LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State Aggies baseball team travels just north to Albuquerque, N.M. for the third installment of the Battle of I-25 rivalry against the University of New Mexico Lobos.
The contest is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. MT on Santa Ana Star Field.
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State baseball team all season on Twitter, and Instagram by following @NMStateBaseball and on Facebook.com/NMSUAthletics.
WHERE TO WATCH
NM State's game against Battle of I-25 rival UNM can be live streamed for free on the Mountain West Network for the entirety of the contest.
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans that can't make it to the game on Tuesday can listen to Adam Young (@youngpbp) on 99.5 FM Zia Country. Fans can also listen to the game live with their mobile or tablet device on the TuneIn app for free by searching 99.5 FM Zia Country.
GET YOUR SEASON TICKETS NOW!
With the start of the 2017 season tickets, Aggie fans can be a part of the action for all 23 home games (including three double-headers) 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.
LOOKING AT THE LOBOS
UNM comes into the midweek contest against NM State with a 26-18-1 overall record. The Lobos are 6-4 in their last 10 contests and a 10-9-1 record in the month of April in relation to the Aggies going 11-7.
The opponent, just like the Aggies, has seven players with a batting average above .300. Offensively the Lobos are led by outfielder Jared Mang who has a team-high BA of .389, 54 runs scored and 52 RBI with 23 extra-base hits in 44 games started.
Jack Zoellner had a high production level at the plate as well with a .366 BA and a team-leading .634 slugging percentage. Carl Stajduhar leads the Lobos in home runs with 11 and Luis Gonzalez has a team-high 12 stolen bases on 16 attempts.
New Mexico is currently eighth in the country in team batting average at .316 with 514 hits in 1626 at-bats.
From the bullpen, the opposition often looks to Justin Slaten in relief. In a team-leading 20 appearances, Slaten has compiled a 2-1 record with a 3.29 ERA and 22 strikeouts through 27.1 innings of work. The team's go-to closer, Christian Tripp, has six saves with only 21 hits allowed in 18 appearances.
The pitching staff for UNM holds a 5.50 ERA with 276 strikeouts, 165 walks allowed and a .297 opposing BA through 45 games.
The match-up between the Aggies and Lobos is the third contest of the year between the in-state rivals. UNM won the first contest 8-2 on March 7, and took the second game 5-3 at Presley Askew Field.
LOOKING TO CHANGE THE RECORD BOOKS
Aggie second baseman Brent Sakurai sits in the top-10 in single-season triples in program history. The senior's total of six puts him in a tie for seventh. That mark was set in 1988 by Gil Padilla, who recently won his 300th game at Las Cruces High School.
Ruger Rodriguez' six saves put him in a tie for fifth all-time. Rodriguez is two saves shy of tying the Aggies all-time record held by Orlando Griego (1989) and Scott Coffman (2011).
LAST TIME OUT
The Aggies recently wrapped up a weekend series against Western Athletic Conference foe Grand Canyon University with three games from April 28-30.
In the first contest, NM State dropped a heart-breaker in 10 innings to the Lopes, 11-9.
The second game saw the Aggies struggle to advance the runners, leaving eight on base and grounding into four double plays, and the team lost 7-2.
To wrap up the series, NM State failed to get moving offensively and were shutout, 9-0, for the first time at home in three years (3/29/15 vs. Sacramento State).
UP NEXT
After the midweek match-up against their in-state rival, New Mexico State baseball travels to Orem, Utah for a three-game weekend series against WAC opponent Utah Valley, May 5-7.
