Friday, Feb. 26
vs. #12 Kentucky (10 a.m., Live Stats)
vs. FIU (3 p.m.)

Saturday, Feb. 27
vs. #12 Kentucky (2 p.m., Live Stats)
vs. FIU (4:30 p.m.)

Sunday, Feb. 28 
Stetson (8 a.m.)


LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The NM State Aggies (1-6) will look to get back to their winning ways this weekend at The Spring Games with five games over three days at Legends Way Ball Fields in Clermont, Fla. The Aggies will face #12 Kentucky (9-0) and FIU (4-3) on Friday and Saturday before facing Stetson (0-0) in an early morning battle on Sunday. All five games can be streamed live on FloSoftball with a paid subscription.

Last Time Out
The Aggies are coming off a series against #24 UCF where the Knights were too much for the Aggies to handle, as they swept the Aggies in the three-game series. A bright spot for the Aggies was redshirt freshman Matalasi Faapito. Faapito leads the team in batting average after going 3-for-7 last weekend against the Knights. 

Looking for the Upset
Kentucky will be the second nationally-ranked team the Aggies have faced so far this season, as they were swept by #24 UCF last weekend. The Aggies wil be looking for its first win against a nationally-ranked opponent since 2020 when they defeated #17 Arizona State and their 12th win over a ranked opponent in program history. 

Scouting the Wildcats
The 12th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats are off to a phenomenal start, as they are 9-0 with their closest game being a 12-9 win over Samford. The Wildcats have a high powered offense that has set the SEC record for 107 runs in nine games. The offense is led by SEC Freshman of the Week Erin Coffel. Coffel is hitting .486 with 14 RBIs and four home runs. Junior Kayla Kowalik leads the team with a .613 batting average. She has knocked in 16 runs and also has four home runs on the year

Scouting the Panthers
The FIU Panthers will come into The Spring Games 4-3 on the year. The Panthers had three consecutive wins on opening weekend against Florida Atlantic and Winthrop before dropping four straight in two games against UCONN and two games against Northern Illinois. The Panthers would bounce back with a win over Florida Gulf Coast to end the weekend. The Panthers are led by junior Venessa Gallegos, as she leads the team in batting average (.391), RBIs (12) and home runs (1). In the circle, the Panthers have a dynamic duo of junior Kendahl Dunford and freshman Brooklyn Linneman. Dunford leads the team with a 1.40 ERA in three starts. She has also struck out 14 batters in 2021. Linneman has made four starts, posting a 3.00 ERA.

Scouting the Hatters
The Stetson Hatters will see their first action of the 2021 season this weekend at The Spring Games and will be led by senior Lizzie Shubert. In 2020, Shubert hit .330 with 23 RBIs and five home runs over the course of 27 games. In the circle, the Hatters will look to dynamic sophomore Chloe Temples. In 17 appearances in 2020, Temples had a staggering 1.94 ERA., as she threw 14 complete games and struck out 84 batters.

Follow the Aggies on Twitter (@NMStateSoftball), Instagram (nmstatesoftball) and Facebook (NM State Softball) for updates throughout the season.

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