LAS CRUCES, N.M. - For the first time in 387 days, the NM State softball team (16-15) will play at the NM State Softball Complex when they take on Grand Canyon (14-16) on Friday and Saturday. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3:07 p.m. and will wrap up the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets will be available at the gate one hour before first pitch. 

Where to Watch
Game one on Friday will be broadcasted live on the Bally Sports Arizona, Comcast New Mexico, the Bally Sports App and the WAC Digital Network. Game two can be seen live on Comcast New Mexico and the WAC Digital Network. Saturday's game will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. 

Returning Home
It will have been 387 days since the Aggies have played at home, but that will change this weekend. The Aggies will take the field at the NM State Softball Complex for the first time this season. The Aggies played 21 games to start the season in the state of Florida due to the restrictions by the state of New Mexico which prohibited games being played within the state. 

Going Through the Gauntlet
The NM State Aggies faced one of the toughest starts in program history. In the first 13 games, the Aggies faced a nationally-ranked opponent in six of those games. This is the only time in program history that the Aggies will have played six games against nationally-ranked opponents in its first 13 games of the year. In 2018, the Aggies opened up the season with five ranked opponents in its first 12 games. 

Staying Hot
The Aggie bats have come alive since their return from Florida. The Aggies scored 56 runs in its first 21 games and have scored 70 runs in its last 10 games. The Aggies also have a couple of impressive hitting streaks. Hailey Tanori is on a career-long 15-game hitting streak. Tanori will look to surpass Aggie great Victoria Castro who had a 15-game hitting streak in 2018. Kayla Bowen is also on a career-long 10-game hitting streak. 

Aggie Rundown
The Aggies returned its top five hitters from the 2020 season, and they have all shined so far in the 2021 season. 

Matalasi Faapito continues to have a terrific season, as she leads the team with a .422 batting average, ten home runs and 24 RBIs. Faapito has recorded a hit in 19 out of the last 21 games and a home run in six out of the last nine games. Faapito's 10 home runs this season leads the WAC.

Slap hitter Hailey Tanori continues to be one of the most consistent Aggies in the batter's box, as she is on a 15-game win streak, the longest of her career. Tanori has recorded a hit in 27 out of the Aggies 31 games this season. Tanori also leads the team with 15 steals. 

Junior Kayla Bowen has been a nice surprise for the Aggies, as she is hitting .321 on the year with six home runs and 24 RBIs. 

Redshirt senior Nikki Butler usually finds her way on base, but it may not be in the most conventional way. Butler is well on her way to break her own single-season hit-by-pitch record. Butler set the record in 2018, as she was hit 18 times, and so far in 2021, she's been hit 11 times. Butler is hitting .257 on the year with one home run and 12 RBIs. 

In the circle, the Aggies are led by Felicia De La Torre. De La Torre has an ERA of 5.00 and has struck out 73 batters. 

Fountain of Youth
Out of the 23 players, 18 are either freshman or redshirt freshman. The Aggies have just two seniors in Keala Brown and Nikki Butler on the roster. The Aggies brought in 10 newcomers with several of them making an immediate impact for the Aggies. 

The Aggies have gotten solid production from several true freshmen most notably Jayleen Burton who is hitting .333 in 27 at-bats. Audrey Shebloski has been a consistent starter for the Aggies at shortstop and is hitting .176 with five RBIs. 

Antuanett Dean, Kendra Levesque, Briana Gallegos and Jillian Taylor have also played key roles for the Aggies. 

Scouting the Antelopes
Grand Canyon comes into its matchup with the Aggies 14-16 on the year but has some momentum, as they swept Utah Valley last weekend in Phoenix. The Antelopes are led by Gianna Nicoletti who leads the WAC in batting average (.430), on-base percentage (.523), runs scored (31) and stolen bases (19). Freshman Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage is having a solid freshman season for the Antelopes, as she is hitting .326 with 18 RBIs. In the circle, Ryan Denhart will lead the Antelopes with a 3.04 ERA. Denhart was awarded WAC Pitcher of the Week this past week for her performance against Utah Valley. 

Last Time Out
The Aggies were able to get a series-closing win over Seattle U in a 6-5 win last Saturday. The Aggies dropped the first two games to the Redhawks by scores of 6-4 and 4-1. 

Up Next
The Aggies will have a unique experience next week, as they head to Tucson to face ninth-ranked Arizona. The Aggies will also have the chance to play two games against the Mexican National Team. The Aggies will play the Wildcats and Team Mexico on Friday and Saturday. 

For updates throughout the season, follow the Aggies on Twitter (@NMStateSoftball), Instagram (@nmstatesoftball) and Facebook (NM State Softball).