Game 27
NM State (13-13, 2-4 WAC) at New Mexico (15-18, 3-3 MW)
Tuesday, March 28 | 3 p.m. MDT
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First Pitch
NM State's stretch of 26 days without a home game rolls on as the Aggies make the 223-mile journey up north to face their I-25 rival New Mexico for the second and final time this season.
 
This past weekend, the Aggies made their way to Utah for the second consecutive weekend to take on Utah Tech for the second series of WAC play. After taking the Friday matchup over the Trailblazers, the Aggies dropped a pair of games on Saturday to fall to 2-4 in conference play.
 
The Aggies now collide with a Lobos squad who is coming off a big series win against San Jose State over the weekend, which saw the Lobos tally up 26 runs in three games, coming out victorious in two of those matchups.
 
Tuesday will mark the 43rd meeting between the Aggies and the Lobos. The Aggies last saw UNM in Las Cruces earlier this season, where the Aggies pulled off a narrow 7-6 victory. Historically, the Aggies have dominated the all-time series between the Lobos. NM State is 28-14 all-time against UNM and has won eight of the last nine matchups, including an 8-7 win against them earlier this seasons in Las Cruces.
 
Lunar Launches
26 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 12th among all Division I hitters and is second in the WAC with 11 total doubles on the season. Lunar also ranks fifth in the nation in doubles per game (0.48).
 
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 (4.05), innings pitched (57.0), strikeouts (61) and batting average against (.221). Her 61 strikeouts also rank sixth in the WAC.
 
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 39 home runs to average 1.50 home runs per game, ranking seventh in the nation and first in the WAC.
 
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 11th 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 10-0 in games that it tallies at least six runs.
 
On the other hand, NM State has yet to win this season when scoring two or fewer runs - posting an 0-9 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 Lobos
The Lobos are currently 15-18 overall and 3-3 in Mountain West play this season. The team is coming off a series win over San Jose State over the weekend where the Lobos produced 26 runs over the Spartans a three-game stretch. UNM is averaging 7.6 runs a game over their last six outings with a 3-3 record over that span. 
 
At the plate, UNM features six players with plus .300 batting averages. Rachael Hathoot leads the team with a .398 batting average while also pacing the team in doubles (6), triples (4), on base percentage (.459) and slugging percentage (.633).
 
In the circle, the Lobos will rely heavily on their right hander, Amber Linton, who leads the team in innings pitched (117.0), ERA (3.53), strikeouts (131) and batting average against (.268). Aside from Linton, the Lobos also like to throw out Taylor Snow and Emmalyn Brinka, who are the only two other pitchers to reach 50 innings on the season.
 
History vs. UNM
NM State is 28-14 against the Lobos, including a record of 8-2 over the last ten matchups. The Aggies secured a 7-6 victory over UNM earlier this season in Las Cruces during the Troy Cox Classic. NM State has won 13 straight matchups against the Lobos in Albuquerque with the last win coming in March of last year when the Aggies erupted for 11 hits en route to an 8-5 victory. The first win over the Lobos didn't come until their seventh meeting on March 29th, 2005 where the Aggies pulled off a narrow 6-5 victory in Las Cruces.