New Mexico Lobos Softball – Lobos vs. Fresno State
Friday – Lobos vs. Fresno State (6 p.m. MT) – Promotions: Cow Folk Night; $2 Hot Dogs, Southwest Dairy Farmers Mobile Classroom; $3 tickets for fans wearing red
Saturday – Lobos vs. Fresno State (1 p.m. MT) – Promotions: Heroes Day; Pie Eating Contest; $3 tickets for first responders
Sunday – Lobos vs. Fresno State (12 p.m. MT) – Promotions: Carnival Day; Free Ice Cream Day; $3 tickets for youth
UNM Game Notes | Live Stream | Live Stats
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico softball will have a tough challenge ahead as the Lobos play host to three-game series with Fresno State, who is currently at the top of the Mountain West and ranked No. 23 in the nation. All three games will stream live on the Mountain West Network and live stats will be available as well.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
This three-game series will be the 41st, 42nd and 43rd match ups with Fresno State this weekend. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 34-6. Last season, the Bulldogs took all three games at their place. The Lobos fell 7-1, 4-0 and 4-1. This will be the fifth ranked opponent the Lobos have faced this season. The last time the Lobos beat a ranked team was on March 19, 2016, defeating No. 23 Nebraska 6-3.
ABOUT FRESNO STATE
Fresno State is 24-9-1 on the season and is currently sit at the top of the Mountain West standings with an undefeated mark of 6-0. The Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back series sweeps in a six-day stretch. The Bulldogs outscored Boise State 49-12 with three straight run-rule wins and became the first team to sweep San Diego State since the Mountain West implemented three-game series in 2012.
Fresno State is led by fourth-year head coach Trisha Ford and was picked to take the league title after taking the title last season and earning the NCAA tournament berth. They are hitting .310 as a team with Whitney Smith leading the squad at .348. Senior Jill Compton is back in the circle for her final season as a Bulldog. She owns a 2.66 ERA with a 14-4 record. In a team-leading 105.1 innings of work, she has tallied 75 strikeouts.
ABOUT NEW MEXICO
The Lobos are 18-14 overall and positioned fifth in the Mountain West with a 3-3 regular-season record. New Mexico is coming off a series lost to Nevada last weekend, falling 5-1 in game one, 4-0 in game two but the Lobos came back with late offense to pick up the finale 3-2.
The Lobos have the sixth-best batting average of the conference at .302 and the fifth-best ERA at 3.98. Mariah Rimmer is leading the way with a .436 average. In 110 at-bats, she has 48 hits, 11 doubles, two triples and five home runs for 25 RBI. She also lead the team in stolen bases (5-for-6).
In the circle, the Lobos will look to three main pitchers in senior Lauran Soles, sophomore Krissy Fortner and freshman Colette Robert. Robert earned the only victory last weekend to improve her record to 8-6. She is second on the team with a 3.67 ERA. Soles is 3-5 on the season with a 4.06 ERA and Fortner is 3-2 with a 3.72 ERA. Fortner has the best opposing batting average of the staff at .261.
QUICK NOTES
RIMMER BECOMING A TOP PLAYER IN UNM HISTORY
Senior Mariah Rimmer has made her mark here at the University of New Mexico. She will go down as one of the top players in UNM history. Rimmer is in the top 10 of many career categories for the Lobos, including batting average (1st, .361), slugging percentage (6th, .533), on-base percentage (T5th, .409), at-bats (8th, 623), runs scored (3rd, 125), hits (2nd, 225), doubles (5th, 37), triples (T7th, 8), home runs (T8th, 18), RBI (T4th, 116), total bases (4th, 332) and stolen bases (8th, 57). In a single-season, Rimmer is third on the list in batting average (.436), fifth in slugging percentage (.709) and eight in on-base percentage (.475). Rimmer hit her fifth home run on the season against Nevada, giving the Lobos a 1-0 lead in the sixth in the final game of the series. That paced the Lobos to ta 3-2 victory over the Wolf Pack.
ROBERT GETS ANOTHER VICTORY
Freshman Colette Robert claimed her eighth win on the season, picking up the final game of the series. She allowed two runs off eight hits while striking out two and walking one. Robert is second on the team in ERA at 3.67. In a team-leading 89.2 innings of work, she has allowed 61 runs off 125 hits while striking out a team-best 44. She also holds her opponents to a .330 batting average.
LOBOS IN THE CONFERENCE
The Lobos are top 10 in three categories of the Mountain West. They are sixth in batting average at .302, fifth in ERA at 3.98 and tied for third in fielding percentage at .957.