LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State baseball team gets set for its final home series of the regular season, May 4-6, against Western Athletic Conference opponent Utah Valley at Presley Askew Field.
 
The series opener on Friday, May 4, features Stuff the Skew and the first 400 fans in attendance receive a free Aggie t-shirt. Game two on Saturday includes a Cinco De Mayo celebration, while the series and home finale on Sunday is Senior Day.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, May 4, at 6:05 p.m.
NM State: Kyle Bradish, RHP (5-3, 3.50 ERA)
Utah Valley: Jake Mayer, RHP (2-6, 3.29 ERA)
 
Saturday, May 5, at 2:05 p.m.
NM State: Jonathan Groff, LHP (7-2, 2.67 ERA)
Utah Valley: Walker Ramsey, RHP (2-5, 6.67 ERA)
 
Sunday, May 6, at 12:05 p.m.
NM State: Alex Pinedo, LHP (4-2, 3.06 ERA)
Utah Valley: TBA

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!
Aggie fans who can't make it to the games can catch the series opener on Friday, May 4, through select stations. The contest is set to be broadcast on FOX Sports Arizona PLUS, FOX College Sports Pacific, Altitude Sports and Comcast New Mexico. The opener can also be streamed on ESPN+. Adam Young is on the call with Jerry Lujan serving as the analyst.
 
Then the final two games of the series, May 5-6, can be streamed on the WAC Digital Network, again with Young handling the play-by-play for each contest.
 
LISTEN UP!
Fans can also listen in to a live call of the final two games of the weekend series, May 5-6, as Adam Young has the play-by-play on 91.5 FM KRUX.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can also follow the game in real time with live stats on StatBroadcast.
 
SENIOR DAY
The series and home finale on Sunday, May 6, features Senior Day to honor the Aggie veterans who are concluding their time at NM State. The Crimson & White are set to celebrate the great careers of seven Aggies – David Bellamy, Mason Fishback, Jonathan Groff, Matthew Perea, Marcus Still, Trey Stine and Brett Worthen.
 
Bellamy has appeared in 23 games this season with 16 starts. The outfielder posts a .313 batting average with 17 RBI and 10 runs scored. The Eugene, Ore. Native saw action in his first year with the Aggies in 2017 appearing in 15 games with two starts.
 
Fishback was voted the 2018 WAC Preseason Player of the Year and named a Collegiate Baseball Preseason Second-Team All-American. This season, the catcher has a .303 batting average with seven home runs and 39 RBI in 42 games. In 2017, Fishback was named Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-American as just the second Aggie in program history to earn the honor. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. native has also been named to the WAC First-Team in each of the last two seasons.
 
Groff has been a regular weekend starter for NM State since his arrival in 2017. The southpaw is currently tied for the lead in the WAC with seven wins this season and has added two complete games. The hurler has 56 strikeouts this season and has held opponents to a .240 batting average. In 2017, Groff was named to the All-WAC Second-Team after leading the conference in wins with eight and led the team with a 3.10 ERA.
 
Perea is set to conclude an Aggie career that saw the lefty serve as a key piece out of the bullpen since 2017. The reliever currently has 16 appearances out of the pen this season, after leading the team with 17 last year. Perea also has two starts in 2018 with 20 strikeouts over 23.2 innings of work.
 
Still has been a crucial piece of the Aggie outfield since his arrival in Las Cruces back in 2017. This season, the centerfielder has a .350 batting average with 41 appearances and 36 starts. Still is second on the team with eight stolen bases and also has four triples with 34 runs scored in his senior campaign. He also served as the team's everyday centerfielder in 2017, starting in all 54 games he played in.
 
Stine is closing out his career with a bang in 218 after missing the 2017 season due to injury. The third baseman is currently batting .352 over 41 games with 22 extra-base hits, 42 RBI and 42 runs scored. Over at the hot corner, Stine also has a stellar .981 fielding percentage this season. In 2016, the Tucson, Ariz. native was named All-WAC Second-Team after hitting seven homers and a WAC-leading 19 doubles.
 
Worthen has been limited due to injury during his career at NM State but has still shown his dominance on the mound when given the chance. His first appearance this season at Arizona saw the hurler come in for one inning with three strikeouts, allowing just one hit. In 2016, Worthen made four appearances and compiled a 2-0 record allowing zero earned runs with 11 punch outs.
 
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Utah Valley enters Presley Askew this weekend holding a 14-28 overall record and 5-10 mark in Western Athletic Conference play. Last weekend, the Wolverines dropped three of four at Saint Mary's, losing two of the three games by just two runs. UVU's lone win of the weekend was a 6-3 victory in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader.
 
The Wolverines are hitting .257 with a .342 on-base percentage so far this season. The team has 85 extra-base hits, including 21 homers. UVU is led at the dish by Trevor Peterson who has started in all 42 games and posts a .310 batting average and has a team-high six stolen bases.
 
On the mound, the Wolverines have a 5.06 earned run average and have held opposing hitters to a .281 average. Utah Valley's pitchers have allowed 117 extra-base knocks with 31 homers and have tossed four complete games with one shutout.
 
IN THE NATION
With just three weeks left in the 2018 regular season, the NM State baseball team currently ranks in the top-10 in eight different categories across the NCAA:
 
NM State (Rk)                 Category                           NCAA
.329 (2nd)                        Batting Avg.                     .356
9.1 (2nd)                          Scoring                             11.0
.433 (2nd)                        OB%                                  .451
408 (2nd)                         Runs                                  474
.507 (3rd)                        Slugging %                       .625
507 (4th)                          Hits                                    573
20 (4th)                            Triples                               23
100 (8th)                         Doubles                             117
 
LEADER OF THE WAC
Heading into the final month of the season, NM State sits atop several key statistical categories among WAC teams in conference-only games. The Aggies lead in slugging percentage (.504), runs scores (148), hits (198), RBI (134), doubles (35), triples (11), home runs (18) and walks (74).
 
Among individuals, Caleb Henderson and Logan Ehnes also lea the conference in a number of categories. Henderson posts a WAC-high in hits (29), RBI (31), doubles (8), home runs (6), and total bases (57). Then Ehnes leads the conference in runs scored (22) and triples (3).
 
LAST TIME OUT
NM State recently wrapped up the second installment of the Battle of I-25 against in-state rival New Mexico on Tuesday, May 1, at Presley Askew Field. Another strong performance at the plate led the Aggies to a 13-2 drubbing of the Lobos in seven innings.
 
In seven innings, NM State rattled off 10 hits, led by Ehnes who went 3-for-4 with five RBI. Four Aggie finished the night with multiple RBI as Ehnes led the way, followed by Bottrell with three, while Still and Henderson each added a pair.

UP NEXT
After the home series finale, New Mexico State closes the season with a seven-game road swing. This begins with the third and final installment of the Battle of I-25 when NM State takes on rival New Mexico up in Albuquerque, N.M. on Tuesday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. MT.