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Five of Kyle Smiths eight hits this season have gone for extra bases, as he and the Lobos face Nevada in a three-game road series this weekend.

Preview: Lobos set for road series at Nevada

by Evan O'Kelly

RENO, Nev. – On the road for the second straight week, New Mexico’s baseball team takes on Nevada in a three-game Mountain West series kicking off on Friday afternoon at Don Weir Field.

Forecasted low temperatures prompted time adjustments for all three games over the weekend, to avoid playing during the cold evening hours. The Lobos enter the weekend 12-8 overall and even in conference play at 3-3, while Nevada is 11-10 overall and 2-4 in Mountain West games.

Lobo Baseball Weekend Schedule
Friday – 2 p.m. MDT
Saturday – 2 p.m. MDT
Sunday – Noon MDT

It will be the first of two meetings between the teams this year, with Nevada scheduled to make a return trip to Albuquerque on May 12-14 for the penultimate series of the regular season.

Last Time Out: The Lobos suffered their first shutout defeat of the season on Tuesday, falling 2-0 to rival New Mexico State in a mid-week home game. UNM dropped its last Mountain West series 2-1 at Fresno State last weekend, but rallied to end the series on a high note with a 7-2 victory in the finale.

Looking Ahead: After the weekend series, UNM preps for a stretch of nine home games over the next three weeks. The Lobos host San Diego State and San Jose State in back-to-back home weekends, with non-conference games against No. 15 Texas Tech, NMSU, and Colorado State-Pueblo mixed in as well.

LOBOS REMAIN ATOP NCAA IN HITTING: In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, the Lobos enter the weekend continuing to lead the country in hitting with a team batting average of .339. UNM has established itself as one of the preeminent offenses in Division I baseball, ranking third in hits (255), fifth in triples (11), 10th in runs per game (10.0), and 12th in total runs (199). UNM also checks in at No. 23 in slugging percentage at .543, and No. 26 in on-base percentage at .422.

GALLEGOS EARNS WEEKLY AWARD: Junior right-hander Isaac Gallegos was behind the Lobos’ victory over the Bulldogs, authoring eight stellar innings and allowing zero earned runs while striking out a season-high seven hitters. Gallegos’s fourth consecutive victory – which leads the conference – earned him Mountain West Pitcher of the Week recognition on Monday. On the season, Gallegos owns a 2.17 ERA while striking out 26 hitters and walking just eight in his 29.0 innings pitched.

34 for 33: After going 8-for-15 in the three-game series at Fresno State, third baseman Dylan Ditzenberger extended his reached base streak to 34 games and his hitting streak to 16 games with a hit on Tuesday night. The first-year Lobo is slashing .482/.532/.590 this spring, and is putting together one of the top offensive campaigns in the NCAA. Entering Friday’s game, Ditzenberger ranks second in the NCAA in hits with 40 and hits per game with 2.00, fourth in runs per game with 1.55, fifth in batting average at .482, and sixth in runs scored with 31.

BAKER-LIVINGSTON MATCHES CAREER BEST: Matching his career high with five innings pitched in his first start of the year on Tuesday, sophomore right-hander Benjamin Baker-Livingston was outstanding in the loss to the Aggies. Baker-Livingston allowed just one run over the course of his outing, and threw a season-high 78 pitches.

STILL SCORELESS: Turning in his sixth consecutive scoreless outing of the season on Tuesday, sophomore lefty Justin Still has yet to surrender a run. Still has struck out seven hitters while allowing just four hits in his 6 2/3 innings of work, and his scoreless string extends into last season to give him a total mark of 7 2/3 innings since he last allowed a run to score.

DAVID APPROACHING 100 HITS: Jeffrey David is up to 96 career hits in a UNM uniform, as he has a chance to eclipse 100 hits as a Lobo this weekend. Overall on the year David is hitting .330 and leads the team with 27 RBIs, while slugging .538 and reaching base at a clip of .370.

DIXON REACHES 100 HITS IN GRAND FASHION: Junior second baseman Devon Dixon reached 100 collegiate hits last week, and did so in dramatic fashion with a grand slam in Game 2 against the Bulldogs. After clearing the bases with his 100th knock (87 at Central Arizona College), Dixon followed with a solo home run on Sunday to give him four on the season and 10 in his collegiate career. Dixon also reached 200-career assists in last week’s series, and holds a career collegiate fielding percentage of .958.

HOLLAND’S STREAK ENDS AT 14: After extending his season-long reached base streak to 14 games over the weekend, it finally came to an end with an 0-for-1 pinch-hitting appearance on Tuesday. Holland is slashing .382/.424/.691, and had an RBI last weekend to up his season count to 20 despite just 55 at-bats. Holland has also played error-free defense in 83 chances behind the plate.

ASHBY INCHES CLOSER TO 200 HITS: Lenny Junior Ashby enters this weekend’s series two hits shy of the 200 mark in his collegiate career, racking up 96 during his time at Odessa College and totaling 102 so far in his two seasons with the Lobos. Ashby is hitting .329 this season and is second on the team with 24 RBIs.

SMITH HITS SECOND HR: Kyle Smith made it another productive weekend at the plate, collecting a pair of knocks including his second home run of the year and the ninth of his collegiate career. Continuing the slugging theme he has established this spring, Smith upped his SLG to .625 as five of his eight hits this year have gone for extra bases.

SPENRATH NOTCHES 150 HITS: Reed Spenrath picked up the 150th hit of his collegiate career last week, and continued his stellar defensive play at first base. Spenrath has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 186 chances this season, while continuing to lead the team and the Mountain West with seven home runs.

EGLOFF STRONG DESPITE LOSS: Despite taking the loss last Friday, senior Riley Egloff looked strong once again in his fifth start of the season. The Bulldogs had just one big inning against the righty, with Egloff striking out six hitters in 6 2/3 innings and allowing six hits. Egloff’s six punchouts upped his collegiate career total to 185, as he approaches the 200-strikeout mark including his career at Yavapai College.

MCBROOM SCORELESS, THRICE: Junior reliever Brian McBroom twice put up 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the series against the Bulldogs, striking out two and allowing just two baserunners in a pair of efficient outings. He followed with two more shutout innings against NMSU on Tuesday. McBroom leads the team with 10 appearances this year, and holds a 4.08 ERA in his 17 2/3 innings of work.


Nevada Wolfpack

2023 Record: 11-10, 2-4 Mountain West
Head Coach: Jake McKinley (1st season)
Series Record: Nevada 29, UNM 24
In Reno: UNM 11, Nevada 11
Last Meeting: 5/8/2022

The Wolfpack is coming off a mid-week win over San Francisco, topping the Dons 5-3 on Wednesday afternoon in the Bay. Nevada lost its most recent Mountain West series 2-1 at the hands of UNLV, and is off to a 2-4 start in league play.

Offensively, the ‘Pack is being led by Matt Clayton who is hitting .291 with a team-high four home runs and 14 RBIs. Taylor Holder has a team-best .318 batting average, and Henry Strmecki has three home runs while driving in 11. Derek Tenney has added four home runs, four doubles, and 13 RBIs to a lineup that is slashing .252/.345/.403 and averaging 5.29 runs per game.

On the mound, Jason Doktorczyk, Casey Burfield, and Kade Morris have been the primary starters with that trio combining for 76 of the team’s 198 strikeouts on the year. Kolby Kmetko leads the Mountain West with five saves on the season, while carrying a 4.15 ERA at the back of the bullpen. Overall Nevada has a 5.44 team ERA and the opposition is hitting .267 against the staff.