Games 19 & 20
Wednesday, Mar. 14 | 5 p.m. MDT (DH)
NM State at No. 20 Arizona
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First Pitch
Following a weekend in which the Aggies saw three of their four games get canceled due to inclement weather, NM State now travels to Tucson, Ariz., to take on 20th-ranked Arizona on Wednesday. The doubleheader will mark the Aggies' third and fourth contests versus a top-25 opponent after facing off with then No. 4 Oklahoma State twice in late February.
 
The Aggies are currently riding a three-game win streak after defeating Maine 9-1 in their lone competition in Fresno, Calif., this past weekend.
 
Wednesday represents the 82nd all-time meeting between the Aggies and Wildcats with the Aggies winning just nine times against the Pac-12 power. The Aggies last beat Arizona in 2013.
 
The mid-week matchup will also mark the Aggies' final test before opening up WAC play on Friday at Utah Valley.
 
Lunar Launches
Just 18 games into her freshman campaign at NM State, Kendal Lunar is making quite the impact for the Aggie offense.
 
The Alamogordo, N.M., native ranks fourth among all Division I hitters and paces the WAC with ten total doubles on the season. Lunar also ranks first in the nation in doubles per game (0.67). 
 
Additionally, the freshman standout is currently riding a five-game hit streak and has reached base in six consecutive at-bats to pace the Aggies in both categories.
 
Brown Sits 'Em Down
NM State junior pitcher Aydenne Brown has emerged as one of the most impactful players on the Aggies' squad this season.
 
On the year, Brown is dominating in the circle to the tune of a 6-2 record with a 3.88 ERA – leading the team in wins, ERA, innings pitched (46.1), strikeouts (53) and batting average against (.198).
 
Her 53 strikeouts top the WAC while also placing her just outside the top 100 in the nation.
 
Power at the Plate
Once again the Aggie offense is one of the best at hitting the long ball. Thus far, the Aggies have combined to hit 26 home runs to average 1.44 home runs per game, ranking eighth in the nation.
 
Taylor On a Tear
Centerfielder Jillian Taylor has played a large part in the Aggies' ability to go deep and after homering against Maine on Saturday, she has now hit a home run in each of the Aggies' last three games while also going yard in four out of the last five contests.
 
On the season, Taylor has hit a team-high six home runs while also pacing the Aggies in RBIs (14), hits (18), total bases (37), walks (7), slugging percentage (.712) and on-base percentage (.433).
 
Against Maine, Taylor also recorded her team-best sixth multi-hit game of the season.
 
Dix Dealing In the Circle
Impact transfer Emily Dix continues to embark on an impressive first season with the Aggies, picking up her third save of the season in the win over UTEP.
 
Her three saves on the year rank seventh in the nation in total saves; posting more saves than the Aggies as a team during the entire 2022 season.
 
Run Protection
It's pretty simple; when the Aggies score runs, they win games. On the heels of a 9-1 win over Maine, NM State is now a perfect 8-0 in games that it tallies at least six runs.
 
On the other hand, NM State has yet to win this season when scoring to or fewer runs - posting an 0-5 record in games of this nature.
 
Caught the Bears in Hibernation
Last time out, NM State managed to steal a season-high five bases against Maine. This performance was led by a career-high two steals from Kayla Bowen while three other Aggies stole a bag each.
 
This also marked the first time since April 2, 2022, that the Aggies tallied five steals when they did so against Utah Valley.
 
Aggie Accolades
Graduate student Kayla Bowen was named to the Preseason All-WAC team as the lone representative for the Aggies. Last season, Bowen earned Second Team All-WAC honors after hitting .369 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI. She paced the team in hits (59), doubles (13), and total bases (105).
 
Covering the Bases
The Aggies return a strong core of players at the batter's box and in the circle, led by 2022 WAC 2nd Team selections Kayla Bowen and Jillian Taylor. Taylor was also named to the 2022 WAC All-Defensive Team for her efforts with the glove. On the year, Bowen hit .369 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles and 41 RBI. Taylor led the team in batting average (.376) while collecting 47 hits, seven home runs and nine doubles; she was also solid with the leather, recording 82 putouts with five assists, along with turning a pair of double plays.
 
NM State's infield looks to provide a productive season on both sides of the field, with a pair of starters coming back for another season and an impact transfer from within the conference. Jayleen Burton is coming off a sophomore season where she produced 17 hits and a trio of RBI while providing strong defense from the shortstop position. Paige Knight transferred in from the prestigious Oklahoma program ahead of the 2022 season, and made an instant impact as an Aggie, batting .284 and launching seven home runs with 25 RBI.
 
Coming in from UT Arlington, junior Jessica Carreon is looking to be a spark plug for the Crimson & White offense. Last season as a Maverick, Carreon started every game, recording 17 runs scored, seven multi-hit games, led the team in walks drawn (21) and swiped nine bases.
 
In the outfield, Gabby Aragon looks to build on a productive season that saw the now-junior from Carlsbad make 31 appearances for the Aggies, collecting nine RBI and five extra base hits, while providing 26 putouts and a pair of assists.
 
Laurali Patane and Jordin King return for the 2023 season after accounting for 72% of innings pitched, 69% of total strikeouts and 85% of the wins at NM State to lead a staff that includes junior college transfers Ana Rodriguez, Emily Dix, and Aydenne Brown.
 
Behind the plate, sophomore Hannah Lindsay looks to build upon a strong freshman campaign, which saw her record the third-highest batting average on the team (.341), while crushing eight home runs and totaling 21 RBI.
 
Legend in the Dugout
Kathy Rodolph has had a remarkable career as head coach at NM State. Entering her 20th season at the helm, Rodolph is the winningest coach in NM State history with a 568-487 record. She's led the team to four WAC Tournament Championships and six WAC Regular Season Championships, the most recent coming in the 2021 season when the Aggies went 14-4 in conference play.
 
She is also a five-time WAC Coach of the Year. She has helped the Aggies capture eight WAC player of the year awards and a pair of WAC Freshman player of the year awards. Additionally, Rodolph has helped 17 players earn NFCA All-Region Team Honors.
 
Scouting the Wildcats
No. 20 Arizona is currently 17-7 on the season with a 2-1 mark in Pac-12 play after winning their series against rival Arizona State last weekend.
 
The Wildcats opened the series versus Arizona State with back-to-back shutout wins on Friday (9-0) and Saturday (11-0) before falling 4-3 on Sunday.
 
At the plate, Arizona is led by freshman Olivia DiNardo who is batting .492 while pacing the Wildcats in hits (29) and on-base percentage (.583). Preseason First Team All-American Allie Skaggs will also pose a threat to Aggie pitchers as she is currently slashing .379/.494/.712 with five home runs while her seven doubles are tied for the team lead.
 
Preseason Second Team All-American Carlie Scupin has also been hot to start as she is batting .361 and has hit a team-best nine home runs on the season.
 
Devyn Netz will carry the bulk of the load for the Wildcats in the circle as she has recorded 66.2 innings pitched - a number that is almost three times as much as the next closes U of A pitcher. Netz currently hoists an ERA of 2.10 and has held teams to a combined .216 batting average while tallying 53 strikeouts on the season.
 
History vs. Arizona
NM State enters Wednesday's doubleheader with a 9-72 all-time record against the Wildcats with their last win coming more than 10 years ago.
 
On the road versus Arizona, NM State has compiled just six wins in 53 tilts.
 
The pair of mid-week matchups will mark the 13th time in the last 14 years that the Aggies have squared off with Arizona at least twice in a season with the lone off year being 2020.

Up Next
NM State's league portion of its schedule is next up for the Aggies as they will head directly from Tucson to Orem, Utah, where they will face off with Utah Valley on Friday and Saturday. The Aggies and Wolverines are scheduled to compete in a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 2 p.m. before facing off once again on Saturday at Noon.