LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The NM State softball team (27-18, 12-3) wraps up its regular season this weekend against California Baptist (20-27-1, 7-8) at John C. Funk Stadium in Riverside, Calif. Friday's doubleheader will begin at 6 p.m. with game two beginning approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. The teams will wrap up the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network. 

On Top of the WAC
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, NM State is currently in sole possession of first place in the WAC standings. The Aggies were able to keep that lead with a sweep last weekend against Utah Valley.  NM State can clinch a share of the regular season WAC Championship with two wins over California Baptist. To capture the outright title, the Aggies will need to sweep California Baptist or have Seattle U lose one game to keep them a game ahead of the Redhawks. If the teams would be tied at the top, Seattle U will earn the No. 1 seed in the WAC  Tournament since they took two of three from the Aggies in the regular season. The WAC Tournament will begin on May 13 in Seattle, Wash. 

Just Keep Winning
The Aggies are on a nine-game win streak and an 11-game conference win streak. The Aggies have swept its last three conference opponents. The last time the Aggies have won 11-straight conference games was in 2015 when they started 11-0 before dropping a game to CSU Bakersfield. The Aggies finished 14-1 in WAC play that season. The Aggies will be looking to do something this weekend that they have never done in program history. In 46 seasons, the Aggies have never won more than 11 straight conference games. 

Closing in on Records
A couple of Aggies are nearing single-season and career records. Matalasi Faapito is chasing Aggie great Hoku Nohara's single-season batting average record. Nohara holds the record with a .429 average which she set in 2009. Faapito is currently hitting .422.

In a more unique stat, Nikki Butler is closing in on her own single-season hit-by-pitches record. Butler set the record 2019, as she was hit 18 times. So far this season, Butler has been hit 18 times and needs just one more to break the record. Butler is also on pace to finish in the top five in the Aggie record books for career batting average, career slugging percentage and career on-base percentage. 

Standing Alone
There is one athlete in the NCAA to have hit at least 13 home runs and have struck out at least 50 batters. Matalasi Faapito is the only athlete to complete this feat in the country. Faapito recorded her 50th strikeout last weekend against Dixie State. Faapito leads the conference in home runs with 15.

Late Inning Magic
The Aggies have played a staggering seven extra inning contests so far in 2021 and are 4-3 in those games. The Aggies have had four walk-off wins this season. The Aggies' most recent walk-off victory came last Friday against Utah Valley when Maya Martinez hit a two-run home run to give the Aggies the 12-10 win. This was Martinez's second walk-off home run of the year. The first came on Apr. 2 against Grand Canyon. The Aggies are 13-5 in games decided by two runs or less this season.

Heating Up
Associate head coach Cat Heifner has the Aggie bats rolling in WAC play. The Aggies lead the conference in batting average (.349), runs (113), hits (151) and home runs (27) in conference play. Nikki Butler is hitting a staggering .478 in WAC play with seven home runs and 24 RBIs. Matalasi Faapito and Ramsay Lopez are hitting .438 and .432 respectively. After a tough first half of the season, Gabby Aragon has been on fire in WAC play with a .395 average.

Martinez Earns WAC Hitter of the Week
For the third straight week, an NM State softball player has picked up WAC Hitter of the Week. Maya Martinez gets her turn in the spotlight after an impressive performance last weekend against Utah Valley.

In three games, Martinez hit .545 with three home runs and five RBIs. She helped start the Aggies' comeback on Friday night against the Wolverines with a solo home run in the fourth inning. Martinez's day wasn't done, as she hit her second walk-off home run of the season to defeat Utah Valley 12-10. On Saturday, Martinez was a big part in the Aggies' series finale win. Down 4-3, Martinez led off the sixth inning with her third home run of the weekend to tie the game and propel the Aggies to a 6-4 win. 

Martinez is hitting .280 on the season with eight home runs and 27 RBIs. This is the first time Martinez has won the award. 

Scouting the Lancers
The Lancers of California Baptist will come into the final weekend of regular season play with a  20-28-1 record. The Lancers are 7-8 in WAC play with series wins over Dixie State and Grand Canyon. The Lancers took a week off from WAC play last weekend when they hosted Nevada. The Wolfpack took the first two games but like all season, the Lancers will able to steal a game on Saturday. The Lancers have yet to be swept in conference play. The Lancers look to its pitching staff to carry the load. Kerisa Viramontes is one of the top pitchers in the WAC with a 3.18 ERA and a conference-leading 140 strikeouts. In the batter's box, the Lancers are led by Tiana Patrick. Patrick is hitting .305 this season with three home runs. 

Last Time Out
The Aggies continued to stay hot on senior weekend at the NM State Softball Complex. The Aggies swept Utah Valley for its 11th consecutive WAC win. It did not come easy for the Aggies, as they came from behind in two out of the three games including a 9-0 comeback on Friday night against the Wolverines. 

Up Next
It is crunch time in college softball, and the Aggies will be looking for its fifth WAC Championship and its fifth NCAA Regional appearance next weekend at the WAC Tournament. The four-team, double elimination tournament will begin on Thursday with the championship game taking place on Saturday. The field will consist of NM State, Seattle U, Grand Canyon and Utah Valley. California Baptist, Dixie State and Tarleton State are not eligible due to their recent transitions to Division I. 

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