UNM Softball Unveils Competitive 2021 Schedule
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— University of New Mexico head softball coach Paula Congleton and staff have made it known their intentions to schedule competitive opponents, and the 2021 schedule is no exception.
Starting the season the weekend of Feb. 19 at the University of Arizona’s tournament, the Lobos will also play in a combined Arizona State/ Grand Canyon tournament (Feb. 26-28), will travel to Oklahoma to play at the Oklahoma State/ Tulsa combined tournament (March 5-7), followed by trips to Texas for three-game series at Texas Tech (March 12-14) and Texas (March 19-21).
The non-conference portion of the schedule is heavily loaded with Power 5 programs, including two Pac-12 schools and four Big 12 schools, and with two teams in the top four of the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll and four in the top 10, as well as two in the top four of the 2021 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll and three in the top six.
Among the teams that UNM is scheduled to face this season are historic powerhouses Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas, along with nationally ranked Oklahoma State and Arizona State.
Arizona enters the season ranked third in both polls, followed by Oklahoma at fourth in both polls. Texas is ranked seventh by USA Softball and sixth by the NFCA poll and Oklahoma State rounds out the top 10 in 10th in the USA Softball poll and 11th in the NFCA poll. Arizona State ranks 15th/16th and Texas Tech is receiving votes in both polls. Arizona and Texas both finished the 2020 season with just three losses with Oklahoma having four. Additionally, Oklahoma won the NCAA title in 2016 and 2017 and were runner-up in 2019.
Several of the opponents are familiar names on the Lobo schedule as UNM opened its 2020 season at the Grand Canyon tournament, splitting its games with GCU, and faced Arizona State last season at the Mary Nutter Classic. The Lobos also played Texas a year ago in Austin in the Longhorn Invitational. This will, however, be the first time that the Lobos face Nebraska-Omaha in program history.
The Lobos will begin the Mountain West portion of their schedule on March 27 against Colorado State, with the format this season patterned on a doubleheader on the first day of the series with a third game the next day.
UNM will play all eight conference schools under this format with the last series occurring at Utah State the weekend of May 14.
The Lobos return almost all of their starters from 2020, highlighted by the return of seniors Cameryn O’Grady, Kiana Spencer and Lauren Wilmert. UNM also adds 10 newcomers to the roster with six freshmen and four transfers.