Games 31-33
NM State (15-15, 4-5 WAC) vs. Sam Houston (14-24, 5-4 WAC)
 
Friday, April 7 | 4 p.m. MDT (DH)
Game 1: Live Stats | Watch 
Game 2: Live Stats | Watch 
 
Saturday, April 8 | 1 p.m. MDT
Game 3: Live Stats | Watch 

 

First Pitch

NM State is back at the Softball Complex for the second straight weekend as they get set to host Sam Houston for a three-game series beginning with a Friday double-header starting at 4 p.m.

The Aggies are coming off a huge series win against Grand Canyon last weekend where the Aggies took two games from the Lopes, including the Saturday rubber match where the Aggies walked-off the Lopes thanks to a Kayla Bowen two-run home run. The Aggies now draw back to even on the season with a 15-15 overall record and are just one game below .500 in conference play with a 4-5 record.

As for the Bearkats, they are coming off series loss to Seattle U which saw them drop the final two games of the series after taking the weekend opener, 5-2. Sam Houston has now lost three of their last four games but still carry a 5-4 conference record putting them at sixth place in the WAC standings.

Lunar Launches

30 games into her freshman campaign at NM State, Kendal Lunar is making quite the impact for the Aggie offense.

The Alamogordo, N.M., native ranks 16th among all Division I hitters and is second in the WAC with 12 total doubles on the season. Lunar also ranks fifth in the nation in doubles per game (0.48).

Bowen's Box

Kayla Bowen was recently named the WAC Hitter of the Week on April 3rd after her 5-8 weekend at the plate against Grand Canyon – one of the best pitching rotations in the nation – where she tallied three RBI's, a double and a pair of home runs, including the Saturday walk-off to give NM State the series win.

Bowen currently leads the team in batting average (.352), hits (32), runs scored (23), total bases (59), and ranks second on the team in slugging percentage (.648).

Power at the Plate

Once again, the Aggie offense is one of the best at hitting the long ball. Thus far, the Aggies have combined to hit 44 home runs to average 1.47 per game, ranking seventh in the nation and first in the WAC.

The Aggies have hit a home run in 23 of their 30 games this season, going 15-8 in those game and 0-7 in games where they don't hit a home run.

Dix Dealing in the Circle

Impact transfer Emily Dix continues to embark on an impressive first season with the Aggies, picking up her third save of the season in the win over UTEP on March 5.

Her three saves on the year rank 18th in the nation and first in the WAC, while also totaling more saves than the Aggies as a team during the entire 2022 season.

Run Protection

It's pretty simple; when the Aggies score runs, they win games. After the win over GCU, NM State sits at a perfect 11-0 in games that it tallies at least six runs.

On the other hand, NM State has yet to win this season when scoring two or fewer runs - posting an 0-10 record in games of this nature.

Aggie Accolades

Graduate student Kayla Bowen was named to the Preseason All-WAC team as the lone representative for the Aggies. Last season, Bowen earned Second Team All-WAC honors after hitting .369 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI. She paced the team in hits (59), doubles (13), and total bases (105).

Most recently, Bowen was named as the WAC Hitter of the week on April 3rd following her big series against Grand Canyon where she went 5-8 with three RBIs, a double and two home runs, including the game winning homerun in game three of the series.

Covering the Bases

The Aggies return a strong core of players at the batter's box and in the circle, led by 2022 WAC 2nd Team selections Kayla Bowen and Jillian Taylor. Taylor was also named to the 2022 WAC All-Defensive Team for her efforts with the glove. On the year, Bowen hit .369 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles and 41 RBI. Taylor led the team in batting average (.376) while collecting 47 hits, seven home runs, and nine doubles; she was also solid with the leather, recording 82 putouts with five assists, along with turning a pair of double plays.

NM State's infield looks to provide a productive season on both sides of the field, with a pair of starters coming back for another season and an impact transfer from within the conference. Jayleen Burton is coming off a sophomore season where she produced 17 hits and a trio of RBI while providing strong defense from the shortstop position. Paige Knight transferred in from the prestigious Oklahoma program ahead of the 2022 season, and made an immediate impact as an Aggie, batting .284 and launching seven home runs with 25 RBI.

Coming in from UT Arlington, junior Jessica Carreon is looking to be a spark plug for the Crimson & White offense. Last season as a Maverick, Carreon started every game, recording 17 runs scored, seven multi-hit games, led the team in walks drawn (21), and swiped nine bases.

In the outfield, Gabby Aragon looks to build on a productive season that saw the now junior from Carlsbad make 31 appearances for the Aggies, collecting nine RBI and five extra-base hits while providing 26 putouts and a pair of assists.

Laurali Patane and Jordin King return for the 2023 season after accounting for 72% of innings pitched, 69% of total strikeouts and 85% of the wins at NM State to lead a staff that includes junior college transfers Ana Rodriguez, Emily Dix, and Aydenne Brown.

Behind the plate, sophomore Hannah Lindsay looks to build upon a strong freshman campaign, which saw her record the third-highest batting average on the team (.341) while crushing eight home runs and totaling 21 RBI.

Legend in the Dugout

Kathy Rodolph has had a remarkable career as head coach at NM State. Entering her 20th season at the helm, Rodolph is the winningest coach in NM State history with a 568-487 record.

She's led the team to four WAC Tournament Championships and six WAC Regular Season Championships, the most recent coming in the 2021 season when the Aggies went 14-4 in conference play.

She is also a five-time WAC Coach of the Year. She has helped the Aggies capture eight WAC player of the year awards and a pair of WAC Freshman player of the year awards. Additionally, Rodolph has helped 17 players earn NFCA All-Region Team Honors.

Scouting the Bearkats

Sam Houston currently sits in the sixth-place spot in the WAC standings with a 5-4 conference record, 14-24 overall. The team has lost three of their last four games including a series loss to Seattle U this past weekend.

As a team, the Bearkats are hitting .251, which is good for ninth best in the WAC. In the circle, Sam Houston has a combined 4.27 ERA, which is seventh best in the WAC.

The team is led in hitting by Ellie Grill who's slashing .302/.341/.369 for the season with 38 hits and 12 RBIs. Brailey Wasik and Brodie Quinlan lead the team in the power department, each with five homeruns on the year and are the only two Bearkats with a plus .400 slugging percentage.

Daryn Grams is the team leader in ERA at 2.38 with a 5-4 record while dealing 31 strikeouts to opposing batters.  

History vs. Sam Houston

The Aggies are 3-1 against the Bearkats all-time with their three wins coming the last three times out. The Aggies first win against Sam Houston came on Feb. 10, 2007, with a 9-0 win in Las Cruces. The Aggies won their lone matchup with the Sam Houston last year, taking down the Bearkats 5-4 in Hunstville.