Lobos Return Home to Host Spartans
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— For the first time since March 1, the New Mexico softball team has a home game, set to host San José State in a three-game series starting Friday.
Admission is free for all three games, but for those unable to attend, the games will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with live stats available. Saturday will be the Lobos Love Pink game with all fans in attendance encouraged to wear pink.
SCHEDULE
Friday: 6 p.m.
Saturday: 2 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m.
The Spartans enter 14-15, 2-1 in conference, have won six of their last seven games and won two of three in their series against Nevada. The last time the Lobos played the Spartans in Albuquerque, the Lobos won two of three. San José State shares two non-conference opponents with UNM in Washington (L, 10-0, 5 innings) and LSU (L, 12-6).
BY THE NUMBERS
UNM is 9-1 when scoring first and 11-1 when scoring in the 1st inning. Lobos are 9-1 when leading after the 4th, 6-0 when leading after the 5th and 9-0 when leading after the 6th. UNM is outscoring opponents 28-20 in the 6th inning and 6-2 in the 7th inning.
The Lobos have scored 10+ runs in four games this season with a season-high 15 runs and a season-high 18 hits in the last game at Utah State.
UNM leads the MW in hits (240), triples (7), assists (216), putouts (574), batters struck out (161) and turned double plays (14), is second in total bases (338) and runs scored (144) and third in RBI (129) and hit-by-pitches (22). UNM is 20th in the NCAA in double plays per game (0.47) and 60th in batting average (.295).
Rachael Hathoot leads the MW in triples with three and is second in total bases (53), is tied for third in hits (33) and fifth in batting average (.375) and tied for sixth in RBI (20). Entering the series, she has a 10-game hitting streak and 15 game streak of reaching base. Peyton Robinson leads the conference in hits (37) and Keyannah Chavez is tied for the lead in runs scored (25).
Three players have a streak of five game or longer of reaching base (Rachael Hathoot- 15, Keyannah Chavez-9, Peyton Robinson-8). Hathoot (10) and Robinson (8) have the longest hitting streaks on the team.
Amber Linton is 13th in the NCAA in strikeouts with 120, fifth in innings pitched (107.0) and 43rd in wins (9). Peyton Robinson is 30th in the NCAA in hits and Rachael Hathoot is 29th in triples (3).
STEAL YOUR BASE
The Lobos are 31-32 in stolen bases this season after starting 31-31 with 11 players having at least one stolen base. Peyton Robinson leads with 13 stolen bases, followed by five from Rachael Hathoot, four from Keyannah Chavez and two for Olivia Birkinshaw. Seven players (Chloe Yeatts, Loran Walker, Emma Bramson, Ashley Archuleta, Janae Cameron, Evany Gonzalez and Grace Rana) have one.
UNM had four stolen bases in each of the games against Cal State Bakersfield and 19 games with a stolen base, including in six of the last eight games. UNM has had multiple stolen bases in six games.
The Lobos already have more stolen bases to date than the season total in each of the last seven years.
OPEN THE RECORD BOOK
In the March 19th win at Utah State, the Lobos finished with 18 hits, 15 runs and struck out 14 Aggies. The 18 hits were the most since the Lobos had 21 against Howard back in 2018 and the 15 runs were the most since 2019 against UTEP. The 14 strikeouts by Amber Linton were the most in a game since 2013, when Lauren Soles struck out 14 against Siena.
The 11.0 innings pitched by Linton against the Miners back on March 1 were the most innings pitched by a Lobo since Soles threw 10.0 innings back in 2016 against San Diego State.
KEEP THEM GUESSING
UNM has used 28 different lineups this season, using only the same batting order in the first two games and in both games on March 11 against Buffalo and Texas Tech.
The Lobos have had five different players hit second, five different players hit third, four different players in the cleanup spot, eight different players hit fifth, eight different players hit sixth, 10 different players hit seventh, 10 different players hit eighth and six different players hit ninth. Peyton Robinson has hit leadoff in 29 games, with Keyannah Chavez second in 17 games, Rachael Hathoot third in 19 games (including the last 15 and 18 of the last 19) and Lauren Garcia has hit in the cleanup spot in 12 of the last 13 games.
When it comes to the lineup per position, the Lobos have had just three players start all 30 games at the same position: Rachael Hathoot (shortstop), Keyannah Chavez (left) and Peyton Robinson (center). Five different players have started at catcher, six different players have started at first, three different players have started at third and in right and four different players have been the DP.
The Lobos are also versatile in their positions as Emma Bramson has started 19 games at third and five at second and Loran Walker has started six games at third, three at catcher and one game at first. Olivia Birkinshaw has played two games in right field, three as the designated player, two games at first and five games at third and Chloe Yeatts has started at catcher in 19 games, as the designated player in five and at first in one game.
FRESHMEN IN NAME ONLY
Freshmen Emmalyn Brinka, Chloe Yeatts and Keyannah Chavez have made an impact in their first season as Lobos.
In the circle, RHP Brinka threw a complete game to earn her first collegiate win against No. 19 Oregon State, striking out four and allowing two hits in the shutout. Brinka is second on the pitching staff in strikeouts (16), with the third-most innings pitched (29.2) and third-most appearances (11). She earned her first save in the second UTEP game.
Chavez went 3-4 in the season opener at Nicholls which included a double. Chavez has started all 30 games in left field and has been second in the batting order in 17 games, including nine of the last 10 and led off against Washington.
Yeatts drove in the first two runs of the season on a single through the right side in her first collegiate at-bat. The Oklahoma native hit her first home run in the game one win against Cal State Bakersfield, added her second at NMSU and her third home run at Texas Tech. Yeatts has started in 25 games but played in 29, and has tallied 21 hits, 13 RBI and hitting .280 with a .329 on-base percentage and .413 slugging percentage. She’s tied for second on the team in home runs (3), fourth in RBI. She’s started at catcher in 19 games, designated player in five games and first in one game and has hit cleanup in 10 games. Yeatts has finished with two hits in six games this season and at least one hit in 15 games.
IT STARTS IN THE CIRCLE
It all starts with returner Amber Linton, who has pitched in 19 games with 17 starts. On the season, she has pitched 107.0 total innings, more than double the next Lobo pitcher (Taylor Snow) and more than the other five pitchers combined. She’s recorded five or more strikeouts in 12 games this season, nine of which have come in the last 11 games.
Linton leads the MW in strikeouts per game with 120 (43 more than the second-highest total), 37 looking, and with nine wins. Nationally, she is 13th in strikeouts and fifth in innings pitched. The Indiana native is averaging 7.85 strikeouts per game this season.
In her two years at UNM, Linton has 276 strikeouts, placing her sixth all-time.
The RHP pitched a team-high 156.2 innings last season with a team-high 27 starts. She finished with 10+ strikeouts in two games and five or more strikeouts in 14 games.
Linton’s 6.97 strikeouts per game in 2022 was the single-season program record and her 156 strikeouts were the sixth-most in a single-season in program history.
In addition, the Lobos return Samantha Fohrman, who has thrown in five games and 6.2 innings with two starts. Fohrman got the start in Saturday’s game at LSU, going 1.1 innings and allowing one earned run on two hits.
The Lobos added two freshmen pitchers in Emmalyn Brinka and Bella Mitchell, a redshirt-sophomore transfer in Snow and a junior transfer in Jenna Trim.
Brinka got the start against Oregon State on Feb. 11 and pitched a complete-game shutout after pitching 2.2 innings of relief in Friday’s game against LSU. To date, she’s appeared in 12 games with four starts and has thrown 29.2 innings.
Snow has appeared in 16 game with seven starts, and pitched 41.1 innings, the second highest amongst the pitchers in both categories. She struck out two of the three hitters she faced in the fifth in the Feb. 17 against Buffalo to end the game and two in 1.1 innings of work against Santa Clara. Snow has recorded two strikeouts in four games with a season-high three strikeouts at Texas Tech and has had five appearances of not allowing a run.
Snow entered in relief in the first inning of the second Cal State Bakersfield game and pitched 7.0 scoreless innings to earn her first collegiate win.
Bella Mitchell made her first appearance in the game against Oklahoma State and struck out four hitters in 2.1 innings.
UP NEXT: The Lobos remain at home to host New Mexico State on March 28 before resuming MW play at Fresno State March 31- April 2.