LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Tuesday morning, Head Baseball Coach Jake Angier announced that the program's annual First Pitch Dinner has been set for Saturday, January 24. Once again, the dinner where supporters can meet the staff and student-athletes will precede the start of the season.
 
The event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 24, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum located at 4100 Dripping Springs Rd. in Las Cruces. This year's dinner is set to begin at 6 p.m. MST.
 
Additionally, this year's dinner will feature guest speakers Nick Gonzales and Joey Ortiz. Gonzales and Ortiz each finished their collegiate careers in Las Cruces and currently play professionally in the MLB. Gonzales competed for the Aggies from 2018-20 and now serves as an infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Ortiz donned the Crimson and White from 2017-19 and plays shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers.
 
Tickets for the First Pitch Dinner begin at $150 for single tickets, with tables for eight people being available to those interested at $1,000 per table. Click this link to purchase your tickets today as these will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
This will also be an opportunity for fans to hear from Head Coach Jake Angier, who enters his third year at the helm of the NM State baseball program. In his first two seasons, Angier has helped the Aggies amass 48 wins, while qualifying for the Conference USA Tournament in each season.
 
In the second year under Angier, the Aggies landed three on the All-Conference USA teams for the second consecutive year. This included First Team All-CUSA honorees Brandon Forrester and Steve Solorzano.
 
Solorzano, a Las Cruces native, will return for his junior campaign alongside 22 fellow returners and 10 newcomers. In total, this year's rosters will be made up of 17 pitchers, 14 positional players, and a pair of two-way players as both Solorzano and Chris Daniels will contribute in the field and on the mound.
 
NM State will officially begin its season with a four-game road series against Big 12 foe Baylor that is slated to begin on Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. In total, the Aggies will play 54 games, including 28 at Presley Askew Field.
 
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