Lengthy Home Stand Concludes with Four-Game WAC Series against Northern Colorado

Thursday 03/18/2021 | By: NM State Athletics Media Relations

Aggies one game back of top spot in league standings in second weekend of league play

LEADOFF HITS
• Just one game back of the top spot in the WAC standings, the NM State baseball team wraps up a season-long nine-game homestand at Presley Askew Field this weekend by welcoming league adversary Northern Colorado to the Land of Enchantment.
• Friday night's series opener, sponsored by Ashley Furniture, is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. MT. FOX Sports Arizona Plus, Comcast New Mexico, the FOX Sports Go app and the WAC Digital Network will carry the series opener with Adam Young and Cory Lucas handling the call.
• The remaining three games of the weekend series will be broadcast on the WAC Digital Network.
• A limited number of tickets will be available for each game of the series. Tickets will only be available for purchase at the gates of Presley Askew Field and will go on sale beginning one hour prior to the scheduled start time of each game. 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.
• NM State is coming off of a 7-3 triumph over NAIA foe Benedictine Mesa Wednesday night. It was the program's first midweek victory since Tuesday, April 30, 2019. That day, NM State took down Pac-12 foe Arizona 15-13 in Tucson, Ariz.
• Currently, the Aggies lead the WAC in five statistical categories including batting average (.302, 24th nationally), on-base percentage (.401, 33rd nationally), scoring (8.8 runs per game, 18th nationally) and slugging percentage (.487, 21st nationally).
• Sophomore outfielder Zerek Saenz continues to serve as one of the best players in the WAC with a bat in his hand. The Las Cruces, N.M., product enters the series with a team-best eight-game on-base streak and leads the WAC in three statistical categories including batting average (.432, 48th nationally), hits per game (1.45, 145th nationally) and on-base percentage (.522, 66th nationally).
• Another sophomore - Brandon Dieter - has taken his place as the Aggies' starting shortstop as well as one of the most powerful offensive players in the league. The owner of an eye-popping 1.240 OPS, Dieter is the WAC's leader in slugging percentage (.769, 54th nationally), home runs per game (0.33, 75th nationally) and RBI per game (1.58, 24th nationally).
• Dieter's 19 RBI represent the highest total on the team while Cal Villareal and Ethan Mann have drive in 14 each.
• On the hill, starting pitcher Chris Jefferson goes gunning for his team-leading third victory of 2021 this weekend against Northern Colorado. The right-handed senior also leads the team in innings pitched (17 2/3) and strikeouts (17).

SERIES HISTORY
• Prior to this weekend, the Aggies and Bears have met on the diamond 38 times dating back to the 1973 campaign. NM State owns a 26-12 (.684) all-time record against Northern Colorado and has won five in a row against their WAC foes.
• The Aggies have won six-straight against Northern Colorado at Presley Askew Field and are 16-9 (.640) against the Bears in Las Cruces all-time.

SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Coming into Las Cruces on a five-game losing skid, the Bears are going in search of their first WAC victory since May 18, 2019 (a 10-4 home triumph over Seattle U). Northern Colorado's success offensively lies mainly within the bats of junior backstop Josh Glenn, a pitching/batting throwback in Sam Leach and outfielder Jake Gitter.
• Glenn leads a Northern Colorado squad batting .264/.358/.432 with his team-leading batting average (.383). The catcher also tops the Bears' statistical listings in terms of RBI (20) and hits (18).
• To go along with 3.60 ERA and 1-2 record on the hill, Leach has put up a slash line of .364/.417/.545 while looking at pitches instead of tossing them.
• Gitter's slash line of .340/.476/.740 includes the Bears' highest on-base percentage as well as their best slugging percentage. Ten of the outfielder's 17 hits have gone for extra bases including team-highs in home runs (five) and doubles (five).
• Friday night starter Dylan Bowers has piled up a team-leading 33 strikeouts through his 23 frames of work. He leads a Northern Colorado pitching staff which possesses a 6.38 ERA.
• Away games have been a struggle for the Bears since the 2019 season. Since then, Northern Colorado has posted a 3-37 (.075) record in true road tilts with two of those wins coming this season at NCAA Division II institution Colorado Christian. The Bears' lone road win against an NCAA Division I opponent since 2019 came on April 18, 2019, when they got by CSU Bakersfield 9-7 in the opening game of a three-game WAC set.

ON DECK
• Upon conclusion of their nine-game swing at Presley Askew Field Sunday afternoon, the Aggies will hit the road for a stretch of 12 consecutive games along the West Coast. NM State's first stop during their tour of that portion of the country is Bellevue, Wash., for a four-game WAC series with Seattle U which begins at 5:00 p.m. Friday (March 26) evening at Bannerwood Park.

++NM State++

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Aggies one game back of top spot in league standings in second weekend of league play

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