May 16, 2007
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THE GAME: The Lobos (25-26, 11-10 MWC) wrap up the regular season this weekend on the road. They are in Fort Worth, Texas for a three-game series that begins Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. CT. Thursday’s contest should pit right-handed Stephen Smith (6-7, 6.58 ERA) against TCU’s right-handed Jake Arrieta (8-3, 3.46 ERA). Lefty Bobby LaFromboise (6-2, 3.40 ERA) is slated to start Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT against righty Chris Johnson (10-2, 3.86 ERA) while southpaw Jacob Norton (4-7, 6.09 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound Saturday at 2 p.m. CT versus right-handed Chance Corgan (7-1, 3.09 ERA).
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 audio and video is available on TCU’s website, www.GoFrogs.com in the All-Access section located on the right side of the front page.
LOOKING AT THE LOBOS: New Mexico, 25-26 overall and 11-10 in the Mountain West Conference, had its three-game win streak snapped at Texas Tech on Monday after the Red Raiders rallied from a 5-1 deficit for a 9-8 victory. Over the weekend, the Lobos swept the season series with UNLV, the first since 2000. The Lobos hit .358 against the Rebels in three games, led by Jordan Pacheco and Ian Hollick. Pacheco hit .636 with a team-high six runs, four RBI and seven hits while Hollick hit .600, increasing his hit streak to a career-high 17 straight games. UNM’s pitching staff posted a 3.00 ERA, led by reliever Brandon Hewett, who earned his first win, shutting out UNLV in 2.2 innings of relief while striking out a career-high four batters.
REVIEWING THE HORNED FROGS: TCU, 41-11 overall and 18-2 in the Mountain West Conference, has already clinched the regular season conference title. The Horned Frogs had the weekend off from MWC action, sweeping the three-game series with UT-Pan American. Tuesday night they took on UT-Arlington, picking up another win. The 20th-ranked Frogs are hitting .315 with a 3.93 ERA. Keith Conlon leads the team, hitting .403 while all three starters have ERA’s under 4.00.
HISTORY LESSONS: TCU swept the three-game season series in Albuquerque last year and won the lone meeting between the two teams at the Mountain West Conference Championship. The Horned Frogs have won seven straight and 11 of the last 12. Below are some series notes:
All-time series record: 18-7, TCU
Series record in Albuquerque: 9-3, TCU
Series record in Fort Worth: 8-4, TCU
Series record at neutral sites: 1-0, TCU
Last series win: 3/18-19/88
Last series loss: 5/18-20/06
Last home series win: never
Last home series loss: 5/18-20/06
Last road series win: 3/18-19/88
Last road series loss: 3/12-14/04
Last UNM series sweep: never
Last TCU series sweep: 5/18-20/06
Last 10 games: 1-9
Alday vs. TCU: 4-17
Longest UNM win streak: 3, 3/19/88
Longest UNM losing streak: 7, 3/12/04-current
Last UNM win: 3/21/99 (17-16)
Last UNM loss: 5/24/06 (18-6)
Last UNM home win: 3/21/99 (17-16)
Last UNM home loss: 5/20/06 (8-6)
Last UNM road win: 3/7/98 (9-2)
Last UNM road loss: 3/14/04 (5-1)
Last UNM shutout win: never
Last UNM shutout loss: 3/12/04 (2-0)
Highest scoring game: 33, 3/21/99 (W, 17-16)
Largest margin of victory: 10, 4/27/97 (12-2)
Largest margin of defeat: 13, twice – 3/18/88, 5/18/06
UNM in one-run games: 1-3
Most runs by UNM: 17, 3/21/99 (W, 17-16)
Most runs by TCU: 18, 5/24/06 (W, 18-6)
PACHECO NAMED MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jordan Pacheco earned the first Mountain West Conference Player of the Week honor of his career on Monday. Pacheco, an Albuquerque, N.M., native, went 7-for-11 (.636) from the plate with a home run, a double, four RBI and six runs scored last week as New Mexico swept conference opponent UNLV. In game one vs. the Rebels, he went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored in UNM’s 9-4 victory. In game two, his two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth capped a three-run inning that took the Lobos from one run down to a two-run lead on the way to a 7-4 win. Pacheco went 3-for-4 in the game, with two RBI and two runs scored, helping the Lobos ensure their first series win over UNLV since the 2004 season. In the final game of the series, he went 2-for-4, which included his league-leading 18th double, and scored two runs in a 6-5 win.
SMITH GARNERS MWC PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Stephen Smith garnered Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday in his first season as a Lobo. Smith, a product of Gilbert, Ariz., collected the first complete-game victory of his career in New Mexico’s 9-4 game one win over UNLV. In his 9.0 innings on the mound, he struck out four, while giving up 11 hits, two walks and four earned runs. Smith had a shutout through the first seven innings of the contest and did not allow more than one hit in an inning until the eighth. The win was his sixth of the season, which is tied for a team-high on the season.
HOT-HITTING HOLLICK: Ian Hollick has been red-hot lately, pounding out a 18-game hit streak. The streak is his career-high and tops the 11-game streak he has to start this season. Over the last 18 games, he has been hitting .387 with 13 runs scored, eight RBI and eight walks. Over the weekend, he hit .600 (6-for-10) against UNLV.