After a 22-3 blowout win at Santa Ana Star Field on Wednesday, UNM baseball will look to get back on track in Las Vegas, Nevada, taking on conference foe UNLV.
But, even facing a team whose win-loss record is below .500 23 games into the season, Lobo head coach Ray Birmingham said he realizes that a veteran team like UNLV is capable of anything.
“UNLV is an older
UNLV sits at 10-13 on the season and 5-4 in conference after playing some common opponents. The Rebels were dealt a pair of losses to San Jose State—a team UNM swept at home—another two losses to both Texas Tech and Cal State Fullerton—teams that beat the Lobos.
The most recent losses came against No. 3 Texas Tech, though both games proved competitive. UNLV’s last match against TTU was a loss in extra innings, 5-4.
“That's how competitive they are,” Birmingham said about UNLV’s ability to compete against a top team like Texas Tech.
New Mexico (12-9, 6-0 MW) is coming off of a split in its series with Grand Canyon, losing the first game and winning the second. The Lobos were only able to muster four hits in the first match against the Lopes, but UNM exploded for 25 hits in the second, winning by 19 runs, 22-3.
UNLV is led by Bryson Stott, who is hitting .370 at the plate, with four doubles, one triple, 15 RBI and 18 runs. Six other UNLV hitters are also above the .300 threshold, with all of the hitters taking more than 20 at-bats this season.
As a team, however, UNLV is hitting .303 from the plate—fourth in the Mountain West.
UNM is second in the conference with a .315 team batting average. The Lobos are paced by Luis Gonzalez who is hitting .412 from the plate on the season. Gonzalez has also posted 10 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 15 RBI and 25 runs as part of his efforts.
One of the hot bats lately has belonged to Lobo infielder Jared Mang. He went 1-for-3 on Tuesday and 3-for-5 Wednesday with four RBI and two runs.
Birmingham said Mang’s performance against Grand Canyon was up to par, as the Lobos appeared to find their groove again from the plate.
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The Lobos’ pitching performance on Wednesday proved to be a factor in their win too, as they allowed eight GCU hits in the game.
UNLV also put on a pitching performance in its last game, surrendering just five hits in a losing effort to the Red Raiders. But some key walks proved to be the Rebels’ undoing in extra innings.
UNM’s bullpen boasts a 5.06 ERA heading into the series, while UNLV’s earned run average is at 5.16.
Right-hander Tyler Stevens (2-2, 4.68 ERA) is slated to take the hill for the Lobos in game one, while the Rebels will rely on the arm of Alan Strong (3-0, 3.00 ERA) to start the game.
The series between UNLV and the Lobos spans through Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with all three games being broadcasted live on the Mountain West Network. The game-one matchup is scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women's basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz
