LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State softball team hosts No. 9 Arizona State for the final game of the regular season. The Aggies take on the ranked Sun Devils on Tuesday, May 1, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. MT.

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WEEKLY WARRIOR

For the second time this season, Kelsey Horton was named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday. The award the sixth weekly honor of Horton's career as an Aggie.

The junior hit .545 with one double, four home runs, six runs scored and 10 RBI over three games played last week, leading the Aggies to their fourth-straight WAC regular-season title. She posted an impressive 1.727 slugging percentage as she had a home run in all three games and recorded multiple RBI in each contest. In the series finale, Horton hit a pair of long balls including a walk-off grand slam to give New Mexico State the five-inning victory. She now has 22 home runs this season, just two homers shy from tying the NM State single-season record.    

RANK IT UP

As a team, NM State leads the league in slugging percentage (.504), on base percentage (.390), triples (13), home runs (50) and hit by pitch (48). In the circle, the Aggies rank first in the Western Athletic Conference for batters struck out looking (68), saves (5) and walks allowed (78).

Individually, Horton ranks second in home runs (22) and homers per game (0.47) nationally. Horton also ranks first in the WAC with 46 runs scored for her junior campaign. Fahren Glackin leads the league by getting hit by a pitch 14 times and is also tied for first in the conference with five triples so far this seasons.  

LEAVING A LEGACY

The WAC regular-season title was on the line when NM State hosted Seattle U in a three-game series last weekend. The Aggies fell 7-4 in the first contest and the team needed to win the final two games to take the title. In dominant fashion, New Mexico State defeated the Redhawks 9-1 in the first game of the doubleheader and 12-2 in the series finale to win its fourth-straight regular season title.

In the team's 12-2 victory, Kelsey Horton hits a pair of home runs including a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the fifth. She finished the series with seven RBI. Analise De La Roca claimed her ninth victory in the circle when she went 3.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits while striking out three. Samaria Diaz pitched 1.1 innings in relief struck out three SU while allowing a single hit.

KNOW YOUR FOE: NO. 9 ARIZONA STATE

No. 9 Arizona State enters the contest with a 38-9 overall record this season and a 12-6 record in Pac-12 play. The Sun Devils' pitching staff posts a 1.49 ERA while the team is hitting .288 on the season.

G Juarez leads ASU in the circle as the sophomore posts a 21-33 record and a 0.94 ERA. She has pitched 21 completed games this season including 11 shutouts. Danielle Gibson holds a .391 hitting clip this season as the she posts a team best 12 doubles and 11 home runs this season. The infielder leads the team with a .729 slugging percentage and a .464 on base percentage during her freshman campaign.

COMING UP: TOURNAMENT TIME

NM State gets set to host the 2018 WAC Softball Tournament from May 9-12. As the top seed overall, the Aggies earned a first-round bye and face the winner of the contest between fourth seeded Grand Canyon and fifth seeded CSU Bakersfield on May 10, at 10 a.m. MT.