The dugouts, like ghost towns, are deserted.
All that remains in the stadium is an oasis of neatly trimmed grass and a pile of dirt beneath a slender piece of rectangular rubber.
Even after all those rambunctious fans had piled out, Lobo utility man Dane Hamilton stayed to practice.
"For me, it's always been a love of the game," Hamilton said. "Ever since I was young, I was either playing or doing something having to do with baseball. My dad really got me hooked."
Atop the mound, Hamilton's father, Jamie, patiently pitched to his son.
All that can be heard in the dead silence of the stadium is the all-too-familiar "ding" of a ball flying off an aluminum Louisville Slugger gripped firmly in Hamilton's hands.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Even at a young age, Hamilton was dedicated. And with the game as ingrained as the stitched laces of a baseball into the Hamilton gene pool - Hamilton's father played for the Anaheim Angels AA affiliate and coached Major League teams - it was almost expected Hamilton would share his father's innate passion for baseball.
Dane recalls one instance that stuck out most in his mind - seeing an MLB star in person.
"I remember one time I went out to Arizona with my dad for spring training," he said. "He was the infield instructor for the (Milwaukee) Brewers. I got to hang around Gary Sheffield, who was the shortstop at the time. It was a great opportunity - being able to see those guys at such a young age and looking up to them."
Now, years later, Hamilton is shining for the Lobos.
Hamilton, who last week was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, shredded NMSU and TCU over spring break, scoring a combined eight runs in the five games. He batted .526 for the week.
As a native of Grand Junction, Colo., Hamilton spent his four years of high school at Grand Junction High School.
Batting .450 his senior year, Hamilton helped lead his team to a state championship.
After impressing some of the local colleges, he could have played at home, but he decided to escape the snow-frosted peaks of Colorado and come to New Mexico.
Already established at UNM, it was once again Hamilton's dad who introduced him to the program.
"My dad was an assistant coach down here at the time," he said. "On my visit, I really enjoyed it - liked the campus, liked the atmosphere. It was the right fit for me."
Coming into his first season with the Lobos, Hamilton showed composure rather than freshman jitters.
He hit .301 and racked up 26 runs in 34 games.
This year, as a junior, he has recorded 20 hits and is batting .339.
First-year head coach Ray Birmingham said Hamilton has brought some stability and consistency to the Lobos' batting order.
"Dane has stepped up to the plate," he said. "A lot of these kids that are hitting in the middle of the lineup were hitting at the end of the lineup last year, because this team lost Daniel Stovall and Jordan Pacheco. Those guys drove in a lot of runs. But Dane came in here and started swinging the bat. We taught him some stuff, and he handled it. I'm proud of him."
As much work as Hamilton puts in on the field, he works just as hard in the classroom.
He was named to the MWC All-Academic team his sophomore year at UNM.
Boasting better than a 3.5 GPA, Hamilton also made UNM's fall 2007 Honor Roll.
Birmingham said he appreciates the effort and hard work Hamilton has put in.
"Dane Hamilton is a stud both in the classroom and on the field," he said. "On the field, I've had him in left, at right, and at first, second and third. He is definitely a talented young man with a bright future ahead of him."




