The UNM softball team will hold this year’s Mountain West Conference Tournament at Lobo Field on May 10-12. The Lobos hope the home field will be an advantage in trying to grab a conference championship.
The Lobos (37-22-1, 10-9-1 in conference) will be the fourth seed in the tournament and will face third-seeded San Diego State University (35-22, 10-8) in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Lobos are 2-2 against the Aztecs this season, splitting both of their two-game series.
“Our whole mindset now is we have to play our kind of ball,” UNM head coach Susan Craig said. “Be aggressive and score a lot of runs. It doesn’t matter who we play if we play well.”
On April 13 in Albuquerque, both teams split a doubleheader. The first game went 11 innings before the Aztecs pulled out a 5-4 victory. In the second game, the Lobos crushed the Aztecs 9-0 in a game that ended after five innings because of the mercy rule. On Sunday, the Lobos played a doubleheader at SDSU and lost the first game 1-0 in nine innings. In the second game, the Lobos rebounded with a 1-0 victory.
“I think the home field is a big advantage for us because it’s our infield, it’s our home,” Craig said. “It is a lot easier for us to play here. This is a great place to play and it will be a great atmosphere.”
The Lobos might not have as big an advantage at home as they would like. Their record on the road is better than at home. The Lobos are 10-6-1 at home, 9-4 on the road and 17-12 on a neutral field. In conference play, UNM has won only one series at home, while losing two and splitting two of the two-game series in the Mountain West.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“I think we will be a lot more nervous playing at home,” freshman Hayley Punter said. “Playing in front of family and friends.”
Experience might be a tool that can help UNM going into the tournament. Eleven of the 16 players on the Lobo roster participated in last year’s conference tournament, during which the Lobos advanced to the title game before losing to the University of Utah.
The Lobos will field a team that has been winning with speed on offense, dependable pitching and an opportunistic defense. On offense, the Lobos are a patient team at the plate, as evident by their conference-leading 187 walks. With the Lobos lacking home run power — they’ve hit only 19 this season — they use aggressiveness on the base paths to score runs. UNM leads the conference in doubles and stolen bases.
At the plate, the Lobos are led by senior first baseman Kathy Moore, senior right fielder Krissy Keene and sophomore center fielder Kelly Glass. Moore provides some punch, leading the team with eight home runs. Keene is the team leader in RBIs with 30, to go along with a .307 batting average and four home runs. Glass leads the team in batting with a .369 average and in stolen bases with 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts.
The pitching staff will be counted on to provide some good outings, similar to what it has done in the regular season. Moore and freshmen Amy Dumas and Hayley Punter have combined for a team-earned run average of 2.21. Dumas leads the conference with a 1.20 ERA and has a team-high 15 wins.
“I’ve always thought that pitching wins championships,” Craig said. “Our pitchers are going to have to stand up and do a good job because it’s a hitter’s conference. Everybody is going to hit the ball and everybody is going to score runs. It’s just a question of how good your pitchers do, in terms of limiting runs and how many runs you score.”
The defense has helped snuff out some big innings by the opposition and will be a key heading into the tournament. The Lobos have turned 27 double plays to lead the conference.
Craig said she thinks the tournament is going to be very competitive because no team is head-and-shoulders above the rest.
“Tournaments are all about emotion,” she said. “The underdog is the team with the biggest advantage because they have nothing to lose and come in freewheeling. That is why tournaments are exciting. Anybody can come into that tournament and get hot and end up with a trophy. It is exciting for the fans and it gives coaches a lot of grief.”
Four of the six teams in the conference have 34 or more wins.
