sports@dailylobo.com
@ThomasRomeroS
On paper, this might have been the best season in New Mexico baseball history.
The Lobos earned their highest national ranking in team history (13th in mid May), had seven players taken in the 2013 MLB draft and had one of the best offensives statistically in the county, leading the nation in batting average (.334) and runs per game (8.3).
UNM dominated the Mountain West Conference, setting a UNM record for most conference wins with 25, and won the league title by seven games.
Head coach Ray Birmingham said that by those statistics that, yes, this was one of the greatest seasons UNM has ever had.
However, the Lobos flamed out at the end of the season by losing four straight: two at the Mountain West tournament finals and two at the NCAA regionals.
Birmingham said the last two losses were tough to swallow. The Lobos committed three errors in a 4-3 loss to Arizona State and blew a five-run eighth inning lead to Columbia, losing 6-5 in 13 innings.
“It was a successful season, but it didn’t end the way we wanted,” Birmingham said. “It hurt, a lot like 2009, because we thought we had a team that could win a regional. We didn’t get it done.”
From the beginning of the season UNM talked about earning its first-ever trip to the College World Series. It was Omaha or bust for the Lobos.
“If we just pitch and catch for one, two more innings (at NCAA Regionals), I really believe we’re playing Cal State-Fullerton for the championship,” Birmingham said. “We were that close, but you can’t afford the mistakes we made in the postseason.”
Birmingham said UNM’s fatal flaw was inconsistent pitching. In the fall, closer-to-be Bobby Mares quit the team, and Sam Wolff was the team’s only reliable starter during the season.
Closer Josh Walker was pushed into the starting rotation and became a solid second starter for the Lobos. Walker left a giant hole in the bullpen which was mostly inconsistent aside from Gabe Aguilar.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“Our pitching staff slowly imploded through the year,” Birmingham said. “By the end of the season, we had four guys we could consistently count on.”
Birmingham said that if the team wants to make it farther than the NCAA regionals, the University must make a conscious effort to turn Lobo Field into a site that can host an NCAA regional.
Lobo Field has undergone major renovations since last season, including new turf, scoreboard, dugouts, bullpens and bleachers.
The University also intends to add concession areas, a new press area and more bleachers. Other future additions include lights and a permanent locker room.
The Lobos will be a much different team next year. UNM lost five position players and either three or four of its best pitchers thanks to the MLB draft and graduation.
Birmingham said he has no doubts that the Lobos will still be one of the top teams in the Mountain West and earn their fifth-straight NCAA berth.
“We’ve made four regionals in a row and hit our way there,” Birmingham said. “I tip my cap to this team because it won a Mountain West title with a lot of problems on the pitching staff. But to get the caliber of pitching we need to move forward, we have to show recruits we’re making a commitment to baseball. That’s the next step.”
