ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - With the season series already in the bag, NM State now turns its eyes to a sweep of rival New Mexico. The Aggies won both games in a doubleheader on March 26, and will play the third and final game of the Rio Grande Rivalry on Tuesday at 4:00 PM. The Aggies are coming off a sweep of FIU, improving to second in CUSA (10-5) and 24-17 overall. Meanwhile, the hosting Lobos have lost 10 straight games and have been outscored by 65 runs over the 24-day span, falling to 10-34 overall.
How to Follow
Who: NM State (24-17, 7-5 CUSA) at New Mexico (10-34, 2-11 Mountain West)
Where: Lobo Softball Field - Albuquerque, N.M.
When: Tuesday, April 16 at 4:00 PM
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Series Record: UNM leads 85-73
Last Meeting: UNM 4 @ NM State 8 (March 26, 2024)
LAST TIME OUT
NM State swept FIU over the weekend, improving to 10-5 and second overall in CUSA. The Aggies scored 26 runs in 18 innings over the three-game series, improving their team batting average to a CUSA-best .321 in league games.
Devin Elam was named CUSA Player of the Week for her efforts, after a second consecutive stellar week at the plate. The sophomore outfielder tallied 11 hits, a home run, three doubles and nine RBIs. Including two games against Arizona earlier in the week, Elam posted a batting average of .611 and an OPS of 1.555. Across 14 conference games, Elam is now batting .500, comfortably leading all CUSA batters.
Jillian Taylor posted equally impressive numbers at the plate, launching home runs in three straight games to increase her season total to six. The senior center fielder brought in six of her seven RBIs from the week against FIU, earning a staggering 2.514 OPS in the series. Taylor, CUSA's Player of the Week from April 1, is now among the top three Aggies in batting average (.359), at-bats (117), runs (36), hits (42), doubles (nine), triples (two), home runs (six), RBIs (26) and total bases (73).
In the circle, Jaileen Mancha was exceptional once again. On Saturday, the Las Cruces native needed just 47 pitches to shutout FIU, allowing just three singles and no extra-base hits. She followed up the 8-0 win with three innings of relief work on Sunday, earning her 10th win of the season. The junior lowered her season ERA to 3.23, nearly leading all Aggies. Her 2.41 ERA in CUSA games leads the team and is fifth in the league.
PATMON POWER
The Aggies' first-ever CUSA win in program history came on Saturday, March 9. The benchmark victory was highlighted by one of the best individual performances by an Aggie in recent history as Dezianna Patmon finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate, including a grand slam to help produce six of the Aggies' nine runs. The six-RBI day for the transfer from North Carolina A&T marked the most RBIs by an Aggie in a single game since Nikki Butler recorded a half-dozen RBIs on April 16, 2021.
Patmon is leading the Aggies with 45 hits and 79 total bases, while ranking second with 28 RBIs this season. The junior is also second in home runs (8) and third in OPS (1.127).
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Along with Patmon, freshman standout Desirae Spearman has been a shining star in the Aggie lineup. In just her first 28 games at the collegiate level, Spearman is maintaining a .386 batting average while pacing the Aggies in home runs (12), OPS (1.420), RBIs (32), total bases (78) and ranking third on the team in total hits (30) despite missing 13 of the Aggies' 38 games due to injury.
Additionally, the El Paso, Texas, native has been dominant in the circle. She has begun the season with a 7-2 record and 50 strikeouts while maintaining a 3.14 ERA in 11 appearances and 55.2 innings of work.
On Feb. 16, Spearman tossed a complete game, shutout victory over Nebraska when she gave up just one hit and led the Aggies to a 3-0 win. In the series finale versus UTEP, she went another 7.0 innings, punching out 12 Miners and securing a win in her first pitching appearance in 35 days.
Currently, Spearman is posting a team-best ERA, allowing just 50 hits and eight home runs. She also ranks second in the conference and 25th nationally with her 13 total offensive home runs despite missing nearly a third of the Aggies' games due to injury.
FEAR NONE
In February, the Aggies opened the annual Troy Cox Classic with a victory over Big Ten foe Nebraska to mark the program's first win over a Power Five program since the 2020 season when the Aggies defeated the same Nebraska program twice.
The following week, the Aggies added to their list of impressive early victories as they defeated (RV) Grand Canyon on Friday evening before knocking off Arizona State on Sunday morning to tally their second Power Five win of the season and first win over a Pac-12 program since 2020.
NEW YEAR, NEW CONFERENCE
In 2023, the Aggies finished 21-25 overall, with a 10-14 mark in WAC play. On July 1, 2023, NM State joined Conference USA, and will be a first-year member of the league in 2024. Also new to the conference are Jax State (ASUN), Liberty (ASUN) and Sam Houston (WAC). FIU, LA Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky are the five returning members of the conference.
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
NM State Softball played its first season in 1975. Now, in 2024, the Aggies entered season No. 50, with 1,144 wins and a much loftier reputation. The program was the class of the WAC for over a decade, earning six regular-season crowns and four conference tournament championships. Softball was NM State's second women's team sport and has brought 10 championship trophies home to Las Cruces. This May, the Aggies will look to win the CUSA Tournament Championship on their home soil.
LEGENDARY STATUS
Entering her 21st season as the Aggies' leader, Head Coach Kathy Rodolph is already easily the winningest coach in program history. Before Rodolph, the program had not won a championship (regular-season or tournament). Under her direction, the Aggies have claimed 10 pieces of hardware, and boast a 602-522 record. Making stops at El Paso CC and Angelo State before coming to Las Cruces, Rodolph has an individual mark of 795-617 as a head coach. At NM State, she has recruited and coached 17 NFCA All-Region members and eight WAC Player of the Year winners.
With their 20th win against San Diego on March 30, the Aggies have won 20 or more games in 18 seasons under Rodolph. The 21st-year head coach became the first coach in program history to surpass 600 wins with NM State after a walk-off three-run home run gave the Aggies a 9-6 win over FIU on Friday, April 12.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
After not seeing action in all of 2023 due to injury, Kayla Lunar became the only Aggie to start each of the first 41 games in 2024. The Alamogordo High School product has been the model of consistency, appearing at third base in every starting lineup this season. With the bat this season, Lunar has 13 RBIs across 24 hits, including six extra-base knocks and a no-doubt home run versus UTEP on March 23. The only other Aggie to appear in all 41 contests this season is Dezianna Patmon, who has started 35 games as the designated player.
BEST OF THE BEST
In the program's first year in a new conference, two Aggies have already stood out among the league. Last month, CUSA unveiled its Preseason All-Conference Team, highlighted by Riley Carley and Kendal Lunar. The pair of Aggies each put forth stellar campaigns in 2023 and will look to lead their team into new territory in 2024.
Riley Carley started all 44 games she appeared in last season, leading the team with 16 home runs and 14 walks. In her junior year, she ranked second among all Aggies in RBIs (30), batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.750) and OPS (1.012). Carley was named to the All-WAC Second Team in 2023.
As a true freshman, Kendal Lunar made quite the impression in 2023. The first-year Aggie posted six home runs and 20 RBIs with an OPS of .870. Starting 38 games in total, including each of the final 30 a season ago, Lunar is poised for a productive 2024 campaign behind the plate as a sophomore, and was selected to the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team accordingly.
ON DECK
After their rivalry matchup, the Aggies will quickly turn around for a cross-country trip to Lynchburg, Va. The top two seeds in Conference USA are set to clash as Liberty welcomes NM State for the first-ever matchup as conference foes. The weekend series with the Lady Flames will begin Friday, April 19, with first pitch scheduled for 4:00 PM MT. Each game will air on ESPN+, with live statistics available on nmstatestats.com.
For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2024 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).
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