Lobos Return to Road Wednesday at Utah State
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos return to the road after their bye weekend and with a week between games to face Utah State in a doubleheader Wednesday. The first game is set for 12 p.m. MT with the second game to follow at approximately 2:30 and will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with live stats available.
UNM enters the game 17-16-1 on the season, 2-4 in conference with the Aggies 19-15, 4-2 in conference.
The Lobos have won the last four games in the series with the Aggies, which started with a 15-13 road win in 2023 and included a sweep in 2024. It was the first sweep over the Aggies since 1989 and the first sweep of a Mountain West opponent since 2016 (Colorado State). Additionally, with the win in the series finale in 2023, the four-game win streak matches the all-time longest win streak against the Aggies, that was last done between April 15, 1988 and April 22, 1989. The last two games in the series were decided by one run.
TRENDING UP
The Lobo pitching staff has 192 strikeouts to 106 walks, with the 192 strikeouts already surpassing the season total from last season (166), the walks going down from 3.4 per game last season to 3.1 this season and the strikeouts going up from 3.1 per game last season to 5.6 this season.
At the plate, the Lobos have already surpassed their total walks from last season, drawing 106 walks in 54 games last season and already at 109 through 34 games this season.
UNM outscored opponents 63-58 in March, hitting .286 with a .426 slugging percentage and .369 on-base percentage behind 112 hits, 27 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 48 walks.
UNM made a jump from February to March in batting average (from .255), slugging percentage (from .351), on-base percentage (from .357) and decreased the number of strikeouts from 92 to 43 at the plate. The Lobos also increased their hits per game from 6.7 in February to 7.5 in March and improved their fielding percentage from .966 to .971.
In the circle, the Lobo pitching staff improved their ERA from 3.56 to 3.14 and brought down their walks per game from 3.3 in February to 2.9 in March. Further, the staff went from three complete games and three shutouts (one combined) in February to seven complete games and four shutouts (one combined) in March.
In the circle, UNM had a 3.14 ERA in March with 72 strikeouts to 43 walks with Natalie Fritz striking out 23 to 10 walks and McKenna Guest striking out 40 to 17 walks.
Individually, Guest went from a 2.52 ERA in February to a 1.72 in March and Fritz lowered her ERA from 3.57 in February to 3.42 in March. Ashley Archuleta improved her batting average (.319 to .447), slugging percentage (.532 to .617), on-base percentage (.467 to .481), hits (15 to 21) and doubled her doubles (three to six); Miracle McKenzie improved her batting average (.209 to .349), slugging percentage (.233 to .558), on-base percentage (.292 to .442) and increased her hits (nine to 15); and Jessica DeLeon improved her batting average (.319 to .357), slugging percentage (.489 to .548), on-base percentage (.424 to .426) and doubles (two to five). Four players improved their hit totals from February to March with Emma Bramson (one to eight) and Hayden Luderer (six to 11) joining Archuleta and McKenzie.
The Lobos outscored their opponents in the second (10-8), third (10-9), fourth (5-4), sixth (8-2) and seventh (8-6) and scored first in eight games (6-2 in those games). The Lobos also outhit their opponent in 11 games and went 9-2 in those games. UNM was 6-0 when leading after three innings and again after four innings, 7-0 when leading after five innings and 8-0 when leading after six innings in March.
SHUT IT DOWN
Through 34 games, the Lobo pitching staff has recorded seven shutouts (four solo by McKenna Guest, one solo by Natalie Fritz and one combined by Fritz and Guest and one combined by Lexi Atcitty and Caprice Barela).
Dating back to 2006, it is the fifth time that the Lobos have recorded at least four shutouts in a season (others were in 2006, 2007, 2013, 2023), and the second time under Head Coach Nicole Dickson, but reached the feat in the fewest amount of games (22). The last season the Lobos had more than four was in 2004 with 12.
Guest and Fritz combined for the third shutout of the season in the 2-0 win over North Dakota on Feb. 21, combining for 11 strikeouts with Guest throwing 6.0 innings and nine strikeouts and Fritz closing with two strikeouts on three batters faced.
The Lobo sophomore threw her third shutout of the season in the March 2 game against Alabama State, striking out nine to one walk and two hits.
Fritz threw her first shutout in the 2-0 win against San Diego on March 7 and Atcitty and Barela combined for the run-rule shutout against St. Joseph’s on March 8.
Guest added her fourth shutout against UC San Diego on March 25, the most shutouts by a Lobo pitcher in a season since 2004 when Ashley Perkins had six.
WHAT’S THE LINEUP?
UNM has used 31 different lineup combinations in the 34 games, repeating in the Saint Joseph’s game on March 6 and against San Diego on March 7 and in three consecutive games with final two games against San José State and the first game at San Diego State.
Four different players have been in the leadoff spot with Ashley Archuleta leading off in 22 games, including 19 of the last 22. The Lobos have had six different players third in the lineup with Allie Williams third in 22 games, and six players in the cleanup spot with Jessica DeLeon hitting cleanup in 24 games. Seven different players have hit fifth with Miracle McKenzie fifth in 17 games. Nine different players have been sixth in the lineup with Katherine Brunner hitting sixth in 10 games, as well as 11 different players hitting seventh with Sydney Carithers hitting seventh in 10 games. Seven different players have hit ninth with Hayden Luderer hitting ninth in 17 games.
Keyannah Chavez has had the most movement in the lineup, appearing in eight different spots, followed by Archuleta in six different spots in the lineup. Williams, McKenzie and Brunner have appeared in five different spots. DeLeon and Carithers in four different spots and DeNae Vasquez-Dickson, Emma Bramson, Ella Dawson and Luderer in three different spots.
Further, Archuleta has led off in the last nine games, Vasquez-Dickson has hit second in the last 14 and Williams third in 12 of the last 14.
ARCH AT THE TOP
In her senior season, Ashley Archuleta is leading the Lobos in five categories.
The New Mexico native leads in batting average (.383), slugging percentage (.574), on-base percentage (.473), doubles (nine) and total bases (54) and with 11 multiple-hit games (nine games with two, one with three and one with four).
In the last game against San José State, Archuleta went a season-best 4-4 with two doubles, tying her career highs in hits and doubles. In the series with the Spartans, Archuleta hit .600 with six hits that included three doubles, and had a .900 slugging percentage and .545 on-base percentage.
Archuleta hit .447 in the month of March with a team-high 21 hits, that includes six doubles. She had a .617 slugging percentage and .481 on-base percentage, jumping from a .319 batting average, .532 slugging percentage and .467 on-base percentage and 15 hits in February.
Additionally, Archuleta has hit in the leadoff spot in 22 games, including the last nine and 13 of the last 14 games. UNM is 14-8 when Archuleta is in the leadoff spot.
PUT THE PRESSURE ON
The Lobos have scored in the first inning in 11 games and scored in the second inning in 11 games while not allowing a run in the first two innings in 19 games overall.
UNM is outscoring opponents 27-10 in the second inning and 44-30 through the first two innings.
In addition, the Lobos are outscoring opponents 34-26 in the fifth and 17-7 in the sixth inning. On the season, UNM is outscoring opponents 151-132 (+19).
UNM is 6-1 when leading after the first, 11-1 after the second, 12-1 after the third, 13-2 when leading after the fourth, 12-2 after the fifth and 13-2 leading after the sixth.
UNM is 8-3 when scoring in the first inning and 12-4-1 when scoring first.
A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON
Last season, the Lobos recorded a sweep of Utah State, making some history in the process.
It marked the first sweep over the Aggies since 1989 and the first sweep of a Mountain West opponent since 2016 (Colorado State). Further, UNM won the series against USU for the first time since 2021.
UNM hit five home runs in Friday’s game from five different batters, the first time since 2012 that the Lobos finished with five home runs in a game, and the third time UNM hit multiple home runs in a game in 2024.
Dating back to the last 20 years, it was the second-most home runs hit in a game, with six the most hit back on March 22, 2015 against Utah State.
ABOUT UTAH STATE
The Aggies enter the doubleheader coming off of a sweep of Colorado State in which they scored 10-plus runs in all three games and a loss to Weber State on Monday. USU opened conference against San Diego State, losing the first two games of the series before defeating the Aztecs.
Utah State shares four non-conference opponents with UNM in Penn (won 8-0 in five), San Diego (lost 6-2, won 13-10, 5-3 and 6-3), UTEP (won 11-6) and UC San Diego (won 10-2 in five).
Ariel Fifita leads the Aggies with a .414 batting average, one of two players hitting over .400 (Giselle Gonzalez is hitting .407), with Gonzalez leading with a .769 slugging percentage, 12 home runs and with 45 RBI. Fifita (48) and Gonzalez (44) lead the team in hits with Fifita leading in on-base percentage (.531), walks (22) and in stolen bases (5-6).
In the circle, right-hander Emmalyn Brinka leads the pitching staff in starts with a team-high 13 games and throwing two shutouts and two complete games in 54.2 innings. Carly Limosnero has started 10 games and thrown 52.2 innings with Rylie Pindel making the most appearances at 25, holds a team-best 5.14 ERA, and throwing a team-high 64.0 innings.
As a staff, USU carries a 6.41 ERA, allowing 335 hits, 217 runs and 122 walks to 96 strikeouts.