LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State softball opens Western Athletic Conference play by hosting Utah Valley this weekend. The three-game series begins on Friday, March 31, with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
"We have challenged ourselves and grown a lot during the non-conference schedule," head coach Kathy Rodolph said. "Now it's time to put our lessons to use and go into conference play full throttle."
GET CONNECTED
To stay connected with the softball team and catch all of the up-to-date information and breaking news, follow the Aggies on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @NMStateSoftball.
WHERE TO WATCH
Friday's conference opener against UVU can be viewed online on the WAC Digital Network. Fans can also watch Saturday's doubleheader online courtesy of AggieVision.
PITCHER THIS
New Mexico State holds a 3.97 earned run average as a team, which ranks second in the WAC. Kayla Green comes into the weekend at 7-9 with a 3.86 ERA. Samaria Diaz enters the series with a 5-7 record and a 3.94 ERA.
GOING LONG
Victoria Castro and Nikki Butler hit a home runs in the Aggies 13-4 victory over UTEP. Castro hit her second homer of the season in the victory. Butler hit a pair of two-run homers for the Aggies. She is currently tied for first with Kelsey Horton for the most home runs hit this season (4).
BATTER UP!
The Aggies enter the series with eight players maintaining a batting average above .300 this season. Horton leads the team with a .402 average which also ranks fourth in the WAC.
SUPER STREAK
Caity Szczesny is currently on a nine-game hitting streak, which is the longest active hitting streak for the Aggies. Castro has reached base in 11-straight games for the longest active reached base streak.
LAST TIME OUT
NM State defeated UTEP 8-4 and 13-4 on the road to take the Battle of I-10 on Tuesday. In New Mexico State's 8-4 victory, Amy Bergeson hit her first triple of the season in the seventh inning. Her hit led to NM State scoring three runs, putting the Aggies over the top in the 8-4 win. NM State scored nine runs in the second inning in their 13-4 victory over the Miners. It was the most runs scored by New Mexico State in a single inning this season.
KNOW YOUR FOE: UTAH VALLEY
Utah Valley enters the series with an 8-12 record. UVU is led by Brittney Vansway on offense. The senior has started all 20 games for Utah Valley this season and leads the WAC with a .413 batting average and 34 runs batted in.
Pitcher Lauren Frailey won the latest WAC Pitcher of the Week honors. She posted a 0.78 ERA in 9.0 innings of work against Idaho State. In the Wolverines 6-3 victory over the Bengals, the junior threw a complete game, allowing two runs on eight hits in the win. She leads UVU with a 5-3 record and a 2.61 ERA this season.
NM State enters the series with a 14-2 all-time record against Utah Valley. In the last meeting between the teams, the Aggies defeated the Wolverines 5-2 in the WAC tournament. Kelsey Horton had two hits and two RBI in the game.
COMING UP
Following the weekend series, NM State continues conference play as the Aggies travel to Seattle U for a three-game series. New Mexico State opens the series with a doubleheader starting a 5 p.m. (MT) on April 7.
