LAS CRUCES, N.M. – For the second weekend in a row the New Mexico State baseball team is taking on the top-ranked team in the Western Athletic Conference playing host to UT Rio Grande Valley, May 3-5, at Presley Askew Field.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, May 3, at 6:05 p.m. MT
NM State: Brock Whittlesey | RHP | 5-1 | 3.84 ERA
UTRGV: Trevelle Hill | RHP | 7-2 | 2.65 ERA
 
Saturday, May 4, at 2:05 p.m. MT
NM State: Justin Dehn | RHP | 7-2 | 4.66 ERA
UTRGV: Conner Dotson | RHP | 2-1 | 4.24 ERA
 
Sunday, May 5, at 11:05 a.m. MT
NM State: TBD
UTRGV: Jerred Quartier | RHP | 2-1 | 2.95 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/NMStateBaseball.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
For fans looking to watch the action live they can catch Friday's series opener versus the Vaqueros on FOX Sports Arizona PLUS, FOX Sports Prime Ticket, on the FOX Sports GO app and on ELEVEN Sports. The game is also set to air on delay at 4 a.m. MT n Saturday, May 4, on FOX Sports Arizona, FOX Sports San Diego and FOX College Sports Pacific. The opener features Adam Young handling the play-by-play with Jerry Lujan serving as the analyst.
 
All of the Aggies games for the weekend series against Western Athletic Conference opponent UT Rio Grande Valley can be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. Adam Young handles the play-by-play for each contest.
 
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans who cannot make it to The 'Skew for games two or three of the weekend series can listen to the action live with Adam Young calling the game on 91.5 FM KRUX. The station can also be listened to through your phone or tablet on the TuneIn app.
 
LIVE STATS
The weekend series can also be followed live with up-to-date stats after every pitch on StatBroadcast.
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
All fans who can make it out to Presley Askew Field this weekend are able to take part in some great gameday promotions provided by NM State Athletics. The series opener on Friday, May 3, features the third and final installment of the NM "State" shirt series giveaway to the first 100 fans. Friday's game is also played in honor of former Aggie baseball player Luke Sullivan who tragically passed away and fans can help his family though this tough time by visiting this GoFundMe page set up in his honor. 2019 WAC Tournament champion New Mexico State women's golf head coach is also set to throw out the first pitch and one-dollar popcorn is available all game long at the concession stand.
 
On Saturday, May 4, the Aggie baseball team joins NM State baseball alum Todd Watkins in the ceremonial ribbon cutting for the ALS Walk at Sisbarro Park. Then a the game fans are able to get a Star Wars Strikeout shirt giveaway and KTSM's Monica Cortez heads to the mound to throw out the first pitch.
 
In the series finale on Sunday, May 5, just as they have been all season long, Sundays are for the dogs and fans are encourages to bring their well-behaved canine to The 'Skew to enjoy the game and some one-dollar hot dogs at the concession stand.
 
LOOKING AT THE VAQUEROS
This weekend, UT Rio Grande Valley enters Presley Askew Field holding 29-15 overall record and a 14-4 mark in Western Athletic Conference play that has the team in first place in the league after being voted to finish in fifth in the preseason poll. A turnaround season has the Vaqueros leading the conference and looking to carry a top-seed into the WAC Tournament after not advancing in last season.
 
This year, UTRGV has defeated two nationally-ranked programs taking down No. 16 Oklahoma State, 5-2, back on February 16^th and defeating No. 10 Texas Tech, 6-3, on April 30^th. On top of that, the Vaqueros added its third win over a Big 12 program this season beating Kansas State, 6-5, on March 17^th.
 
In the country, UTRGV ranks in the top-15 in a pair of categories coming in at third in the nation in hit by pitch with 82 and sitting in 14^th in sacrifice bunts with 35. Offensively, the Vaqueros as a team are hitting .273 with two regular starters batting above .300 as Anthony Gomez is hitting .313 and Conrado Diaz at .307.
 
On the mound, UT Rio Grande Valley pitchers hold a 3.99 earned run average with a .263 opponent batting average over 392.1 innings pitched. The Vaquero staff has recorded 354 strikeouts with 178 walks, while allowing 104 extra-base hits, including 20 home runs.
 
After starting the year 0-2 in WAC play, UTRGV has now won 14 of its last 16 conference meetings after a sweep of Seattle U last weekend.
 
IN THE NATION
42 games into the season the Aggies currently rank in the top-20 nationally in 13 categories, including seven NCAA-leading statistics and 10 in the top-5:

NM State (Rk)	Category	NCAA
.359 (1st)	Batting Average	.359
94 (1st)	Hit by Pitch	94
534 (1st)	Hits	534
.470 (1st)	On-Base %	.470
472 (1st)	Runs	472
11.2 (1st)	Scoring	11.2
.595 (1st)	Slugging %	.595
26 (2nd)	Triples	26
31 (3rd)	Sacrifice Flies	34
69 (4th)	Home Runs	77
.738 (14th)	W/L Pct.	.833
246 (15th)	Base on Balls	296
40 (19th)	Double Plays	54

 
LEADER OF THE WAC
Heading into the month of May and through 18 conference games, the Aggies currently lead the WAC in 14 categories.
 
The Aggies leading conference state are batting average (.359), slugging percentage (.595), on-base percentage (.470), runs scored (472), hits (534), runs batted in (438), triples (26), home runs (69), total bases (886), walks (246), hit by pitch (94), sacrifice flies (31), ground outs forced per game (9.91) and wins (31).
 
LAST TIME OUT
In the most recent game, the New Mexico State baseball team made its second and final trip of the regular season to Hi Corbett Field to take on Arizona on Tuesday night. An explosive evening at the plate saw the Aggies put up runs in seven straight innings en route to a 15-13 win over the Wildcats.
 
The strong night at the dish saw NM State record 18 hits led by Carranza who went 3-for-5 with one home run and four runs batted in, Ortiz added a 4-for-5 night with three runs scored and Gonzales went 2-for 3 two RBI.
 
This marked the first win for NM State over Arizona since 2012 when the Aggies beat the eventual national champion Wildcats twice on the year.
 
UP NEXT
Following the weekend series, the New Mexico State baseball team hits the road with a four-game road swing in the Pacific Northwest. Play opens with a three-game weekend series against conference foe Seattle U, May 10-12, followed by a Monday meeting with Pac-12 challenger Washington on May 13.