New Mexico’s softball season ended on a sour note, being swept in the final three games of the 2016 campaign.
The Lobos were within spitting distance of finishing .500, but after dropping seven of the team’s last eight contests, those aspirations were squashed.
Just a year ago, UNM finished with a 13-11 conference record, its winning season since 2001.
However, similar to the play of the better part of the last 15 years, UNM struggled again to reach the plateau and make a postseason appearance.
As a rule of thumb, teams usually play better in front of home crowds. Such was not the case for New Mexico this season.
After beginning the season 5-1 at home, UNM would only garner one more win the remainder of the season in front of the Lobo fanbase.
That win came on Senior Day, the final home game of the 2016 season. From March 26 to May 8, the Lobos dropped nine consecutive in Albuquerque.
The offense was certainly an eye sore for a middle-of-the-pack pitching staff. The Lobos were second worst in the league in overall batting average, scored the fewest runs and were close to the bottom in hitting as well.
This did not complement a pitching staff that allowed fewer earned runs than just three other teams. While the Lobos did give up nearly five runs per contest, it could have been a lot worse.
Opposing teams were hitting .338 against New Mexico pitching, and while the Lobos were tied with the most saves in the Mountain West, a lot of the games were out of reach before the bullpen had a chance to salvage the contest.
The Lobos didn’t walk too many batters, saving the overall team ERA. However, UNM also led the conference in number of batters plunked, with 53.
A peculiar statistic comes in the form of balks. The Lobos led the league with 18 balks, nearly double the amount of balks the rest of the MW had combined.
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Head coach Erica Beach has put together an overall winning season twice in her tenure with New Mexico, but has only mustered one season above that .500 mark in MW play in six seasons.
While 2016 was a gloomy one for the program, it hasn’t been all bad. Senior Mariah Rimmer led the league in hits with 67.
Not only that, but Rimmer set a career mark for UNM with 244 career hits. The centerfielder completed the feat in her final game ever as a Lobo, in Saturday’s 5-3 loss.
The former Lobo posted a .300 average or better in all four seasons she has played under Beach, including this season where she posted a .390 mark.
New Mexico will surely miss Rimmer running the bases in the future, but a bright spot has come in the form of some additional power.
Sophomore Chelsea Johnson could potentially have had a shimmering stat line, had the injury bug not paid her a visit. However, her numbers were far from average despite missing time due to a concussion and a knee problem.
Though she only played in 35 of the total 50 contests, Johnson clubbed 11 homeruns (most on the team) and knocked in 34 RBIs (second most on the squad).
While being out for 15 total contests, and limited play in five of those, she was still tied for sixth in the league with her 11 homeruns.
Jasmine Casados also put together a fine season during her junior year. She hit .348 on the year and led the team with 42 RBIs.
If New Mexico has a shot at reaching the postseason, a feat that has been accomplished since the 1980s, UNM will need to bolster its pitching staff and find some help for Casados and Johnson at the dish.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
