May 2, 2007
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THE GAME: The Lobos (21-23, 7-8 MWC) are back at home for the second straight weekend, resuming Mountain West Conference action after a weekend off, hosting BYU (26-16, 10-5 MWC). The teams play three games, meeting on Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m.
CSTV’s GameTracker is available on New Mexico’s website, www.GoLobos.com, providing up-to-the-minute stats, play-by-play and more. Free live video is also available on UNM’s website in the Lobos All-Access section located on the right side of the front page.
LOOKING AT THE LOBOS: New Mexico, 21-23 overall and 7-8 in the Mountain West Conference, has won four straight games thanks to a series sweep of Hawaii-Hilo over the weekend. The Lobos hit .402 (47-for-117) as a team, scoring 43 runs with 35 RBI. Freshman Adam Courcha hit .714 (5-for-7) with five RBI, junior Drew McDonald hit .571 (4-for-7) and senior Daniel Stovall hit .500 (7-for-14) with two triples, three home runs, seven RBI and nine runs scored. UNM’s pitching staff posted a 2.33 ERA, allowing just seven runs in 27 innings. All but two relievers held Hawaii-Hilo scoreless while all three starters posted ERAs of 3.00 or less, never surrendering more than two runs.
CORNERING THE COUGARS: BYU, 26-16 overall and 10-5 in the Mountain West Conference, topped Utah Valley State, 2-1, Tuesday night before heading to Albuquerque. The Courgars are coming off a weekend sweep of Air Force. BYU is 17-5 at home and 7-10 on the road.The Cougars hold a .312 batting average and 4.13 ERA.They are led offensively by Kasey Ko (.376, 33 RBI, 26 runs), Kent Walton (.363, 32 RBI, 36 runs) and Apana Nakayama (.333, 34 RBI, 34 runs). On the mound, starter Jesse Craig holds the team’s best ERA at 3.20 with team-highs in innings pitched (90) and strikeouts (63). In relief, Michael Ward has a 3.91 ERA, striking out 22 in 23 innings.
HISTORY LESSONS: BYU holds a 68-44-1 all-time series lead over New Mexico, including a 34-13 mark in Provo, Utah and 6-3 record at neutral locations. However, the series is even in Albuquerque, with both teams winning 28 games. Last year, the teams played a three-game series in Provo with BYU taking the first two, which were a doubleheader and New Mexico winning the last one. Below are some series notes:
All-time series record: 68-44-1, BYU
Series record in Albuquerque: 28-28
Series record in Provo: 34-13, BYU
Series record at neutral sites: 6-3, BYU
Last series win: 5/5-7/05
Last series loss: 5/5-6/06
Last home series win: 4/1-3/04
Last home series loss: 3/18-19/05
Last road series win: 5/5-7/05
Last road series loss: 5/5-6/06
Last UNM series sweep: 4/1-3/04
Last BYU series sweep: 4/13-14/01
Last 10 games: 4-6
Alday vs. BYU: 36-49
Longest UNM win streak: 4, three times
Longest UNM losing streak: 13, 1987-90
Last UNM win: 5/6/06 (15-4)
Last UNM loss: 5/5/06 (9-2)
Last UNM home win: 3/18/05 (6-5)
Last UNM home loss: 3/19/05 (4-3)
Last UNM road win: 5/6/06 (9-2)
Last UNM road loss: 5/5/06 (9-2)
Last UNM shutout win: 4/2/04 (1-0)
Last UNM shutout loss: 3/1/01 (21-0)
Highest scoring game: 34, 3/4/95 (L, 24-11)
Largest margin of victory: 12, 3/1/96 (14-2)
Largest margin of defeat: 21, 3/1/01 (21-0)
UNM in one-run games: 15-16
Most runs by UNM: 19, 3/13/04 (W, 19-14)
Most runs by BYU: 22, twice – last 4/5/97 (L, 22-6)
STOVALL GARNERS MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Senior Daniel Stovall garnered Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honors today, picking up the award for the second time this season. Stovall is the only position player to earn the award twice this season, picking it up on Feb. 26, while teammate Bobby LaFromboise is the only pitcher to earn the Pitcher of the Week honors twice this year.
Stovall, a Midland, Texas, product, led New Mexico to a three-game sweep over Hawai’i-Hilo last week, batting .500 (7-for-14) from the plate with three home runs and team-highs in runs scored (nine) and RBI (seven). In game one, he went 3-for-5, falling a double short of hitting for the cycle. He also collected two RBI and four runs scored in the Lobos’ 12-3 win. He turned in another 3-for-5 performance in game two, smashing two homers and a triple, with five RBI and three runs scored in UNM’s 19-2 win. In the final game of the series, Stovall went 1-for-4 with two runs scored in New Mexico’s 12-2 victory. Defensively, he had 36 putouts with no errors for the week.
NEW NORTON: Junior Jacob Norton has been a whole new pitcher his last three games. He has gone 3-0 in his last three appearances, all starts, throwing 22 innings, including a complete game at Utah on April 21. In his last three starts, Norton has struck out 13, while walking just six and allowing just six runs for a 2.45 ERA. Opponents have hit just .241 off him in those games.
WALKING TO THE RECORD: Senior Jay Russell is taking all the way, walking right into the record book. With 103 walks in his career, including conference-leading 35 this season, Russell needs just five more to tie Johnny Barros’ (1990-03) 108. Fourth is Jim Fregosi (1983-85) with 109 and third is Gerardo Yepiz (1990-92) with 126. Former teammate Matt Young (2002-04) is second with 133 and Lon Yamaguchi (1996-99) holds the record with 152.
FAST FOOTE: Senior Matt Foote is running as fast as he can to the top of the charts. With 24 stolen bases this season, he matches the most of any season in his career yet. With a total of 60 in his career, Foote sits fifth after bumping off Mark Okana (1998-2001), who had 57. Foote needs two to tie Tom Francis’s 62 set between 1978-82 and eight to match Mark Wulfert’s 68, achieved between 1992-95.
REWRITING THE RECORDS: Senior Daniel Stovall appears determined to set every UNM record he possibly can. In the career book, he holds the top spot in three categories, is second in one and third in two more.
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 76 total doubles over his four-year career.
He took the record for total bases from Lon Yamaguchi (1996-99, 496) in the final game at Air Force on Monday, April 16. Currently, Stovall has touched 522 total bases.
His 14 at bats in the Hawaii-Hilo series April 27-29 catapulted him to the top spot over Travis Young, who posted 895 at bats between 1994-97. Stovall now has 903 at bats with at least 13 games left this season.
If Stovall can keep his league-leading RBI average up, he will likely set that record at UNM too. With 214 RBIs to date, he trails only Chris Alexander (2000-03), who drove in 225.
Stovall, currently with 40 career home runs, he sits third. Stovall will have to have his best year yet if he wants to take over second or first, needing 10 to tie Chris Alexander’s 50 and 13 to match Aaron Sisk’s (1998-00) 53.
He is also making a run at the hits record, currently posting 312, leaving him third in the program’s history. Stovall is chasing Tom Francis’ 321, set between 1979-82, and Travis Young’s 340.