base hits and slashed a 1.415 OPS. He also led the offense in on-base and slugging percentage, with a .650 OBP and a .765 slug.
The most eye-popping statistic, however, belongs to Hoffman. In his 27 plate appearances, which is second on the team, he has zero strikeouts. That along with his .556 on-base percentage, every out he records, which isn’t a lot, comes from putting balls in play. The outfielder has personified the saying, “You put balls in play, good things happen.”
This offense is very well-rounded and should be a treat to watch all season long. There are contact hitters like Hoffman alongside freshmen Charlie Lesch and Richie Biborosch and power hitters like Nair and Andrews. The Buffs averaged 6.5 runs per game and only got shut out once. On the other hand, pitching gave up nearly seven earned runs a game.
“I think ultimately the fall season was a success. Although we dropped a few games, wins and losses really aren’t the main goal in the fall especially with a young team,” Garcia said looking back on the season. “The main thing we’ll need to work on through winter workouts is pitching efficiency and situational hitting. These are the main things that will drive success in the spring season.”
All in all, for the circumstances that Garcia and Hoffman faced all fall, the Buffs did execute. A positive record and a good team were crafted for this February. They look to get a sour taste out of their mouths, getting the wildcard bid in the Mid-American Regional Tournament last season just to underperform. The Buffs are hungry and will be on a mission this spring. Follow the 2025 season and everything club baseball on Sko Buffs Sports platforms.
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