LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State baseball team heads to the Lone Star State for the final series of the regular season facing off against Western Athletic Conference foe UT Rio Grande Valley, May 17-19, at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Thursday, May 17, 6 p.m. MT
NM State: Kyle Bradish, RHP (6-3, 3.25 ERA)
UTRGV: Jorge Flores, LHP (6-5, 4.21 ERA)
Friday, May 18, 6 p.m. MT
NM State: Jonathan Groff, LHP (9-2, 2.55 ERA)
UTRGV: Chase Adams, RHP (5-4, 5.20 ERA)
Saturday, May 19, 11 a.m. MT
NM State: TBA
UTRGV: Trevelle Hill, RHP (4-4, 5.06 ERA)
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.
LISTEN UP!
Fans who want to listen in to the live call of the series against UTRGV can catch each game on 91.5 FM KRUX with Adam Young on the call. Fans can also use their tablet or mobile device to listen on the TuneIn app by searching KRUX.
WHERE TO WATCH!
Aggie fans looking to watch the game can catch the action for all three contests on the WAC Digital Network live-stream. Link to the live stream can be found on the NM State baseball schedule page or by clicking
here.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can also follow the game in real time with live stats on SideArm Stats by going to the Aggie baseball schedule page or by clicking
here.
SCOUTING THE VAQUEROS
UT Rio Grande Valley gets set to host NM State in the regular season finale with a 22-29 overall record and 7-14 mark in conference play. The Vaqueros are looking to advance to their first WAC Tournament since 2014 as they sit just one game out of the sixth and final playoff spot behind CSU Bakersfield.
UTRGV has a team batting average of .245 and averages 4.5 runs per games. The Vaqueros are led at the plate by Coleman Grubbs who has started in all 51 games for the team this season. The outfielder posts a team-leading .321 average at the dish with 15 extra-base hits and 25 RBI.
On the mound, the Vaqueros hold a 4.74 team earned run average. The series starters combine for a 15-13 record with 195 strikeouts and have allowed 20 home runs this year. The go-to reliever out of the UTRGV bullpen is Ryan Jackson who has 25 appearances with seven saves.
IN THE NATION
Heading into this week's series through games on Wednesday, May 16, the NM State baseball team currently ranks in the top-25 in eight different categories across the country...
NM State (Rk) Category NCAA
444 (2nd)
Runs 537
8.5 (3rd)
Scoring 10.7
.420 (3rd)
OB% .442
.319 (4th)
Batting Avg. .350
23 (4th)
Triples 29
.495 (6th)
Slugging % .615
563 (6th)
Hits 656
106 (22nd)
Doubles 129
LAST TIME OUT
During a bye week in conference play, NM State headed to the northwest to take on WCC powerhouse Gonzaga, May 11-13. The Aggies and Bulldogs split a pair of 2-1 pitching duels to open the series before the Crimson & White dropped the series in game three.
In the series opener, the Aggies held a one-run lead into the seventh before a two-run home run for the Bulldogs proved to be the winner with the Crimson & White falling 2-1. The low-scoring battle saw the Aggies register just four hits with zero walks. Bradish threw 6.0 innings, allowing just one run and striking out 10.
Then in game two, NM State put up a pair of runs over the first two innings and strong pitching held the lead to take down the Bulldogs 2-1. Groff (9-2) earned the win and now leads the Western Athletic Conference with nine on the year, while Whittlesey earned his ninth save that ties the single-season record in NM State program history.
The series finale saw NM State fall behind in the fourth inning and the Aggies deficit continued to grow over the remainder of the contest as they dropped the series finale with the Bulldogs, 10-2.
IN THE HUNT
Heading into the final series of the regular season, New Mexico State (34-18, 15-6 WAC) sits just one game behind Grand Canyon (29-22, 16-5 WAC) in the league standings and holds a one game lead over Sacramento State (28-23, 14-7 WAC).
UP NEXT
Following the regular season finale, the New Mexico State baseball team heads to the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, May 23-26/27 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. The Aggies currently sit in second among the conference standings and if the team remains among the top-2, they will earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
