Lobos Return to Nevada for Series with Wolf Pack

RENO, Nev. – The University of New Mexico baseball team are set to face the Nevada Wolf Pack on Friday-Sunday in Reno, Nev. First pitch for Friday and Saturday is set for 7 p.m. (MT), while Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park.

New Mexico has not played Nevada since the 2019 season (in Reno on March 15-17 and at home on April 12-14). The teams did not play in 2021 due to COVID contract tracing, although they were scheduled to play April 17-18, and did not play in 2020 because of the shortened season due to the COVID pandemic.

LAST WEEK FOR THE LOBOS

• The Lobos are coming off a 1-3 homestand last week, in which they fell to Grand Canyon on April 26 and lost the first two against San Jose State on April 29-May 1.
• New Mexico lost two heartbreakers in the first two games, 17-16 and 7-6, against San Jose State.
• In the series opener, the Lobos came back from a seven-run deficit but were unable to complete the comeback. Lenny Junior Ashby had an outstanding 4-for-6 performance with five RBI and two runs.
• In the second game of the series, New Mexico battled back and forth with the Spartans but ultimately dropped the game after four lead changes and a tied score. Jeffrey David went 3-for-4 with two runs, while southpaw starter Matt Haley dealt on the mount as he allowed just three runs and fanned six batters in 5.0 innings pitched.
• The Lobos salvaged a series finale win on May 1 with a final score of 9-7. Six Lobos had multi-hit games and Terrell Hudson was dealing on three hits and no runs allowed through the final 4.1 innings to lead the team to the victory.
• New Mexico suffered a 7-2 loss to Grand Canyon at home on April 26. Freshman southpaw Justin Still earned his first career start, going 3.1 innings and allowing just two runs on three hits while fanning four batters.

SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK

• Nevada holds a 27-23 overall record over New Mexico in the all-time series, but the Lobos have a slight 10-9 advantage over the Wolf Pack when playing in Reno, Nev.
• The two squads first met on March 16, 1994, when the Wolf Pack took the game, 7-1, in a neutral site game at Fresno, Calif.
• Nevada and New Mexico have not played since the 2019 season (in Reno on March 15-17 and in Albuquerque on April 12-14). The teams did not play in 2021 due to COVID contract tracing, although they were scheduled to play April 17-18, and did not play in 2020 because of the shortened season due to the COVID pandemic.
• Nevada is currently second in the conference and holds a 23-20 overall record after defeating Saint Mary’s, 5-1, on Tuesday. They are also 13-8 in Mountain West action.
• The Wolf Pack are led offensively by Josh Zamora, who is hitting .357 with 45 runs and 55 RBI, while starting in all 43 games.
• Nevada was picked to win the conference in the Mountain West Preseason Coaches’ Poll, earning 36 points with six first-place votes.

BAKER-LIVINGSTON FINDS HIS GROOVE

• Freshman Benjamin Baker-Livingston is beginning to find his groove on the mound. He was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week on April 25, after a pair of good outings against Texas Tech and at UNLV the previous week.
• After two tough outings against Oregon State opening weekend and at Texas Tech mid-March, he has dominated the mound since.
• In the Lobos’ 11-10 walk-off win over No. 9 Texas Tech on April 19, he kept the hot-hitting Red Raiders to a single run on two hits while fanning three in 2.1 innings of relief.
• The Richardson, Texas, native completed 1.1 innings and allowed no runs on only three hits to the conference leading Rebels in New Mexico’s 13-11 series finale loss at UNLV on April 24.

RUNION RAKES

• After transferring from Texas Tech, Braydon Runion has recently emerged as one of the Lobos’ two sluggers this season, notching nine home runs this season – right behind Lenny Junior Ashby’s 12.
• Runion hit three home runs on April 15 against San Diego State, becoming the first Lobo to connect for three jacks in a single game since Carl Stajduhar on May 6, 2017.
• Despite missing a few games at the beginning of the season, Runion has stepped up since then, earning himself 29 starts and 32 total games played.
• The Florence, Ky., native also hit a solo home run against his previous team – the Red Raiders – on March 16.

THE FIGHT IN THE DOG PREVAILS

• New Mexico has notched two huge wins against top-15 teams in the past month, including a 12-7 win over then-No. 11 Arizona on March 23 and a 11-10 victory over No. 9 Texas Tech on April 19.
• After losing the first matchup against the Wildcats earlier in the season in Tucson, the Lobos got their revenge as they hosted then-No. 11 Arizona and took the victory, 12-7.
• The score and lead jumped back and forth through the first two innings, but then the Lobos had an offensive explosion for six runs in the bottom of the fourth.
• Lobo relief pitching came in clutch as the five pitchers to get some innings of relief allowed only two runs through the final six innings.
• Justin Olson launched a grand slam in the Lobos’ big six-run fourth inning, his first home run in the Lobo uniform. His grand slam was the first Lobo grand slam since Carl Stajduhar vs. San Diego State on May 26, 2017. Nearly five years since the last time it happened.
• The Arizona win marked the Lobos first win over a ranked opponent since a 12-9 victory over then-No. 11 Texas Tech on April 3, 2019.
• The Lobos then defeated No. 9 Texas Tech on a 11-10 walk-off win, thanks to a Jeffrey David three-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth.
• The last time the Lobos defeated the Red Raiders was on April 3, 2019, when New Mexico took a 12-9 win over the then-No. 11 Texas Tech squad. New Mexico last won a matchup against a top-ten team on April 25, 2017, against none other than the then-No. 6 Red Raiders, defeating Tech by a score of 16-5.

SUNNY SIDE UP

• Riley Egloff was named the MW Pitcher of the Week on March 21 after a career outing against Wichita State on March 18.
• Egloff turned in his best outing in the Lobo uniform against the Shockers, shutting down Wichita State in a career-high eight innings while fanning a career-high nine batters, allowing just four hits for no runs.
• The Littleton, Colo., native has played a variety of roles for the Lobos.
• He started off the season as New Mexico’s Friday ace, but has recently moved to the closer spot. He has spotted a 5-5 record in nine starts and 12 appearances this season.

TOUCH ‘EM ALL ASHBY

• Lenny Junior Ashby is one of the Lobos biggest contributors with a .347 batting average, 60 hits, 32 runs and 44 RBI.
• The Oranjestad, Aruba, native was named the MW Player of the Week on March 14 after hitting three jacks and a double for a .444 batting average the week of March 7.
• With a total of 26 extra base hits (13 doubles, one triple and team-leading 12 home runs) this season, Ashby has established himself as New Mexico’s power hitter.

END OF GAME CLEANUP

• Brian McBroom, a transfer from Howard College, has established himself as one of the Lobos’ key closers throughout the season.
• In 17 appearances, McBroom holds a 2-2 record and has notched three saves.
• The Oakley, Calif., native has pitched 39.0 innings and struck out 28 batters during that time. He holds opponents to a .321 batting average.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE

• With 19 triples and .44 average per game so far, New Mexico leads the Mountain West.
• With 11 starts on the season, Brett Russell is tied for second with four other pitchers in the conference for most starts.
• With four triples, Jeffrey David is third in the conference.
• Lenny Junior Ashby has 12 homeruns and .28 homeruns per game for third in the conference in both categories.
• Kyle Landers is fifth in the conference with 16 triples and .39 triples per game.

SEEING DOUBLE

• The Lobos are second in the nation in turning double plays with 50 DP’s and third in the nation with 1.20 double plays turned per game.
• The middle infield consists of a combination of either Kamron Willman, Chase Weissenborn, Cole Posey or Lance Russell. All together, the four of them account for 294 assists and 160 putouts.

DONT RUN ON THE ‘BOS

• Catcher Cody Holtz threw out three Spartans runners trying to steal second base in the conference-opening San Jose State series. He threw out another against Fresno State.
• Johnny (Shane) Podsednik has thrown four out this season, one vs Holy Cross, one at Wichita State, one at Air Force and one vs San Diego State.
• The Lobos have caught 12 stealing so far this season.

A BROWN NEW ERA

• In July of 2021, Tod Brown was hired as the Lobos new head coach to fill the role of 14-year former UNM coach Ray Birmingham, who retired at the conclusion of the 2021 season.
• A native of Arizona, Brown returns home to the southwest after spending the past 14 years as North Dakota State’s head coach, earning a 341-350 record during that time.

LANDERS ON BOBBY BRAGAN WATCH LIST

• Senior first baseman/designated hitter Kyle Landers was named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List prior to the start of the season.
• He held a .293 batting average with 11 doubles, a triple and a homerun for a .467 slugging percentage last season (2021).
• He was the conference batting champ with a .417 batting average and .567 slugging percentage in the shortened 2020 season.
• This season, Landers has a .296 batting average with a team-leading 16 doubles.

SOMETHING TO PROVE

• Coming off a 16-25 record, the Lobos finished sixth in the conference last season, preceding only San Jose State.
• The squad was voted to finish sixth in the preseason conference poll.
• With an almost completely new coaching staff and roster, the Lobos are hoping to turn things around.
• The Lobos surpassed their win total of 16 wins from last year with 11 more games to go. They hit 17 wins in a 9-7 victory over San Jose State on May 1.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

• New Mexico’s 2022 squad includes 18 newcomers – three DI transfers, 12 JUCO transfers, and three true freshmen.
• Kamron Willman (K-State transfer) has been an asset in the middle infield for the Lobos. Playing short and second, he has 52 putouts and 86 assists.
• Lenny Junior Ashby (Odessa College transfer) has contributed greatly to the squad with a .347 batting average, 44 RBI, 32 runs, 60 hits and 26 extra-base hits, starting in all 43 games so far.
• Jeffrey David (Dallas Baptist transfer) is the only other Lobo to start in all 43 games, notching a team-high 62 hits and 35 runs, while hitting .344 batting average.
• Owen Loesch (Seminole State JC transfer) and Brian McBroom (Howard College transfer) have been assets out of the bullpen for New Mexico, combining for 59.1 innings and 43 strikeouts.

LIVELY UP THE PLACE

• Tristin Lively was named to the nine-player Preseason All-Mountain West team on February 10. The all-conference team is voted on by coaches around the league.
• Lively has the second-best ERA of returning starting pitchers for the Lobos (4.59 ERA in the spring of 2021).
• In 33.1 innings of work last season, he struck out 36 batters and held opponents to a .186 batting average.

I’M THE CAPTAIN NOW

• Prior to the start of the season, the 2022 squad voted on the team captains.
• The captains were selected solely by the student-athletes.
• Newcomers Kamron Willman and Cody Holtz, along with returner Adam Schneider, were named the 2022 team captains.

ON DECK

The Lobos return home for a single midweek matchup against in-state rival New Mexico State on May 10 at 6 p.m. (MT) at Santa Ana Star Field. This will be third time the two squads face each other this season, but the first time they go head-to-head in Albuquerque.

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