ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After turning heads on opening weekend in Surprise, Ariz., the New Mexico baseball team opens its home schedule this weekend with a four-game series against University of Northern Colorado.
Lobo Baseball Weekly Schedule
Santa Ana Star Field – Albuquerque, N.M. (all times Mountain)
Friday, February 24 – 2 p.m. – Northern Colorado
Saturday, February 25 – Noon – Northern Colorado (DH)
Sunday, February 26 – Noon – Northern Colorado
LIVE COVERAGE: Live video with play-by-play commentary from Rob Portnoy, voice of the Lobos, will be available for the games on Friday and Sunday, online at www.golobos.com/watch. A live stream will not be available for Saturday’s doubleheader. Live statistics for all four games of the series will be available online at www.golobos.com/bsbstats.
TICKETS: Tickets for all Lobo home baseball games may be purchased online here, and are available for purchase at the front gate. Lobo Pride Pass holders receive admission to all home Lobo baseball games. More information on the Lobo Pride Pass can be found online here.
FREE ADMISSION SATURDAY: Admission will be free for all fans for Saturday’s doubleheader, as a special home season kickoff promotion. Other promotions for the weekend will include a pom-pom giveaway to the first 100 fans each day, and on Sunday children ages 12 and under will receive free admission and can run the bases after the game. For Saturday’s doubleheader, parking in the Pit lots will not be available due to a home basketball doubleheader. Fans are encouraged to park in the Baseball South parking lot.
LOBOS’ BEST OPENING WEEKEND SINCE 2017: Getting their campaign off on the right foot last weekend in Surprise, Ariz., the Lobos beat No. 23 Oregon State, UC Santa Barbara, and Minnesota for a 3-1 record. It is the best start to a season on the opening weekend since UNM went 3-0 with a sweep of Binghamton to begin the 2017 campaign. It is also the first time the Lobos emerged from the Sanderson Ford Classic with a winning record.
ROCK SOLID DEFENSE: In 38 innings of baseball last weekend, the Lobo defense passed every test that was thrown its way with zero errors committed in 150 total chances. As of Wednesday, New Mexico was one of just eight teams among the 239 in the NCAA with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on the year. Among those eight teams, UNM had the most total chances.
Not only did the Lobos make all of the expected defensive plays, their success last week was largely founded upon key standout plays all over the diamond. Rightfielders Braydon Runion and Jeffrey David each threw out a runner at the plate, with both plays coming in important situations. David also had a pair of sliding stops at second base that he turned into outs with help from first baseman Reed Spenrath.
Newcomers Devon Dixon and Dylan Ditzenberger stood out in the infield on multiple occasions as well. Ditzenberger took away two base hits with diving plays in the Lobos’ win over UCSB, while Dixon made a diving catch on a line drive and picked a short-hop throw to ensure a runner caught stealing against Minnesota.
STEPHENS THE FIRST HERO OF 2023: The first walk-off hit of Sean Stephens’ baseball career was a memorable one, as it lifted the Lobos to victory in the bottom of the 12th inning on Sunday. With two outs and two runners on, Stephens muscled an RBI-single into the gap in right center to bring home Chase Weissenborn and complete the 4-3 victory for UNM.
EGLOFF EARNS MW HONOR: After pitching the Lobos to victory in the season opener against the Beavers, senior Riley Egloff was named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week. Egloff was stellar in his five frames of work, earning his eighth career victory allowing just one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. It was the second-career pitcher of the week award for Egloff, who also claimed the honor on March 21, 2022.
LIVELY GUTSY IN 6 FRAMES OF WORK: Following Egloff’s lead, fellow veteran Tristin Lively turned in an outstanding performance with six scoreless frames in UNM’s 3-1 win over UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. Lively struck out seven and walked just one, while scattering four hits on the way to his seventh-career win in a Lobo uniform.
GALLEGOS, JACKSON EXCEL IN FIRST STARTS: New Mexico also got productive outings from its two newest rotation arms, with junior-college transfers Isaac Gallegos and Jaren Jackson each turning in a stellar effort. Gallegos allowed one run on two hits with four strikeouts in his five-inning outing against Oregon State, while Jackson gave up one run on seven hits with three strikeouts in his five innings against Minnesota.
VETERANS, BANNISTER BIG IN BULLPEN: Bullpen returners Brian McBroom and Terrell Hudson, and newcomer Wil Bannister were instrumental in closing out the Lobos’ three victories over the weekend. McBroom earned his first save of the year with four shutout innings in the series opener, and he had a career-high six strikeouts on Friday against Oregon State. Bannister followed with his first save in a Lobo uniform on Saturday, collecting the final six outs against the Gauchos and allowing just one hit. Hudson finished out the weekend for UNM, earning his fourth-career victory by keeping the Gophers scoreless over the three extra innings on Monday.
YEAR 6 FOR DITZ: In addition to his stellar defense, Ditzenberger was an offensive cog at the top of the lineup for UNM. The five-year Kansas veteran went 8-for-19 (.421) with a team-high five runs scored and three RBIs across his first four games as a Lobo. He extended his reached-base streak to 18 games, as he finished his career at Kansas on a run of 14 straight games reaching base and he got aboard in all four games last week.
THE FIRST CLUTCH HIT OF MANY FOR LENNY: When the Lobos needed him most, their top returning offensive player came through with one of the biggest hits of the weekend. With the Lobos trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Gophers, Lenny Junior Ashby crushed a two-run home run over the fence in right field to put his team in front. The first long ball of the year for Ashby was his 18th in a Lobo uniform and the 33rd of his collegiate career.
DAVID DELIVERS HR: David went 6-for-17 (.353) in his opening weekend on the diamond, and hit the Lobos’ first home run of the season. He matched Ashby with a team-high five RBIs, and had his first stolen base of the season.
PIGFORD MAKES IMPACT IN DEBUT: Farmington native Deylan Pigford hit a triple in his first at-bat as a Lobo, on his way to a 5-for-15 (.333) week while starting all four games in the outfield. Pigford led all outfielders with 10 catches, and he scored four runs while adding a double to his hitting line.
WEISSENBORN SNAPS SLUMP WITH BIG GAME: After going hitless in his first three games of the season, junior shortstop Weissenborn had a career-high four hits in the weekend finale. He scored the winning run on Stephens’ walk-off hit, and played error-free defense in his eight chances at short.
HOLLAND HITS IN LOBO DEBUT: First-year catcher Jake Holland got his UNM career off to a hot start, going 4-for-9 (.444) in the three games he played. Holland, who played two years at Georgia Tech and one at Chipola College, had a career-high three hits in his debut on Saturday against UCSB.
University of Northern Colorado Bears
2023 Record: 2-1
Head Coach: Mike Anderson, 1st season
All-Time Series: UNM 27, UNCO 10
At Albuquerque: UNM 27, UNCO 9
Current Streak: UNM W8
First Meeting: 1959
Last Meeting: 2/23/2020
The Bears started their 2023 campaign with a 2-1 series victory over NCAA Division II UC Colorado Springs last weekend. UNCO won the firs two games handily at 14-6 and 12-4, before a narrow 8-7 loss in the finale. Their Tuesday doubleheader against Colorado School of Mines was canceled due to weather.
Batting .358 as a team in the opening weekend, UNCO was led by Jackson Romero who went 5-for-9 (.556) with a pair of doubles. Caden Wagner hit two home runs and drove in nine over the weekend, and Hayden Heinze hit .429 (6-for-14) with a pair of RBIs.
On the mound UNCO had a team ERA of 4.97, with Dylan Smith being the top starter going six innings and allowing three runs on six hits. Trey Cruz had a team-high seven strikeouts, and UCCS hit .286 off the pitching staff over the weekend.