April 4, 2007
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THE GAME: The Lobos (14-18, 3-3 MWC) take on the San Diego State Aztecs (18-14, 3-2 MWC) for the second consecutive weekend. UNM is in San Diego for a three-game series this Thursday through Saturday. Live audio and video of the game will be streamed on www.GoAztecs.com. CSTV’s GameTracker is also available on both SDSU and New Mexico’s website, www.GoLobos.com, providing up-to-the-minute stats, play-by-play and more.
LOOKING AT THE LOBOS: New Mexico is 14-18 overall and 3-3 in the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos took the first two of a three-game series with San Diego State over the weekend at Isotopes Park.
Jordan Pacheco led the Lobo offense against the Aztecs, producing team highs in batting average (.583), runs (6), hits (7) and RBI (5). He had the long home run for UNM on the weekend, ending the team’s 13-game home run drought. Pacheco drew two walks on the weekend and didn’t strikeout out once in 12 at bats. On Friday night, he went 4-for-5 with five RBI for the second straight game, earning head coach Rich Alday his 500th at UNM. His five RBI tied his career high, set last weekend in the final game with Utah. On Saturday, Pacheco went 1-for-2, drawing two of the team’s five walks and scoring a team-leading three runs. On Sunday, he was one of two Lobos to have multiple hits vs. SDSU and one of five to score.
Saturday night vs. San Diego State, Stephen Smith pitched one of the best games of his season, going a career-high 7.1 innings. It was the first time in his nine appearances that he did not surrender a walk and was just the second time in eight starts he struck out more than four batters. With his third win as a Lobo, he handed SDSU ace Bruce Billings his first loss of the season. The win was also New Mexico’s fourth straight over the Aztecs. In each of the first three innings, he struck out the first batter he faced, all swinging. Smith held SDSU to just four hits through the first seven innings.
SCOUTING THE AZTECS: San Diego State avoided the sweep on Sunday, taking the game 11-6 to snap a four-game losing streak to the Lobos.
Frank LoNigro led the Aztecs last weekend, hitting .455 (5-for-11) with a team-high four RBI, two runs and the lone stolen base. Aaron Brady also played a vital role for SDSU, hitting .385 (5-for-13) with three RBI and a team-leading four runs scored.
Mike Koons picked up the sole win for the Aztecs but made two appearances in the series. Overall, he allowed nine hits, six unearned runs and two walks with three strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Closer Stephen Strasburg dominated the Lobo hitters, throwing 2.0 hitless, scoreless innings on Sunday.
HISTORY LESSONS: The Lobos have won five of the last seven meetings against San Diego State, taking two of three last weekend in Albuquerque. Below are series notes:
All-time series record: 88-43, SDSU
Series record in Albuquerque: 31-24, SDSU
Series record in San Diego: 53-18, SDSU
Series record at neutral sites: 4-1, SDSU
Last series win: 3/30-4/1/2007
Last series loss: 4/8-10/2005
Last home series win: 3/30-4/1/2007
Last home series loss: 3/26-28/2004
Last road series win: 4/7-9/2006
Last road series loss: 4/8-10/2005
Last UNM series sweep: Never
Last SDSU series sweep: 5/15-16/2003
Last 10 games: 6-4
Alday vs. SDSU: 25-42
Longest UNM win streak: 4, three times (4/8/06-3/31/07)
Longest UNM losing streak: 9, 1982-83
Last UNM win: 3/31/07 (8-4)
Last UNM loss: 4/1/07 (11-6)
Last UNM home win: 3/31/07 (8-4)
Last UNM home loss: 4/1/07 (11-6)
Last UNM road win: 4/9/06 (15-7)
Last UNM road loss: 4/7/06 (10-4)
Last UNM shutout win: 5/12/05 (16-0)
Last UNM shutout loss: 5/1/04 (1-0)
Highest scoring game: 45 , 2000 (L, 24-21)
Largest margin of victory: 16, 5/12/05 (16-0)
Largest margin of defeat: 18, 5/16/05 (28-10)
UNM in one-run games: 14-14
Most runs by UNM: 21, twice
Most runs by SDSU: 28, 5/16/05
MR. EVEN-STEVEN: Head coach Rich Alday was recently dubbed “Mr. Even-Steven” after he earnd his 500th win at the helm of Lobo baseball. Currently, Alday is 501-501-3 at New Mexico.
MILESTONE WATCH: As a collegiate head coach, Rich Alday is 997-721-3, leaving him just three victories shy of 1,000. He already surpassed two other milestones this season. Friday, March 23 against Utah, Alday coached his 1,000th game at the University of New Mexico and earned a 9-1 win. Exactly one week later, he picked up his 500th win at UNM, beating San Diego State11-5.
REWRITING THE RECORDS: Senior Daniel Stovall doubled Tuesday night, March 20 against New Mexico State, breaking Dusty Young’s career doubles record of 69 set from 2000-03. Stovall didn’t stop there, currently boasting 73 total doubles over his four-year career.
With 473 total bases in his career, Stovall is second all-time, passing Joe Salas’s (2001-04) 458 that same game against the Aggies. The record is held by Lon Yamaguchi (1996-99), with 496.
Stovall is also just shy of the top-5 in home runs. Currently with 34 in his career, he needs just two to tie Chris Carlson (2005-06). Salas and Yamaguchi are tied for fourth with 38. Stovall will have to have his best year yet if he wants to take over second or first, needing 16 to tie Chris Alexander’s (2000-03) 50 and 19 to match Aaron Sisk’s (1998-00) 53.
3-FOR-1: Against San Diego State last weekend, the Lobos posted a 3-to-1 strikeout ratio. UNM struck out 15 batters over three games while walking just five. Junior Stephen Smith led the way, striking out five without surrendering a walk in 7.1 innings.
HARD HITTERS: Senior Daniel Stovall and junior Jordan Pacheco have been hitting the ball well lately, posting streaks of 15 and 12 straight games, respectively. They aren’t just squeezing by either. Pacheco has a team-high 14 multiple-hit games, including a team-leading five three-hit games and two of UNM’s five four-hit games. Stovall, with 13 total multi-hit games, also has two four-hit games and four three-hit games.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Of all the statistics kept track of by the Mountain West Conference, nine Lobos combine to lead the league in 20 different categories. Senior Daniel Stovall is top dog the most, ranking first in five categories. Stovall’s 30 RBI, 13 doubles, 291 fielding chances, 275 putouts and 19 double plays turned as of April 1 are the most in the MWC. Juniors Jordan Pacheco and Bobby LaFromboise hold the top spot in three statistics with Pacheco ranking in batting average (.429), on base percentage (.543) and hits (48) while LaFromboise leads the MWC in strikeouts (53), strikeouts looking (28) and wins (5). Seniors Matt Foote and Jay Russell along with junior Drew McDonald place in the top spot in two categories while junior Matt Hibbitts and freshman Scott Gracey rank in one. Foote leads the MWC in steals (19) and steal attempts (22), Russell leads in walks (29) and double-play groundouts (4), McDonald places in steal attempts against (42) and stolen bases against ( 34) while Gracey leads in sac bunts (6) and Hibbitts ranks in sac flies (4).