ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The 2016 college baseball season is still a week away, but the University of New Mexico will get a tune-up Saturday by facing Lobo alumni, including some former teammates. Recent high MLB draft picks such as DJ Peterson, Sam Wolff, Mitch Garver, Austin House, Alex Allbritton, Josh Walker and Alex Real will be joined by other Lobo legends like Ryan Padilla, Brian Cavazos-Galvez and UNM wins leader Rob Hoover in playing the 2016 Lobos at noon at Santa Ana Star Field as part of Alumni Weekend.
Several players on the 2016 squad have played with numerous of the alumni coming back. Alex Estrella was once a teammate of nine of the alumni currently slated to play: Peterson, Wolff, Garver, House, Allbritton, Walker, Real, Padilla, and Jonathan Cuellar. Meanwhile, alumni from as far back as 1970 (Ron Sims) and 1976 (Clark Langdon) will also be on hand as the Lobos will celebrate nearly five full decades of players.
The festivities begin Friday night with a social at Kellys Brew Pub on Central at 6. Saturday morning the current team and alumni will gather at the Ambrose Alday Batting Complex for breakfast prior to BP at 10:45. First pitch is slated for noon in the seven-inning contest.
Admission is free and all fans are encouraged to attend. However, due to the men’s basketball game at WisePies Arena at 4 p.m. Saturday, and impending construction for the R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard Clubhouse, any fan attending the Alumni Game is asked to park in the dirt lot south of Santa Ana Star Field (formerly known as Lobo Field) and enter through the south gate to reach the stands.