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New Mexico (11-3) at No. 23 Oklahoma St. (9-6)
Tuesday, March 14 • 3 p.m. (MT)
RHP James Harrington (0-0, 14.21 ERA) vs. N/A
Wednesday, March 15 • 3 p.m. (MT)
LHP Austin Isenhart (2-0, 2.53 ERA) vs. N/A
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium – Stillwater, Okla.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico baseball team will puts its seven-game winning streak on the line as the Lobos travel to take on No. 23 Oklahoma State 3 p.m. Tuesday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Lobos face Oklahoma State for the first time since 2013 when the Cowboys took two of three from UNM in Albuquerque. Prior to that contest, the Lobos and Cowboys had only played one other series since 1997 when UNM dropped three games in Stillwater. Overall, UNM is 2-9 against OSU and is 0-4 in Stillwater. The two teams first met March 11, 1976, in Albuquerque – an 8-4 OSU win. The Lobos won the next day, 1-0..
The Cowboys enter Tuesday’s matchup ranked No. 23 in the nation according to Baseball America after coming off a 2016 season that saw them reach the College World Series and finish third at the event and fourth in the final rankings. The Cowboys went 3-1 last week after beating a tough Missouri State squad 7-3 and taking two of three from South Dakota State on Friday and Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader Saturday, 6-3 and 8-3.
Listen to both games on ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM streamed at www.1017theteam.com and on the TuneIn Radio app.
LAST TIME OUT FOR UNM … The Lobos are coming off its second consecutive Mountain West series sweep, beating San Jose State three times at Santa Ana Star Field over the weekend.
The Lobos opened the series with a stellar performance by Tyler Stevens on the mound as he guided UNM to an 11-1 victory on Friday. The junior tossed a four-hitter, giving up a run while striking out eight. At the plate, Luis Gonzalez paced the Lobos with a pair of home runs and finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. Carl Stajduhar went 3-for-5 with a home run and Jack Zoellner finished 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two RBI and two runs.
In game two Saturday, the Lobos rallied from an 8-2 deficit with 14 consecutive runs to defeat the Spartans 16-8. UNM was led by freshman Beau Capanna’s first four-hit game as he went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Jared Mang finished a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and a career-best four runs while Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with three runs, a triple and an RBI. The Lobo bullpen was solid with Austin Isenhart getting the win, going 2.2 innings and giving up no runs on three hits with a strikeout and no walks.
In the series finale, UNM scored five runs in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie and pull away for an 8-3 victory to finish the sweep. Justin Slaten picked up the win in relief, going 2.2 innings and giving up a run on four hits with three strikeouts – two coming with a runner on third and one out to get the Lobos out of a jam in the sixth inning. Christian Tripp picked up his second save, going the final 1.1 innings and giving up a lone hit with a strikeout. At the plate Danny Collier led the Lobos with a 3-for-5 performance, including a home run, two RBI and two runs.
SCOUTING NO. 23 OKLAHOMA STATE … Though the Cowboys are hitting .280 on the season, they are still scoring plenty of runs as they are averaging 6.6 per game on the season.
Leading the way for OSU at the plate has been Garrett McCain as he’s hitting a team-best .383 with two home runs, two triples, three doubles, 12 RBI and 19 runs. He also has a team-high five stolen bases.
Another Cowboy doing damage is Garrett Benge as he’s hitting .321 with a team-best 15 RBI and four doubles to go along with a home run, triple and five runs.
On the mound OSU has a team ERA of 4.07. While as of Monday night it’s unclear who the Cowboys are going to start on the mound, five of the seven pitchers that have started games this season sport an ERA below 4.50 – including Albuquerque native Tyler Buffet (Albuquerque Academy).
Out of the bullpen, the Cowboys have three pitchers with a 1.08 ERA or less in Cole Hearrean, Brady Basso and Jake Cowan – who hasn’t given up a run and allowed just four hits in 11 innings of work this season.
UNM BASEBALL NOTES
- LOBOS TOP NCAA RPI RANKINGS … UNM boasts one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country and an 11-3 start with that schedule has the Lobos at No. 1 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings. UNM moved up a spot from last week, trading places with Arizona while Baylor sits at No. 3, TCU is at No. 4 and Oregon State is fifth. Teams in the top 40 in RPI that are on the Lobos’ schedule this season are: Texas Tech (No. 7), Binghamton (No. 10), Missouri State (11), Cal State Fullerton (No. 31) and Dallas Baptist (No. 40).
- LOBOS SWEEP MW WEEKLY AWARDS (March 6-13) … UNM swept the Mountain West weekly awards this week as Jack Zoellner was named the Mountain West Player of the Week while Tyler Stevens was selected the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Zoellner hit .529 (9-for-17) this week with two home runs, three doubles, eight RBI and four runs while helping the Lobos go 4-0. The senior had two RBI in each of the four games and three multi-hit games. Zoellner is hitting .444 with a team-high seven home runs (just one off his career best) and 23 RBI on the season. It’s the second time Zoellner has earned MW Player of the Week honors this year (won it during the first week of the season) as a Lobo has earned the award in each of the first four weeks of the season (Luis Gonzalez won it in week two and Carl Stadjuhar won it week three).
This week marks the first time in 2017 a Lobo has won MW Pitcher of the Week as Stevens earned the honor by tossing a four-hit complete game against San Jose State on Friday. The junior right-hander struck out eight and walked one while retiring 15 in a row at one point during the Lobos’ 11-1 victory at Santa Ana Star Field. It was Stevens’ first complete game since his freshman season in 2015.
- LOBOS AND HITTING ARE LIKE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY … Since the arrival of Ray Birmingham 10 seasons ago, the Lobos have been known for their offensive prowess – and 2017 is no different. The Lobos are leading the nation in slugging percentage (.586), are second in batting average (.358) and are third in on-base percentage (.441). The Lobos are also second in the nation in runs per game (10.5), in doubles (47) and 10th in home runs (21).
- JACK ATTACK – A HIT STREAK TO REMEMBER … UNM’s Jack Zoellner might have felt a little left out when he was sitting at 0-for-5 late in the game Saturday as the Lobos racked up 24 runs and 28 hits at Air Force. The senior hit a single in his second-to-last at-bat (he walked in his final plate appearance of the day) in that contest to keep from getting the collar – but little did anyone know it would start an impressive hit streak. Zoellner went 5-for-5 Sunday at Air Force and got a hit in his first three at-bats against New Mexico State on Tuesday for nine consecutive at-bats with a base hit before being retired in his final at-bat Tuesday night. Zoellner also walked three times during that span, meaning he reached base an eye-popping 12 straight plate appearances.
- BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK JACK … Jack Zoellner’s incredible start to 2017 saw him do something that a Lobo hasn’t done since 2013. The senior first baseman hit home runs in three consecutive games (March 5 versus Air Force, March 7 versus New Mexico State and March 10 versus San Jose State), the first time a UNM player has done that since DJ Peterson in 2013.
- SWEEP HERE, SWEEP THERE … In sweeping Air Force and San Jose State to start Mountain West play, the Lobos are off to their first 6-0 start in conference play since the MW was created during the 1999-2000 season. It’s also the first time the Lobos have swept back-to-back Mountain West series since 2014.
- STAJDUHAR MAKES IT 3-FOR-3 FOR LOBOS IN MW PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS (Feb. 27-March 5) … Carl Stajduhar gave the Lobos three Mountain West Player of the Week honors in the first three weeks of the season as the junior was selected for the award after hitting .550 (11-for-20) with three home runs, four doubles, nine runs and nine RBI in helping UNM go 3-1, including a three-game sweep at Air Force where the Lobos put up 59 runs and 68 hits. In the Lobos’ lone loss of the week at No. 6 Texas Tech (a 7-2 defeat) on Feb. 28, Stajduhar went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double. The Lobo third baseman had multiple hits in each game during the week and hit a homer in three of the four games. Stajduhar matched a career high with five RBI on Saturday after going 4-for-6 with a home run and two doubles during the Lobos’ 24-16 win over Air Force.
- RUNS & HITS GALORE … UNM’s big weekend at Air Force included a 24-16 win over that saw rarified numbers produced – even for the Lobos. The 24 runs were the most for the Lobos since defeating Coppin State 29-3 on April 18, 2010, and their 28 hits was the most since racking up 29 in that same game. The Lobos were still seven runs off their program record of 31 set against Air Force on April 17, 2004, and four hits off their program record of 32 set against Fresno State on April 1, 1999.
- NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE, NOT FOUR, BUT … UNM junior Danny Collier did something a Lobo hasn’t done in nearly seven years as he scored five runs during Saturday’s 24-16 victory over Air Force. He’s the first Lobo to score five runs in a game since Justin Howard scored six against Coppin State on April 18, 2010.
- GONZALEZ’S BIG WEEK LEADS TO MW PLAYER OF THE WEEK (Feb. 20-26) … For the second week in a row to start the season the Lobos have earned the Mountain West Player of the Week as Luis Gonzalez was selected for the honor. The junior outfielder hit .727 (8-for-11) with a home run, two doubles, two RBI, two stolen bases and three runs on the road against No. 23 Dallas Baptist. He also drew five walks and reached base 13 of his 16 plate appearances, including reaching base in 11 of his final 12. Gonzalez for his career is now 18-for-27 (.667) at the plate against Dallas Baptist.
- ZOELLNER TABBED MW PLAYER OF THE WEEK (FEB. 13-19) … Jack Zoellner was the story of the weekend for the Lobos at the plate as the senior went 6-for-12 with three home runs, a double, eight RBI and five runs to earn Mountain West Player of the Week honors. Zoellner’s three home runs and six RBI in the Feb. 18 win over Binghamton were both career highs. This is the first time Zoellner has been selected for this honor.
- INNING TO REMEMBER … Freshman Beau Capanna had an inning to remember against Binghamton in his collegiate debut Feb. 19. In his first plate appearance as a Lobo in the third inning, Capanna singled, stole second base and eventually scored. As the Lobos kept putting together hits for what would be a seven-run inning, Capanna came up again and hit an RBI single – and stole another base. When the damage was done in the third inning, Capanna went 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, a run and an RBI. Not a bad debut to say the least.
- DEATH, TAXES & STAJ … To say Carl Stajduhar has been a staple in the Lobo lineup for his first two years in Albuquerque might be an understament. The junior has started 134 of the Lobos’ 135 games during his career, including the last 122 – which is eighth on the Lobos’ all-time list.The lone game he didn’t start in his career? A March 8, 2015, game against San Diego State in Albuquerque – a contest he later entered as a pinch hitter.
CONSECUTIVE STARTS
181 Mitch Garver, 2010-13
144 Daniel Stovall, 2004-07
139 Antonio Fernandez, 1992-94
135 Aaron Sisk, 1998-2000
124 Larry Harrison, 1980-83
122 Carl Stajduhar, 2015-present
118 Sam Haggerty, 2013-15
117 Chase Harris, 2013-14
108 Matt Foote, 2004-07
101 Lon Yamaguchi, 1996-99
- YARD WORK BY STAJDUHAR … Carl Stajduhar’s 2016 season saw him swat 18 home runs, which tied for seventh in single-season Lobo history. The junior also has 32 in his career, tied for ninth on the UNM all-time list.
HOME RUNS (Career)
53 Aaron Sisk, 1998-00
50 Chris Alexander, 2000-03
42 Daniel Stovall, 2004-07
41 DJ Peterson, 2011-13
38 Joe Salas, 2001-04
38 Lon Yamaguchi, 1996-99
36 Chris Carlson, 2005-06
34 Jeff Grady, 2002-05
32 Carl Stajduhar, 2015-present
29 Mark Gulseth, 1992-93
- IT’S OVER AFTER EIGHT … The UNM bullpen has been outstanding at protecting leads during the last several seasons. If UNM is leading after eight innings? Forget it. The Lobos haven’t lost when leading after eight in 133 straight games, a streak that dates back to March 24, 2013.
Lobos when leading after 8 since 3/24/13
2013 25-0
2014 33-0
2015 29-0
2016 36-0
2017 10-0
- SCHNEIDER WINS – A COMMON THEME … Senior left-hander Carson Schneider is moving up the all-time win ranks after going 9-4 last season, tied for the sixth-most wins in single-season Lobo history. The Albuquerque native and Sandia High School grad is now 19-6 in his career, which is a win short of reaching the all-time top 10. His .750 winning percentage is tied for second on the all-time Lobo list as well.
WINS (Career)
27 Rob Hoover, 1976-79
26 Josh Walker, 2012-14
24 Bob McAulay, 1966-68
23 Dean Duane, 1982-85
22 Danny Ray Herrera, 2004-06
22 Jim Kremmel, 1968-71
21 Kurt Hildebrandt, 1991-93, ’95
20 Rod Adair, 1971-74
19 Dean Duane, 1982-85
19 Jim Sharpe, 1979-82
19 Ralph Sallee, 1966-68
(18 Carson Schneider, 2014-present)WINNING PCT. (Career, Min. 15 Dec.)
.773 (17-5) Luis Gonzalez, 1995-96
.750 (18-6) Carson Schneider, 2014-present
.750 (12-4) Jim Coleman, 1991-94
.743 (26-9) Josh Walker, 2012-14
.727 (24-9) Bob McAulay, 1966-68
.722 (13-5) Don Miller, 1972-75
.708 (17-7) Chris Baum, 1992-95
.704 (19-8) Ralph Sallee, 1966-68
.688 (11-5) Gary Jacobs, 1969-70
.650 (13-7) Arnie Marzullo, 1972-73
.647 (22-12) Danny Ray Herrera, 2004-06