Don’t be fooled by the baseball team’s 18-18 record — the Lobos are better than they seem.
The Lobos have a 9-3 conference record and are tied with Texas Christian University for the lead in the MWC. Blame the losing record on the tough out-of-conference schedule.
Since starting the season 2-9, UNM is on a 15-9 run.
The Lobos faced three top-50 opponents this year: Gonzaga, Arizona State University and NMSU. The Lobos swept the highest ranked of the three, No. 14 Gonzaga, in a three-game series at Isotopes Park, to give Gonzaga its first losses of the season.
The Lobos only have three nonconference opponents left in their schedule: Texas Tech University, Florida Gulf Coast and one more game against NMSU.
Other than that, the Lobos face conference rivals TCU, UNLV and Air Force. If the team’s current conference record indicates how it will do for the rest of the conference schedule, the Lobos have a good shot of winning the regular-season title.
As head coach Ray Birmingham said, nonconference games don’t matter in the end.
And he’s right. Winning the conference tournament guarantees the team a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Winning the regular-season title could earn the team the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, and gives the Lobos the easiest route to the final.
In addition to a tough schedule, the Lobos’ success arises from a crop of solid players.
So far, the team has won the MWC Player of the Week award five times: two apiece for catcher Mitchell Garver and infielder DJ Peterson, and one for outfielder Josh Melendez. Garver and Peterson were also each named College Baseball 360’s Primetime Performer. Pitcher Austin House won MWC Pitcher of the Week twice this season.
Let’s not forget about left fielder John Pustay’s performance against Air Force, in which he went 6-6 at the plate, snagged five RBIs and scored four runs. The six hits tied a UNM record. All of these players are underclassmen as well.
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Birmingham believes UNM deserves national recognition. The team deserves some respect for sweeping one of the best teams in the nation.
If the Lobos make it to the NCAA tournament, the nation better not wake these underdogs.
