UNM NOTES |
LIVE STATS (HAWAI’I) | LIVE STATS (DEPAUL) | LIVE STATS (CANISIUS) | LIVE STATS- FRIDAY (HAWAI’I)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.– The University of New Mexico softball team’s road trip continues as the Lobos head further west to the island of Hawai’i for the Hawai’i Invitational set to begin on Thursday.
Prior to the four-game tournament, the Lobos will play a single game against the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. MT.
On Thursday, the Lobos will face DePaul at 6:30 p.m. and will play two games on Friday evening. UNM will play Canisius at 5:30 p.m. MT followed by a 10 p.m. MT start time against host Hawai’i. Saturday’s game will be determined based on the standings of the tournament.
SCHEDULE (Hawai’i Time)
Thursday, February 21, 2019
3:30 pm New Mexico vs. DePaul
6:00 pm Hawai’i vs. Canisius
Friday, February 22, 2019
12:00 pm DePaul vs. Canisius
2:30 pm Canisius vs. New Mexico
5:00 pm Hawai’i vs. DePaul
7:00 pm Hawai’i vs. New Mexico
Saturday, February 9, 2019
10:00 am Bracket Game #1 – Seed #2 vs. Seed #3
12:00 pm Bracket Game #2 – Seed #1 vs. Seed #4
2:00 pm Bracket Game #3 – Loser Gm.1 vs. Loser Gm. 2
4:00 pm Bracket Game #4 – Winner Gm. 1 vs. Winner Gm. 2
SERIES HISTORY
UNM has played all three opponents previously, with Hawai’i holding a 14-6 advantage and Canisius winning the lone meeting between the two teams in 2000. However, UNM holds a 5-2 advantage over DePaul, winning the last three contests.
LAST TIME OUT
UNM faced two top-10 teams in the country in No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Arizona, while also facing a team that was receiving votes in Cal State Fullerton. The Lobos had two, one-run games, losing to Alabama 1-0 and South Florida 2-1 in extra innings.UNM run-ruled Illinois-Chicago 13-5 in six innings, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the sixth and a combined nine runs between the fifth and sixth innings.
MIXING IT UP
The Lobos have used six different lineups to date, only having duplicated their lineup twice. UNM used the same lineup in the Arizona and Alabama game, and used the same lineup in the Cal State Fullerton and UTEP game. Five Lobos (Cameryn O’Grady, D’Andra DeFlora, Andrea Howard, Lauren Wilmert and Monica Salas) have started all eight games. UNM started four freshmen against New Mexico State, with Kennedy Ferguson, Daryn Haslam, MacKenzie Peterson and Leslie Romero each getting their first collegiate starts.
In her first start with the Lobos, junior left-handed pitcher Kiana Spencer threw a complete game shutout, limiting the BIG EAST preseason favorite Creighton to just three hits in five innings of work. The junior didn’t allow any extra-base hits in the 24 batters she faced. She threw 91 pitches in the outing, 42 of them going for strikes. Spencer also earned the start against Alabama, pitching another complete game, going 7.0 innings and allowing just one run and six hits, only one of which went for extra bases, and allowing just three walks on 29 batters faced.
HOLDING THEIR OWN
The Lobos held No.7 Alabama scoreless for six innings, allowing only six hits total in the game. Entering the Hillenbrand Invitational, the Crimson Tide was third in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 10.60 runs, and had averaged 10.2 hits a game and 2.60 doubles a game (tied for 10th in the NCAA). Alabama hit .261 in the game, below the .378 batting average that the team entered with, which was 16th in the nation. Spencer kept Alabama’s leading hitter Kaylee Tow, who ranked eighth in the NCAA in batting average and seventh in on-base percentage, without a hit.
UNM is the only team to hold Alabama to just one run in the 10 games the Crimson Tide have played so far this year.
TOP OF THE LINEUP= CLUTCH
Andrea Howard, D’Andra DeFlora and Cameryn O’Grady have combined to produce 18 RBI for the Lobos this season, hitting a combined 27 hits with seven doubles, a triple and three home runs. The three combined to reach base 17 times via a walk. Howard is 6-for-14 in reaching base as the leadoff hitter in an inning, DeFlora is 3-for-4 and O’Grady is 3-for-5.
On the season, DeFlora is 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position and O’Grady is 5-for-8, the two best percentages on the team.
In the game against USF, DeFlora led off with a single followed by a double from O’Grady that allowed DeFlora to easily score from first for the lone Lobo run in the game.
In the opening weekend, when runners were in scoring position, DeFlora was a perfect 3-for-3 with Howard a perfect 1-for-1, and O’Grady coming through in 4-out-of-5 situations.
In the game against Creighton, DeFlora hit a three-run double in the bottom of the second to give UNM its first three runs of the game and O’Grady followed that at-bat with a two-run home run.In the bottom of the fourth, Howard reached based on a bunt, DeFlora followed with a walk and O’Grady drove a 3-1 pitch to right field for a triple to make it 7-0 Lobos.
DeFlora is second on the team behind O’Grady in batting average (.435), total bases (12), runs scored (9) and hits (10), and third in slugging percentage (.522) and on-base percentage (.536).
…BUT THE MIDDLE CAN DELIVER TOO
Monica Salas has batted fifth in five games and sixth in three, and has delivered for the Lobos. The senior is batting .320 with eight hits, with a double, home run and six RBI. Salas is tied for second on the team in total bases (12), fourth in batting average and slugging percentage (.480), third in hits and runs-batted-in.
Freshman Maggie Buckholz went 3-for-4 and was a double shy of hitting for the cycle against Illinois-Chicago, batting sixth in the lineup. Her first collegiate home run was a grand slam and she was responsible for seven RBI in the game. The last time a Lobo had that many RBI in a game was in 2015.In the Hillenbrand Invitational, Buckholz led the Lobos in batting average (.364), slugging percentage (.818), on-base percentage (.563), runs-batted-in (7), triples (1), home runs (1), total bases (9) and walks (5).
Buckholz got her first collegiate hit in her first collegiate at-bat against UTEP and made it count. Starting in right field and hitting fifth in the lineup, the freshman hit a single down the left-field line to score O’Grady and Howard for the first two runs of the game and the season for UNM.
Buckholz (10) and Salas (6) have combined for 16 of the team’s RBI.
Buckholz is second on the team in slugging percentage (.625), on-base percentage (.542), tied for first in RBI and triples, and tied for fourth in total bases (10).
WALK IT OUT
UNM leads the MW in walks drawn through the first two weekends with 47. In the season opener against UTEP, UNM drew 16 walks alone.
Against the Miners, eight different players drew a walk, with Andrea Howard reaching base four times via a walk. Cameryn O’Grady and Lauren Wilmert each drew three walks, Maggie Buckholz two and Monica Salas, Taylor Jones, Kasey Halleen and Daryn Haslam each had one.
Versus Cal State Fullerton, the Lobos nearly reached double digits with nine walks. Maggie Buckholz leads the team with eight walks, followed by Andrea Howard with seven.
LET’S GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
After two weekends of competition for the MW teams, the Lobos lead the conference in one category and rank second in five.
The Lobos are first in the conference in walks (47). They are second in on-base percentage (.417), runs batted in (44), and tied for second in sacrifice flies (2), triples (2) and caught stealing by (3). UNM is third in runs scored (48), batting average (.277) and slugging percentage (.421) and fourth in doubles (9).
Through the first two weekends, Cameryn O’Grady led the Mountain West in batting average (.522), slugging percentage (1.000), on-base percentage (.621), tied for second in total bases (23). Freshman Maggie Buckholz ranks 16th in the NCAA in walks (1.00), which also leads the conference. Cameryn O’Grady is 30th in slugging percentage (1.000), 38th in on-base percentage (.621) and 47th in batting average (.522), all of which leads the Mountain West. Bailey Klitzke is 45th in strikeouts per seven innings with 18.
SCOUTING HAWAI’I
Hawai’i started the season 7-2 with its lone losses against Seattle (5-3) and No. 1 UCLA, 7-0. Hawai’i is currently on top of the Big West standings. The Rainbow Wahine has one common opponent to date with the Lobos in UTEP, who they beat 12-2 last weekend. UH is outscoring its opponents 71-39 and 4-1 at home. This season, Hawai’i was picked fourth in the Big West Coaches Poll, tallying 33 points.
Last season, the Rainbow Wahine went 23-17 overall record and 7-14 in conference.
Hawai’i returns its top three hitters from last season in junior first base/catcher Callee Heen, senior third baseman Nicole Lopez, and sophomore outfielder Brittnee Rossi as well as three-time all-Big West pitcher Brittany Hitchcock.
Hawai’i is 427-202 (.679) at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
As a team, UH is 7-for-7 in stolen bases, while its opponents are 8-for-9.
The Rainbow Wahine are ninth in the NCAA in home runs per game (1.67), 14th in scoring (7.89) and 15th in slugging percentage (.585).
Callee Heen leads the team with 10 RBI, five home runs, seven walks, 27 total bases, a slugging percentage of 1.125, on-base percentage of .594 and a .458 batting average. Nicole Lopez leads with 13 hits, four doubles and 13 runs.Heen is seventh in the NCAA in home runs, 11th in home runs per game (0.56), 16th in slugging percentage and 23rd in total bases, and Lopez is 14th in runs per game (1.44). Brittany Hitchcock is sixth in shutouts (2).
The Rainbow Wahine pitchers have given up 39 runs and striking out 31 batters while only allowing 17 walks. The unit has an ERA of 4.12.
Brittany Hitchcock has started five games while Izzy Dino has started four, but five pitchers on the roster have appeared in a game. Hitchcock has pitched a team-high 21.1 innings, allowing 19 runs, 14 earned, on 29 hits. The RHP has struck out 17 while walking seven and has an ERA of 4.59. Dino has an ERA of 3.79, pitching 20.1 innings with 22 hits, 11 runs (all earned), eight strikeouts and six walks.
SCOUTING DEPAUL
DePaul is currently first in the BIG EAST standings at 8-1 on the season, with wins over UW-Green Bay, Evansville, UMKC, Purdue Fort Wayne, Eastern Illinois, Samford and Georgia State. Its lone loss was to Samford, a 6-0 defeat. They are currently on a two-game win streak and 7-0 in neutral games. The Blue Demons are outscoring their opponents 42-19, with two victories coming via the run-rule, two in shutouts and three wins by one run.
DePaul was picked fourth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll, receiving one first-place vote and 35 points. The Blue Demons have seven players that started in more than half of the games last season, but a first-year head coach in Tracie Adix-Zins.
Maranda Gutierrez has a team-high batting average of .393 with 11 hits and two home runs (of the team’s three). The sophomore leads with a slugging percentage of .821 and 23 total bases.Morgan Greenwood leads the team with eight RBI and five walks.
The pitching staff is holding opponents to a .232 batting average with a 2.66 ERA. They are giving upp 53 hits, 18 earned runs and four home runs, and has struck out 39 batters while walking 18. Natalie Halvorson has a team-best 1.99 ERA and a 5-0 record. The sophomore has pitched four complete games in four starts, pitching 31.2 innings, allowing 23 hits, eight runs (seven earned) and striking out 22 while walking six. Halvorson is holding opponents to .198. The other Blue Demon pitcher to make an appearance this season, Krista Dalgarn, has a 3.38 ERA and a 3-1 record. The junior has started five games and has three complete games. While pitching 29.1 innings, Dalgarn has given up 30 hits, 11 runs (all earned), and walked 12 while striking out 17. Hitters are batting .268 against her.
Jessica Cothem ranks third in the NCAA in doubles (6) and fifth in doubles per game (0.67). Greenwood ranks seventh in sacrifice flies (2) and Kate Polucha is seventh in triples (2). Halvorson is 22nd in victories (4) and 19th in saves (1).
Last season, DePaul won the BIG EAST Tournament with a 6-2 win over Creighton to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Demons lost in the regionals to Arkansas and Oklahoma to end their season wih a 34-17 overall record and a 15-3 conference record.
SCOUTING CANISIUS
This will be just the second meeting all-time between the two teams.
Canisius will be playing for the first time this season at the Hawai’i Invitational, but the game against UNM will be its third game of the season.
Last season Canisius was 12-35 overall and 8-12 in conference play.The Golden Griffins were picked to finish tied for seventh in the MAAC with 52 points, tying Quinnipiac.
Utility player Lauren Castro and outfielder Kara Paradowski were named to the 2019 Preseason All-MAAC Team.Paradowski led the team in batting average (.299), hits (38) and runs (22) and was 26-for-27 in stolen bases.
Morgan Altman had a team-high 28 RBI, with 31 hits and a team-best six home runs. The outfielder also led the team in total bases (57), slugging percentage (.463), walks (21) and was 6-for-8 in stolen bases.
The pitching staff posted an ERA of 4.60 in 2018, giving up 360 hits and striking out 150 batters while walking 133. Erika Mackie had a team-best ERA of 3.80 with 24 starts and 31 appearances, going 8-17. While pitching 154.2 innings, the graduated senior allowed 182 hits, 84 earned runs while recording 82 strikeouts and 48 walks. The top returner for the Griffs is sophomore Emily Nicosia, who went 4-14 on the season after making 24 appearances and 18 starts. Nicosia finished the year with an ERA of 4.49, giving up 119 hits, 86 runs (64 earned), 30 doubles and 11 home runs, while striking out 46 and walking 37 batters. Opponents hit .291 against the RHP.