Open Announce

Lobo Softball Announces 2023 Schedule

by Allison Weiss

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The 2023 New Mexico Softball schedule has been set with a 53-game schedule that is comprised of 31 non-conference games and 22 conference games. Of the 53 games, UNM has 16 home games with five non-conference and 11 conference games.

UNM will play a total of eight teams that made the NCAA Tournament a season ago, three teams that advanced to the Super Regionals and two teams that made the WCWS in the non-conference portion of the schedule. MW opponent San Diego State makes nine NCAA Tournament teams on the 2023 schedule overall. Nine non-conference opponents finished with 30-plus wins last season with three finishing with 40-plus wins, and combined with the MW schedule, that number increases to 12 teams that finished with 30-plus wins and five with 40-plus wins.

In addition, UNM plays at least one Power 5 school every non-conference tournament, which includes a total of seven schools and 12 games from four of the Power 5 conferences. Of those, two are from the Big 12, three from the Pac-12, and one each from the Big Ten and SEC.

During the course of the 2023 schedule, UNM will face LSU (SEC), Oregon State (Pac-12), Oklahoma State (Big 12), Nebraska (Big Ten), Arizona State (Pac-12), Washington (Pac-12) and Texas Tech (Big 12) from the Power 5 along with Weber State (Big Sky) and GCU (WAC), both of which made the NCAA Tournament after winning its respective conference tournaments.

In total, the Lobos will compete against schools from 15 different conferences, spanning from coast-to-coast, and includes the Southland, SEC, Pac-12, MAC, WCC, Big 12, C-USA, Big West, BIG EAST, WAC, Big Ten, American, MAAC and Big Sky.

THE SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
UNM’s first 10 games of the season will be on the road, starting with five games in Louisiana. The Lobos open the season at Nicholls on Thursday, Feb. 9 before playing Oregon State and LSU twice at the LSU Invitational Feb. 10 and 11.

New Mexico travels to UTEP for five games between Feb. 17 and Feb. 19 against Buffalo, Santa Clara, Texas Tech and UTEP (two games against the Miners).

The Lobos open their home schedule against CSU Bakersfield in a midweek doubleheader on Feb. 22 before heading to New Mexico State for the Troy Cox Classic the weekend of Feb. 24. UNM will again play five games with a game against Oklahoma State, Creighton and New Mexico State and two games against Nebraska.

UNM opens March with UTEP in another midweek doubleheader on March 1 before traveling to Arizona for the ASU/GCU Classic. The Lobos will play Houston and Arizona State in Tempe at Arizona State and Washington, GCU and Charlotte in Phoenix at GCU the weekend of March 3-5.

New Mexico has two standalone games against New Mexico State (at home on March 28) and a game at Weber State on March 15 and a final non-conference tournament at Texas Tech to close out the non-conference schedule. UNM will have two repeat opponents in Lubbock in Buffalo and Texas Tech, with the Lobos playing each team two more times the weekend of March 10-12 and will also play Manhattan to open the tournament.

When it comes to MW games, the Lobos will host San José State (March 24-26), Boise State (April 6-8), Colorado State (April 15-16) and Nevada (April 28-30), and will travel to Utah State (March 17-19), Fresno State (March 31- April 2), San Diego State (April 21-23) and UNLV (May 5-6). The Colorado State series and UNLV series will be two games while the rest will be three games.

Fans can purchase tickets for all Lobo Softball home games by purchasing a Lobo Pride Pass for $50 at golobos.com/pridepass, but single game tickets will also be available closer to the start of season.