Game Twelve
NM State (4-7) vs. Benedictine Mesa (14-6)
Wednesday, March 17 | 5:00 p.m. | Presley Askew Field | Las Cruces, N.M.
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | NM State Game Notes | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Rorik Maltrud (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Jacobsen (4-0, 0.60 ERA)
Tickets | Available at the gates only • Gates open at 4:00 p.m. MT
LEADOFF HITS
• Continuing its nine-game home stand with its lone non-conference showdown of the stretch, the NM State baseball team plays host to NAIA adversary Benedictine Mesa Wednesday evening at 5:00 p.m. at Presley Askew Field.
• A limited number of tickets will be available for Wednesday evening's game. Tickets will only be available for purchase at the gates of Presley Askew Field and will go on sale beginning at 4:00 p.m. MT. All fans in attendance must wear masks and follow all social distancing guidelines at all times. Concessions will not be available, so as a result fans will be able to bring in food and beverages with the exception of alcohol and coolers.
• On the hill, sophomore right-hander Rorik Maltrud will make the first starting appearance of his Aggie career.
• The effects of the Aggies' home field were felt immediately during their first home series since 2020. NM State piled up an impressive amount of offense, striking for 63 runs during their first WAC series of the year against Dixie State. The Aggies captured three of the four games in that set and their 63 runs over the four games were the most in a four-game series by the squad since they accumulated 98 in a four-game series sweep of Texas Southern to lead off the 2019 season.
• NM State is looking for its first midweek victory of the season as well as the first one of the Mike Kirby coaching era. The Aggies' skipper is 0-2 in midweek tilts but is 15-1 (.938) all-time at Presley Askew Field.
• Wednesday's midweek matchup sees the WAC's best hitter retake the field for the Aggies. Outfielder Zerek Saenz tops the league's charts and ranks 47th nationally with a batting average of .433. Saenz also stands as the league's leader in hits per game (1.44), runs per game (1.11) and on-base percentage (.514).
• In his first season in an NM State uniform, Brandon Dieter has emerged as one of the Aggies' best bats. The sophomore is slashing .316/.413/.684 and owns the third-highest slugging percentage among all WAC players. Two of his team-leading three home runs have been grand slams and his 18 RBI represent the team's highest total.
• Ever since he put his power on display in the team's season-opening series at Abilene Christian, outfielder Cal Villareal has been getting penciled in on a more consistent basis. His first two hits of the season were grand slams and he's batting .393/.452/.643 which includes 14 RBI.
• The Aggies head into Wednesday's matchup sitting atop the WAC charts in six statistical categories including batting average (.300), home runs per game (1.20), on-base percentage (.399), scoring (8.0 runs per game), slugging percentage (.479), triples (three) and triples per game (0.30).
SERIES HISTORY
• NM State and Benedictine Mesa have dueled on the diamond twice before - both in the 2017 campaign and both in the same day (Monday, March 20) as part of a doubleheader. The Aggies swept that twinbill by scores of 8-6 and 10-7 with former NM State great Joey Ortiz picking up four of his squad's 21 hits through the two games.
• The pitching victories for NM State that day went to current N.Y. Mets spring training invitee Marcel Renteria who fired the final 3 2/3 frames of the game two to move to 3-1 on the year. In game one, Ruger Rodriguez put forth one frame of scoreless relief effort to secure the triumph on the hill.
SCOUTING BENEDICTINE MESA | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Winners of three-straight games and six of their last seven contests, the Redhawks touch down in Las Cruces for the first of two games between the programs this season. They'll hand the ball to staff ace and three-time Cal Pac Pitcher of the Week Tyler Jacobsen in the hopes that he'll pick up his team-best fifth win of the campaign.
• In 30 innings of action, Jacobsen has registered a team-high 30 strikeouts while issuing just two free bases.
• With 20 games under their belts, the Redhawks have a pretty good idea of who will drive in runs for them on a nightly basis. Five players have racked up 15 or more RBI in 2021 with Michael Garverick's 23 leading the way. Fourteen of his 26 hits have gone for extra bases and he leads the team in doubles (seven), triples (two) and home runs (five) which have helped him construct a .351/.435/.703 slash line.
• Josh Hernandez tops the team's charts in batting average (.403) and has driven in another 17 Benedictine Mesa runs. Other big bats in the Redhawks' order include Michael Avilucea (.346/.393/.531, 18 RBI) and Daniel Duarte (.348/.448/.478, 17 RBI).
ON DECK
• For their final set of home games until mid-April, the Aggies return to WAC action as they welcome Northern Colorado to The 'Skew for a four-game series. That set starts at 6:00 p.m. Friday night with FOX Sports Arizona Plus, Comcast New Mexico, the FOX Sports Go App and the WAC Digital Network set to carry all the action.
++NM State++
