ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Set for its first mid-week game of the 2023 season, New Mexico’s baseball team heads east to face Texas Tech in a Tuesday afternoon showdown in Lubbock, Texas.
Tuesday’s game, scheduled for 2 p.m. Central/1 p.m. Mountain, will be the Lobos’ final tune-up before jumping into Mountain West Conference action this weekend at home against Air Force.
Lobo Baseball Weekly Schedule
Tuesday, March 7 – 1 p.m. (MTN) – at Texas Tech – Lubbock, Texas
Friday, March 10 – 6 p.m. (MTN) – Air Force – Albuquerque, N.M.
Saturday, March 11 – 2 p.m. (MTN) – Air Force – Albuquerque, N.M.
Sunday, March 12 – Noon (MTN) – Air Force – Albuquerque, N.M.
Texas Tech Live Coverage: Tuesday’s game against the Red Raiders will be televised live on ESPN+, with radio available on the Texas Tech Sports Network. Live statistics will also be available via Stat Broadcast online here.
LAST WEEK: New Mexico (9-2) is coming off a 3-1 series victory over St. Bonaventure over the weekend. The Lobos cruised to run-rule victories in all three of their wins, claiming their second straight series victory and improving to 6-1 at home this season.
FIRST TRUE ROAD GAME: After opening the season with four neutral-site games in Arizona and seven games at Santa Ana Star Field in Albuquerque, Tuesday’s game against Texas Tech will be the first true road contest of the season for the Lobos.
LOBOS LEAD NCAA IN BATTING: Through its first 11 games of the season, UNM compiled a team batting average of .376 and as of March 6 ranked No. 1 in the NCAA. The Lobos’ average of 12.6 runs per game also leads the NCAA, and UNM is second in hits with 156, fourth in runs with 137, and fifth in on-base percentage at .466.
NO ONE’S PERFECT: After going the first five games of the season without committing an error – a string of 47 consecutive innings – the Lobos finally had their first miscue in the second game of the series against Northern Colorado. Through the first 11 games of the year, UNM has committed just six errors for a fielding percentage of .985 which ranked them 19th in the NCAA as of March 6.
EGGS SUNNY SIDE UP: Two-time Mountain West Pitcher of the Week Riley Egloff ranks second nationally with three wins this spring, as he went at least five innings for his third straight start last Friday against St. Bonaventure. Egloff owns a 2.65 earned run average while leading the team with 17 innings pitched and 20 strikeouts while issuing just two walks. The opposition is hitting just .206 off the senior, and he carries a WHIP of 0.88.
25-STRAIGHT FOR DITZENBERGER: Senior third baseman Dylan Ditzenberger extended his reached-base streak to 25 games, as he got aboard in all four games against St. Bonaventure last week. Ditzenberger is hitting an even .500 on the year (21-for-42), and he extended his streak by way of his first home run in a Lobo uniform on Sunday. Entering this week, Ditzenberger ranks second in the NCAA in runs (24) and runs per game (2.18), 12th in hits (21), and 16th in batting average (.500) and hits per game (1.91).
ASHBY’S HIT STREAK SNAPPED AT 15: Lenny Junior Ashby’s team-leading hit streak came to an end on Saturday at 15 games, as he went 0-for-1 with a pair of walks in UNM’s 20-3 rout of St. Bonaventure. Ashby’s reached base streak of 17 games remains intact, as he is reaching base at a clip of .480 this spring while hitting .405 and slugging .524. Ashby continues to lead the team with 19 RBIs, a figure that ranks him 27th nationally.
PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF FOR DAVID: A day full of good outcomes at the plate made for a frustrating stat line for Jeffrey David on Saturday, who hit most of his seven balls in play on the screws to deep parts of the field but didn’t come away with a hit. He kept the momentum going on Sunday and it paid off, as he doubled and tripled while driving in a run and scoring twice. David’s three triples this spring rank him fourth in the NCAA, and he holds a .319 batting average while starting all 11 games mixed between center field and second base.
SPENRATH SHOWING DISCIPLINE: Reed Spenrath has drawn all 13 of his walks this season in the last six games, as he boosted his on-base percentage to .469 over the weekend. He delivered his team-leading fourth home run of the year and added a pair of doubles, as eight of his 10 hits this year have gone for extra bases on the way to a .743 slugging percentage. Spenrath has also driven in 14 runs, ranking him fourth on the team.
HOLLAND GOES WAY DEEP: Jake Holland homered three times over the weekend, including his first-career multi-homer game with a pair of long balls in the series opener. Not only were they long balls, but Holland’s first two home runs were absolute no-doubters with one colliding with The Pit and the other clearing the hitter’s eye in straightaway center. In his first season with the Lobos, Holland is hitting .433 with 14 RBIs and is tied with Spenrath for the team lead in home runs.
RUNION HAS CAREER GAME: Senior rightfielder Braydon Runion caught fire amid the series against St. Bonaventure, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored in Game 3. Runion had a streak of six consecutive hits during the series, and he carries a seven-game hitting streak into this week. Two of Runion’s hits on Saturday were doubles, marking the first time in his five-year collegiate career he has had multiple doubles in a single game. Runion also homered in the game, upping his career totals to 33 doubles and 32 home runs.
PIGFORD EXTENDS STREAK: Lobo newcomer Deylan Pigford has reached base in all 11 games this spring, and made it a five-game hitting streak with knocks in all four games last weekend. Pigford is second on the team with 17 runs scored, and he holds a stellar slash line of .421/.522/.605 while starting all 11 games.
DIXON MAGNIFICENT WITH GLOVE: Despite committing his first error of the season, snapping a streak of 24 consecutive plays without a miscue, infielder Devon Dixon more than made up for it both with his glove and his bat. Dixon made 10 stellar plays defensively over the weekend, while going 4-for-10 at the plate with a double, a home run, and six RBIs. In his first year with the Lobos, Dixon is batting .385 with 10 RBIs and 12 runs scored in his seven starts. He is reaching base at a clip of .515 and slugging .731 as well.
GALLEGOS SHUTS DOWN BONNIES: Claiming a victory on the mound for the second week in-a-row, junior right-hander Isaac Gallegos put forth five shutout innings on Sunday against St. Bonaventure. He has thrown five innings in each of his three starts, striking out 13 hitters and allowing just seven hits. His WHIP of 0.73 ranks him in the top-40 in the NCAA.
JACKSON EARNS FIRST UNM WIN: After having his turn canceled by a windstorm last week, junior left-hander Jaren Jackson made the most of his second start of the year on Saturday and picked up his first win in a Lobo uniform. He struck out four and walked just one, while allowing three runs – two earned – on three hits in six strong innings of work.
ITURRALDE QUIETLY EXCELLING IN ‘PEN: Senior right-hander Adolfo Iturralde has quietly put together a string of five consecutive outings without surrendering an earned run dating back to last spring. In three appearances so far in 2023, Iturralde has allowed just one baserunner while striking out four hitters in his 2 1/3 innings of work out of the bullpen.
DEBUT TO REMEMBER FOR DEWYER: Albuquerque native Trent Dewyer made his Lobo debut on Saturday, allowing one baserunner in 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
OLSON’S 7TH HIT WINS IT: Junior Justin Olson has gone 7-for-19 (.368) this year, with hits in all but one of his appearances. His most recent knock ended the series against the Bonnies, as he put UNM ahead 16-6 in the bottom of the seventh for a run-rule victory. Olson is slugging .579 and has driven in four runs on the young season.
SMITH NOTCHES FIRST HR: Kyle Smith hit his first home run of the 2023 season last Sunday, clearing the fence in center field for the eighth overall of his collegiate career. Smith had his second multi-RBI game of the season thanks to the long ball, and defensively he has been perfect in 41 chances behind the plate handling the Lobo pitching staff.
WEISSENBORN PRODUCING STEADILY: Junior Chase Weissenborn continued his steady production at the bottom of the UNM lineup, scoring six runs while driving in three last weekend. Weissenborn has scored 13 runs this season, while maintaining a slash line of .353/.439/.471 in his 11 starts at shortstop.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
2023 Record: 11-2
Head Coach: Tim Tadlock
Series History: TTU leads 79-48-1
At Texas Tech: TTU leads 53-20
First Meeting: 4/19/1962
Last Meeting: 4/19/2022
After starting the 2023 season with a perfect 10-0 record, Texas Tech endured its first two setbacks of the season in Houston over the weekend. After a narrow 3-2 loss to Rice and a 10-7 win over Michigan, the Red Raiders lost to No. 15 Texas A&M 4-2 in a 16-inning marathon game on Sunday night.
Boasting a team batting average of .313, Texas Tech has five regular starters who are each hitting .339 or better. Gavin Kash leads the team with a .471 average and four home runs, while driving in 20 in his first 13 games of the year. Dillon Carter is also hitting over .400 at .419, while homering twice and driving in nine runs.
The Red Raiders have a team ERA of 3.29, with Brendan Girton and Mason Molina tied for the team lead at 15 1/3 innings pitched. Molina has a team-best 24 strikeouts to go along with a 2.93 ERA.