2019 Lobo Baseball to face stout slate of opponents
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – In his 11-year tenure as head coach of the University of New Mexico baseball team, Ray Birmingham has been known for putting together one of the toughest overall schedules not only among the Mountain West landscape, but in the entire country. Year 12 for Birmingham in the Lobo dugout will not be any different as collectively the Lobos’ opponents won 618 games in 2018.
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“We have put together one of the hardest non-conference schedules in the country hands down,” said Birmingham. “We have numerous quality opponents that achieved tremendous postseason success last year and will likely be highly-ranked heading into the season. It will be a challenge that we are looking forward to.”
The 2019 schedule features eight opponents who advanced to a NCAA Regional last season. Among those on the coming season slate that saw postseason action a year ago are: Cal State Fullerton, Gonzaga, Minnesota, New Mexico State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, San Diego State and Texas Tech.
Cal State Fullerton, Minnesota, Oregon State and Texas Tech all made it to the Super Regionals with Oregon State and Texas Tech reaching Omaha for the College World Series. Oregon State eventually went on to win the National Championship last season.
There will be no easing into the season as the Lobos will play three of those eight postseason teams in the first weekend of the season out in Surprise, Ariz. for the College Baseball Classic. The very first game as a matter of fact, will come against the defending national champion Beavers (55-12-1*) on Friday, February 15. Three days later, the Lobos will play the Beavers once more on Monday, February 18 to close out opening weekend.
In between the games with Oregon State, the Lobos will play Minnesota and Gonzaga. The Zags went 33-24 overall last season and won the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship to earn a spot in the Minneapolis Regional. The host of that regional is the Lobos’ third opponent in 2019, Minnesota. The Gophers went 45-15 last season en route to winning the Big Ten Tournament and sweeping through their own regional to advance to the Super Regionals.
After opening weekend, the Lobos will play host to Niagara for a four-game series beginning Friday, February 22 and going through Sunday, February 24. The Lobos will then play a mid-week game at Arizona on Wednesday, February 27 before playing consecutive weekend series at home against San Jose State (3/1-3) and Cal State Fullerton (3/8-10). The SJSU series will be the Mountain West opener for both teams and Cal State Fullerton is coming off of a Super Regional appearance.
On the weekend of March 15, the Lobos will play their first Mountain West series on the road at Nevada. After that, the Lobos will have a five-game homestand the following week with a two-game set against Oklahoma (3/19-20) and a weekend series with San Diego State (3/22-24). The Sooners did not win the Big 12 Tournament, but still advanced to a NCAA Regional where they went 2-2. The Aztecs also played in a regional as they swept through the Mountain West Tournament to earn the league’s automatic bid.
The first of two games in the baseball version of the Rio Grande Rivalry will take place in Las Cruces on Tuesday, March 26 with the second game being played at Santa Ana Star Field on Tuesday, April 16. Last season, the Aggies went 40-22 overall, won the WAC Tournament and advanced to their first regional since 2012.
Another marquee mid-week opponent for the Lobos is Texas Tech. The Red Raiders won 45 games last season and are coming off their third College World Series appearance in five years. The series will be a four-game home and home split between the Lobos and Red Raiders with the first two games being played on Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3 in Albuquerque. The Lobos return the home favor and will play in Lubbock on Tuesday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 24.
The remainder of the Lobos’ schedule will feature weekend series with Nevada (4/12-14), UC Riverside (4-18-20), Fresno State (4/26-28), Air Force (5/3-5) and UNLV (5/10-12). UNM will also play mid-week games against Cal (4/8) and Grand Canyon (4/30-5/1).