New Mexico Lobo Softball – Kajikawa Classic
Friday (Feb. 6) – New Mexico vs. Seattle U, 9 a.m. MT, New Mexico vs. BYU 11:15 a.m. MT
Saturday (Feb. 7) – New Mexico vs. Cal State Northridge, 6 p.m. MT, New Mexico vs. San Diego, 8:15 p.m. MT
Sunday (Feb. 8) – New Mexico vs. UC Santa Barbara, 11 a.m. MT
GoLobos.com – game recaps, stats, scores
Twitter – Follow @UNMSoftball for in-game updates, final scores and other Lobo softball updates.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It’s becoming a tradition. A tradition to take part in one of the top opening-weekend tournaments in the country, the Kajikawa Classic, hosted by Arizona State.
But the past couple season has been a struggle out the gate. This season head coach Erica Beach is taking her team to the Kajikawa Classic but with the intentions to get the Lobos feet underneath them with good competition against Seattle U, BYU, Cal State Northridge, San Diego and UC Santa Barbara.
The previous seasons saw the Lobos playing top-25 opponents in the first couple weekends of season but the Lobos currently have one opponent on their schedule that is in the top-25, No. 7/6 UCLA, one receiving votes in the two polls, Wisconsin.
Another reason for the continuous Kajikawa Classic appearances is due to coach Beach. Beach was an All-American at ASU and likes starting her team off in her old stomping grounds.
LOBOS PICKED NINTH IN MW PRESEASON POLL
New Mexico is picked to finish ninth in Mountain West action this season. The Lobos received a total of nine points which is nine points away from eighth pick Utah State. The Lobos finished eighth in 2014 with a 7-17 record, one more win than Utah State.
The favorite of the conference is Fresno State, who finished with a 15-9 conference record last season, one win behind 2014 conference winner San Diego State. The Bulldogs received seven first place votes for a total of 63 points.
San Diego State picked up 54 points and one first place vote for second while UNLV casted the other first place vote and 44 points for third place. Colorado State, San Jose State and Boise State are picked in the middle of the pack, four, five and six. Nevada is picked seventh while Utah State and New Mexico finish the list off.
2015 SCHEDULE
The 2015 schedule may look a little different than most people are used to. The last couple seasons the Lobos have had one of the toughest schedules in the nation, facing many top-ranked teams. Last season, the Lobos faced No. 7 ASU, No. 24 California, No. 24 Arizona and No. 4 Alabama. In 2013, the Lobos faced six opponents that were ranked in the top-25.
Coach Beach went with a more balanced approach for 2015. The Lobos currently have only one ranked opponent on their schedule in No. 7 UCLA. Wisconsin is also receiving votes in the poll.
The Lobos are on the road for the first three weekends of the season, heading to Tempe, Ariz., Las Vegas, Nev. and Houston, Texas. The Lobos first home-opener is on March 3 as they play host to UTEP for the second straight year. Following the UTEP doubleheader the Lobos will host a three team tournament, including Rutgers and CSU Bakersfield before heading off to Charleston, S.C. for six straight games in four days.
UNM starts conference play on March 20 with a road series against Utah State. The Lobos will host Nevada, Colorado State, Boise State and San Jose State for conference series and will play UNLV, Fresno State and San Diego State on the road.
The Rio Grande Rivalry will be held on March 24 at the Lobo Softball Field, as well as, a road game in Las Cruces on April 14.
ABOUT THE 2014-15 LOBOS
New Mexico returns 12 letterwinners for the 2014-15 season, including all four pitchers from last season. The Lobos are broken down by four seniors, six juniors, five sophomores and two true freshman. The Lobos welcome five new players to the squad, including true freshman Jade Gray, Chelsea Johnson and Katie Gallucci, transfer Taylor Duffy and two newbies in Krissy Fortner and Rehanna Little. After finishing eighth in the Mountain West last season, the Lobos will look to make a run up the conference ladder with fresh faces and more experience.
TOP RETURNERS
Top returners for this year’s squad include Brandi Heimburg, Mariah Rimmer and Jasmine Casados. Senior outfielder Heimburg was a big contributor in the 2014 season. She was second the team in batting average (.388) and was second in hits (57). She had six stolen bases and a .970 fielding percentage in right field.
Starting center fielder Rimmer had a team-best 30 runs scored. She hit .308 on the season with a total of 49 hits, including four home runs, and led the squad with 13 stolen bases. Rimmer has played every game in her career thus far and had a team-leading batting averaging in her freshman season (.346).
Casados is the Lobos starting third baseman and made an immediate impact last season. She led the team in home runs with seven and had a .932 fielding percentage. She had the teams longest hitting streak with 13 and batted in the fifth position 36 times on the season.
PITCHING PROSPECTUS
Last season was a tough one for the Lobos’ pitching staff. But all four pitchers return plus an addition to the squad. Coach Beach saw improvement in the staff during the fall season as the Lobos went undefeated and threw a couple perfect games.
Junior lefty Lauren Soles led the Lobos in the circle last season with a 6.14 ERA. She had the most wins on the season with a 6-8 record and recorded 42 strikeouts in a total of 62.2 innings.
Senior right hander Carrie Sheehan finished the season with a 7.00 ERA and a 5-10 record. She pitched a total of 121.0 innings for the Lobos in 2014 and tallied 67 strikeouts.
With a total of 92 innings last year, junior Lisa Rodrigues finished with a 4-9 record and 7.38 ERA. She recorded 62 strikeouts and threw a team-best four complete games.
Redshirt sophomore Tess McPherson returns for the Lobos. She finished with a 1-9 record and 12.44 ERA in 43.1 innings of work.
Sophomore Krissy Fortner is the only addition to the 2015 pitching squad. She did not play last season but went to school here at the university. Fortner was a three-year letterwinner at Piedra Vista High School in Farmington, N.M. She was a three-time District 4A Champion (2011-13) and earned many accolades in her high school career.