Game Thirty-Three
NM State (11-21) at #13 Arizona (23-11)
Tuesday, April 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Hi Corbett Field | Tucson, Ariz.
Watch | Live Stats | NM State Game Notes | Arizona Game Notes | Weather Forecast
Pitching Matchup | RHP Ian Mejia (0-1, 12.86 ERA) vs. RHP TJ Nichols (3-3, 6.38 ERA)
LEADOFF HITS
• Only three midweek games remain on the NM State baseball team's 2021 schedule and the Aggies are set to play the first of those Tuesday evening in Tucson, Ariz., when they face off against 13th-ranked Arizona at Hi Corbett Field.
• NM State is 1-2 in midweek games under head coach Mike Kirby. That includes a 1-1 (.500) showing in game of that configuration this season.
• Two of the Aggies' four midweek games under Kirby have come against nationally-ranked foes. Last season, NM State faced off against eighth-ranked Arizona State and dropped a 6-5 decision to the Sun Devils in Tempe, Ariz. That matchup featured two of the top seven draft picks in the 2020 MLB Draft in ASU's Spencer Torkelson (first overall pick) and the Aggies' Nick Gonzales (seventh overall pick).
• NM State is 1-11 (.083) against nationally-ranked opponents during Kirby's tenure. The Aggies' lone win came this season on Friday, April 9, when NM State outscored 24th-ranked Sacramento State by a score of 10-2.
• The Aggies are 8-55 (.127) all-time against the Wildcats. In the most recent meeting between the two teams, NM State outslugged their Pac-12 foes by a 15-13 score in Tucson on April 30, 2019. That victory is NM State's only one against the Wildcats in the last 10 showdowns between the clubs.
• Against current Pac-12 opponents NM State is 25-131 (.160) all-time. The Aggies' last win over a Pac-12 program came on April 30, 2019, when they posted a 15-13 triumph over Arizona in Tucson, Ariz.
• Sophomore outfielder Zerek Saenz - the WAC's best hitter - heads to Tucson riding a six-game hitting streak. The Las Cruces, N.M., product, ranks among the top 25 nationally and tops the WAC charts in four statistical categories including batting average (.427, eighth nationally), hits (50, 16th nationally), hits per game (1.61, 17th nationally) and on-base percentage (.500, 24th nationally).
• Though he saw his nine-game hitting streak come to an end in Sunday's series finale against Grand Canyon, sophomore infielder Ethan Mann did add to his league-leading RBI total. Mann has drive in a team-high 30 runs to rank first in the WAC and 127th nationally.
• Right-hander Ian Mejia is set to make his third start of the season. The Tucson, Ariz., product makes a return to his hometown and has logged multiple innings of work just once in his six appearances in the 2021 season.
SCOUTING #13 ARIZONA | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Boasting one of the nation's most powerful offenses, the Wildcats rank anywhere from 13th to 18th in the land depending on which one of the five national polls you look at. It's a well-deserved ranking, too, as Arizona's 388 hits lead the nation while their .320 batting average ranks as the third-best in the land.
• The Pac-12's leader in 13 statistical categories, Arizona also ranks among the nation's top ten teams in terms of walks (eighth, 192), doubles (sixth, 77), doubles per game (10th, 2.26), on-base percentage (second, .429), runs scored (third, 288), scoring (fifth, 8.5 runs per game), slugging percentage (ninth, .498) and triples (fourth, 15).
• After starting out the season with a 3-0 record, Tuesday night starter TJ Nichols has lost each of his last three outings to even his 2021 record at 3-3. In his most recent start against California on April 11, he gave up six runs in 3 1/3 innings of work.
• By electing to out-slug their foes, the Wildcats' lineup is one of the best in the nation. Jacob Berry's team-best batting average of .400 is part of his team-high .494 on-base percentage as well as his team-best .712 slugging percentage. Berry leads the Pac-12 in both total bases (89) and RBI (38).
• Ryan Holgate enters as one of the nation's best power hitters. His 22 extra-base hits are the most among the Wildcats' ranks and 15 of them are doubles. He currently ranks fourth in the nation in doubles and is batting .364/.431/.614.
• Donta Williams (.286/.446/.468) has scored a good deal of runs for Arizona as his 43 lead the Pac-12 and rank third in the nation.
ON DECK
• Stephenville, Texas, is the next stop for NM State as the Aggies return to WAC play this weekend. NM State and Tarleton State will meet one another on the diamond for the first time in program history in a four-game series at the Cecil Ballow Complex. The first pitch in Friday's series opener has been set to cross home plate at 2:00 p.m. MT.
++NM State++
