Aztecs in town for prime MW matchup this weekend
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The first of two straight home Mountain West series for the New Mexico baseball team kicks off on Friday night, as the Lobos are set to host San Diego State in a three-game series at Santa Ana Star Field.
The Lobos are coming off a dramatic 11-10 win over No. 22 Texas Tech in a home game on Tuesday, as UNM out-lasted the Red Raiders on the way to their third straight victory.
Lobo Baseball Weekly Schedule
All times listed are Mountain Daylight Time – All games are at Santa Ana Star Field.
Friday, March 31 – 6 p.m. – San Diego State
Saturday, April 1 – 2 p.m. – San Diego State
Sunday, April 2 – Noon – San Diego State
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS: Friday will be ‘90s Night at the ballpark, with fans encouraged to dust off their 1990s wardrobe to fit the evening’s music playlist. Saturday will be Hispanic Heritage Day, as the Lobos honor their New Mexico culture. On Sunday, children ages 12 and under will receive free admission, and will be allowed to run the bases after the game.
MOUNTAIN WEST STANDINGS: Entering the middle third of their 2023 schedule, the Lobos sit in third place in the Mountain West standings. UNM’s 5-3 record puts it just one game behind first place San Jose State (4-2), while this week’s opponent San Diego State sits a half game behind at 4-3.
LOBOS MAINTAIN NCAA STAT RANKINGS: New Mexico continued to lead the NCAA in batting average, upping its mark to .343 with a big performance over the weekend in Reno. UNM also ranks No. 2 in hits with 299, No. 5 in triples per game with 0.57, No. 6 in triples with 13, and No. 7 in total offense with an average of 10.0 runs per game. The Lobos are also in the top-20 in the country in runs (No. 11, 231), doubles per game (No. 18, 2.43), and slugging percentage (No. 15, .550). While the offense has made headlines this spring, the Lobo pitching staff ranks No. 4 in the NCAA in walks/9 innings at 2.84, and the defense ranks No. 11 in fielding percentage at .983.
MR. HOLLAND’S OPS: Jake Holland was the hero on Tuesday, delivering a two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to nudge the Lobos past Texas Tech. Holland holds an OPS of 1.113 this season, a mark that ranks him third in the Mountain West. The Lobos’ starting catcher had a 2-for-5 performance on Tuesday, upping his RBI count to 23 on the season and raising his batting average to .385. Holland has also been perfect defensively behind the plate, handling 93 chances this spring without an error.
LIVELY NAMED MW PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Tristin Lively earned the Lobos’ fourth Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after another dominant outing. The senior right-hander was nearly untouchable against the Wolfpack, allowing just two hits and two walks in his seven innings of work. Lively had a season-high eight strikeouts, while throwing 110 pitches on the way to his fourth win of the season. He enters the week tied with Egloff and Gallegos for the most victories in the conference.
DITZ A HIT MACHINE: Dylan Ditzenberger maintained the third-highest batting average in the NCAA last week, going 4-for-10 in the series against Nevada including a 3-for-6 effort with his first multi-double game of the year on Saturday. Ditzenberger leads the Mountain West with a batting average of .473. He leads the NCAA in hits per game with 2.00, ranks second in runs per game with 1.64, third in runs scored with 36, and fourth in hits with 44. Not only do the Lobos have arguably the best leadoff man in the country, Ditzenberger is one of the top defensive third basemen in the nation as well. In his 22 games this year, the senior has committed just one error and holds a fielding percentage of .981. After reaching base in 14 consecutive games to end his career at Kansas last spring, Ditzenberger has continued the streak through all 22 games this season giving him an intact stretch of 36 games reaching base entering this week. He also enters this week on an 18-game hitting streak. Ditzenberger enters this week with 95 career RBIs, five away from the triple-digit threshold.
200 HITS FOR LENNY: Lenny Junior Ashby hit the 200-hit barrier last Friday at Nevada, collecting 96 hits during his two-year career at Odessa College (2020-21) and making it 105 so far in his second season at New Mexico. Ashby drove in three runs in the first five innings of UNM’s 9-5 win to open the series, upping his season total to 27 which is second in the Mountain West. Ashby owns a slash line of .323/.404/.462 this spring. Ashby enters the weekend one double away from reaching 50 in his collegiate career, and is 11 total bases away from 200.
DAVID THE MW RBI LEADER: Jeffrey David picked up his 29th RBI of the season on Tuesday, giving him the most runs batted in across the conference. David is hitting .340 this spring, while reaching base at a clip of .379 and slugging .519. He also reached 100-career hits as a Lobo with his three-hit performance on Tuesday.
SPENRATH STRIKES AGAIN: Reed Spenrath hit his eighth home run of the season on Saturday, and matched his season high with three hits to help the Lobos to a blowout 12-1 victory. Spenrath upped his RBI count to 25 with the solo shot, and 13 of his 23 hits this year have been either home runs or doubles. Spenrath holds an OPS of 1.046 entering the weekend, and he also leads the conference with 20 walks drawn. Defensively, the first baseman has been perfect in 221 chances and he is five putouts away from reaching 600 in his collegiate career. Spenrath is also four RBIs away from 150 in his career and 12 total bases away from reaching 300.
MCBROOM NOTCHES FIRST WIN: Brian McBroom earned his first win of the season with a scoreless ninth against the Red Raiders, extending his scoreless inning streak to 7 2/3 frames over his last five outings. The right-hander has given up just five hits during that span, while striking out five and issuing zero walks. McBroom owns a 3.48 ERA this spring, and a WHIP of 1.19. McBroom also reached 50-career strikeouts with one on Tuesday.
RUNION RACKS UP TOTAL BASES: Two of Braydon Runion’s four hits last week went for extra bases, as he upped his season total base count to 57 which ranks him second in the Mountain West. Runion had his second two-double game of the season on Saturday, and went 4-for-10 overall against Nevada to lift his season batting average to .379. Runion has 24 RBIs this spring, with seven doubles, a triple, and four home runs aiding his .600 slugging percentage.
EXTRA BASES FOR PIGFORD: Deylan Pigford led off the game for UNM with his third home run of the season on Tuesday, and added a double to give him 13 extra base hits among his 31 knocks on the season. A productive mid-order hitter, Pigford holds a slash line of .369/.470/.631 while starting all 23 games this spring. His 30 runs scored are second-most in the Mountain West, as are his eight stolen bases.
DIXON CLIMBING AT PLATE: A 4-for-9 weekend for Devon Dixon elevated his batting average 27 points to the mark of .286, as he capped the Nevada series going 3-for-5 with two RBIs which was his highest hit total of the year. He followed with a 2-for-4 performance against Texas Tech, driving in another run thanks to a double. Dixon was also busy defensively over the weekend, matching his season high with four putouts on Friday and making 12 total plays in the two games in Reno.
SEVEN STRONG FOR EGLOFF: For the second time this season, Riley Egloff pitched seven complete innings helping UNM to a series-opening win over Nevada on Friday. The right-hander added four strikeouts to his ledger, and he enters this week 11 shy of 200 strikeouts in his collegiate career which began at Yavapai College in 2019. Egloff leads the Mountain West this spring with 36 2/3 innings pitched, while ranking fourth in strikeouts with 33.
KINKADE SOLID IN FIRST START: Making his first start in a Lobo uniform on Tuesday, newcomer Konner Kinkade had a career-high eight assists to match the highest total by a UNM player this spring. Kinkade reached base in 3 of 4 plate appearances, scoring a pair of runs and driving in one with an RBI-single. In 16 at-bats this spring, Kinkade is slashing .438/.591/.625.
GALLEGOS’ TURN NIXED: Cold weather in Reno on Sunday prompted the postponement of the series finale between the Lobos and Wolfpack, meaning junior right-hander Isaac Gallegos missed the chance to go for his fifth consecutive victory. Gallegos has been lights out in his first season at UNM, entering this week ranked No. 18 in the NCAA with a WHIP of 0.86. Gallegos has 26 strikeouts in 29 innings of work, while allowing just 27 baserunners in that span.
San Diego State Aztecs
2023 Record: 7-13, 4-3 Mountain West
Head Coach: Mark Martinez (9th season)
Series History: SDSU leads 126-84
In Albuquerque: SDSU leads 46-43
First meeting: 4/15/1960
Last meeting: 4/16/2022
The Aztecs are coming off back-to-back losses entering Friday’s series opener, falling 12-6 in the finale against Air Force before a narrow 2-1 defeat against UC San Diego in non-conference play on Tuesday. SDSU is just half a game behind UNM in the conference standings entering the weekend.
San Diego State hits .268 as a team, averaging 6.05 runs per game and stealing 34 bases in 45 attempts. Cole Carrigg leads the team with a .333 batting average, while TJ Fondtain and Poncho Ruiz have each hit three home runs. Shaun Montoya is hitting .308 with a Mountain West-high 10 stolen bases.
On the mound, Fondtain has been the top starter with team highs of 35 strikeouts and 32.0 innings pitches while holding a 4.22 ERA. Chris Canada has 33 strikeouts across 24 innings in five starts, and Jonny Guzman is the other Aztec to have started five games this spring. Kelena Sauer has a team-high three saves, while holding a 4.38 ERA in 12 1/3 innings.