Games 21-23
Friday, March 17 | 2 p.m. MDT (DH)
Saturday, March 18 | Noon MDT
NM State at Utah Valley
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First Pitch
The Aggies opened the season with 12 of their first 17 contests at the NM State Softball Complex. Now, NM State is amid a stretch of 26 days without a game in front of its home crowd.
 
After a neutral site game versus Maine, the Aggies traveled to Tucson where they fell to No. 17 Arizona in a pair of games on Wednesday to conclude WAC preseason play. The Aggies now turn their full attention to league opponents as they take on Utah Valley and Utah Tech in the coming weekends.
 
Before falling to the Wildcats on Wednesday, the Aggies were on a three-game win streak and had won three out of their previous five tilts, including wins over both UTEP and New Mexico.
 
Friday represents the 38th all-time meeting between the Aggies and Wolverines with the Aggies winning 28 of the first 37 matchups.
 
Lunar Launches
20 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 sixth among all Division I hitters and paces the WAC with ten total doubles on the season. Lunar also ranks second in the nation in doubles per game (0.59).
 
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 – leading the team in wins (6), ERA (4.72), innings pitched (47.2), strikeouts (54) and batting average against (.208).
 
Her 54 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 1.30 home runs per game, ranking 16th in the nation.
 
Taylor On a Tear
Centerfielder Jillian Taylor has played a large part in the Aggies' ability to go deep. Taylor failed to hit a home run against Arizona but prior to Wednesday, she had homered in each of the Aggies' previous three games.
 
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) and on-base percentage (.400).
 
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 on March 5.
 
Her three saves on the year rank seventh in the nation in total saves while also totaling 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. After the win over Maine, NM State sits at 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 0-7 record in games of this nature.
 
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 Wolverines
Utah Valley is currently 6-14 on the season as they begin WAC play against the Aggies. After winning 24 games last season, Utah Valley is off to its slowest start since 2016 when they were 4-16 through 20 games.
 
UVU's record is reflective of its recent skid as it has lost five of its last six games, including getting shutout versus Utah State in its last time out.
 
At the plate, Utah Valley is led by redshirt sophomore first baseman Megan Gibbs who paces the Wolverines in batting average (.310), home runs (5) and RBIs (15).
 
In the circle, the Wolverines will rely on the two-headed attack of Brooke Saili and Katie Zuniga who represent the only two UVU pitchers to throw more than seven innings this season. Saili enters Friday with a 3.87 ERA and six complete games while Zuniga holds an ERA of 3.94 and has walked only eight batters in 53.1 innings of work this year.
 
History vs. Utah Valley
NM State has dominated the Wolverines historically - posting a record of 28-9 in the first 37 meetings. The weekend series versus UVU will serve as a rematch of a 2022 WAC Tournament matchup when the Aggies eliminated the Wolverines thanks to a walk-off home run off the bat of Ramsay Lopez in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
On the road versus Utah Valley, the Aggies are 7-4 all-time, however, Utah Valley has won three of the last five games in Orem.
 
With the Aggies' moving to Conference USA ahead of the 2023-24 academic year, the weekend series will be the last time the Wolverines and Aggies will share the field as conference opponents unless they meet again in the WAC Tournament.