Sports - The Daily Lobo

Lobos freshman catcher Jade Gray fails to apply the tag as Fresno State's Paige Gumz slides into home plate Friday night at the Lobo Softball Field. UNM has fallen to Fresno State in both games of their series thus far, by a combined score of 17-7.

Sports

Softball: Run support not enough for No. 23 Fresno State

Wally Gallart | April 9

New Mexico’s offense plated five runs, but the pitching staff couldn’t hold No. 23 Fresno State in an 11-5 loss in the series opener on Saturday night. The Bulldogs sent out its star pitcher Jill Compton (14-4, 2.66 ERA), but the Lobos found success early on at the plate against her. However, poor pitching of their own, as well as some defensive miscues, would lead to the loss for UNM.

Sophomore Chelsea Johnson slides into second base at the Lobo Softball Field. The Lobos will play Fresno State this weekend in Albuquerque with their first game starting Friday at 6 p.m.

Sports

Softball: Lobos play host to No. 23 Fresno State

Wally Gallart | April 7

New Mexico returns home, but will be challenged with a nationally ranked opponent as Fresno State comes into town. After losing a series on the road to the Nevada last weekend, the Lobos will play host to No. 23 Fresno State (24-9-, 6-0 MW) on Friday for the start of a three game home stand.

Senior Dalton Bowers lays down a bunt against UNLV on Saturday at Santa Ana Star Field. The Lobos will play Fresno State this weekend in Albuquerque in a three game series.

Sports

Baseball: First place on the line in New Mexico - Fresno showdown

Liam Cary-Eaves | April 7

There is plenty at stake this weekend as New Mexico and Fresno State prepare to do battle for the top spot in the Mountain West. Head coach Ray Birmingham is not shying away from the major implications of this weekend’s three game home-stand against the Bulldogs. “We haven’t played our best baseball yet,” Birmingham said. “We’re waiting for that to click.”

Redshirt junior Rodolfo Jauregui (left) and junior Hayden Sabatka play against Boise State in a doubles match on Sunday at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium. The men's tennis team will play San Diego this Friday while the the women’s team plays Boise State.

Sports

Tennis: Both squads hit the road against conference opponents

Robert Maler | April 7

The New Mexico men’s and women’s tennis team hit the road this week, with one squad looking to extend a two-match winning streak and the other to dust themselves off after suffering a two-match losing streak. The men’s team put itself in position to win each of its home matches last weekend, but failed to close things out when given the opportunity.

Junior Cassie House jumps up to spike the ball at Lucky 66 Bowl’s sand volleyball courts. The Lobos will play this weekend in California with their first game against Pacific this Friday.

Sports

Beach Volleyball: Rain or Shine - UNM looks to finish season strong

Liam Cary-Eaves | April 7

This weekend may feature something new for New Mexico’s beach volleyball squad – rain. Head coach Jeff Nelson said he is not thrilled with the idea of playing mud volleyball, in Sacramento, California this weekend because it’s something the Lobos can’t prepare for.

Junior Carson Shnieder pitches against a UNLV batter Friday April 1, 2016 at Santa Ana Star Field. The Lobos won 3-2 against NMSU on Tuesday night in Roswell, New Mexico.

Sports

Baseball: Gonzalez's gem and DeVito's clutch hitting pushes Lobos past Aggies

Liam Cary-Eaves | April 6

It wasn’t the high scoring affair UNM has gotten accustomed to, but the Lobos still walked out of Roswell, New Mexico with a 3-2 win over NMSU at the neutral site. Junior catcher Chris DeVito played hero for New Mexico with a two-out RBI base hit to even the series up at 1-1 against the in-state-rival Aggies (17-12).

Junior Dominique Dulski jumps out for a ball Friday afternoon at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium. The Lobos beat Colorado State 7-0.

Sports

Women's Tennis: Lobos remain unscathed in early conference play

Robert Maler | April 5

New Mexico women’s tennis continued to roll at home, winning a pair of matches over the weekend including a 5-2 triumph on Sunday over Wyoming at the McKinnon Family Tennis Center. The Lobos defeated Colorado State Friday 7-0, and began Sunday by jumping out to another early lead. New Mexico pulled out the first two tightly contested doubles matches, to pick up the doubles point and go up 1-0 over the Cowgirls.

Redshirt junior Rodolfo Jauregui rushes down to the net to return the ball to a Boise State player Sunday afternoon at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium.

Sports

Men's Tennis: UNM falls in rare home loss

Robert Maler | April 5

New Mexico men’s tennis was dealt another rare home loss Sunday against Boise State at the McKinnon Family Tennis Center. The men’s tennis team has been automatic at home with a perfect 9-0 record. After losing 4-3 to Utah State on Friday, the team got off to a tough start on Sunday against Boise State.

Junior infielder Jasmine Casados tries to tag out a Utah State player Saturday March 25, 2016 at the Lobo Softball Field. The Lobos lost two out of their three games against Nevada this past weekend.

Sports

Softball: Last inning rally prevents sweep

Wally Gallart | April 4

New Mexico ended its weekend series with Nevada on a high note avoiding a three game sweep by winning Sunday’s contest 3-2. After being shut-out on Saturday and only scoring a run on Friday, the Lobos were finally able to get things going at the plate with a late rally against the Wolf Pack.

Junior Chris Devito slides into third base Sunday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field. The Lobos lost their final game against UNLV 6-5 after winning the first two.

Sports

Baseball: Bullpen squanders New Mexico's hope for sweep

Liam Cary-Eaves | April 4

A late blown lead barred New Mexico from completing a sweep against UNLV in a tight 6-5 loss on Sunday afternoon. The Lobos again received a quality performance from its starting pitching, but a rough eighth inning prevented UNM from winning the third and final game against UNLV (10-17, 4-8 MW).

Senior Holly Van Grinsven moments before finishing a sprint Saturday, April 3, 2016 at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational. The Lobos collected 68 top 10 finishes at the invitational and will compete in Tempe, Arizona this upcoming weekend.

Sports

Track and Field: Lobos set bests in home-opening invite

Robert Maler | April 4

The UNM track and field team got off to a strong start by recording several personal bests and first place finishes at the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational on Saturday. Head coach Joe Franklin said the team did a lot of good things at the team’s only home meet of the outdoor season. He said adding athletes such as Aasha Marler and Samantha Bowe was positive and said he anticipates getting better each weekend.

Offensive Line coach Jason Lenzmeier runs over line drills with players Wednesday, March, 23, 2016 at University Stadium.

Sports

Football: Spring practice off to rough start, and that's a good thing

Robert Maler | April 4

The defense appears to be well ahead of the offense in the early stages of spring as players put on their pads for the first time. Head coach Bob Davie said that’s to be expected, and several of the players are being asked to do different things. He said everyone is out of their comfort zone right now, but the challenging situation is a good thing.

Lobos infielder Dalton Bowers throws to first for the out Saturday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field. New Mexico beat UNLV 10-5 to move to 19-8 on the year and will go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Sports

Baseball: Offense fuels New Mexico to take series against UNLV

Liam Cary-Eaves | April 3

New Mexico continued its hot play in a 10-5 win against UNLV on Saturday afternoon. Playing to the script of Friday night’s affair, the Rebels took an early lead, but only briefly. It was New Mexico’s scorching bats that came back to defend its starting pitching.

Sports

Tennis: Lobos promising lead not enough vs. Aggies

Robert Maler | April 2

The New Mexico men’s tennis team suffered its first home loss of the season after battling for three and a half hours against Utah State on Friday, letting a 3-1 lead slip away. Head coach Bart Scott said every team in the Mountain West is capable of winning on any given day.

Sports

Women's Tennis: Lobos unscathed at home, take conference opener

Robert Maler | April 2

The New Mexico women’s tennis team came out on the right side of a sweep Friday afternoon against Colorado State in the conference home opener, held at its new look outdoor venue. The McKinnon Family Tennis Court underwent some changes the past two weeks, including the installation of a covered awning, which also doubles as a solar panel, for fans to stay out of the sun.

Sports

Softball: Offense struggles as UNM shutout

Wally Gallart | April 2

After Friday’s 5-1 loss to Nevada, New Mexico looked to bounce back on Saturday afternoon in Reno and even their weekend series with the Wolf Pack. However, the narrative remained the same as the Lobos were shut-out 4-0, falling to 17-14 on the season (2-3 MW).

Sophomore Carl Stajduhar bats against a UNLV pitcher Friday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field. The Lobos beat UNLV 15-3 in the first of the three game home-stand.

Sports

Baseball: Lobos take Game 1 from Rebels and climb into first place in MW

Liam Cary-Eaves | April 2

New Mexico’s offense once again stole the show in the opening game of this weekend's series against UNLV with a 15-3 blowout on Friday night, and climbed to the top of the conference in the process. UNM’s lefty starter Carson Schneider didn’t need all the fuel the offense showcased, but the junior wasn’t fazed by several long innings throughout the course of the contest. Schneider improved to 5-1 on the year dropping his ERA to a respectable 3.37.

Senior Niko Hansen tries to evade a FAU player during one of the Lobo's 2015 games at the UNM Soccer Complex. The team's spring season begins Saturday against UNLV and Utah Valley.

Sports

Soccer: Spring squad looks to improve on disappointing fall

Isabel Gonzalez | April 1

After several weeks of vigorous training, the UNM men’s soccer team members won’t leave anything to chance, kicking off their spring exhibition season in Las Vegas this weekend. “We’re excited,” said head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “We’ve been training really hard. It’s been 10 weeks of hard work and I think the guys are ready to face some competition outside of their own team.”

New Mexico will hire Wright State basketball coach Mike Bradbury to be the Lobos women's basketball head coach, the athletic department announced Wednesday afternoon.

Sports

Women's Basketball: Bradbury takes the wheel for New Mexico

Liam Cary-Eaves | March 31

Mike Bradbury traded his gray sports coat for a red one as New Mexico introduced the sixth head coach in UNM women’s basketball history. Bradbury said at Thursday afternoon’s press conference that he is still getting acclimated to the concept of deciphering between red and green chile, having only been in Albuquerque all but three days. However, the head coach said he knew he chose the right place to move because of the history, the fanbase and the tradition at the University of New Mexico.

Junior Lise Rugland rushes to hit the ball back to set Devanne Sours up for a kill against a Colorado Mesa player March 18, 2016 at Lucky 66 Bowls sand volleyball courts. The Lobos beach volleyball program was ranked in the top 20 programs in the nation by DiG magazine.

Sports

Beach Volleyball: Lobos among NCAA elite

Liam Cary-Eaves | March 31

New Mexico has joined the nation’s elite, jumping in among the nation’s top tiered schools, according to DiG magazine, the official publication for beach volleyball. The weekly poll releases the top 20 programs in the nation, though the NCAA only ranks the top-10 schools.