New Mexico junior lefty Carson Schenieder has given the Lobos a free pass for the first round of the Mountain West tournament via UNM’s 11-2 route over Air Force on Saturday.
The southpaw had struggled in weeks prior to the Lobos’ final game of the season, but he stepped up big time in the final game of the season.
UNM fell to the Falcons in the second game of the season, in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel on Friday night which crushed New Mexico’s chances of claiming at least a portion of the conference title.
By winning the rubber match, UNM still has received a first round-bye and will be labeled as the number two seed, while the squad fights for a chance to take the Mountain West title.
The win came via a monster offensive performance to back Schneider, when UNM went up 11-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. It was Schneider’s eighth win on the year, combined with just three losses as UNM’s typical end-of-series starter.
With end of the season accolades coming in this week, there are a few players with good chances at receiving the nominations. Schneider is in the Mountain West’s top five for most wins (8) and innings pitched (88).
Sophomore Carl Stajduhar hit another blast this past weekend, but had to settle for runner-up in the homerun chase with 17 homers, one behind Air Force’s Tyler Jones. Junior Chris DeVito was on a good pace earlier in the year to make a run at the homerun title, but a couple of injuries late in the season had him finish third with 14 long balls.
The three players - Stevens, Stajduhar and DeVito - also finished in that order for most RBIs in the Mountain West. DeVito finished among the top five in the league in batting average.
Stajduhar and Luis Gonzalez finished among a three-way pileup with 81 hits, second best in the conference.
The Lobos have yet again put in some of the league’s best performances with their run production, but pitching will be a colossal factor in their bid for the Mountain West tournament.
First pitch of the tournament is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday as San Diego State and San Jose State will be squaring off, with the loser facing off against third place Nevada in the evening. UNLV and Air Force will take on the afternoon game which is slated for three p.m. on Wednesday.
As the No. 2 seed, the Lobos will take the highest winning seed from Wednesday’s ballgames.
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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.
