ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos begin a five-game home stand with a two-game series against Boise State starting on Saturday afternoon.
SCHEDULE
Saturday @ 2 p.m.
Sunday @ 12 p.m.
The Lobos are 12-24 all-time against the Broncos, but snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Broncos with the last win April 25, 2021 and recorded their first win in Boise since April 30, 2016 last season. The last time the Lobos won a series against BSU was 2021, which was in Albuquerque. Two of the last three games in the series have been decided by a run with UNM going 1-1 in those games.
DELEON’S DAY AT THE PLATE
In game 1 against Utah State yesterday, Jessica DeLeon went 5-5 which included two doubles and a season-high seven total bases. In the last 20 seasons, there have been 186 instances that a Lobo has had five at-bats or more in a game (178 with five at-bats). Of those, DeLeon is the only player that has recorded five hits in a game.
In addition, DeLeon is the only Lobo to go 5-5 in a game and the most hits in a game in program history .
The freshman added a 2-2 outing at the plate in game two of the doubleheader, finishing with four RBI, a 1.286 slugging percentage and a .900 on-base percentage on the day.
Adding her final at-bat at UCSD, DeLeon has recorded a hit in her last eight at-bats.
DeLeon is one of 16 players in the NCAA to have five hits in a game this season, tied for the most in the NCAA, and one of four freshmen with five hits in a game this season.
PUT THE PRESSURE ON
The Lobos have scored in the first inning in 12 games and scored in the second inning in 12 games while not allowing a run in the first two innings in 19 games overall.
UNM is outscoring opponents 29-14 in the second inning and 47-36 through the first two innings.
In addition, the Lobos are outscoring opponents 22-20 in the fourth, 37-29 in the fifth and 17-7 in the sixth inning. On the season, UNM is outscoring opponents 163-147 (+16).
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 8-4 when scoring in the first inning and 12-5-1 when scoring first.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
DeNae Vasquez-Dickson and McKenna Guest have dispelled the notion of the sophomore slump.
Vasquez-Dickson leads the team with 10 sac bunts and tied for the team lead with 27 runs scored and third in RBI (19). She is also tied for second in walks (16) and fourth in hits (34). She’s had six multiple-hit games and five multiple-RBI games as well as had a nine-game hitting streak and a 17-game streak of reaching base this season, career bests in both categories.
She is also 11th in the NCAA in sac bunts per game (0.28) and leads the MW in sac bunts.
Through 36 games, she’s already surpassed her number of walks from last season (16 from seven) and has improved her batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage and has scored 27 runs, eight more than she did all of last season. She has increased her RBI, total bases total and hit total from last season. She has also surpassed her double total and hit three triples, the first of her career.
In the circle, Guest has a 2.58 ERA with 100 strikeouts to 40 walks, and has finished with five or more strikeouts in 10 games. She’s has seven appearances not allowing a run in 100.1 innings and 24 appearances with 17 starts. Guest went 14.2 innings to start the season before allowing a run.
She currently leads the Lobos in ERA, innings pitched, starts and strikeouts with 32 more strikeouts than the next Lobo pitcher (Fritz). Guest has already surpassed her win total from a season ago (12 compared to 10 last season) and her strikeouts from 2024 with 100 to date (had 90 in 40 appearances last season).
Additionally, from stats dating back to 2006, Guest currently holds the lowest single-season ERA with a minimum 100 innings pitched at 2.58, the lowest single-season opponent batting average (.239) and the second-most single-season strikeouts per seven innings (6.98) in program history.
Nationally, Guest is 10th in the NCAA in shutouts, 32nd in wins, 35th in strikeouts, 63rd in innings pitched and 95th in strikeouts per seven innings (7.0).
FRESHMEN IN NAME ONLY
From the season opener onward, the freshmen class have stepped in to the lineup and contributed.
Of UNM’s 153 RBI on the season, 84 (54.9%) have come from freshmen and of the 261 hits, 119 (45.6%) have been by freshmen.
Freshmen constitute the top two RBI, top three home runs, two of the top three in batting averages and hits, and three of the top five in slugging percentages, on-base percentages and hits on the team.
Allie Williams currently leads the team with 44 hits, while Jessica DeLeon leads in RBI (27) with Miracle McKenzie second (25). DeLeon is second (.385) and Williams third (.370) in batting average, with DeLeon leading in walks (17), second in slugging percentage (.573), on-base percentage (.466) and total bases (55). Dawson is tied for the team lead in home runs with DeLeon and McKenzie (three).
Further, McKenzie leads with eight multiple-RBI games (seven with two and one with three). Williams has 11 multiple-hit games (second on the team) and DeLeon has nine multiple-hit games (the third most) and five multiple-RBI games (tied for second on the team).
n the circle, Natalie Fritz has thrown 70.2 innings in 20 appearances and 11 starts, with three complete games and two saves and has the second-most strikeouts among the pitching staff with 68. Fritz is sixth in the MW in strikeouts, tied with McKenna Guest in strikeouts looking (31).
TRENDING UP
The Lobo pitching staff has 201 strikeouts to 115 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 3.2 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 117 through 36 games this season.
TRENDING UP, PART II
The Lobos rank among the top teams in the Mountain West and NCAA in several categories.
UNM ranks 26th in the NCAA in sac bunts (28), 37th in shutouts (seven), 47th in team strikeouts per seven innings (6.0), 43rd in HBP (28), 48th in doubles (54), 76th in fielding percentage (.967), 83rd in walks (117), 85th in ERA (3.58), 86th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.8) and 87th in triples (seven).
Among the MW, UNM leads in batters struck out looking (pitching, 77) and shutouts, is second in strikeouts (pitching, 201) and fewest hit batters (15), is fifth in fielding percentage (.968) and fourth in ERA (3.58), opposing batting average (.265) and fewest hits allowed (246).
McKenna Guest leads the conference in shutouts and tied with the most wins (12) and starts (17), is tied with Natalie Fritz in batters struck out looking (31), while second in strikeouts (100). Guest is also fifth in ERA (2.58) and third in opposing batting average (.239). DeNae Vasquez-Dickson leads the MW in sac bunts (10) and Ashley Archuleta is tied for third in doubles (11), tied for fourth in triples (three), 10th in batting average (.390) and tied for eighth in on-base percentage (.492). Allie Williams is seventh in hits and Jessica DeLeon is 11th in on-base percentage (.466), 12th in batting average (.385) and 14th in slugging percentage (.573).
In MW games, Archuleta is second in batting average (.520), tied for the lead in on-base percentage (.594), sixth in slugging percentage (.760), leads in doubles (six) and DeLeon is sixth in batting average (.444) and tied for third in doubles (four). Hayden Luderer is tied for second in stolen bases (three).
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 (.390), slugging percentage (.590), on-base percentage (.492), doubles (11) and total bases (59) and with 12 multiple-hit games (10 games with two, one with three and one with four).
Her batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and doubles are the best in her four-year career.
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 24 games, including the last 11 and 15 of the last 16 games.
TWO OUTS, SO WHAT
Of UNM’s 163 runs, 75 (46.0%) have come with two outs in the inning.
Jessica DeLeon leads the team with 14, two-out RBI with Ella Dawson second with 11, Miracle McKenzie third with 10 and Allie Williams fourth with nine. Freshmen have contributed to 46 of the team’s 69 two-out RBI (66.7%).
Of UNM’s 261 hits, 78 have come with two outs (29.9%), with Williams 15-44 (34.1%) with two outs, DeLeon 14-31 (45.2%) and McKenzie 11-26 (42.3%).