18 minute read
Softball
RAM RECAP
Colorado State softball suffers 3rd away series sweep
By Bailey Shepherd
@b_sheps
The Colorado State University softball team was haunted by woes on the road once again this weekend as they suffered a series sweep at the hands of the Bulldogs of California State University, Fresno.
After their first away win of the regular season against the University of Northern Colorado last week, it felt like this team had finally broken their curse on the road and went into this series with optimism. However, Fresno’s sweep of the Rams marks the third consecutive instance this season wherein CSU failed to win a single game in an away series against a conference opponent.
In the first matchup of the series April 22, the Rams made a statement in the first inning with an efficient offensive burst. The Rams fired up the bats for four hits that turned into three runs and gave CSU a 3-0 lead after one inning. Whatever offense was present in the first inning, however, was not seen again for the remainder of the matchup.
After the Bulldogs made it 3-1 on a wild pitch from Julia Cabral, the Fresno State team had an offensive explosion in the third inning, scoring four runs to take a 5-3 lead. CSU got one back in the fifth but only managed to record three hits after that offensive burst in the first inning. Fresno State ended up taking game one with a final score of 6-4.
The second matchup followed a similar pattern. The Rams took an early lead, posting one run in the first inning and another in the second to make it a 2-0 ballgame going into the third. Again, it only took one inning for the Bulldogs to overcome the deficit after a burst of offense in the fourth inning produced three runs, which saw the Bulldogs take the lead at 3-2.
The Rams fell into the same offensive lull that they did in game one and only managed to record two hits for the rest of the game after recording three in the first two innings. It seemed like there might be a sliver of hope for the Rams after Danielle Serna homered in the final inning, but the rest of the team couldn’t rally, and the game ended 4-3 in favor of the Bulldogs.
In the final game of the series, the Rams played like they had something to prove. After going down two runs in the second inning, the Rams fought back to even the score at the top of the fourth inning. However, Fresno State responded with two runs of their own in the same inning to make it 4-2 halfway through the game.
The Rams managed to register 11 hits during the game, their highest total of the series, but those hits failed to translate into runs, and the CSU team once again deflated late and ended up having to eat the 6-3 loss.
The Rams now own a 1-12 away record this season, but they’ll get a reprieve from the road this week and look to churn out some positive results when the University of Nevada, Reno comes to Fort Collins.
CSU will have a home series against the Wolf Pack with games on April 29, 30 and May 1. After that, it’s one more road trip against
Sophomore Jalyn McGuffin (24) prepares to hit a pitch during the second game of the Colorado State University versus San Jose State University series March 26. The Rams defeated the Spartans 7-6. PHOTO BY MYKYTA BOTKINS THE COLLEGIAN the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before the Rams end their regular season with a home series against Boise State University. Reach Bailey Shepherd at sports@ collegian.com.
LOOKING AHEAD
Meet the newest recruits of the Ram football team
Colorado State University head football coach Jay Norvell leads the participants of the spring youth camp out of the tunnel April 23. “We want our team to be a part of the community and engage in the community,” Norvell said. “When we go out and play on Saturdays, we need our community.” PHOTO BY GREGORY JAMES THE COLLEGIAN
By Jack Taylor
@j_taylr
It’s been a long time since Colorado State football fans have read a headline that brought them hope for a prosperous future for their football program. After three seasons of flirting with mediocrity at best, the Rams have crossed the horizon, putting together an excellent recruiting class and showing signs of fielding a team worth watching.
Under previous head coach Steve Addazio, the inability to win games was not the only ineptitude of the former football coaching staff. The 2021 recruiting class curated by Addazio and his support staff was reported by 247sports to be beaten out by many Division II programs.
With very limited connections to the Mountain West Conference and the high school head coaches on the West Coast, it would be inaccurate to consider Addazio’s recruiting net sufficient enough to build a successful future for the CSU football program.
However, not all hope is lost for the 2022 recruiting class. After the announcement that Jay Norvell would become the next and 24th head coach of the CSU football team this past December, the 2022 CSU recruiting class climbed in 247sports to 84th overall. This increase in the ranking was caused by CSU Athletics’ recorded 11 transfer players who followed Norvell to CSU from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Even though Ram fans won’t immediately see the recruiting advantages Norvell brings to the CSU football program, apart from the transfers accompanying Norvell from Nevada, CSU should expect to see a vastly improved 2023 recruiting class.
The upcoming 2022-23 football season currently features 28 recruits. Read below for insight into a few of the recruits fans will see take the field at Canvas Stadium sporting green and gold this coming spring. Clay Millen
Fans should expect to see an immediate impact on the offensive side of the ball from highly touted quarterback and redshirt freshman Clay Millen. Millen, a 6-foot-3-inch transfer from Nevada, was composed in the pocket during the Green and Gold spring game. Despite the pair of interceptions Millen threw, he looked comfortable passing deep down the field. Millen’s quick release and knack for standing in the pocket despite a collapse labels him as a prototypical pocket-passing quarterback. Chemistry with his new wide receivers will develop with time, but as things stand right now, Millen has a good shot at getting the starting nod for this coming season. Melquan Stovall
Melquan Stovall is another transfer following Norvell from Nevada. The lighting-fast senior wide receiver posted “56 catches for 643 yards and one touchdown” last year at Nevada, according to CSU Athletics, and is poised to produce even greater stats this coming season. The 5-foot-8inch wideout has amazing footwork and a surprisingly adept release off the line for a player of his size. Stovall commands attention at the slot receiver position. Collegian sports reporter Braidon Nourse, who covered the Green and Gold spring game, said, “Rams fans should expect the connection between Millen and Stovall to be a special one this season.” Mekhi ‘Flip’ Fox
Mekhi “Flip” Fox originally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles. After Norvell was named the next head coach for CSU, Fox decommitted from UCLA and signed a letter of intent to play for the Rams. Fox is a 6-foot-1-inch receiver/running back who ended his high school career in Pasadena, California, with 3,243 allpurpose yards and 40 touchdowns. With blazing speed and excellent body control to haul in 50/50 balls, Fox was rated the 31st-best recruit in California by 247sports. Fox is regarded as one of the best talents to commit to CSU in the past decade. Fans should be more than excited to see how this future star develops. Jackson Stratton
A battle between quarterbacks is always a good thing — the whole positional locker room elevates their games to outplay their teammates in hope of getting the starting role. Jackson Stratton is 6 feet, 5 inches tall and has a similar playing style to Millen; however, Stratton does seem to have a stronger arm and more commanding presence in the pocket than Millen. Originally a commit to the University of Washington, Stratton signed his letter of intent to play for the Rams in December after the Norvell hire. With his cannon of an arm, Stratton finished his high school career in La Jolla, California, with “4,469 yards and 52 touchdowns with 19 interceptions,” according to CSU Athletics. As a three-star recruit, Stratton has the ability and talent to bring muchneeded stability to a historically fickle CSU quarterback position. Marshon Oxley
The CSU 2022 recruiting class is stacked on the offensive side of the ball. Marshon Oxley, however, is one of the defensive recruits featured in this year’s class. Oxley is a 6-foot-3-inch outside linebacker from Inglewood, California. Speed combined with a large frame makes Oxley a formidable zone-coverage linebacker who can rush off the edge in heavy linebacker sets. Fans should be excited to see Oxley fly into the backfield and intercept checkdown throws this coming season.
CSU is expected to showcase its re-tooled offense and its newly implemented air-raid scheme when the new Rams team travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on the Big10 juggernauts of the University of Michigan Sept. 3.
Reach Jack Taylor at sports@ collegian.com.
BACK ON THE FIELD
Rams football shows out in Green and Gold spring game
By Braidon Nourse
@braidonnourse
The new Colorado State University Rams football team was in action this weekend for the Green and Gold spring game. The intrasquad scrimmage was the conclusion of a weekend that consisted of tailgating, the inaugural Grit 5k run, a free youth football camp following the game and much more for the Ram football community.
The nontraditional format of the game included the White Team, consisting mostly of non-starters, starting the game with 21 points, giving a challenge to the Green Team, mostly starters, to mount a comeback. Also, the defensive units were not allowed to tackle any quarterbacks, as hits to the quarterbacks were limited to two-hand-touch.
The beginning of the first quarter was all about defense. The first series by the White Team ended with an interception, and the very next series ended with a three-and-out. Later on in the quarter, quarterback Clay Millen of the Green Team was picked off by White Team defensive back Brandon Guzman, who took it to the house to increase the lead to 28 following kicker Jonathan Terry’s extra point.
With around 30 seconds left in the quarter, Millen found wide receiver Melquan Stovall on a 17-yard fade pass to put the Green Team on the board. The much anticipated “Fort Air Raid” offense did not seem to be in full effect, as the wind at Canvas Stadium was steady around 30 miles per hour with even harder gusts.
The only points in the second quarter for the White Team came from the leg of Terry, with two field goals under 40 yards to push the lead to 34-7. Then, as the half came to a close, Millen found wide receiver Dante Wright for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 3414 going into halftime.
Junior Avery Morrow (25) stiff arms oncoming defensive linemen during the Green and Gold spring game April 23. PHOTO BY REUEL INDURKAR THE COLLEGIAN
Offensive lineman Dontae Keys (52) walks onto the field of Canvas Stadium to play in the Green and Gold spring game April 23. PHOTO BY REUEL INDURKAR THE COLLEGIAN
Right out of the gates in the second half, Millen used the high wind to his advantage and found receiver Tory Horton for a deep score. Kicker Michael Boyle’s extra point cut the deficit to 34-21. Then, on the Green Team’s next series, Millen tossed to another receiver on a screen pass for an additional score, making it a one possession game at 34-28.
With around four minutes left in the third quarter, A’Jon Vivens ran in a short touchdown to take the lead for the Green Team after Boyle drilled the extra point, 35-34. On the next Green Team drive, Millen threw another interception, this time to defensive back Langston Williams, to set the White Team up for a chance to take the lead back. The White Team went on to take a 37-35 lead thanks again to a Terry field goal from under 40 yards out, closing out the third quarter.
Vivens struck again for the Green Team nearly halfway through the fourth quarter on another short run to score a touchdown and take the lead back again from the White Team, 42-37. Later on in the quarter, it was quarterback Giles Pooler for the Green Team who found receiver E.J. Scott to push the lead to 49-37.
This was the last score for either team, as the Green Team was able to surmount their 21-point deficit to win by 12.
Millen looked undoubtedly comfortable in the pocket with his new offense. Despite the two interceptions he threw, the whole unit of starting offensive players looked confident. The mishaps on offense on both teams could be attributed to the unusually powerful wind and are likely not going to be commonplace come time for the regular season.
Rams fans should expect the connection between Millen and Stovall to be a special one this season, and it will all start Sept. 3 when the Rams travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on the University of Michigan to begin the 2022-23 campaign.
Reach Braidon Nourse at sports@ collegian.com.
PRESS PLAY
Holdfast. on their new album, playing outside Fort Collins
By Kadyn Thorpe
@thorpekadyn
Holdfast. released their latest album, “Movies,” April 15, which was recorded through the trials and tribulations of COVID-19 quarantine.
Holdfast. was formed in 2011 and consists of brothers Tommy Maddocks (drummer) and Mikey Maddocks (bassist) and their cousin Charlie Maddocks (lead singer and guitarist). Once they started releasing music, they quickly stole the hearts of music lovers across Northern Colorado.
Their single “Time,” which was released in December 2019, was featured on-air many times, landing them a spot in KTCL 93.3’s Hometown for the Holidays. They opened for lovelytheband during Taste of Fort Collins in 2019, and after that, they quickly grew as a Fort Collins favorite.
TOMMY MADDOCKS
HOLDFAST. DRUMMER
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION FROM THE COLLEGIAN ARCHIVES
Since the band formed, Holdfast. has made their mark in Colorado local music and has started to branch out into the West Coast as well. Deriving inspiration from Muse, U2, Bruce Springsteen and many more, the music Holdfast. creates is loaded with heavy basslines and ballads.
After their success in 2019, they signed to Audio Network and started working on their next album.
“It was interesting timing because it was right before COVID that we started talking with Audio Network,” Charlie Maddocks said. “And then as soon as we jumped into it, it started shutting down.”
Scared to be too close to one another, they recorded some of their demos apart, setting up the drum set outside and recording it through the window.
The album itself was recorded in a short amount of time in The Blasting Room located in Fort Collins. With only a week to record seven songs, the members of Holdfast. worked to ensure every song was exactly what they wanted, making every moment of every song the best it could be.
“It was a whirlwind for us,” Tommy Maddocks said. “It was definitely stressful getting through that; we didn’t have a lot of time, and time is money in the studio.”
Holdfast. recently played at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, and they participated in the Fort Collins Music eXperiment this past weekend.
Their presence onstage is unmatched by any other local band. With only three members in the band, they still create a full-sounding instrumental performance, and Charlie Maddocks’ contrasting vocals make this band a must-see in concert. In 2019, they won crowd favorite during their performance at Hometown for the Holidays because of their “energetic signature live show,” according to their about page.
“We really try to push every song to its limits — not just the song itself but every track and every moment,” Tommy Maddocks said. “It’s tedious but also just so fun doing what you love with your family.”
According to an interview on their website, they grew up surrounded by people creating music, like watching their two uncles hold band rehearsal at their grandparents’ house. Music has always been a dream for them; they spend their days surrounded by their music, recording and writing new songs and practicing their favorites. On the rare occasion they are not thinking about their music, Tommy and Charlie Maddocks said they enjoy their favorite video games, while Mikey Maddocks said he is out shredding the slopes.
Each band member brings a different personality to their music and their performances, making each song a blend of each member’s skills.
Tommy Maddocks said he loves the epic ballads they have in their new album but especially in their song “Brother.” Mikey Maddocks likes the songs with heavier basslines, like “I’ll Try,” while Charlie Maddocks prefers the focus tracks of each album, like “Find A Way.” Each member in the band brings a unique skill that brings their music together.
While performing their soldout show at Cervantes’ in Denver, the band was vocally thankful for everyone who showed up. Starting out as a local band is difficult to do, but this band holds nothing back once they step on that stage.
As of right now, Holdfast. is preparing for their first official tour, which will be hitting the West Coast in June. They also just wrapped up recording three new songs. Just like with any local band, the work is never done, but we’re excited to see what this Northern Colorado favorite has in store for us next.
Make sure to check out Holdfast.’s newest album, “Movies” — the perfect soundtrack for your summer.
Reach Kadyn Thorpe at entertainment@collegian.com.
WEEKLY HOROSCOPE
By Hailee Stegall
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY
(04/28/22)
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18)
Sit in your discomfort, Aquarius. Forced positivity is often worse for you than letting yourself feel the negative emotion.
PISCES (FEB. 19 - MARCH 20)
Go with the flow, Pisces. Let yourself be pulled by the currents of life in new directions you may not have imagined.
ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)
Learn to let go, Aries. Your time is too valuable to spend around people who do not match your energy.
TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20)
Connect with others through pain, Taurus. Healing is best done in groups, so lean on those around you.
GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20)
It’s all about networking, Gemini. Use your competence in talking to people to further your professional connections.
CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22)
See things upside down, Cancer. If something seems negative in energy, look at it from a positive perspective.
LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22)
Spice things up, Leo. In your romantic connections, show them how much you care — try something new.
VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 22)
Speak to be heard, Virgo. You deserve to be listened to as well as you tend to listen to others, so push for that.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22)
It’s OK not to be OK, Libra. Just because you’re not being productive doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of love.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)
Put yourself out there, Scorpio. Loosen up, and be who you want to be without holding back for fear of being judged.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC.
21) Do a trust fall, Sagittarius. It can be difficult to let people into your heart, but it’s necessary to nurture your life.
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN.
19) Communication is key, Capricorn. Don’t beat around the bush when it comes to expressing your feelings.
