LAS CRUCES, N.M. – On Saturday, April 16, the NM State Athletic Department will officially dedicate the Mike and Judy Johnson Indoor Facility at Presley Askew Field with a pregame ceremony. NM State baseball will take on UT – Rio Grande Valley at 2:00 p.m. in a non-conference meeting between two WAC schools.

The ceremony is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. with Chancellor Dan Arvizu, Director of Athletics Mario Moccia, head baseball coach Mike Kirby, Mike Johnson, and an Aggie student-athlete all slated to speak at the event.

The NM State baseball program unveiled its brand new state-of-the-art indoor facility earlier on October 13, 2021. The project was made possible due to a $900,000 donation from longtime NM State baseball supporters Mike and Judy Johnson.

"This facility was discussed at a dinner before the 2018 NCAA Baseball Regionals in Lubbock with Mike, Judy, Braun [Cartwright] and myself," Director of Athletics Mario Moccia said.

"Mike and Judy really saw that his original gift in 2014 as well as their gift in 2014 for the turf helped move the needle competitively, so that encouraged them to give the gift for the training facility. This addition is nothing short of phenomenal. Not only is this a great tool for our student-athletes to use, but it puts NM State on a power-five level in terms of having an indoor facility for baseball. It's everything we could have ever wanted. We're unbelievable thankful, and I cannot thank Mike and Judy enough as this is going to make a huge difference for Aggie baseball." 

The facility is 4,500 square feet and features four cages and throwing mounds. There are large fans attached to the ceiling and the facility is fully enclosed on top and open on the sides for ultimate cooling and venting capabilities.

"This facility is really amazing, and does exceed my expectations," Johnson said. "Having a facility like this will allow our players to come out at any time of the day or night to get some practice in. The more you practice, the better you become, so I think our team is going to be really good."

Other features include indoor turf, a state-of-the-art sound system and flat screen TVs.

"The addition of the indoor facility has been great for our program," head coach Mike Kirby added. "Our guys have really taken advantage of it this season. The facility has made an impact on our player development program and is also a major recruiting tool that will help us continue to compete for some of the best players in our region and around the country. The entire Aggie baseball program cannot thank Mike and Judy Johnson enough. #AggieUp"