MIAMI – After going 3-1 in its return home last week, NM State Softball hits the road once again this weekend. The Aggies are making their longest trip of the season, heading 1,984 miles east to Miami for a bout with FIU. The Crimson & White (17-12) recently toppled Jax State to clinch its second straight CUSA series win to open league play, jumping to 4-2. Meanwhile, the Panthers (22-8) swept Kennesaw State last weekend, improving to 5-1 in conference games. While NM State swept FIU a season ago, this year's Panther team has won 15 of its last 16 contests and has now claimed more victories in 2025 than in all of 2024 (21-29). 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (17-12, 4-2 CUSA) at FIU (22-8, 5-1 CUSA)
Where: Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium – Miami, Fla.
When: March 21-23 | Friday (6:00 PM ET) / Saturday (6:00 PM ET) / Sunday (11:00 AM ET)
Live Stream: ESPN+ (Sunday only)
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record vs. FIU: 11-15
Under Kathy Rodolph: 8-6
All-Time Record in Miami: 2-6
Last Meeting: FIU 5 @ NM State 9 – April 14, 2024 (Las Cruces, N.M.)
Current Streak: NM State, 3 wins (since April 12, 2024)
 
COACH'S THOUGHTS
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the series at FIU: "They have some serious lefties. They're triple threats, so they can bunt it, they can chop or they can actually hit it. It creates issues because you don't know how close to put your defense up, but they're fast enough that you have can't stay back. It will definitely be a challenge, because that's a great team and we have to travel a long way to play them. Many of our kids are going into their first time there, so that's just another challenge of working to familiarize everyone with a new facility." 
 
LAST TIME OUT
While back home, NM State took down Jax State in two of three games. After dropping the opener on Friday, the Aggies answered with back-to-back one-rule victories and snagged a series win over a 20-win Gamecock squad that had won seven in a row. On Saturday, Faith Aragon tossed a complete game while Devin Elam tallied three hits for four of her team's eight RBIs. 
 
On Sunday, Zantelle Rodriguez picked up her first collegiate win as she posted two solid innings of relief, while Spearman came in for her first save of the season. The latter led off the game with a solo home run to put her side up early. Later, Elam notched three more RBIs on a four-bagger just one at-bat ahead of a cosmic blast from Kristiana Watson over the batter's eye of neighboring Presley Askew Field. The three drives would score all five Aggie runs in the 5-4, series-clinching victory.
 
AGGIES OF THE WEEK
NM State added some hardware earlier this week, courtesy of Devin Elam earning Co-CUSA Player of the Week honors. The junior outfielder returned from an eight-game injury absence, making an immediate impact. The 2024 All-CUSA First Team selection posted a .600 batting average as she racked up six hits in three outings, leading the offense to another series win. With a walk, two doubles and a home run, Elam notched 11 total bases and a 1.736 OPS. The junior's home run on Sunday brought in three of her team's five runs as NM State took the rubber match against the Gamecocks. For the week, the California native tallied seven RBIs to pace an NM State offense that scored 26 runs in a 3-1 week that began with a rivalry win over New Mexico. 
 
After the opening week of the season, Lauren Garcia earned similar recognition. The UNM transfer posted a team-high .600 batting average, boosted by three walks for an on-base percentage of .667. Her squad-best eight extra-base hits resulted in a then-nation's best 1.667 slugging percentage and an otherworldly 2.333 OPS. Conference USA recognized the remarkable weekend by tabbing Garcia as the first CUSA Player of the Week for 2025. 
 
FEARIN' SPEARMAN
14 days ago, Desirae Spearman was named as the third-best utility player in the country by Softball America. The true sophomore was not only last year's CUSA Freshman of the Year, but her remarkable campaign as a pitcher and outfielder won her Player of the Year honors in the league as well.
 
This season, Spearman is off to an even more impressive start. In the circle, she is second on the team in innings pitched (60.0) while leading in strikeouts thrown (62) and ERA (3.03). In 12 starts, the two-way star has amassed seven victories, making her one of just five pitchers to do so in CUSA this season. 
 
At the plate, the second-year Aggie is even more electric. In addition to a team-high .474 batting average, she paces the conference in home runs (12), total bases (80), walks drawn (27), slugging percentage (1.026), on-base percentage (.617), OPS (1.643) and runs scored (33).
 
SUPER SLUGGERS
Spearman is also one of just 12 players in all of NCAA Division I with at least 12 home runs through the opening six weeks of the season. The sophomore's prowess as a home run threat has granted her 27 walks drawn this season; a mark that places her atop the conference and tied for seventh in the nation. The second-year Aggie is on pace (56.46) to shatter her own mark of 43 RBIs that led last year's squad. However, Spearman is far from alone in an Aggie lineup that has been daunting for opposing pitchers in 2025. 
 
The team ranks 36^th in the nation with a slugging percentage of .526, while ranking second in CUSA with a .321 batting average. The unit leads the league and ranks within the top 25 nationally in both hits (260) and home runs (36), with exactly half of its base knocks (130) courtesy of seven incoming transfers. 
 
Five Aggies rank among the conference's top 32 in hits, due in large part to two newcomers; Kristiana Watson (39) and Faith Aragon (32). The former is tied for the CUSA lead with 11 doubles, while also pacing the conference in RBIs at 34. Only two league individuals have more home runs than the first-year Aggie this season (eight), including her teammate Desirae Spearman. Watson, having appeared in all 29 games thus far, is on track to tally 62.14 RBIs during the regular season.
 
ALL IN THE FAMILY
17 newcomers grace the 2025 squad, including eight true freshmen. Two sets of three relatives make up a majority of the transfer crop. First, the Aragons; a local trio that includes sisters Faith and Grace as well as cousin Johnna. All three Aragons hail from nearby Carlsbad, N.M., and saw action at UTEP a season ago. 
 
Additionally, three more sisters enter the building as Taylor, Kenzie and Payton Nicholson don the Crimson & White in 2025. Taylor and Kenzie have each made stops at Arizona State, while Kenzie is most recently from CUSA foe Jax State. Payton spent her freshman season at Georgia State as a utility/infield player under the coaching direction of her parents Angie and Rick.
 
Kristiana Watson entered as a redshirt junior with two prior stops at Power Five institutions (Arizona State and Duke). The first-year Aggie is the younger sister of David Watson, an Aggie graduate assistant who has coached third base this season. The siblings are children of Laura Espinoza-Watson, Arizona Softball's all-time leader in career home runs (85) and the NCAA single-season leader in RBIs (128 in 1995).
 
Lastly, the Lunar sisters are each in their third season with the program. Kendal has been a career Aggie behind the plate and Kayla started all but one game last season at third base.
 
HISTORY UNMATCHED
When NM State Softball is mentioned, one name immediately comes to mind; Kathy Rodolph. Entering her 22^nd season at the helm, the legendary head coach had amassed 608 wins with the Aggies; well more than half of the program's all-time total (1,140). 
 
Last season, Rodolph surpassed two career milestones, doing so in dramatic fashion on both occasions. On April 12, the Aggies found themselves down to their final out against FIU while trailing 6-5. After a Devin Elam single knotted the affair, Riley Carley sent a missile to left-center field to walk off a series-opening win and etch Rodolph's 600^th program win into the record books. 
 
A few weeks later, on the same field, more magic ensued. In their first game of the CUSA Championship, the Aggies trailed by two runs on their home field against Jacksonville State in the bottom of the seventh inning. Two straight home runs tied the ballgame at 5-5, queueing an extra eighth inning. After two straight outs to start the inning, senior standout Jillian Taylor launched a ball over the left field fence to advance her side to the next round in thrilling fashion. The victory was extra sweet for Coach Rodolph, as it was the 800^th of her career, including stops at El Paso CC (1999-00) and Angelo State (2002-03).
 
Over her time with the Crimson & White, Rodolph has guided the squad to six WAC Regular-Season Championships, four WAC Tournament Championships and four NCAA Regional appearances. Rodolph is also a five-time WAC Coach of the Year and has had 17 players named to an NFCA All-Region team. Under Rodolph, the Aggies have captured nine of the last 10 Conference Player of the Year awards and three of the last four league Freshman of the Year Awards.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
FIU is under the direction of Mike Meyers, the acting head coach in place of Mike Larabee. The former announced earlier this year that he would step away to attend to health issues. Meyers, in his first season assuming head duties, has led the program to 22 wins in its first 30 games, already tallying more victories than last year's team. 
 
The 2025 squad is out to a 22-8 start, finding themselves on a four-game winning streak and as winners in 15 of their last 16 outings. Last weekend, the Panthers visited Kennesaw State, sweeping the Owls by a combined score of 21-6.
 
On the field, the Panthers are led by Kally Meredith, who is second in CUSA with 23 stolen bases and leads the team with 44 total bases this season. The speedy sophomore has started every game and is batting .380 for Meyers' offense. The pitching staff revolves around Kennedy Byrd, who paces the conference in innings pitched (103.0). Last Sunday, the junior tossed a complete game no-hitter in what was her 10^th of the team's 22 wins this season. For her efforts, Byrd was named CUSA Pitcher of the Week on Monday. 
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Aggies and Panthers have met 26 times in history, with FIU holding a 15-11 edge. In Miami, the home team has prevailed six of eight times, but Kathy Rodolph has a record of 8-6 against her former Sun Belt rival. After sharing the league from 2001-05, NM State departed for the WAC, with FIU joining CUSA in 2013. A decade later, in July 2023, NM State joined Conference USA, reuniting the programs as league foes. This weekend's series will be the second between the two as members of CUSA.
 
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP
NM State hosted FIU in April for a regular-season series. The home team showed more offensive firepower than the visitors could handle, as the Aggies picked up a three-game sweep by a combined score of 26-11. 
 
In the opener, Riley Carley belted a walk-off three-run home run to give Kathy Rodolph her 600^th win as head coach with the program. That weekend, Devin Elam was electric with seven hits that drove in five runs while scoring four more en route to being named CUSA Player of the Week.
 
For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2025 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).