Feb. 16, 2005
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NEXT IN LOBO BASEBALL
Texas State (6-1) at New Mexico (3-4)
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, FEB. 18-20 — ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — ISOTOPES PARK (11,124)
SCHEDULE:
Friday, Feb. 18 - 6 p.m.Saturday, Feb. 19 - 2 p.m.Sunday, Feb. 20 - 12 p.m.
MEDIA COVERAGE:
RADIO: All games will be broadcast on KDEF 1150 AM and GoLobos.com with Henry Tafoya, Dan Rivera and Mike Foote calling the action.There will be a pregame show 15 minutes prior to each game.
Click here to access the radio broadcasts: Radio Broadcasts
LIVE STATS: Live stats of all three games will be available at GoLobos.com.
TICKET INFORMATION: Single-game tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for youth. Tickets are available at the Isotopes Park ticket office on game day or at GoLobos.com.
SERIES INFORMATION: This is the first meeting between the two schools.
PROJECTED PITCHING ROTATION:
Friday:TX. ST.: #32 RH Sr. Chris Jean (2-0, 1.64 ERA, 11.0 IP, 11 K)vs.UNM: #28 RH Sr. Jason Fernandez (1-1, 6.55 ERA, 11.0 IP, 4 K)
Saturday:TX. ST.: #23 RH Sr. Bobby Sawicki (0-1, 5.62 ERA, 8.0 IP, 5 K)vs.UNM: #11 RH Sr. Karsten Gaarder (1-1, 5.54 ERA, 13.0 IP, 11 K)
Sunday:TX. ST.: #11 RH Jr. Ryan Bennett (2-0, 1.64 ERA, 11.0 IP, 4 K)vs.UNM: #21 RH Jr. Darren Coltrinari (1-1, 16.43 ERA, 7.2 IP, 5 K)
LOBOS LOOK TO EXTEND WINNING WAYS: New Mexico, in the midst of playing 16 of 19 games at home, will look to extend its three-game winning streak against Texas State this weekend (Feb. 18-20) after sweeping New Mexico State last weekend. The series gets underway Friday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m., while Saturday’s game is at 2 p.m. and Sunday’s game is set for 12 p.m. All of this weekend’s games will be broadcast on KDEF 1150 AM and GoLobos.com, and live stats will also be available at GoLobos.com.
The Lobos (3-4), who lost their first four games on the road, got back on track with an impressive offensive display last weekend against their instrastate rival. UNM pounded out 35 runs and 42 hits in sweeping the Aggies for the first time in a three-game series since 1987.
Texas State heads into the Duke City with a 6-1 record after taking a two-game set from Texas-Pan American at home earlier this week. Texas State also has two victories over Angelo State and one win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Bobcats’ lone loss came against Texas-Arlington Feb. 6.
HISTORY LESSON – LOBOS-BOBCATS 101: This is the first meeting between New Mexico and Texas State (formerly Southwest Texas State).
THE ESSENTIALS: CLIFF NOTES FROM THE NEW MEXICO STATE SERIES
New Mexico swept past New Mexico State (13-9, 8-3, 14-12) Feb. 12-13 at Isotopes Park last weekend. It marked the first time UNM has swept the Aggies in a three-game series since 1987. The two teams will meet three more times this season in Las Cruces (March 22, March 29, April 12).
The Lobos slugged out 42 hits and 35 runs in the series, jumping their team batting average from .203 to .283…UNM hit .378 in the series.
First baseman Daniel Stovall hit .538 in the series (7-for-13) with a homer, three doubles, four runs and eight RBI to earn Mountain West Player of the Week honors
Sophomore DH Chris Carlson, the Lobos’ third batter in the lineup, broke out offensively, producing four hits, including three doubles, with five RBI and seven runs scored
UNM hit six triples in the series, including three in Saturday’s game
Friday’s game was postponed due to inclement weather
In Saturday’s series opener, UNM earned its first win of the season with a 13-9 victory…UNM broke the game open with a nine-run fifth inning that gave the Lobos a 13-4 lead…Jason Fernandez fired six innings in getting the victory, allowing four runs, three earned, with two strikeouts…Daniel Stovall hit a solo homer and went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBI
Senior Kevin Letz |
In game one of Sunday’s doubleheader, senior Karsten Gaarder struck out eight batters in 7.1 innings and only allowed five hits and two runs in UNM’s 8-3 triumph…for his effort, he was named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week…the Lobos built an 8-0 advantage through five innings…Carlson hit two doubles and drove in two runs in the game
In game two of the doubleheader, the Lobos ran out to a 14-5 lead through five innings en route to scoring a 14-12 victory…Jordan Pacheco hit an inside-the-park homer in the third inning and went 2-for-4 in the game…Garrick Haymore collected three hits, including a triple, with two runs and two RBI…Stovall delivered two more hits and three RBI…Darren Coltrinari picked up his first win of the season after pitching five innings and striking out five…Kevin Letz earned his first career save with two strikeouts in closing the ninth.
GET OUT THOSE BINOCULARS – LOBOS TO WATCH
– Senior Karsten Gaarder was named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week after striking out eight batters in 7.1 innings of action in a win over New Mexico State. Gaarder was hitting all of his spots over the plate, locating his fastball and breaking ball to near perfection early in the game – he retired nine consecutive batters spanning the second through fifth innings. He will start Saturday’s game this weekend.
– Sophomore first baseman Daniel Stovall is looking to top his sensational freshman campaign that landed him spots on the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America and All-Mountain West teams. Prior to this season, he was one of 58 players named to the Wallace Watch Award list, which is given out to college baseball’s top player. He was also named Baseball America’s preseason Mountain West Player of the Year. Stovall hit .347 with 12 homers, 14 doubles and 34 RBI last year. Thus far, he’s living up to his preseason billing – he leads the Mountain West with 11 RBI and has slugged four doubles while batting .407. He was named the MWC Player of the Week after batting .538 (7-for-13) in the New Mexico State series.
– Freshman Jordan Pacheco, who led Albuquerque’s La Cueva High School to back-to-back state championships, is making a nice transition to Division I collegiate baseball. The second baseman is third on the team with a .409 batting average to go along with six RBI and four runs. Pacheco was 5-for-12 (.417) with five RBI against New Mexico State, including an inside-the-park homer in game three of the series.
– Junior A.J. Spitaleri is second on the team with a .462 batting average and leads the team with an .846 slugging percentage. Spitaleri went 5-for-9 with a homer against New Mexico State.
DON’T LEAVE FOR THE BALLPARK WITHOUT THEM – CAN’T MISS NOTES
While UNM’s former home, Lobo Field, was known as a “home run park”, Isotopes Park is looking like a “triples park” for hitters. New Mexico was ninth in the nation last season with 26 triples, and former leadoff hitter Matt Young led the country with 12 three-baggers. This season, the Lobos lead the Mountain West with six triples – all of them coming last weekend in the home-opening series at The Lab.
New Mexico will play teams that posted a winning record in 2004 in 19 of their first 20 games of the 2005 season. Arizona reached the College World Series last season and Texas Tech advanced to the NCAA Regionals. After hosting New Mexico State (33-25-1) and Texas State (32-26), UNM will play in the top-notch Rice Tournament (Nebraska – 36-23; Western Carolina – 28-31; Rice – 46-14). The Lobos host Northern Colorado (29-23) and New Mexico Highlands (30-26) before starting the conference season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
TEXAS STATE BOBCATS (6-1)
Texas State returns 14 letterwinners from last season’s team that went 32-26 and placed third in the Southland Conference with a 16-10 league record.
The Bobcats are off to a fast start, winning six of their first seven games. They claimed a two-game series over Texas-Pan American at home earlier this week, beating UTPA 5-0 on Tuesday and 6-1 on Wednesday.
Last weekend, Texas State defeated Angelo State at home, 11-5 and 9-5. The Bobcats topped Texas-Pan American in Edinburg on Opening Day, 9-0, and then beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 13-5, the following day. Their lone loss came at the hands of Texas-Arlington, who beat them 3-0.
In its college preview issue, Baseball America picked the Bobcats to finish fifth in the Southland Conference.
HEAD COACH: Ty Harrington. Overall record: 174-130 (Seventh year). Record at Texas State: Same.
AROUND THE HORN –
OFFENSIVELY
New Mexico is second in the Mountain West Conference with a .283 batting average, jumping 80 points over the weekend. The Lobos lead the league in triples (six), doubles (15), hits (69) and RBI (48).
PITCHING
Although the Lobos are last in the MWC in team ERA (9.76), the Lobos improved as a staff in their second weekend of action. UNM struck out 24 batters and walked 16 last weekend against the Aggies as all three starting pitchers picked up victories. New Mexico tops the MWC with 39 strikeouts.
FIELDING
The Lobos are second in the conference with a .956 fielding percentage.
Sophomore third baseman Jay Russell |
PLAYER NOTES –
A GLANCE AT THE LOBO STARTING PITCHERS
The Lobos will send senior right-hander Jason Fernandez, senior right-hander Karsten Gaarder, and junior right-hander Darren Coltrinari to the mound for a third straight weekend:
GM. 1 – Friday – 6 p.m. – #28 RH Sr. Jason Fernandez (1-1, 6.55 ERA)
— Led Lobos last season in wins (seven) and innings pitched (94.0)
— Led the Mountain West with 69.2 innings pitched in conference play
— No. 1 conference starter last season, going 6-3 in league play
— Opening Day starter for UNM at Arizona, taking the loss after allowing five runs in five innings
— Picked up first win of the season Feb. 12 vs. New Mexico State, surrendering 13 hits and four runs with two strikeouts in six innings of action
GM. 2 – Saturday – 2 p.m. – #11 RH Sr. Karsten Gaarder (1-1, 5.54 ERA)
— Gaarder appeared in 19 games in 2004, starting in four
— Went 3-1 with a 2.23 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 36.1 innings of work for the McKinney Marshals of the Texas Collegiate League in summer of 2004
— Solid outing in loss at Arizona Feb. 5, surrendering seven runs, six earned, in 5.2 innings
— Named Mountain West Pitcher of the Week after his win over New Mexico State Feb. 13…Gaarder only allowed five hits – all singles – and two runs while fanning eight Aggies in 7.1 innings
GM. 3 – Sunday – 12 p.m. – #21 RH Jr. Darren Coltrinari (1-1, 16.43 ERA)
— Looks to return to the conference rotation after making only five starts last year
— Regained his old form with a strong summer season for the Alexandria Beetles in the Northwoods League in 2004
— Took the loss at Arizona Feb. 6, giving up six runs on six hits in 2.1 innings of work
— Earned the victory vs. New Mexico State Feb. 13 after going five innings and striking out five
Daniel Stovall PLACED ON WALLACE WATCH AWARD LIST, NAMED BASEBALL AMERICA’s PRESEASON MOUNTAIN WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR
New Mexico sophomore first baseman Daniel Stovall was one of 58 players named to the Wallace Watch List for the 2005 season by the College Baseball Foundation. The Brooks Wallace Award is presented annually to the national college baseball player of the year. Stovall batted .347 with 12 homers, 14 doubles and 34 RBI in his freshman season and was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American.
The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semi-finalists by Tuesday, May 24, 2005. Then the selection committee will narrow the list to three finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals at a press conference in Omaha on Thursday, June 16, 2005.
Stovall was also showered with accolades by Baseball America. In its college preview, Baseball America named Stovall as its preseason choice for Mountain West Player of the Year. Stovall, who was also listed as the No. 3 prospect in the league, was named the best raw power hitter in the MWC along with top defensive first baseman honors.
Thus far this season, Stovall is living up to his preseason billing. The Midland, Texas, native leads the Mountain West with 11 RBI and is batting .407 with a homer and four doubles. He was named the Mountain West Player of the Week Feb. 14 for his 7-for-13 showing (.538) in the home New Mexico State series, slugging three doubles, eight RBI and a homer in the three-game sweep of the the Aggies.
BARBA MOVING TO SHORTSTOP
Junior Ryan Barba, a starter at second base the past two seasons, will move over to the left side of the infield and play at shortstop this season. A natural shortstop out of high school, Barba is an excellent fielder with great hands, and started six games at short last season.
Barba bats ninth in the Lobo lineup, but is more of a catalyst that sparks the top of the order. He is currently hitting .308 with four RBI after collecting five hits in 12 at-bats last weekend.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
After nearly redshirting in his first season, Matt Foote worked his way in the lineup late last season, becoming the starting third baseman with a solid glove and timely hitting. This year, Foote is making the transition to center field after the departure of All-MWC outfielder Matt Young. Foote, whose father played at UNM from 1976-80 and is currently a radio analyst for Lobo baseball, led the team in conference games in 2004 with a .429 batting average. This year, Foote is batting .233 with four RBI to start the season.
SPIT THIS
Junior catcher A.J. Spitaleri is solid behind the dish, but is even more effective when he stands on the side of the plate with a bat in his hands.
Spitaleri is second on the team with a .462 batting average after going 5-for-9 in the New Mexico State series. A good contact hitter who can bat for power and average, Spitaleri compiled a .339 batting average his freshman year and a .361 average his sophomore campaign.
YOU’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE
Sophomore DH and left fielder Chris Carlson, a powerful masher at the plate, has successfully made his way from Kansas State University to the No. 3 hitter in the Lobos’ lineup in less than a year.
A native of Topeka, Kan., Carlson played one year at KSU in 2004, batting .255 with three homers, 32 RBI and 15 doubles. Over the summer, Carlson transferred to the University of New Mexico, and is now one of UNM’s top sluggers in the box.
Carlson broke out offensively in last weekend’s series against New Mexico State, producing three doubles and five RBI while crossing the plate seven times.
Chris’ brother, Nick, is a freshman infielder on this year’s team.
MAKING A TRANSITION IN YOUR OWN HOMETOWN
Freshman Jordan Pacheco is adjusting to college life and making the transition from high school to Division I baseball this season – but at least he’s comfortable with his surroundings. Pacheco, who led Albuquerque’s La Cueva High School to back-to-back state championships, is now the starting second baseman for his hometown Lobos.
Pacheco has gotten off to a fast start in his first seven games, as he is third on the team with a .409 batting average. He delivered five hits, including an inside-the-park homer, in last weekend’s series vs. the Aggies.
MARK McGWIRE USELESS STAT OF THE WEEK
“When I broke in, they didn’t keep track of things the way they do now. These days they have a stat for how many times a guy goes for a cup of coffee.” – Mark McGwire
While this is the first time New Mexico has matched up against Texas State, the Lobos have a long history of playing schools from Texas. UNM is 155-158-2 all-time when playing teams from the Lone Star State.