COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — On Wednesday afternoon, the 2026 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll was released with the Adams State Grizzlies being selected to finish in seventh place going into the 2026 season. Along with being selected seventh, the Grizzlies had one 2026 Preseason All-RMAC selection with Ayden Tauscher being selected as one of the four outfielders.
Looking at the rest of the conference, Colorado Mesa was again selected to win the conference after winning the 2025 RMAC Regular Season and Championship titles. Colorado Mesa received the maximum points of 64 by receiving a first-place selection from the other eight RMAC coaches. Following Colorado Mesa is Colorado State Pueblo and MSU Denver who were tied for second place with 53 points each. Colorado State Pueblo received five second-place votes and three third-place votes, while MSU Denver received one first-place vote, four second-place votes, and two third-place votes.
Following the top three in the conference was UCCS, Regis, Colorado School of Mines, Adams State, New Mexico Highlands, and Colorado Christian. UCCS was selected to finish fourth with 41 points and three third-place votes, while Regis was selected fifth with 32 points and one third-place vote. Following Regis was Colorado School of Mines in sixth with 31 points, Adams State in seventh with 23 points, New Mexico Highlands in eighth with 14 points, and Colorado Christian in ninth with 13 points.
The Grizzlies seventh-place selection comes after they finished fifth in conference in 2025 with a 19-35 record. The Grizzlies are coming off a historic season in 2025 after winning their first two playoff games since the program was brought back in 2013. They will look to continue this growth by having an even better season in the upcoming 2026 season.
Leading the way for the Grizzlies this upcoming season is their 13 returners which includes Senior Outfielder Ayden Tauscher who was selected as a Preseason All-RMAC selection. Tauscher is coming off a season where he broke the Adams State single-season record for walks with 30, while also hitting 15 doubles and 3 home runs. Along with Tauscher, the Grizzlies return Seniors, Josh Parks and Christian Altamirano, along with Juniors, Seth Reker and Justin Arellano who all played vital roles in the 2025 season. Outside of their 13 returners, the Grizzlies have 20 new players that look to help the Grizzlies continue making strides in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Grizzlies will open up their 2026 season next Friday, January 30th when they take on Minot State and Emporia State in a doubleheader in Tucson, Arizona. The Grizzlies first game will be at 11 AM MST against Minot State, followed by their game against Emporia State at 2:30 PM MST.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
2026 Preseason Baseball Coaches' Poll
1. Colorado Mesa - 64
2. CSU Pueblo - 53
MSU Denver - 53
4. UCCS - 41
5. Regis - 32
6. Colorado School of Mines - 31
7. Adams State - 23
8. New Mexico Highlands - 14
9. Colorado Christian - 13
2026 Preseason All-RMAC: Baseball
Player School Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown
Royce Vandine (H) MSU Denver C 5-10 Sr. Pasco, Wash.
Evan Bilter Colorado School of Mines 1B 6-1 RJr. Pleasanton, Calif.
Mason Hagel-Pitt (2) Colorado Christian 2B 5-11 Sr. Arvada, Colo.
Kennedy Hara (2) Colorado Mesa SS 5-8 Sr. Aiea, Hawaii
Erubiel Ortiz (G) MSU Denver 3B 5-9 Sr. Phoenix, Ariz.
Cameron Cartwright (1) Colorado Mesa OF 5-11 Sr. Sun City, Ariz.
Kolby Felix (1) Colorado Mesa OF 5-11 Sr. Parker, Colo.
Jack Moulin Regis OF 6-0 RJr. San Clemente, Calif.
Ayden Tauscher Adams State OF 6-1 Sr. Murrieta, Calif.
Ethan Wood Regis DH 6-2 So. Austin, Texas
Liam Hohenstein (1) Colorado Mesa SP 5-11 Sr. Castle Rock, Colo.
Sage Ferguson (2) Colorado Mesa SP 6-4 Sr. Hawthorne, Nev.
Nolan Livsey (2) MSU Denver SP 6-2 RSr. Engelwood, Colo.
Ryder Mancuso (2) UCCS SP 6-2 Sr. Palisade, Colo.
Jacob Petersheim (1) CSU Pueblo SP 6-3 RSr. Broadway, Va.
Jack Novak CSU Pueblo RP 6-1 Jr. Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Symbols in parentheses are 2025 All-RMAC Recognitions: 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection;
