UNM Game Notes | Kajikawa Classic Tournament Central
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It’s time for Lobo softball.
For the sixth straight season, the University of New Mexico softball team is opening up its year at the Kajikawa Classic. Last season the Lobos claimed big wins over San Diego and Stanford.
This season the Lobos will take on Seattle U and UT Arlington on Friday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. Saturday’s match-ups will be St. Mary’s at 9 a.m. and Western Michigan at 11:45 a.m. The Lobos will then wrap up the opening weekend against UC Riverside at 9 a.m. Video and live stats will not be available every game. Please check @UNMSoftball on Twitter for game updates.
The Lobos were picked eighth in the Mountain West Preseason Poll, that was announced on Jan. 31. But the Lobos will look to climb the ladder after finishing seventh last year with an 8-15 record. Overall, the Lobos finished 23-27.
This year’s squad is one of the biggest squads that head coach Erica Beach has had in previous seasons.
“I’m really happy with this group, this year we’re going to be really competitive,” Beach said. “We have a lot of depth and it’s a bottom-heavy team in the sense that we’re very young.
“We have mostly freshmen and sophomores but we have a strong junior and senior class who make up a core that are going to be strong leaders for us on the field and help groom and guide our younger players.”
SENIORS
Jasmine Casados, Michala Erickson, Shelbie Franc and Tess McPherson make up the senior class for 2017. Those four have been in the program for three years now and will look to make the most of their final season at UNM.
Casados and Erickson combined for 12 home runs last season and each hit .348 and .314, respectively. Franc was a huge asset on defense and at the plate, playing any position that she was asked to play.
McPherson will be one of the go-to pitchers this season. She finished with a 4-3 record last year.
“Tess being a senior, she is driven to be successful this year and she’s learned a lot since she’s been here and every year she’s been more and more effective and been smarter as a pitcher. Her confidence is high and I think she’s ready to lead this program and put the team on her back to get it done for us.”
JUNIORS
Three juniors will also help lead the team. Powerhouse hitter Chelsea Johnson returns and will look to continue her strong presence at the plate. She finished the season with a team-leading .391 batting average and 11 home runs. She also had 34 RBIs. She led the conference last season with a .491 batting average.
“Chelsea is going to be the same, if not better this year.”
Krissy Fortner has been a top pitcher in the country the past two season, finishing in the top 15 in save. Last year, she came in and earned the save six times, which ranked eighth among the nation.
Katie Gallucci played in just two games last season but was a huge asset to the team. In three at-bats, she record her first hit as a Lobo.
“Talent level wise we have talent top to bottom; every position is strong so I’m happy about that. We have strong talent in the circle pitching wise, we have two rookies and two returns that are upperclassmen so we have a nice balance there and overall, I think we’re going to win a lot of games this year.”
SOPHOMORES
D’Andra DeFlora, Cheyenne Smith, Jade Gray, Callie McGarrigle and Kasey Halleen all return for their second season.
All five saw action last season. Smith became the Lobos lead-off hitter. She finished the season batting .250.
After suffering an injury her first season, Gray put together a great freshman season last year. She had a .990 fielding percentage, only committing one error on the season.
DeFlora will take over things in center field as the Lobos lost one of the best players to come through the UNM program in Mariah Rimmer as she graduated last spring. DeFlora saw action in 17 games last season, mostly in left field.
“We’re looking at D’Andra to set into the centerfield role defensively, yes she has big shoes to fill but she’s an incredibly talented athlete, she’s quick, she gets to a lot of balls, she’s got a great arm.”
NEWCOMERS
The Lobos have seven newcomers on the squad in Lauren Wilmert, Jensen Main, Angelica Lujan, Marissa Bethke, Jordan Gelfand, Cameryn O’Grady and Doris Smith. All will bring added depth to the Lobo roster.