Lobos Begin Week on Road at New Mexico State Tuesday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos close out March with five games on the road this week, starting with a doubleheader at New Mexico State Tuesday. First pitch for game one is set for 4 p.m. with both games on ESPN+.
The Lobos lead the Aggies in the series 85-71 with the teams splitting the series last season and each team winning on their home field.
MARCH MOMENTUM
In the month of March, the Lobos have held an opponent below two runs four times, three times to one run, and are 4-0 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 4-0 in one-run games and 2-0 in extra-inning games.
The pitching staff has lowered their ERA from February to March from 5.92 to 4.98, and through 17 games in March has allowed 39 less runs, 38 fewer hits and 29 fewer walks than in February (18 games). Opponents are hitting .277 in March compared to .327 in February.
In the field, the Lobos have improved their fielding percentage from .951 to .972 and have decreased their errors from 23 in February to 13 in March.
UNM has doubled its home run total from February to March (four to eight), increased its batting average (.254 from .252), increased its total bases (152 from 145), slugging percentage (.351 from .326) and has struck out seven fewer times.
Of Rachael Hathoot’s 41 hits this season, 24 have come in March, with the Lobo hitting .436 with a .527 slugging percentage and a .483 on-base percentage. Keyannah Chavez has hit three home runs this month and has improved her RBI production from February from five to 11. Chavez’s slugging percentage is at .694 this month. Chloe Yeatts has improved her hits (14), RBI (13), total bases (23) and slugging percentage (.460) in March.
McKenna Guest has improved her ERA from February to March from 5.70 (13 appearances, 10 starts, 46.2 innings) to 2.71 in March (12 appearances, seven starts, 54.1 innings) and has allowed 20 fewer hits and 20 fewer runs.
YEATTS GOES YARD
Chloe Yeatts hit home runs in consecutive games for the second time this season with a solo home run against UTEP on Tuesday and followed that with a two-run home run in the seventh inning of Friday’s game against UTEP.
Yeatts started off her sophomore season with a two-run home run in the season opener against Tennessee State and again with another two-run home run against McNeese, with both in the first inning.
The Oklahoma native leads the team in home runs with five and in RBI (23), and is second in slugging percentage (.459) and third in hits (25) and total bases (45).
Yeatts has matched her home run total from her freshman season and has increased her slugging percentage from .448 to .459.
SHAKING UP THE LINEUP
In the 35 games this season, the Lobos have used 33 different lineup combinations. UNM has used the same batting order in only the McNeese and Chattanooga games the first weekend and the same lineup in the Montana and Toledo games.
The Lobos have used three different players in the leadoff spot, five in the second spot, four in the third spot, six in the cleanup, eight in the fifth spot, eight in the sixth spot, nine in the seventh spot, eight in the eighth spot and five in the ninth spot in the lineup.
Rachael Hathoot has led off in 24 games, Sydney Carithers has hit ninth in 19 games, Elizabeth Baylor batting seventh in 15 games and DeNae Vasquez-Dickson second in 14 games for the most frequency in the lineup. Carithers has batted eighth in 11 games, Ashley Archuleta and Chloe Yeatts third in 11 games and Emma Bramson fifth in 11 games, Yeatts in the cleanup spot in 13 games and Katherine Brunner sixth in 13 games for the most appearances in each spot of the order.
Keyannah Chavez has made the most movement in the batting order, appearing in seven different spots, the most often third (10 games), followed by leadoff and second (eight games), as well as three games in the cleanup spot, two times in each the sixth and eighth spot and hit fifth in one game.
In the field, UNM has used five different players in left, five in right field, four at third, three behind the plate, three in center, three at second base and two at first base. UNM has also had nine different players as the designated player.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Lobos have reached double figures in hits three times this season: UNM’s win against Tennessee State in the season opener, where the Lobos finished with 12 hits, 15 hits in the win against Marist on Feb. 16 and 12 hits in the March 22 game against UNLV.
UNM is 6-0 when scoring at least six runs, 8-2 when scoring at least five runs, 6-3 when outhitting its opponent, 5-2 in one-run games and 2-2 in extra-inning games.
If the Lobos can score in the first inning and hold a lead after the first inning, the Lobos are 7-3 when scoring in the first inning and 6-1 when leading after the first, 6-3 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.
MIDDLE (WO)MEN
The Lobos are anchored in the middle infield with the stability and experience of Ashley Archuleta (second) and Rachael Hathoot (shortstop).
This season, Hathoot leads the Lobos in hits (41) and tied for the lead in runs scored (21), is second in batting average (.373), on-base percentage (.413) and total bases (48).
Hathoot hit the walk-off home run to give UNM the 2-1 win over UNLV to start the eighth innings and enters the week on a 14-game hitting streak, which is currently the third-longest hitting streak in the NCAA (19 by Paige Rocha, SIUE and 16 by Amaya Harris, Middle Tennessee).
Archuleta leads the Lobos in stolen bases (seven), is tied for the lead in doubles (five), is third in on-base percentage (.351) and batting average (.267), is fourth in slugging percentage (.349), and tied for fourth in RBI (10) and total bases (30). She went a career-best 4-4 in the March 22 game against UNLV.
To date, Archuleta has started in 127 games with 122 starts at second and Hathoot has started all 35 games this season and all 50 games last season at shortstop, and has started all 157 games during her UNM career.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR
Keyannah Chavez leads the team in batting average (.404), slugging percentage (.660), on-base percentage (.477), triples (four), walks (12), and total bases (62), is second in home runs (four), hits (38), RBI (16), sac bunts (five). Chavez is tied for the team lead in runs scored (21).
The sophomore is 15-31 (.484) as the leadoff in an inning, 29-49 (.592) in successfully advancing runners, 3-5 (.600) with runners on third and less than two outs, and of her 16 RBI, nine are with two outs.
She’s had 12 multiple-hit games (nine games with two hits and three games with three) to tie for the team lead and her total from her freshman season, 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.
The sophomore enters the week with a five-game hitting streak.
Chavez has already surpassed her season total from her freshman season in total bases with 62 and has increased her batting average (.315 to .404), on-base percentage (.410 to .477) and slugging percentage (.364 to .660) from her freshman season to this season.
This past week, Chavez led with a .583 batting average with seven hits, two of which were triples, 14 total bases, a 1.167 slugging percentage and .643 on-base percentage.
GUEST APPEARANCE
Freshman McKenna Guest has been a frequent presence in the circle for the Lobos, appearing in a team-high 25 games, starting a team-high 17 games and throwing eight complete games.
The RHP has thrown a team-high 101.0 innings, 41.1 more innings than the next Lobo pitcher, and has a team-best 64 strikeouts, accounting for 57.7% of UNM’s total strikeouts and 46 more than the next Lobo pitcher. Guest has also been the pitcher on record in eight 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 one out of 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.
In Saturday’s win against UNLV, Guest threw a season-high 8.0 innings and 148 pitches. Guest retired the side in order in second and third innings with two strikeouts in the second and another strikeout in the third. Between the first and third innings, Guest retired seven consecutive Rebels. She later retired the side in order in the eighth with a final strikeout. Of the 36 batters faced, the Lobo allowed one run on four hits and struck out five, and of her 148 pitches, 73 went for strikes.
She is averaging 4.44 strikeouts per game and a 1.7 k/bb rate behind 18 games with at least one strikeout and 16 games with multiple strikeouts, including five games with five or more.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
New Mexico State enters Tuesday 16-12 on the season and 6-3 in CUSA after a 2-1 series win over UTEP. The Aggies are also 10-5 at home.
Dezianna Patmon leads with a .405 batting average, 30 hits and 23 RBI, while Desirae Spearman leads with nine home runs, 55 total bases, eight walks, a 1.146 slugging percentage and .536 on-base percentage.
Spearman also leads the Aggies in the circle with a 0.23 ERA, throwing 30.0 innings with five starts and three complete games. To date, she’s allowed 18 hits, six runs (one earned) with 37 strikeouts and 10 walks. Jaileen Mancha has thrown a team-high 71.2 innings with nine starts, 18 appearances, four complete games and made two saves, and Emily Dix has started a team-high 13 games and made a team-high 20 appearances. As a staff, NMSU carries a 3.70 ERA as well as 112 strikeouts to 66 walks.
NMSU is 31-37 in stolen base attempts behind Patmon and Spearman going 6-7 and Jillian Taylor and Jessica Carreon going 3-4. Overall, 13 different players have at least one stolen base. Conversely, opponents are 16-24 in stolen base attempts.