Lobo Baseball opens home slate vs. Niagara
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| NEW MEXICO LOBOS 2-2 |
NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES 0-3 |
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Friday, February 22 | 4 p.m. |
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Leading Off
The weather might tell a different story this coming weekend, but baseball is back in Albuquerque as the University of New Mexico baseball team is set to welcome in Niagara University to Santa Ana Star Field. The first home series of the season will be a four-game slate that is scheduled to begin on Friday at 4 p.m. Saturday will feature games two and three of the series as the Lobos and Purple Eagles will play a doubleheader beginning at Noon. The series finale is scheduled for Noon on Sunday.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Lobos and Purple Eagles. Both teams opened up their 2019 season last weekend. UNM game out 2-2 with wins over No. 24 Minnesota and Gonzaga. The Purple Eagles went winless in their three games thus far, losing each game on the road to North Carolina A&T. Friday’s game will be the 12th home-opener for Ray Birmingham as skipper of the Lobos and UNM is 7-4 in such games with wins coming in five-straight seasons. Anticipated cold weather this weekend has promoted a unique ticket special that is tied to the forecasted temperature at first pitch each day. If the game-time temp is in the 40s, tickets will be $4, if it’s in the 30s then $3/ticket and if the temp is in the 20s, tickets will be $2. Also to help combat the cold, hot chocolate and coffee will be sold for $2 the entire weekend.
Scouting Niagara
The Niagara University Purple Eagles opened up their 2019 season with a three-game set on the road at North Carolina A&T last weekend. The Purple Eagles would drop all three games to start their season 0-3. Last year,
Niagara was 24-27 overall and 13-11 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.
The Purple Eagles return 24 letterwinners from last season’s squad and have 12 newcomers to the club. First baseman Peter Battaglia was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team after Battaglia played in 47 games and
started in 44 a year ago. Battaglia had Niagara’s second-best batting average (.357), led the team in home runs with seven and was second on the team in RBIs (49), hits (60), doubles (15), triples (two), slugging percentage
(.595) and on-base percentage (.443).
On the mound, the Purple Eagles have the return services of Matthew Brash, Zachary Kolodziejski and Tyler Howard. Brash went 3-1 last season with seven appearances and five games started. He finished the season with 31 strikeouts in 28.0 innings pitched and a 5.14 ERA. Howard went 3-4 in 2018 with 39 strikeouts, a team-high three saves and a 2.88 ERA. Kolodziejski fanned 24 batters in 56.0 innings pitched.
The opening game of this year’s series against NC A&T was a one-run game that saw NC A&T score three runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk-off with the win. Brash was the starting pitcher in that contest and struck out
11 batters in 7.0 innings pitched. The Purple Eagles then were out-scored 12-2 over the final two games of the series, losing by scores of 6-2 and 6-0.
Through the first weekend of the season, the Purple Eagles are hitting .196 (18-for-92) as a team with five runs scored, one double and one home run. Their leading hitter is Max Giodano at .400 (4-for-10). Joseph Tevlin has the lone homer for the Purple Eagles.
On the mound, Niagara has a staff ERA of 5.16. In 22.2 innings pitched, the arms for the Purple Eagles have collectively struck out 28 batters. As mentioned earlier, Brash has the best pitching numbers among starters with
his opening day outing against North Carolina A&T.
Opening Weekend In Surprise
For the second-straight season, the UNM Baseball team opened their season out in Surprise, Ariz. with four games as part of the annual College Baseball Classic. This year’s classic featured three quality opponents for the Lobos with Oregon State and Minnesota being preseason nationally-ranked and Gonzaga tabbed as the preseason favorite in their league. All three teams were coming off of NCAA Regional Tournament appearances a year ago with Oregon State claiming the National Championship. In the opening weekend, the Lobos went 2-2 with wins over No. 24 Minnesota and Gonzaga. The two losses came against No. 7/8 Oregon State as the Lobos and Beavers bookended the weekend. The Lobos had a lead against the Beavers until the bottom of ninth when Oregon State rallied for three runs to walk-off with a win. The second meeting saw the Beavers shutout the Lobos.
Sweeping MW Player and Pitcher of the Week
Opening weekend saw a lot of positives both collectively as a team and individually for several Lobos. As a result UNM swept the first edition of the Mountain West Player and Pitcher of the Week awards with Jared Mang garnering the player award and Nathaniel Garley the pitcher award.
Through the first three games of his senior season Mang would hit .545 (6-for-11) with five runs scored, seven RBIs, two doubles and a home run. Mang also slugged at 1.000 and had an on-base percentage of .600 thanks to three walks, two of which were intentional.
In the first three games, Mang registered at least one hit and RBI. In the Lobos’ 11-1 win over No. 24 Minnesota, Mang went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs.
On the mound, Garley earned the award in his lone appearance of the week as he pitched 7.0 innings and allowed just three hits (all singles) and one earned run against the No 24 Gophers. Garley also struck out six.
Hot Starts
Only four games into the 2019 season, but there are several Lobos that have got off to a hot start at the plate. Currently five Lobos are hitting over .400 with newcomer Tanner Baker leading the way at .462 (6-for-13). Los
Alamos natives and brothers Connor and Jared Mang are hitting .438 and .429, respectively with J Mang leading the way in RBIs with seven and C. Mang in hits with seven. Seniors Hayden Schilling and Jeff Deimling are at an even .400 early this season.
Fresh Arms
Four games in four days to open the 2019 season was going to be a great test for the Lobo pitching staff, especially since there was not a lot of returning experience on the mound. Through those four games,
UNM used 13 different pitchers across 34.0 innings pitched. Of those 13, seven made their Lobo debut with four of those making their collegiate debuts on the bump.
Mang Named Preseason All-MW
For the second-consecutive year, senior outfielder Jared Mang has been named to the Preseason All-MW Team, earning the honor prior to his junior season. That initial preseason plaudit was in response to a sensational
sophomore campaign that saw Mang hit .373 (90-for-241) with 63 runs scored, 17 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 62 RBIs.
Mang’s junior season, however, was hampered by injuries and limited him to just 29 games played. Despite that, Mang still put up impressive numbers as he batted .284 (29-for-102), scored 27 runs, drove in 29 and hit a team-high eight home runs.
A 2017 All-MW First Team selection, Mang enters his senior season as a .328 career hitter with 127 runs scored, 170 hits, 30 doubles, four triples, 20 home runs and 121 RBIs.
Lobos Looking for Turnaround in 2019
The 2018 season was a down year for the Lobo baseball program. With an overall record of 20-33-1 and an 11-19 mark in the Mountain West, the Lobos missed out on the MW Tournament for the first time in league
history. All of that is in the rear-view, however, as the Lobos enter the 2019 season with a renewed sense of optimism and confidence. Aiding that change in culture are the additions to the coaching staff. Head Coach Ray
Birmingham is all that returned from the 2018 staff, giving way to three new coaches. New to the program this year are infield coach and recruiting coordinator, Jon Coyne, pitching coach, Brandon Higelin and volunteer catching coach, Nate Causey.