NM State (6-18, 1-2 WAC) at California Baptist (18-16, 1-2 WAC)
Friday, March 25, 5 p.m. MT (DH) | Saturday, March 26, 6 p.m. MT
John C. Funk Stadium | Riverside, Calif.
Game 1: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Game 2: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Game 3 : ESPN+ | Live Stats
NM State Game Notes | California Baptst Game Notes
First Pitch
The Aggies will make their first and only trip to the West Coast this season as they visit California Baptist. This will also mark the Aggies' return to WAC competition after hosting New Mexico on Tuesday evening. CBU will play host to the Aggies in a doubleheader on Friday, March 25, with the third meeting coming on Saturday, March 26. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. MT, while Saturday's game will get underway at 6 p.m. MT.
During its trip to Riverside, Calif., NM State will also look to return to the win column after dropping the last three contests. In the recent skid, the Aggies have struggled to limit opponent offenses as New Mexico and Grand Canyon averaged 15.7 runs across three games.
Where to Watch
Tuesday's game will be available to watch on ESPN+ while live stats can be followed along here.
Legend in the Dugout
Kathy Rodolph has had a remarkable career as the head coach of the Aggies. In her 19th year at the helm, Rodolph is the winningest coach in NM State history with a 550-459 record. She's led the team to four WAC Tournament Championships and six WAC Regular Season Championships, including last season when the team went 14-4 in conference play. She is also a five-time WAC Coach of the Year. She has helped the Aggies capture the last eight WAC player of the year awards and back-to-back WAC Freshman of the year awards. Additionally, Rodolph has helped 17 players earn NFCA All-Regional Team honors.
Aggie Rundown
The Aggies' early struggles have been somewhat reflective of the level of competition they have faced as their schedule has featured six games versus Power Five opponents, two teams ranked inside the top-25 and three squads that participated in the NCAA Softball Tournament one season ago.
This weekend will mark the eighth, ninth and 10th all-time meetings with the Lancers in NM State history. The Aggies should be familiar with playing John C. Funk Stadium as California Bapstist has played host for every meeting in series history.
In their WAC opener last weekend, the Aggies were led by a surprise performance from senior catcher Melika Ofoia who finished the evening 3-for-4 at the plate as she recorded a pair of singles while notching her first career home run to help the Aggies to a win on Friday. For the weekend, Ofoia finished 3-5 to pace the Aggies in batting average. Ramsay Lopez continued her strong start to the season as she belted her eighth home run of the season while recording four hits in eight at-bats, including the fourth double of the year. Senior Kayla Bowen and sophomore Jillian Taylor paced NM State with three RBIs each across Friday and Saturday.
Statistically Speaking
Amidst an 11-game hit streak, Jillian Taylor has quickly become one of the WAC's top hitters as her batting average of .409 ranks tied for fourth in the league. With her current hot streak, Taylor became the 13th Aggie since 2016 to reach a hit streak of 10 games or more.
Meanwhile, Ramsay Lopez's performance at the plate also has her among the league's best - ranking second in both slugging percentage (.817) and on-base percentage (.530). Kayla Bowen's seven doubles also tie her for eighth-most in the league thus far.
As a team, the Aggies' 26 home runs are good for third in the WAC while their 114 RBIs are fourth-most in the league. Through 23 games, the Aggies are second in slugging percentage (.486), fourth in on-base percentage (.376) and fourth in batting average (.302).
Taylor on a Tear
As of late, sophomore utility player Jillian Taylor has been the Aggie with the hottest bat.
She is currently riding an 11-game hit streak with the last time she went without a hit being March 6 versus then No. 5 Washington. During her streak, she has three multi-hit games, four doubles and a pair of home runs.
In the 15 games this season in which Taylor has registered two at-bats or more, Taylor has only failed to tally a hit in one game.
After being in and out of the lineup for the first six games, Taylor has been a staple in the starting lineup since March 5. In 21 games this season, the Spokane, Wash., native has posted a batting average of .408 - a team-best among hitters with at least 20 at-bats.
Ramsay Rockin' With the Best
Third baseman Ramsay Lopez has also been a bright spot in the lineup for Kathy Rodolph as the New Mexico native ranks inside the top-50 nationally in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total home runs, home runs per game and walks per game.
Her on-base percentage of .530 is good for 38th among Division I players while she ranks 46th in the country in slugging percentage (.817). Meanwhile, Lopez's eight home runs rank 48th nationally and allows her to rank 43rd in the nation in home runs per game (0.33). Lastly, she ranks 11th in walks per game (0.83).
Scouting the Lancers
Led by head coach Mike Smith entering into the first season of his second stint at CBU, the Lancers enter the weekend matchup with an overall record of 18-16, including a win over then #24 BYU 6-3 in the Mary Nutter Classic.
At the plate, New Mexico is led by senior Andrea Howard who paces the Lobo in batting average (.400), slugging percentage (.856) and on-base percentage (.481). Howard also ranks first on the Lobo squad in hits with 36, including a team-best 10 home runs, 35 RBIs and three triples. As a team, the Lobos are batting .282 on the year while slugging .423 and reaching base at a .359 rate.
In the circle CBU is led by ace Alyssa Argomaniz, boasting a 2.20 ERA in 89.0 innings pitched, racking up 73 strikeouts with a 7-6 record. Jazmine Castaneda has also put together an impressive season, compiling a 9-5 record with a 2.99 ERA in 77.1 innings pitched.
Last season, CBU went 1-2 against the Aggies, NM State outscoring the Lancers 19-7 over the three game series.
History vs. California Baptist
In seven previous meetings versus California Baptist, the Aggies have picked up four wins. In the short series history, NM State has won three of the last four contests, including the series' largest margin of victory when the Aggies defeated the Lancers 10-2 on May 7, 2021.
