CMS Baseball Debuts in D3baseball National Rankings at No. 21

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team debuted in the D3baseball.com national poll at No. 21 this week, the website announced this morning.

The Stags currently stand at 15-4 on the season and are riding a seven-game winning streak (as well as 11 wins in their last 12), which includes a 4-0 trip to the Tucson Invitational this past weekend, when CMS won games from outside its region against Allegheny, Macalester and Gustavus Adolphus. 

Prior to the Tucson trip, the Stags went 5-1 in its first two SCIAC series, taking two out of three from Chapman and all three from Pomona-Pitzer. A year ago, Chapman defeated Pomona-Pitzer in the NCAA Division III Regional finals, and the quick start against some of the top competition in the league has positioned CMS for a strong run at the postseason this year.

CMS has been strong in all areas this year, hitting .336 as a team so far and averaging 8.6 runs per game. Julian Sanders has led the way offensively with a .419 average, 10 homers, and 32 RBI, while Tyler Shaw (.390, 15 RBI), Paul Roche (.375, 4 HR, 16 RBI), Jack Potter (.366, 25 runs, 14 RBI) and Nick Wilson (.338, 22 RBI) are off to strong starts as well. 

On the mound, Jarrett Korson has been thriving as the team's No. 1 starter with a 3-1 record and a 3.11 ERA, twice earning the SCIAC Pitcher of the Week honor, including after a nine-inning shutout over Chapman. Dominic Rolla and Henry Connell are each 2-0, and the Stags have had some strong bullpen performances as well, including Hamilton Finefrock (4-0, 1.80) Lucas Welch (2-0, 3.07 ERA), Jake Tracey (1-0, 2.00 ERA) and Andrew Blackett (1-0, 3.48 ERA). Defensively, CMS has been stellar with a .961 fielding percentage (compared to .961 for its opponents). 
 
CMS will be back in action for another key three-game SCIAC series with Cal Lutheran this weekend, with a single game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday in Thousand Oaks. Cal Lutheran is ranked No. 23 in the latest D3baseball.com poll and is also 5-1 in SCIAC. 

To view the complete D3baseball.com poll, head to the following link:

D3baseball.com Poll - 3/14/23