LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The NM State softball team (15-13) opens WAC play this weekend with a three-game series against Seattle U (13-14). The teams will play a doubleheader at 3 p.m. MT on Friday and at 1 p.m. MT on Saturday. All three games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. 

Going Through the Gauntlet
The NM State Aggies faced one of the toughest starts in program history. In the first 13 games, the Aggies faced a nationally-ranked opponent in six of those games. This is the only time in program history that the Aggies will have played six games against nationally-ranked opponents in its first 13 games of the year. In 2018, the Aggies opened up the season with five ranked opponents in its first 12 games. 

Tanori and De La Torre Win WAC Player of the Week Awards
Hailey Tanori and Felicia De La Torre swept the WAC Hitter of the Week and Pitcher of the Week awards for their performances this past weekend at the GCU Invitational. Tanori and De La Torre are the first Aggies to win either award this season and are the first to win either award since Nikki Butler won Hitter of the Week on Feb. 24, 2020.

Tanori led an offensive attack that scored 52 runs in five games at the GCU Invitational. Tanori put up phenomenal numbers, as she hit .579 with five RBIs over the weekend. Tanori gave the Aggies a boost on the base paths going a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. Tanori is currently on a 10-game hitting streak and has recorded a hit in 22 out of the 26 games for the Aggies.

De La Torre posted a perfect 3-0 record last weekend. De La Torre had her first complete game shutout on Friday against Southern Utah and had a season-high nine strikeouts in just five innings. De La Torre allowed just three runs in 12 innings pitched over the course of the weekend.

Late Inning Magic
The Aggies have played a staggering seven extra inning contests so far in 2021 and are 4-3 in those games. The Aggies have had two walk-off wins this season when Hailey Tanori drove in two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat South Dakota, and Ramsay Lopez hit a walk-off home run to defeat Toledo on Mar. 7 at The Spring Games. In the second game on Tuesday against Portland State, the Aggies were down to its final strike before Kayla Bowen hit a two-RBI triple to give the Aggies the 5-4 lead. The Aggies held onto its lead in the bottom of the inning to improve to 9-3 in games decided by two runs or less this season.

Aggie Offense Catches Fire
The NM State offense put up some impressive numbers this past weekend at the GCU Invitational and on Tuesday against Portland State. In seven games, the Aggies posted 59 runs after posting only 56 runs in its first 21 games. 

Aggie Rundown
The Aggies returned its top five hitters from the 2020 season, and they have all shined so far in the 2021 season. 

Matalasi Faapito continues to have a terrific season, as she leads the team with a .415 batting average, ten home runs and 23 RBIs. Faapito has recorded a hit in 16 out of the last 18 games and a home run in six out of the last nine games. Faapito's 11 home runs this season leads the WAC.

Slap hitter Hailey Tanori continues to be one of the most consistent Aggies in the batter's box, as she is on a 12-game win streak, the longest of her career. Tanori has recorded a hit in th 24 out of the Aggies 28 games this season. Tanori was 5-for-5 on steal attempts last weekend at the GCU Invitational and leads the team with 11 steals. 

Junior Kayla Bowen has been a nice surprise for the Aggies, as she is hitting .300 on the year with five home runs and 19 RBIs. Bowen played a key part in the second game of the doubleheader against Portland State on Tuesday. Down to its last strike, Bowen stepped up and delivered with a two-RBI triple to give the Aggies the lead and put away Portland State.

Redshirt freshman Maya Martinez has continued to improve throughout the season and is fourth on the team in batting average with a .259 average. Martinez had her first two home runs of the season at the GCU Invitational

Redshirt senior Nikki Butler usually finds her way on base, but it may not be in the most conventional way. Butler is well on her way to break her own single-season hit-by-pitch record. Butler set the record in 2018, as she was hit 18 times, and so far in 2021, she's been hit 11 times. Butler is hitting .257 on the year with one home run and 12 RBIs. 

In the circle, the Aggies have begun to settle in, as they have a team ERA of 4.94. Felicia De La Torre leads the way with a 4.77 ERA and 67 strikeouts. De La Torre was terrific at the GCU Invitational, as she posted her first complete game shutout of the season against Southern Utah. De La Torre posted a career-high nine strikeouts against the Thunderbirds then tied that career high against Portland State on Tuesday. 

Fountain of Youth
Out of the 23 players, 18 are either freshman or redshirt freshman. The Aggies have just two seniors in Keala Brown and Nikki Butler on the roster. The Aggies brought in 10 newcomers with several of them making an immediate impact for the Aggies. 

The Aggies have gotten solid production from several true freshman most notably Jayleen Burton who is hitting .364 in 26 at-bats. Audrey Shebloski has been a consistent starter for the Aggies at shortstop and is hitting .188 with five RBIs. 

Antuanett Dean, Kendra Levesque, Briana Gallegos and Jillian Taylor have also started a combined 37 games for the Aggies. 

Scouting the Redhawks
The preseason WAC favorites are 13-14 this season and are coming off its series with Montana where they took two out of the three games. The Redhawks post a solid team batting average of .285 and are led by Ally Choate. Choate is hitting .346  with one home run and six RBIs. Bailey Thompson had a bit of a slow start to the season but has picked things up and leads the Redhawks in RBIs (24) and home runs (3). The Redhawks have two solid pitchers in Stefanie Medrigal and Shi Smith. Madrigal is 4-5 on the season with a team-leading 3.06 ERA. Shi Smith holds the school record for strikeouts in a season and led the WAC in strikeouts until last week with 65.

Last Time Out
The Aggies swept Portland State in thrilling fashion in Tuesday's doubleheader. The Aggies held on in the first game for 3-2 victory. In the second game, the Aggies were down to its final strike when Kayla Bowen delivered with a two-RBI triple to give the Aggies the lead in the seventh. The Aggies would hang on to secure its sixth straight win. 

Up Next
The Aggies will finally return home for a three-game series next Friday and Saturday at the NM State Softball Complex. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday before finishing the series at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

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