LAS CRUCES, N.M. – After hosting a tournament of its own, NM State will visit Phoenix to take part in the ASU/GCU Classic - a multi-team event hosted by Arizona State and  Grand Canyon. In addition to facing off with both the Sun Devils and Lopes, the Aggies will also take on Ohio State, Seton Hall and Utah Valley during their stay in Arizona.
 
Beginning Thursday, ASU and GCU will combine to host 21 games this weekend, including 20 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Aggies will spend their Friday at GCU Softball Stadium where they will see Utah Valley and Grand Canyon at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. NM State will also be on the campus of its former WAC foe on Saturday as they collide with Seton Hall at 11 a.m. and Ohio State at 1:30 p.m. Finally, the Aggies will finish up their weekend with a contest at Arizona State on Sunday inside Farrington Stadium.
 
HOT START
Once again, the Kathy Rodolph has the Aggies off to a strong start as the Aggies are 7-2 entering this weekend to mark the seventh time under Rodolph that NM State has begun the season with a 7-2 record or better.
 
Through two weekends, the Aggie bats have put together a team batting average of .331 while NM State pitchers have combined to post a 2.26 ERA - ranking second in Conference USA in both categories.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM
The Aggies strong start can also be largely contributed to the individual success of freshman Desirae Spearman who's numbers not only stack up against the best freshman in the nation, but against the best players in the country period.
 
In her first season at the collegiate level, the freshman standout leads the nation in home runs (6) and slugging percentage (1.522) while ranking third in the country in total bases (35). In addition to her impressive start at the plate, Spearman has also been dominant in the circle. The El Paso, Texas, native already has a shutout victory over Nebraska on her resume and is managing a league-leading ERA of 0.30. This has also led to Spearman claiming CUSA Freshman of the Week honors in each of the season's first two weeks.
 
Spearman is currently the Aggies' leader in batting average (.522), slugging percentage, on-base percentage (.560), runs batted in (12), hits (12), runs scored (11), total bases (35), home runs (6), ERA and strikeouts (25).
 
After shining in her debut weekend, Spearman posted a .667 average in 12 at-bats - tallying eight hits, seven RBIs, four home runs, one double and one triple.
 
BIG TEN TAKEDOWN
The Aggies opened the annual Troy Cox Classic last week with a 3-0 victory over Big Ten foe Nebraska to mark the program's first win over a Power Five program since the 2020 season when the Aggies defeated the same Nebraska program twice in the same season. This week the Aggies will line up against two more Power Five programs and will seek their first win over a Pac-12 program since 2020 when they defeated Oregon State.
 
NEW YEAR, NEW CONFERENCE
In 2023, the Aggies finished 21-25 overall, with a 10-14 mark in WAC play. On July 1, 2023, NM State joined Conference USA, and will be a first-year member of the league in 2024. Also new to the conference are Jax State (ASUN), Liberty (ASUN) and Sam Houston (WAC). FIU, LA Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky are the five returning members of the conference.
 
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
NM State Softball played its first season in 1975. Now, in 2024, the Aggies enter season No. 50, with 1,144 wins and a much loftier reputation. The program was the class of the WAC for over a decade, earning six regular-season crowns and four conference tournament championships. Softball was NM State's second women's team sport, and has brought 10 championship trophies home to Las Cruces. This May, the Aggies will look to win the CUSA Tournament Championship on their home soil.
 
LEGENDARY STATUS
Entering her 21st season, Head Coach Kathy Rodolph is already easily the winningest coach in program history. Before Rodolph, the program had not won a championship (regular-season or tournament). Under her direction, the Aggies have claimed 10 pieces of hardware, and boast a 578-505 record. Making stops at El Paso CC and Angelo State before coming to Las Cruces, Rodolph has an individual mark of 771-600 as a head coach. At NM State, she has recruited and coached 17 NFCA All-Region members and eight WAC Player of the Year winners. The Aggies have won 20 or more games in 17 seasons under Rodolph.

BEST OF THE BEST
In the program's first year in a new conference, two Aggies have already stood out among the league. Last month, CUSA unveiled its Preseason All-Conference Team, highlighted by Riley Carley and Kendal Lunar. The pair of seniors each put forth stellar campaigns in 2023, and will look to lead their team into new territory in 2024.
 
Riley Carley started all 44 games she appeared in last season, leading the team with 16 home runs and 14 walks. In her junior year, she ranked second among all Aggies in RBIs (30), batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.750) and OPS (1.012). Carley was named to the All-WAC Second Team in 2023.
 
As a true freshman, Kendal Lunar made quite the impression in 2023. The first-year Aggie posted six home runs and 20 RBIs with an OPS of .870. Starting 38 games in total, including each of the final 30 a season ago, Lunar is poised for a productive 2024 campaign behind the plate as a sophomore, and was selected to the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team accordingly.