LYNCHBURG, Va. - This weekend, Conference USA Softball's top two teams will square off on the east coast. Liberty will play host to the visiting Aggies, who have now won four straight overall and nine of their last 12 conference games. NM State will carry its hot streak of play into a series with the Lady Flames, who boast the top record in CUSA at 15-3. Both sides are in their inaugural campaign in the league, and the series opener will mark just the fourth all-time meeting between the programs. Neither side has ever hosted, with all three prior meetings coming on neutral fields. 
 
How to Follow
Who: NM State (25-17, 10-5 CUSA) at Liberty (26-17, 15-3 CUSA)
Where: Liberty Softball Stadium - Lynchburg, Va.
When: Friday, April 19 - Sunday, April 21 (Game 1 at 6:00 PM ET)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Series Record: Liberty leads 2-1
Last Meeting: NM State 2 vs. Liberty 11 [5] (Feb. 15, 2021 - Leesburg, Fla.)
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Aggies took a trip up I-25 to wrap up the season series with the only other Division I institution in The Land of Enchantment. The Crimson & White had already won the 2024 Rio Grande Rivalry, taking both games in a March 26 doubleheader in Las Cruces. The Aggies were held to just four runs on six hits, but exceptional pitching from Emily Dix and Jaileen Mancha kept the Lobos' comeback at bay. 

Jillian Taylor extended her career-best hitting streak to eight games in the win, adding to her consistent production as the leadoff hitter over the past four games. Notably, all four games have resulted in victories for the Crimson & White. NM State is now 9-1 over the past 10 games in which Jillian Taylor leads off the Aggie batting order. 

The Aggies also took care of FIU at home a week ago, sweeping the three-game set. The visiting Panthers were outscored 26-11 over the weekend, including an 8-0, five-inning shutout in Saturday's affair. The weekend was highlighted by a come-from-behind Friday night victory that was capped off with a walk-off three-run home run from Riley Carley. The senior launched a pitch well past the wall in left center, securing the win in the opener and earning Kathy Rodolph her 600^th win at NM State. 

PATMON POWER
The Aggies' first-ever CUSA win in program history came on Saturday, March 9. The benchmark victory was highlighted by one of the best individual performances by an Aggie in recent history as Dezianna Patmon finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate, including a grand slam to help produce six of the Aggies' nine runs. The six-RBI day for the transfer from North Carolina A&T marked the most RBIs by an Aggie in a single game since Nikki Butler recorded a half-dozen RBIs on April 16, 2021.
 
Patmon is leading the Aggies with 46 hits and 81 total bases, while ranking second with 30 RBIs this season. The junior is also second in home runs (8) and third in OPS (1.128). 
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Along with Patmon, freshman standout Desirae Spearman has been a shining star in the Aggie lineup. In just her first 29 games at the collegiate level, Spearman is maintaining a .384 batting average while pacing the Aggies in home runs (13) OPS (1.399) and RBIs (32). She also ranks second on the team in total bases (79) and third in total hits (33) despite missing 13 of the Aggies' 42 games due to injury.
 
Additionally, the El Paso, Texas, native has been dominant in the circle. She has begun the season with a 7-2 record and 50 strikeouts while maintaining a 3.14 ERA in 11 appearances and 55.2 innings of work.
 
On Feb. 16, Spearman tossed a complete game, shutout victory over Nebraska when she gave up just one hit and led the Aggies to a 3-0 win. In the series finale versus UTEP, she went another 7.0 innings, punching out 12 Miners and securing a win in her first pitching appearance in 35  days.
 
Currently, Spearman is posting a team-best ERA, allowing just 50 hits and eight home runs. She also ranks second in the conference and 27th nationally with her 13 total offensive home runs despite missing nearly a third of the Aggies' games due to injury. 
 
For her efforts, Spearman has been named CUSA Pitcher of the Week once and has earned four CUSA Freshman of the Week awards.
 
POWER IN THE OUTFIELD
When Spearman is not in the circle, she will regularly tend to left field. Again, the freshman with five CUSA weekly awards has proven to be a threat from anywhere. Joining her in the outfield are Jillian Taylor and Devin Elam. 
 
Taylor and Elam have now each been named CUSA Player of the Week this month, just 14 days apart. Taylor, the senior in center field, has started 40 of 42 games in center, tallying a .367 batting average to go with six home runs, 17 extra-base hits, 44 hits and an OPS of 1.050. The senior leads the entire conference with 38 runs scored on the campaign. 
 
Devin Elam is one of the hottest hitters in the conference, as well as the country. The sophomore is traditionally in right field as of late, and is the reigning Player of the Week. In CUSA games, she is batting .500 to lead all league batters. Elam is currently on a six-game hitting streak, setting a new career high. At the plate, she has 33 hits, a .452 average and a 1.152 OPS on the season. The Long Beach, Calif. native now has 12 RBIs in her past eight outings. 
 
FEAR NONE
In February, the Aggies opened the annual Troy Cox Classic with a 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.
 
The following week, the Aggies added to their list of impressive early victories as they defeated (RV) Grand Canyon on Friday evening before knocking off Arizona State on Sunday morning to tally their second Power Five win of the season and first win over a Pac-12 program since 2020.
 
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 entered 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 as the Aggies' leader, 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 603-522 record. Making stops at El Paso CC and Angelo State before coming to Las Cruces, Rodolph has an individual mark of 796-617 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. 
 
With their 20th win against San Diego on March 30, the Aggies have won 20 or more games in 18 seasons under Rodolph. The 21st-year head coach became the first coach in program history to surpass 600 wins with NM State after a walk-off three-run home run gave the Aggies a 9-6 win over FIU on Friday, April 12. 
 
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
After not seeing action in all of 2023 due to injury, Kayla Lunar became the only Aggie to start each of the first 42 games in 2024. The Alamogordo High School product has been the model of consistency, appearing at third base in every starting lineup this season. With the bat this season, Lunar has 13 RBIs across 24 hits, including six extra-base knocks and a no-doubt home run versus UTEP on March 23. The only other Aggie to appear in all 42 contests this season is Dezianna Patmon, who has started 36 games as the designated player.
 
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 Aggies 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.
 
ON DECK
After the weekend series at Liberty, the Aggies will head back home for their final regular-season series in Las Cruces. NM State will welcome LA Tech in a matchup that will determine seeding for both programs ahead of the CUSA Tournament. Fortunately for NM State, the tournament is being held at its home field from May 8-11. The Crimson & White will not only celebrate Senior Day against the Bulldogs, but will be fighting for the right to play more games on their own turf. The three-game series with LA Tech will begin Friday, April 26 at 4:00 PM MT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.com. 
 
For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2024 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).