The UNM baseball team has bounced back after a rough beginning to the season, with the help of a long homestand, to climb atop the Mountain West Conference standings.
The Lobos got off to a slow start this year, losing 11 of their first 16 games, including opening the season by losing the first three games by a total score of 37-7.
But the combination of a powerful offense, timely pitching and solid defense have catapulted UNM into first place in the conference with a 5-1 record and 15-14 overall.
The Lobos have also been helped by a 15-game homestand, going 11-4 while averaging 14 runs per game.
Head coach Rich Alday said the team has a good nucleus of young talent and veteran leadership that have come together at the right time.
"We're rookies but we're veterans; it's a young club but they've played so long together, since they were freshmen," he said. "Once one guy starts hitting, it seems to snowball."
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UNM leads the conference in almost every offensive category, including batting average at .355, slugging percentage and runs scored with 277.
One of the most remarkable feats for the Lobos is the school-record 31-game hit streak by junior second baseman Troy Cairns. Cairns has been a model of consistency, hitting safely in the last four games of last season and all 27 games this year.
"I try not to think about it; the more I think about it the less likely I am to succeed," Cairns said. "A lot of times it's in my mind, but when I get up there, everything just leaves my mind and I just try and hit."
He leads the team with 53 hits, a .438 batting average and is tied for the team lead in runs scored with 36.
Another reason for the team's success has been the play of hard-hitting junior first baseman Chris Alexander.
He leads the conference with 12 home runs and has a career-high 46 runs-batted-in in just 27 games.
"This year I've been a lot more aggressive at the plate, swinging at a lot more pitches," Alexander said. "Over the summer I worked hard to fix my swing and I've been seeing a lot of good pitches this year and it's really paid off."
One of the biggest surprises has been the contribution of the freshmen. The trio of Matt Young, Todd Stroud and Josh Mader has a combined .432 batting average. Young is a patient leadoff hitter who has gotten on base and set the table for the middle of the lineup.
He has a .436 average and team-high 11 stolen bases while playing a solid center field. Mader is batting .390 and had a 12-game hit streak snapped Sunday.
Stroud, however, stole the thunder from the other freshmen last weekend. On Saturday, Stroud became the seventh Lobo in team history to hit for the cycle in a 19-9 thrashing of the Air Force Academy. On Sunday, Stroud kept the magic going with a late-inning game-tying three-run homer and the Lobos went on to win the game.
"I've been doing the same thing since I was little," Stroud said. "I just go up there and try to hit the ball hard. It helps to be around great players."
The young Lobo pitching staff has been the biggest reason for UNM's success. The workhorse of the team is sophomore James Vermilyea, who has pitched a conference-high 65 innings with 54 strikeouts. Vermilyea has a record of 5-3 and an ERA at 4.55.
"My season started off slow; I started off 0-2 but I started switching it up and things started going my way," Vermilyea said. "I think our arms are a lot better than they were last year. Our bullpen is a lot deeper than it was last year."
The gutsy pitching of Jeremy DeYapp (3-1) also has helped the starting staff, while reliever Kris Gross is 2-0 with an ERA of 4.97 and has also been solid for the Lobos out of the bullpen.
"One of the key things has been our pitchers throwing their second and third pitches for strikes," Alday said.
The defense has been solid for UNM, as Cairns and shortstop Dusty Young have lived up to the hype given to them in preseason when they were chosen by Baseball America as the best defensive players at their positions in the Mountain West.
Young has also made several outstanding plays in the field. Senior catcher Scott Tajima has been steady behind the plate.
The Lobos will look to continue their impressive play against a struggling squad, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas on the road this weekend. The Rebels are 1-5 in conference play.
