LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The NM State softball team (24-18, 9-3) will play in front of the home crowd one last time this season when they take on Utah Valley (20-22, 5-7) on Friday and Saturday at the NM State Softball Complex. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday at 3 p.m. before wrapping up the series at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Following Saturday's game, the Aggies will honor the lone 2021 senior, Nikki Butler, and the 2020 seniors, Brandy Hernandez, Jeanelle Medina, Shelby Shultes and Caity Szczesny.

Where to Watch
Game one on Friday and Saturday's game will be broadcasted live on Bally Sports Arizona, Comcast New Mexico, the WAC Digital Network and the Bally Sports App. Adam Young (Play-by-play) and Brian Cox (Color) will be on the call. Game two on Friday will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network with Adam Young on the call.

Just Keep Winning
The Aggies are on a six-game win streak and an eight-game conference win streak. The Aggies have swept its last two conference opponents. The conference win streak is the Aggies' longest win streak since Apr. 4-May 12, 2016, when the Aggies won nine straight games. The Aggies will look to increase the conference win streak to 11 this weekend. The last time the Aggies have won 11-straight conference games was in 2015 when they started 11-0 before dropping a game to CSU Bakersfield. The Aggies finished 14-1 in WAC play that season. In conference play, the Aggies are outscoring its opponents 83-50.

Closing in on Records
A couple of Aggies are nearing single-season and career records. As it holds right now, Matalasi Faapito's batting average of .431 would be the highest batting average in a season in school history. In a more unique stat, Nikki Butler is closing in on her own single-season hit-by-pitches record. Butler set the record 2019, as she was hit 18 times. So far this season, Butler has been hit 17 times. Butler is also on pace to finish in the top five in the Aggie record books for career batting average, career slugging percentage and career on-base percentage.

Standing Alone
There is one athlete in the NCAA to have hit at least 13 home runs and have struck out at least 50 batters. Matalasi Faapito is the only athlete to complete this feat in the country. Faapito recorded her 50th strikeout last weekend against Dixie State. Faapito leads the conference in home runs with 13

On Top of the WAC
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, NM State is currently in sole possession of first place in the WAC standings. The Aggies were tied with Seattle U going into last weekend, but the Redhawks dropped a game against Tarleton State while the Aggies swept Dixie State.  NM State can clinch a share of the regular season WAC Championship with a sweep over Utah Valley and two losses by Seattle U. The Redhawks face Dixie State this weekend and Grand Canyon next weekend. The Aggies round out the season with Utah Valley and California Baptist. The WAC Tournament begins on May 13 in Seattle, Wash.

Heating Up
Associate head coach Cat Heifner has the Aggie bats rolling in WAC play. In conference play, the Aggies are hitting .336 as a team. The Aggies have smacked 17 home runs and 77 RBIs while scoring 83 runs in 12 conference games. Matalasi Faapito (.472), Brianna Gallegos (471), Nikki Butler (.444), Gabby Aragon (.424) and Ramsay Lopez (.417) are all hitting above .400 in conference play.

Butler Wins Second-Straight WAC Hitter of the Week Award
For the second-straight week, Nikki Butler has won the WAC Hitter of the Week the conference announced Monday morning. This is the fourth time Butler has won the award in her career and second this season.

Butler had another spectacular weekend against Dixie State. Butler played a vital role in the Aggies' sweep against the Trailblazers, as she went 6-for-11 with two home runs and eight RBIs. Her grand slam on Saturday came in the fifth inning to put the Aggies ahead 7-4. Butler had an on-base percentage of .615 and a slugging percentage of 1.182. Butler was also hit twice this weekend and is just two hit-by-pitches away from breaking her own single-season record.

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 conference  with a .431 batting average, 13 home runs, an .837 slugging percentage and a .510 on-base percentage. Faapito has recorded a hit in 28 out of the last 32 games.

Slap hitter Hailey Tanori continues to be one of the most consistent Aggies in the batter's box, as she has recorded a hit in 32 out of the Aggies 40 games this season. She is hitting .333 on the year with 12 RBIs. Tanori also leads the team with 13 steals.

Nikki Butler has been on fire since conference play began. She is hitting .444 in WAC play with five home runs and 20 RBIs. She has won back-to-back WAC Hitter of the Week awards thanks to a 4-for-4 performance on Saturday against Dixie State, including a grand slam that gave the Aggies the lead in the fifth inning.

After a slow start to the season, Ramsay Lopez has found her groove in the batter's box in the last half of the season. Lopez has recorded a hit in 16 out of the last 19 games. Lopez is hitting .271 with nine home runs and 17 RBIs.

In the circle, the Aggies used some clutch pitching last weekend against the best offense in the conference in Dixie State. The Aggies found themselves in multiple jams but Faapito, Felicia De La Torre and Chloe Rivas rose up to the challenge to help sweep the Trailblazers. Faapito is 6-0 in the circle in WAC play and has a 4.42 ERA on the season. Rivas is 5-1 this season with a 4.36 ERA, and Felicia De La Torre has the lowest ERA of the group with a 4.02 ERA.

Scouting the Wolverines
Utah Valley comes off a big win against crosstown rival BYU on Tuesday. The Wolverines improved to 20-22 on the season and are 5-7 in conference play. On offense, the Wolverines are led by Rien Milliken. Milliken is hitting .363 and leads the team with eight home runs. Linnah Rebolledo has also had a solid season for the Wolverines, as she is hitting .349 and leads the team in hits with 45 and RBIs with 33. The Aggies will face one of the best pitchers in the WAC in Devyn Cretz. Cretz has posted a 3.10 ERA with 105 strikeouts and a 13-11 record. The Aggies will also face Katie Zuniga and Brooke Carter in the batter's box. Zuniga has a 4.08 ERA but is just 1-6 in the circle this season. Carter has made 11 starts with a 4-5 record and has posted a 6.48 ERA.

Last Time Out
The Aggies continued its winning streak last weekend at Dixie State. The Aggies swept the Trailblazers by scores of 9-4, 10-7 and 8-6. The three wins by the Aggies and a loss by Seattle U gave the Aggies sole possession of first place in the WAC.

Up Next
The Aggies will conclude the regular season at California Baptist next Friday and Saturday. Friday's doubleheader will begin at 6 p.m. with the series concluding at 1 p.m. on Saturday. All three games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network.

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