Friday, Feb. 12
Middle Tennessee 9 a.m.
Pittsburgh 11:30 a.m.
Sleepy Hollow Complex
Leesburg, Fla.
FloSoftball
Tickets

Saturday Feb. 13
Liberty 8 a.m.
Middle Tennessee 10:30 a.m.
Sleepy Hollow Complex
Leesburg, Fla.
FloSoftball
Tickets



LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State softball squad will open up its regular season with four games on opening weekend at The Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla. The Aggies will take on Middle Tennessee (9 a.m.) and Pittsburgh (11:30 a.m.) on Friday and Liberty (8 a.m.) and Middle Tennessee (10:30 a.m.) on Saturday. All games can be seen live on FloSoftball with a paid subscription. There are also a limited number of tickets being sold at thespringgames.com/ticketpackages. 

The Aggies come into the 2021 season after a 15-8 record in 2020. The Aggies finished the year winners in five out of the last seven games before the season was canceled due to COVID-19. That stretch included wins over #17 Arizona State, Oregon State and Nebraska.

The Aggies return their top five hitters from the 2020 season led by the 2019 WAC Player of the Year Nikki Butler who chose to use her extra year of eligibility for her fifth season in the Aggie uniform. Butler hit a career-best .419 in 23 games with seven home runs and 21 RBI and was named to the 2021 Preseason All-WAC Team.

Butler will be joined by redshirt freshman Ramsay Lopes who led the team in with a .434 average and nine home runs. Lopez knocked in 19 runs on 23 hits in 23 games for the Aggies. She also led the team with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .592 on-base percentage.

Another key piece returning for the Aggies is redshirt freshman Matalasi Faapito. Faapito was a great surprise for the Aggies in her freshman season, as she became a force both in the circle and in the batters box. Faapito was third on the team in batting average behind Lopez and Butler with a .403 average. She drove in 25 runs and had seven home runs in 2020. On the mound, she made 15 appearances and 10 starts. She ended the year with a 4-4 record with 4.36 ERA and 43 strikeouts. She was also named to the 2021 Preseason All-WAC Team with Butler. 

Redshirt sophomore Chloe Rivas and redshirt freshman Hailey Tanori are looking to build off the success they had in 2020 into the 2021 season. Rivas appeared in 20 games for the Aggies and 21 RBI with a .381 average. Tanori comes into the season after hitting .298 and driving in six RBI in 2020.

Scouting Report
The Aggies will open up against Middle Tennessee on Friday morning. The Blue Raiders are coming off a 15-13 season, but they return eight starters and five pitchers. The Blue Raiders are coached by Jeff Breeden who holds a 164-247 record in his ninth season. 

The Aggies will then take on the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Panthers posted a 8-12 record in 2020. The Panthers had notable wins against Michigan State and Maryland from the Big Ten and Clemson and North Carolina in ACC  play. The Panthers are coached by Jodi Hermanek who is in her third season with Pitt and 17th season as a NCAA Division I head coach.

Saturday morning will see the Aggies face off with Liberty. Liberty comes off a 10-13 season in 2020, but their schedule included twelve games against nationally ranked opponents.The Flames are coached by Dot Richardson who is in her eighth season with Liberty. Richardson has led the Flames to a 216-177 in her seven seasons at Liberty.

For live game updates and information regarding the 2021 season, follow @NMStateSoftball on Twitter.

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