Just a day before New Mexico’s first practice on Friday afternoon, D1baseball.com announced its Mountain West preseason predictions. The Lobos were atop that list.
After grinding out last season with numerous injuries, the Lobos were still just one swing away from making the postseason. The 2015 season snapped a four consecutive season streak of New Mexico taking home the conference trophy.
“It kind of put a burr in my saddle,” head coach Ray Birmingham said. “That’s all we’ve talked about, putting another number on the wall.”
The coach motioned to the left centerfield wall where the list of UNM teams have been crowned league championships. “That’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Last year was an unruly season. As Birmingham said, it’s one thing to battle back from some injuries, but the depletion of his bullpen and position players made it nearly impossible for his squad to come back from.
The only UNM position player to play in every single game a season ago, Carl Stajduhar started 58 of the team’s 59 games last season and led the Lobos in nearly every hitting category with team-highs in RBI’s (53), hits (75), doubles (21), home runs (9), total bases (127) and times hit by pitch (8). His UNM record setting 53 RBI’s aided in him being selected to the Freshman All-American team by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the NCBWA.
Prior to the first official practice on Friday, Stajduhar said he is just excited to get out on the field again. Although he wants to follow his freshman All-American campaign with another quality season, the third baseman said he just wants to do whatever he can to get the Lobos back to the postseason.
“I just have to go out there, play my game and help the team win at the end of the day,” Stajduhar said. “The personal achievements are great but at the end of the day it’s about getting the team to where we want to be.”
Birmingham has moved a sign into UNM’s locker room to make very clear the motivation for this season. Although Birmingham said the sign has always been in the locker room, he moved it to a position where every player can see it on their way out to take the field.
“Coach put up a new sign this year ‘Fight like a dog’. He wants everyone to hit it on their way out, and that’s what we’re going to have to do,” Stajduhar said. “We’re going to have to fight for every out, fight for every run and stay locked in.”
Having to fight is something UNM had to do all last season through major adversity and a injury-riddled club. Birmingham said, as he expected, the team was able to will their way back into the thick of things and just missed the NCAA tournament by one swing of the bat in the final game of the Mountain West Championship.
“Last year they fought their way back into the title game and they were a base hit away from winning it,” Brimingham said. “They could have folded like a lawn chair, but didn’t. That was a big deal.”
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For the coach, it was important that his squad was still competing against top-tiered opponents, even with a multitude of big-time injuries. He said nothing has changed this season as New Mexico will again be taking on some of the best teams in the nation, but hopes this squad will have better luck in the health department.
“We’re playing good people. That’s who you have to play to go to Omaha,” Birmingham said. “That’s who we’re playing. That’s who you want us to play. That’s who we want to play. That’s what this is about. Bring the big dogs, and let’s get it on.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball, and beach volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
