Season preview: 2023 Lobo baseball
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Restocked with talented newcomers and a strong base of returners, New Mexico’s baseball team is set to kick off the 2023 season with a full slate of 52 games on tap this spring.
The Lobos welcome back 17 players who saw action during the 2022 season, along with a cast of 20 newcomers who bring a breadth of experience to the team this season. UNM is under the guidance of second-year head coach Tod Brown, who led the squad to a record of 21-33 during his debut season in the spring of 2022. “Our guys are excited to play, and we’ve had some really good practice sessions over the last five weeks,” Brown said. “The guys have been competing well in individual works outs, team workouts, and team games. Now it’s time to get going against live competition and let the guys go out and compete.”
The Lobos kick off their schedule with four games in Surprise, Ariz., this weekend, as they compete in the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic. “We have four quality opponents who have a lot of tradition in their programs, and we will have to play clean baseball in order to win,” Brown said. “These teams who will capitalize if you make mistakes, so we need to limit our mistakes and put ourselves in good positions late in games to get the big hit.”
Lobo Baseball Weekend Schedule
Surprise Stadium – Surprise, Ariz. (all times Mountain)
Friday, Feb. 17 – noon – #23 Oregon State
Saturday, Feb. 18 – 5 p.m. – UC Santa Barbara
Sunday, Feb. 19 – noon – #23 Oregon State
Monday, Feb. 20 – 9 a.m. – Minnesota
Watch Live on FloBaseball online here
Live Statistics available online here
2023 Lobo Baseball Squad Breakdown
The Lineup
The Lobos added pieces during the offseason to an offense that produced 67 home runs and 6.5 runs per game, to go along with a .287 team batting average and a .962 team slugging percentage in 2022. “I’m excited about our lineup,” Brown said. “This weekend will be a big test for them, and they are going to see some really good arms early in the season. I feel like we have a balance between left/right, guys who can run, handle the bat, and hit for power. We have the ability not only to lay down the bunt, put on the hit-and-run, and steal bases, but also to hit the ball over the outfielders’ heads for extra-base hits. We have a good combination 1-through-9 that will be able to protect each other and produce whatever the game calls for.”
Pitchers – 11 Returners/10 Newcomers
The Lobo pitching staff will be founded on familiar faces in 2023, with newcomers set to be in the mix for major innings as well. UNM will rely on Riley Egloff, who led the team with 61 1/3 innings and 52 strikeouts, and Tristin Lively who is a fifth-year veteran with 101 career innings pitched, to anchor the pitching rotation. Brett Russell and Benjamin Baker-Livingston return after making 15 and 12 appearances in 2022, respectively, while newcomers Isaac Gallegos and Jaren Jackson are projected to pitch significant innings as well.
A Grants, N.M., native, Gallegos was named the NJCAA Region IX Pitcher of the Year in 2022 after racking up 138 strikeouts in his second season at Trinidad State College. Jackson meanwhile pitched three effective season during his career at Pima Community College.
Brian McBroom had a team-leading three saves last season, and he and newcomer Wil Bannister will be two of the top bullpen options. The Lobos also welcome back righties Terrell Hudson, Adolfo Iturralde, Jacob Strmiska and Kam Walton, and lefties Justin Still and Arthur Steinkamp to bolster the pitching depth.
New right-handers on the pitching staff include Kansas Wesleyan transfer Trent Dewyer, Cal Poly transfer Sebastian Kirchner, South Mountain CC transfer Alec Stanfield, and hometown freshman Jordan Martinez from Sandia High School. The Lobos also added three more left-handers, in Washington State transfer Jack DeDonato, Hawaii transfer Junior Flores and local product Matthew Dinae from La Cueva High School.
“We have a good mix of returners and new guys, and they all bring something different to table,” Brown said on the pitching staff. “Our goal will be to mix and match throughout the game, and turn it over to the bullpen late.”
Catchers – 1 Returner/2 Newcomers
UNM’s catching corps is well-rounded defensively, and figures to fill major production spots in the lineup. Kyle Smith is the lone returner behind the plate, after playing in 32 games last spring and delivering a slash line of .286/.348/.540. Smith had eight extra-base hits including three long balls, and drove in 18 runs across his 10 starts.
Chipola College transfer Jake Holland provides the Lobos with both a trustworthy set of hands and the potential for a powerful bat in the lineup. After playing two seasons at Georgia Tech, the seasoned veteran hit six home runs last season in the JUCO ranks and played in 32 games.
True freshman Caleb Herd will also compete for innings at the outset of his collegiate career, after a successful four seasons at Cienega High School in Vail, Ariz. “Between those three guys they have done a nice job of handling the pitching staff in the fall and through early workouts,” Brown commented on the catchers. “They do a good job of controlling the running game, blocking, and throwing, and I’m excited to see their offensive production. They’ve done a good job at the plate of handling the bat, and we will look to them for offense as well.”
Infielders – 2 Returners/7 Newcomers
Third-year shortstop Chase Weissenborn and second-year first baseman Justin Olson are the two returners who primarily played infield last season, and both figure to contribute again this spring. Weissenborn hit .277 with 18 RBIs in his 43 games played as a sophomore last year, while Olson made a healthy contribution with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 37 games in his first year after transferring from College of Southern Nevada.
A wealth of experience highlights the newcomers to the Lobo infield, with Kansas transfer Dylan Ditzenberger at third base and TCU transfer Reed Spenrath at first base projected to be key pieces. Ditzenberger was an all-Big 12 selection in 2021, while Spenrath has hit 24 home runs and owns a cumulative .369 batting average through his three collegiate seasons thus far.
Central Arizona College transfer Devon Dixon figures to fill the void left by Kamron Willman, and will slot into the everyday rotation as a middle infielder. Dixon played in 103 games in his two junior-college seasons. Konner Kinkade is another experienced collegiate infielder, who has played in 47 total games between his two years at Cal State Bakersfield and the 2022 season at Orange Coast College.
A trio of true freshman infielders will eagerly await their collegiate debut as well, with La Cueva High School graduate Akili Carris, Sandia High School graduate Adrien Martin, and Tucson, Ariz., native Dominic Felix both on the roster as well. “Our infield defense has played well up to this point,” Brown said. “They have the ability to make the routine play, and have also shown they can make the good and great play as well. Turning double plays when the game calls for it is something we wanted to improve, and I think we’ve done that.”
Outfielders – 4 Returners/2 Newcomers
Both of New Mexico’s all-conference selections from 2022 are set to roam the outfield once again this spring, with second-team picks Lenny Junior Ashby and Jeffrey David among the top returner players in the Mountain West Conference. Ashby, who was named to the 2023 MW preseason all-conference team, led the league with 17 home runs last spring while driving in 59 and slashing .342/.406/.667. David meanwhile posted an OPS of .862 while collecting 22 extra-base hits and ranking third on the team with 37 RBIs.
With Ashby in left and David in center, fellow returner Braydon Runion is back in right field after a highly-productive debut season with UNM in 2022. Runion was just behind Ashby with 13 long balls, while driving in 38 and posting an OPS of .960.
While just over half of the team’s home runs last year (34 of 67) came from the aforementioned trio, the Lobos have outstanding depth in the outfield with returner Sean Stephens and newcomer Deylan Pigford expected to see significant playing time as well. Stephens led the team with six stolen bases in 2022, while playing in 37 games with 25 starts and holding a .277 batting average. Pigford was a Big West all-conference selection in 2021 during his career at Cal State Fullerton, and he comes to the Lobos with four years of collegiate experience under his belt after spending the 2019 and 2020 season at Midland College.
“We have five outfielders who can really play, and we are going to mix and match,” said Brown. “We will try to get all of their bats in the lineup, and late in games we will look to provide the best defense possible if we have a lead.”
Michael Lopez is back with the Lobos for his second season as pitching coach, while Nate Causey returned to UNM this spring as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. The Lobos also added Matt Risdon to the coaching staff, and alumnus Lance Russell (’22) will begin his first season as the director of operations.
Looking Ahead
After opening the season in Arizona this weekend, the Lobos will make their 2023 home debut with eight straight games at Santa Ana Star Field spanning from Feb. 24-March 5. The complete 2023 schedule, including live coverage information for all 52 games, can be found online here.