The Wayne State baseball team matches its earliest start ever to a season this year as the Wildcats head to Tucson, Arizona this weekend to face CSU Pueblo and UC-Colorado Springs from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to open the 2025 season. 
            WSC opened the 2020 season on January 31 facing four teams in Cleburne, Texas January 31-February 2. 
            Head coach Alex Koch enters his 11^th year in the Wildcat dugout and is coming off a 29-23 campaign where the Wildcats finished fifth in the NSIC with a 21-16 league record while ending the season with a third-place finish at the season-ending NSIC Tournament. 
            Wayne State, picked to finish fifth in this year's NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll released January 16^th, returns all but the catching position from last year's infield that led all of NCAA Division II with 64 double plays turned.
            This year's Wildcat Player to Watch is senior shortstop Quinn McCafferty, who hit .315 last season with one homer and 47 RBI's (2^nd on the team).  He tied for the team lead with 18 multi-hit games and 14 games with multi-RBI.
            Wayne State's Pitcher to Watch this season is senior right-hander Jackson Shelburne, who was 2-5 in 10 starts last season with a 3.98 earned run average.  He is the top returning starter after throwing 40.2 innings last season allowing just 33 hits and 23 runs (18 earned) while recording 39 strikeouts.
            WSC opens the year Friday at 12 p.m. Central Time against UC-Colorado Springs, who was tied for sixth in this year's preseason RMAC Coaches Poll, after finishing 16-32 and 13-19 (7^th) in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2024.
            Listed on this year's RMAC Preseason Player to Watch List is graduate student first baseman Caleb Stubbings after setting the program's home run record last season. Stubbings missed the beginning of the 2024 campaign with a hand injury, but made his impact felt upon his return hitting .355 in 33 games with 11 doubles, eight homers and 30 RBIs.
            WSC will play UCCS again on Saturday, February 1^st at 12 p.m.
            The Wildcats also play Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon against CSU Pueblo.  The ThunderWolves are coming off a 29-23 season like Wayne State, finishing 6^th in the RMAC last year with a 17-15 mark.  CSUP is picked to finish fourth in this year's RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
            Senior outfielder Elijah Borjas was listed on the RMAC Preseason Player to Watch List.  He is one of 11 returning Second-Team All-RMAC honorees from last season. Last season, Borjas hit .358 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI in 50 games for the Pack. He has recorded back-to-back errorless seasons in the field as he has earned two straight All-Gold Glove Team honors.
            This marks just the second time that Wayne State has faced each team from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.  WSC lost a doubleheader at UC-Colorado Springs in 2018 by scores of 6-5 and 16-4 while the only prior meeting between the 'Cats and ThunderWolves came in 2009 at the NCAA Regional in Grand Junction, Colorado with the Wildcats winning 6-1.