BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – NM State Softball returns to the air this weekend, facing a 1,414-mile trek east to the Bluegrass State. The Aggies (9-9), fresh off their first ranked win in over five years, are set to take on hosting Western Kentucky (7-10) in a three-game set starting on Thursday. Both squads look for a key series victory with less than a month remaining in the regular season. With a top-six finish in league play, NM State would return to WKU Softball Complex just 16 days later in preparation for the CUSA Championship. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (22-19, 9-9 CUSA) at Western Kentucky (21-19, 7-10 CUSA)
Where: WKU Softball Complex – Bowling Green, Ky.
When: April 17-19 | Thursday (6:00 PM CT) / Friday (6:00 PM CT) / Saturday (11:00 AM CT)
Live Stream: ESPN+ (Saturday only)
Live Statistics: SIDEARM (WKU)
All-Time Record vs. WKU: 9-18
Under Kathy Rodolph: 3-10
All-Time Record in Bowling Green: 6-8
Last Meeting: WKU 5 @ NM State 3 – May 10, 2024 (Las Cruces, N.M.)
Current Streak: WKU, 2 wins (since March 10, 2024)
 
COACH'S THOUGHTS
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the series at WKU: "Western Kentucky is very talented. They're going to be fighting for their life, just like we are. We're not at home anymore, so we're going to have to go into a new environment with a very well-coached team. This week in practice, we've scouted and worked to figure out exactly how we can bring our A-game and I think we will."
 
LAST TIME OUT
NM State hosted Liberty for a three-game set in Las Cruces over the weekend. The visiting Lady Flames took each of the opening two contests as the Aggie bats were shut down to the tune of just one run across the weekend's first 12 innings. On Sunday, Faith Aragon made it her mission to return the favor to the league's top seed, holding the nation's 25^th-ranked team to just one run on five hits. When down 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Devin Elam connected on a two-run blast to right field to put her side in front for good. NM State walked away with a win in the series finale by a 3-1 score. 
 
THERE'S ALWAYS TAMARA
Tamara Carranza has recently established herself as one of the hottest freshmen in CUSA Softball. In addition to solid performance on defense this season, the first-year Aggie is coming off her best month at the plate. The true freshman hit the first two home runs of her career at FIU as part of a six-hit weekend in which she batted .667. Against Sam Houston, Carranza extended her hitting streak to six games, including a game-tying three-run home run in the opener. 
 
While at UTEP, she recorded another three knocks and picked up her fourth-multi hit game in the past 11 outings. Against Liberty, Carranza was one of five Aggies with multiple hits, tacking on her fourth double of 2025.
 
In CUSA play, the California native is batting .367 and has the fourth-highest OPS on the team (1.025). For the season, her batting average has vaulted to .293, up from its non-conference mark of .167. Across the past 15 games, the shortstop has tallied 17 hits, reaching base safely in 12 contests while posting all seven of her career extra-base hits.
 
SHE DOES IT ALL…
Heading into April, Desirae Spearman was named as the third-best two-way 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 has delivered just as well in the circle. Despite missing three games this season, she still ranks second on the team in innings pitched (85.0) behind only Faith Aragon (99.2) for the team lead. The El Paso native still paces the Aggies in both strikeouts thrown (80) and ERA (3.21). In 16 starts, the two-way star has amassed nine victories, placing her in a tie for fifth among all CUSA pitchers in 2025. 
 
At the plate, the second-year Aggie has staked a clear claim as the best hitter in CUSA, ranking among the nation's top 10 in six different offensive categories. She paces the conference in home runs (17), walks drawn (40), slugging percentage (1.140), on-base percentage (.636), OPS (1.729) and runs scored (44). 
 
SUPER SLUGGERS
Just nine players in all of Division I have more home runs than Spearman (17). The sophomore's prowess as a long ball threat has granted her 40 walks drawn this season; a mark that places her well atop the conference and tied for sixth in the nation. The second-year Aggie is on pace (50.29) to crush 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 37^th in the nation with a slugging percentage of .518, while ranking second in CUSA with a .314 batting average. The unit is slotted within the top 50 nationally in hits (348), doubles (66) and home runs (52), with just under half of its base knocks (160) courtesy of seven incoming transfers. 
 
Five Aggies rank among the conference's top 35 in hits, due in large part to two newcomers; Kristiana Watson (49) and Faith Aragon (34). The former is two shy of the CUSA lead with 14 doubles, while also sitting at second in the conference with 42 RBIs, only behind Preseason Player of the Year Rachel Roupe in both metrics. Watson, having appeared in all 41 games thus far, is on track to tally 53.27 RBIs during the regular season.
 
AGGIES OF THE WEEK
NM State added some hardware on March 31, courtesy of Faith Aragon. The sophomore standout was named CUSA Pitcher of the Week after tossing two complete games against Sam Houston as the Crimson & White swept the Bearkats. Across 13 scoreless innings, first-year Aggie allowed just six hits and one walk while striking out 15 batters, including a career-high nine on Saturday. Aragon picked up her second career honor after earning the same distinction once with UTEP a season ago.
 
Last month, Devin Elam returned from an eight-game injury absence and made an immediate impact that earned her CUSA Co-Hitter of the Week honors. The 2024 All-CUSA First Team selection posted a .600 batting average as she racked up six hits in three outings against Jax State, 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. 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. 
 
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
WKU is under the direction of Amy Tudor, who holds a 356-254 record in her 12 seasons with the program. The Hilltoppers are out to a 21-19 start in 2025, holding a 7-10 record in CUSA play that currently has the squad in sole possession of eighth place. Last weekend, they dropped two of three rounds in the 100 Miles of Hate rivalry series at MTSU. On Tuesday, the squad headed to Lexington for a battle with Kentucky, where the hosting Wildcats took a 9-1 victory in run-rule fashion.
 
On the field, the Hilltoppers are led by Maci Masters, who headlines the offense with 12 home runs, a .328 batting average, 38 RBIs and 81 total bases. The pitching staff is centered around three options – Maddy Wood, Rylan Smith and Erica Hogue – all of which boast an ERA under 4.00. Smith, the February 17 CUSA Pitcher of the Week, paces the squad in innings pitched (102.0) and opponent batting average (.225).
 
The series against NM State will mark WKU's first return home since March 29 after an eight-game road trip in which the team finished 4-4. In their last 20 contests, the Hilltoppers are 7-13 overall with six wins in their past 16 CUSA bouts. Last season, WKU finished as the No. 2 seed in the regular season with a 33-20-1 overall mark and an 16-8 CUSA record.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Aggies and Hilltoppers have met 27 times in history, with WKU holding an 18-9 advantage. In Bowling Green, the home side has an advantage of 8-6, with the last such contest coming on May 14, 2005. Both programs shared the Sun Belt from 2000-05, before NM State joined the WAC ahead of the 2006 campaign. WKU became an official member of CUSA in 2014 before the Crimson & White reignited the conference rivalry last year.  
 
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUPS
NM State's first-ever CUSA series came in March of 2024 as the Aggies hosted WKU. The series opener was a pitchers' duel that took nine innings to decide as the Hilltoppers pulled away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory. Each of the next two games were blowouts, with the Crimson & White cruising to a 9-0 win in five innings on Saturday. The rubber match was another five-inning affair as Amy Tudor's bunch left the Borderlands with an 11-0 triumph.
 
The two sides met once more in the CUSA Championship in May. Needing just one win to advance to the title game, NM State met WKU on the third day of action on its home field. The visitors prevailed with a 7-2 final score before both teams suffered the same fate in the tournament's final two contests; falling to eventual champion Liberty. 
 
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).