Lobos Host Rebels to Close March Homestand
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos wrap up their homestand and their final home games in March with a three-game series against UNLV starting on Friday at 6 p.m.
Admission is free for all three games, with fans asked to park in the dirt lots and enter through the gate located between the softball and baseball fields. Please advise the parking attendants that you are there for the softball games. For those unable to attend, all three games will be streamed with live stats available.
UNM is coming off of a 6-1 win against UTEP on Tuesday to improve to 9-23 on the season and is 1-2 in the Mountain West. UNLV is 16-9 on the season, 1-1 in the Mountain West after opening conference with Colorado State. The Rebels are 4-1 on the road, while UNM is 1-1 at home.
MARCH MOMENTUM
In the month of March, the Lobos have held an opponent below two runs three times, twice to one run, and are 3-0 when an opponent scores less than two runs.
The Lobos have scored five or more runs in four of the wins and are 2-0 when scoring six runs. UNM is also 3-0 in one-run games.
The pitching staff has lowered their ERA from February to March from 5.92 to 4.95, and through 14 games in March has allowed 55 less runs, 63 fewer hits and 40 fewer walks than in February (18 games). Opponents are hitting .276 in March compared to .327 in February.
In the field, the Lobos have improved their fielding percentage from .951 to .971 and have decreased their errors from 23 in February to 11 in March.
Of Rachael Hathoot’s 38 hits this season, 21 have come in March, with the Lobo hitting .467 with a .511 slugging percentage and a .510 on-base percentage. Keyannah Chavez has hit three home runs this month and has doubled her RBI production from February from five to 10. Chavez’s slugging percentage is at .625 this month.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Lobos have twice reached double figures in hits this season: UNM’s win against Tennessee State in the season opener, where the Lobos finished with 12 hits, and 15 hits in the win against Marist on Feb. 16.
UNM is 6-0 when scoring at least six runs, 8-1 when scoring at least five runs, 5-2 when outhitting its opponent and 4-2 in one-run games.
If the Lobos can score in the first inning and hold a lead after the first inning, the Lobos are 6-3 when scoring in the first inning and 6-1 when leading after the first, 6-2 after the second, 7-1 after the third and fourth innings, 8-1 when leading after the fifth and 7-0 when leading after the sixth inning.
UNM is 30-52 (.577) with a runner on third and less than two outs, going 5-5 in the first game against Marist, 3-3 in the second game against the Red Foxes and 2-2 in the win against Toledo. UNM also went 3-4 in the win against SFA. In the series at SJSU, the Lobos were a combined 5-5 in the series.
The Lobos have had their leadoff hitter reach 36.5% of the time (77-211), with all seven reaching in the first game against Marist, 4-6 at McNeese and in the second game against Marist, and 5-7 in the game at GCU.
FRESHMEN IMPACT
Nine freshmen have earned a spot in the starting lineup this season. Five freshmen (DeNae Vasquez-Dickson, Katherine Brunner, McKenna Guest, Hayden Luderer and Karly Smith) have played in more than half of the games.
Of the freshmen, Brunner has played in 31 games with 27 starts- 11 games at third, nine as the designated player and seven at second. Vasquez-Dickson has started in 24 games with 12 in left, seven in center and five in right and played in 31 games, and Luderer with 13 starts and playing in 21 games with eight starts in center, four in right and one in left. Smith has played in 17 games with seven starts, six as the designated player and one in right. Gabrielle Briones has started in five games, two at third, two at second and one as the designated player, and Macie Andrews has started four games, all in left.
McKenna Guest leads the Lobos’ pitching staff with 16 starts and 23 appearances and a team-high 91.1 innings, Brooke Umali has made one start and 10 appearances, throwing 14.1 innings and Kenzie Jones has appeared in seven games with one start and 8.0 innings.
Vasquez-Dickson has played in 96.9% of the games, 86.2% of the innings and started in 75.0% of the games. Brunner has played in 96.9% of the games, starting in 84.4%, and playing in 85.2% of the innings.
In the circle, Guest has started half of the games and made an appearance in 71.9% of the games and pitched in 46.2% of the innings. The RHP has accounted for 54.8% of UNM’s strikeouts this season.
UNM started five freshmen against UConn and in the last game against UTEP, seven games with four freshmen starting and 15 games with three freshmen starting.
Brunner is fifth on the team in slugging percentage (.301), as well as third in RBI (12) and home runs (one), while Vasquez-Dickson leads in sac bunts (six) and is tied for third in stolen bases (four) and tied for fourth in RBI (nine), and Smith is tied for third in walks (seven).
KEY CONTRIBUTOR
Keyannah Chavez leads the team in batting average (.388), slugging percentage (.624), on-base percentage (.459), triples (two), walks (10), and total bases (53), is tied for the team lead in home runs (four) and is second in hits (33), RBI (15), sac bunts (five) and runs scored (17).
The sophomore is 14-30 (.467) as the leadoff in an inning, 28-45 (.622) in successfully advancing runners, 3-5 (.600) with runners on third and less than two outs, and of her 15 RBI, eight are with two outs.
She’s had 10 multiple-hit games (seven games with two hits and three games with three) and four multiple RBI games (three games with two RBI and a game with four), with the four the most RBI in a game by a Lobo this season.
Chavez has already surpassed her season total from her freshman season in total bases with 53 and has increased her batting average (.315 to .388), on-base percentage (.410 to .459) and slugging percentage (.364 to .624) from her freshman season to this season.
GUEST APPEARANCE
Freshman McKenna Guest has been a frequent presence in the circle for the Lobos, appearing in a team-high 23 games, starting a team-high 16 games and throwing seven complete games.
The RHP has thrown a team-high 91.1 innings, 40.0 more innings than the next Lobo pitcher, and has a team-best 57 strikeouts, accounting for 54.8% of UNM’s total strikeouts and 39 more than the next Lobo pitcher. Guest has also been the pitcher on record in seven of UNM’s wins and earned her first save in the win against Marist.
Guest struck out a season-high nine at UTEP and followed that up two days later with seven strikeouts in the first game against Marist.
In the March 19 game against UTEP, Guest took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, retired nine consecutive Miners between the fourth and seventh innings and finished with six strikeouts, no walks allowed, two hits and one run in the win. Guest and the Lobo defense retired the side in order in the first, third, fifth and sixth.
She is averaging 4.37 strikeouts per game and a 1.8 k/bb rate behind 16 games with at least one strikeout and 14 games with multiple strikeouts, including four games with five or more.
ABOUT UNLV
The Rebels are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have faced one common opponent with the Lobos in Stephen F. Austin, winning 11-0 (five innings) in the season opener and 4-3 in a five inning game shortened due to weather.
UNLV has six players with double-digit hits, led by 32 from Maddie Schmidt and two with 26 in Jesse Farrell and Ariana Martinez. Schmidt leads with a .395 batting average and is 10-10 in stolen bases, while Martinez leads with 52 total bases, a .765 slugging percentage and .494 on-base percentage behind a team-high 14 walks, seven doubles (tied for team high), two triples, five home runs (tied for team high) and also has a team-best 33 RBI.
As a team, UNLV has drawn 97 walks with six players with double-digit walks, and when reaching base, is 18-21 in stolen base attempts.
The pitching staff consists of four pitchers, led by 12 starts, 16 appearances and 68.0 innings by Alanna Thiede. Thiede has allowed 55 hits, 29 runs (21 earned) and walked 26 to 47 strikeouts and has also thrown five complete games. Ellie Zellien has started 10 games, going the distance in five, with 12 appearances and throwing 53.1 innings.