LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Fresh off a 6-0 start to Western Athletic Conference play, the New Mexico State baseball team takes its show on the road this week to square off against Sacramento State (April 13-15).
 
The trip starts a four-game road swing for the Aggies, who will make their final stop on the road against Texas Tech in Midland, Texas, on Tuesday, April 18. The neutral site match against the Red Raiders, who are currently ranked No. 6 by Baseball America, will take place at Security Bank Ballpark – home of the Double-A Midland Rockhounds, an MiLB affiliate of the Oakland A's.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Thursday, April 13 at 7 p.m.
NM State: Kyle Bradish | RHP | 5-0, 2.15 ERA
Sacramento State: Justin Dillon | RHP | 3-3, 2.05 ERA
 
Friday, April 14 at 7 p.m.
NM State: Marcel Renteria | RHP | 5-2, 3.77 ERA
Sacramento State: Parker Brahms | RHP | 4-3, 3.33 ERA
 
Saturday, April 15 at 1 p.m.
NM State: Johnathan Groff | LHP | 4-4, 3.26 ERA
Sacramento State: Max Karnos | RHP | 0-4, 4.84 ERA
 
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans that can't make it to the game can listen to Adam Young (@youngpbp) all season on 91.5 FM KRUX. Fans can also listen to the game live with their mobile or tablet device on the TuneIn app for free by searching KRUX.
 
GET YOUR SEASON TICKETS NOW!
With the start of the 2017 season tickets, Aggie fans can be a part of the action for every home game (including the remaining double-header) for just $100 per seat. Season tickets will guarantee fans a seat in the reserved section of 104 behind home plate. Fans can purchase 2017 Aggie baseball season tickets by going to the Pan American Center ticket office or by calling 575-646-1420.


FISHBACK BREAKS OUT
Aggie backstop Mason Fishback has been swinging the bat well since the start of conference play and continued to do so last weekend in NM State's series against UT Rio Grande Valley last weekend. The redshirt junior is batting .455 with 11 RBI and five extra-base hits, including a pair of homers in the first six games of WAC play. Fishback has also scored eight runs with an .864 slugging-percentage and .538 on-base clip. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native bookended Saturday's 1-for-3 performance with four RBI games on Friday and Sunday. Fishback was also a perfect 3-for-3 in the series finale with four ribbies with two runs scored.
 
CARRANZA POWER PACES WAC
With his towering homer last Saturday, Aggie first baseman Tristen Carranza continues to pace the WAC in home runs with a league-best 10 jacks. The El Centro, Calif., product has tallied multi-homer games three separate times so far this season, including a two-homer night in Seattle to open WAC play.
 
EYEING THE HORNETS
Heading into this week's action, Sacramento State checks in at 15-16 on the year and 3-6 in conference play with a 10-8 mark when playing at John Smith Field. The Hornets are set to host their neighbors to the north, UC Davis, tonight, Tuesday, April 11, at 6 p.m. before entertaining the Aggies for a three-game set beginning Thursday.
 
Ian Dawkins (.369) and Ricky Martinez (.349) paces Sacramento State at the plate as the only two players batting above .300. However, it is James Outman (.261) who leads the team in RBI with 26. Vinny Esposito is second on the squad with 22 ribbies of his own while Dawkins checks in with 21 of his own. Outman has hit a team-best 13 extra-base hits while Esposito comes in second with 11.
 
Dawkins also leads the team on the base paths, swiping 8-of-10 attempts on the year, good for a third of the team's total (30). Outman is tied with Devin Lehman for the most walks drawn.
 
MIDWEEK ADDITION
The Aggies added a midweek contest on Tuesday, April 11. NM State welcomes Division III opponent Sul Ross State (12-21, 5-13 ASC) to Presley Askew Field for a game with first pitch set for 2:05 p.m. MT.
 
The game pits Aggie right-hander Chris Kucko (0-1, 13.00 ERA) against the Lobos Cody Remore (4-3, 3.13 ERA). Tuesday's game also puts NM State sophomore Matthew Munden against his brother and Sul Ross State outfielder Mike Munden, for the first time in their collegiate careers.
 
LAST TIME OUT
This past weekend, April 7-9, the Aggies hosted WAC foe UTRGV for a weekend series. Red-hot bats for NM State saw them sweep the series over the Vaqueros to a combined score of 32-11 and move the team to 6-0 in WAC play, a program record.
 
Mason Fishback led the attack at the plate going 6-for-12 with a .917 slugging percentage, 8 RBI, two doubles and a home run. The team saw strong work on the mound from starter Marcel Renteria who picked up his fifth win of the season after throwing 7.0 innings, allowing zero earned runs with five strikeouts.
 
UP NEXT
After the series in Sacramento, Calif., New Mexico State baseball heads to Midland, Texas for a midweek contest on Tuesday, April 18, versus No. 6 Texas Tech  (28-7, 6-3 Big 12) at 6 p.m. MT.  The team then returns to Presley Askew Field for a three-game weekend series against conference opponent Northern Colorado (12-17, 4-5 WAC), April 21-23.