LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State baseball team makes its fourth NCAA Regionals appearance and first since 2012 with a trip to the Lubbock Regional, June 1-4. NM State takes on host No. 9 Texas Tech in the first game on Friday, June 1, at 12 p.m. MT on Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
 
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 for each of the Aggies games at the NCAA Lubbock Regional can catch the contests on 91.5 FM KRUX with Adam Young on the call and Jerry Lujan serving as the analyst. 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 regional games can catch the action on the WatchESPN 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 the NCAA site by going to the NM State baseball schedule page or by clicking here.
 
SCOUTING THE RED RAIDERS
No. 9 Texas Tech is hosting their third-straight regional, one of just four teams to do so. The Red Raiders last contest saw them eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament when they lost their second game to West Virginia, 12-4, on May 25.
 
The Red Raider offense still leads the Big 12 and ranks eighth in the country with a .309 batting average, with six starters hitting above the team line. Sophomore Josh Jung leads the squad with 86 hits, 73 RBI and 63 runs scored.
 
Sophomore Grant Little & freshman Gabe Holt follow behind with 79 & 78 hits each, respectively. Tech's hitters have tagged opposing pitchers for an 8.01 ERA this season, while the Red Raider pitching staff has held opponents to a .238 average at the plate for a 4.36 team ERA.
 
Texas Tech's Jung and Little were named to the Collegiate Baseball All-American teams on Thursday. Jung was recognized as a second team member, while Little landed on the outlet's third team.
 
ALL-AMERICAN MADE
The Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division I All-American baseball teams were announced on Thursday, May 31. New Mexico State pitcher Jonathan Groff earned the Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-American nod after a standout senior campaign that also earned the southpaw a conference pitcher of the year honor.
 
In his final season with the Crimson & White, Groff posts an 11-2 record with a 2.49 ERA over 97.2 innings of work. The lefty tosses two of the Aggies three complete games during the 2018 season compiled 84 punch-outs while holding opposing batters to a .253 average.
 
The hurler helped lead NM State to its first ever Western Athletic Conference Tournament title as he picked up a win in his tournament start and threw 1.2 innings in relief during the championship game.
 
Groff now joins current teammate Mason Fishback who was a Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-American (2017), as well as former Aggie Gabe Veloz who was named to the first-team (2002).
 
IN THE NATION
Heading into the NCAA Regional, the NM State baseball team currently ranks in the top-20 in eight different categories across the country...
 
NM State (Rk)                Category                           NCAA
490 (3rd)                          Runs                                   596
24 (3rd)                             Triples                              30
8.2 (4th)                            Scoring                              10.5
.412 (4th)                          OB%                                  .436
.313 (5th)                          Batting Avg.                    .342
641 (5th)                          Hits                                     723
.481 (10th)                       Slugging %                      .602
120 (17th)                        Doubles                            144
 
ALL-WAC HONORS
The Western Athletic Conference announced its All-WAC baseball teams and major awards as selected by the league's nine head coaches on May 22. New Mexico State saw Jonathan Groff earn Pitcher of the Year and Nick Gonzales earn Freshman of the Year as the team also tied for the lead in All-WAC honorees with seven and led the conference with six first-team nods.
 
Joining Groff and Gonzales on the All-WAC First-Team are catcher Mason Fishback, first baseman Caleb Henderson, shortstop Joey Ortiz and starting pitcher Kyle Bradish. Centerfielder Marcus Still also earned a second-team honor.
 
Groff, a left-hander from Castroville, Texas, went 5-1 in WAC play, posting a 2.26 earned run average in eight appearances. Over 51.2 innings pitched, he allowed opponents to hit just .234 against him and struck out 42 batters while allowing 46 hits. The seniors 10 wins overall led the WAC this season and tied him with five other Aggies for the most single-season wins in program history. This marks the first WAC Pitcher of the Year honor in NM State history.
 
Gonzales separated himself from the pack as he hit .373 in his first season in the WAC, driving in 24 runs batted in on 31 hits with seven doubles, two triples and six home runs. His .723 slugging percentage in WAC play was second best in the conference and his four sacrifice flies led the WAC. Gonzales becomes the first rookie to win WAC Freshman of the Year in program history.
 
During his senior season, Fishback earned the first-team honor after hitting .250 over 20 games with three home runs and 18 runs scored. The catcher also added a .397 slugging and .386 on-base percentage in 68 at-bats.
 
In his first season on the field for the Aggies, Caleb Henderson had a standout junior campaign winning the Triple Crown in WAC games as he led the league in batting average (.419), home runs (8) and runs batted in (38). The first baseman also led the conference with a .796 slugging percentage.
 
Ortiz had a stellar sophomore campaign both on the field and at the plate. The shortstop had a .971 fielding percentage with 69 assists and 33 putouts. At the dish, Ortiz batted .272 with seven extra-base hits, including three home runs. The Garden Grove, Calif. native also had a WAC single-game high with seven RBI against Utah Valley on May 6.
 
Ace Kyle Bradish rounded out the Aggies first-team honorees after a strong junior season that saw the right-hander go 5-2 in WAC play with 55 strikeouts and he held opposing batters to a .233 batting average. Bradish also set an NM State single-season strikeouts record with 116, topping the previous high of 107 set back in 1991.
 
Outfielder Marcus Still was named to the All-WAC Second-Team following his final collegiate season where he hit .342 with 12 RBI and 16 runs scored. Still posted a .412 on-base percentage in WAC games and was the only Aggie starter with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The No. 3 New Mexico State baseball team battled No. 2 Sacramento State in the winner-take-all Western Athletic Conference Championship game on Sunday afternoon at Hohokam Stadium. In dramatic fashion, the Aggies held off the Hornets late to win their first ever WAC Tournament title with a 4-3 victory in Mesa, Ariz.
 
This marks just the second conference tournament title in program history as the Aggies only other win came back in 2002 as a part of the Sun Belt.
 
2018 WAC All-Tournament Team
Zach Malis, Grand Canyon
Cameron Sterne, Seattle U
Ian Dawkins, Sacramento State
Andrew McWilliam, Sacramento State
James Outman, Sacramento State
Austin Root, Sacramento State
Kyle Bradish, NM State
Jonathan Groff, NM State
Marcus Still, NM State
Brock Whittlesey, NM State
 
Tournament MVP
Tristen Carranza, NM State
 
UP NEXT
Following the game with Texas Tech, New Mexico State takes on either No. 21 Louisville or Kent State on Saturday, June 2, on Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.