LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Over the next three weeks, NM State Softball will not depart the Borderlands, setting up the team's longest homestand of the season. Before next weekend's series at UTEP, the Aggies will first host Sam Houston (17-16, 6-3 CUSA). The Bearkats have won their last four league bouts and were on a five-game winning streak before dropping a midweek contest to No. 5 Texas A&M on Tuesday. This weekend, NM State looks to bounce back from a hard-fought series loss at FIU in which the Aggies held three sixth-inning leads but fell in two of three games. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: Sam Houston (17-16, 6-3 CUSA) at NM State (18-14, 5-4 CUSA)
Where: NM State Softball Complex – Las Cruces, N.M.
When: March 28-30 | Friday (6:00 PM MT) / Saturday (4:00 PM MT) / Sunday (11:00 AM MT)
Live Stream: N/A
Radio: 91.5 FM KRUX
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record vs. Sam Houston: 9-3
Under Kathy Rodolph: 8-2
All-Time Record in Las Cruces: 4-2
Last Meeting: NM State 1 @ Sam Houston 0 – March 17, 2024 (Huntsville, Texas)
Current Streak: NM State, 3 wins (since March 15, 2024)
 
COACH'S THOUGHTS
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the series against Sam Houston: "That's a well-coached team. They're scrappy and they're hungry, so I expect them to come in and make it a battle. We've just got to make sure we bring our part by doing the exact same thing."
 
LAST TIME OUT
The longest road trip of the season took NM State to Miami for a three-game bout at FIU. The Aggies took a win on Saturday, but fell short on both bookends of the series. The visitors held a lead in the sixth inning of each game, but allowed seven of FIU's 11 total runs in the sixth frames. The losses dropped NM State to 5-4 in CUSA play, placing Kathy Rodolph's bunch at fifth in the league.
 
THERE'S ALWAYS TAMARA
Tamara Carranza reached new heights over the weekend. The freshman has been a consistent force on defense this season, but recently had easily her best three-day stretch at the plate. The shortstop hit the first two home runs of her career at FIU as part of a six-hit weekend in which she batted .667. A double on Saturday rounded out a three-day stretch of extra-base hits in which Carranza had a 2.144 OPS and scored three runs. 
 
In CUSA play, the California native is batting .417 and has the second-highest OPS on the team (1.190). For the season, her batting average has vaulted to .280, up from its non-conference mark of .167.
 
FEARIN' SPEARMAN
Earlier this month, Desirae Spearman was named as the third-best utility player in the country by Softball America. The true sophomore was not only last year's CUSA Freshman of the Year, but her remarkable campaign as a pitcher and outfielder won her Player of the Year honors in the league as well. 
 
This season, Spearman is off to an even more impressive start. In the circle, she leads the team in innings pitched (73.0), strikeouts thrown (69) and ERA (2.78). In 14 starts, the two-way star has amassed eight victories, making her one of just four pitchers to do so in CUSA this season. 
 
At the plate, the second-year Aggie is even more electric, ranking among the nation's top 15 in six different offensive categories. In addition to a team-high .49 batting average, she paces the conference in home runs (15), total bases (95), walks drawn (30), slugging percentage (1.118), on-base percentage (.636), OPS (1.754) and runs scored (38). 
 
SUPER SLUGGERS
Spearman is also one of just three players in all of NCAA Division I with at least 15 home runs through the opening seven weeks of the season. The sophomore's prowess as a home run threat has granted her 30 walks drawn this season; a mark that places her atop the conference and tied for sixth in the nation. The second-year Aggie is on pace (57.58) to shatter her own mark of 43 RBIs that led last year's squad. However, Spearman is far from alone in an Aggie lineup that has been daunting for opposing pitchers in 2025. 
 
The team ranks 37^th in the nation with a slugging percentage of .526, while ranking third in CUSA with a .318 batting average. The unit is slotted within the top 30 nationally in both hits (283) and home runs (42), with just under half of its base knocks (133) courtesy of seven incoming transfers. 
 
Six Aggies rank among the conference's top 45 in hits, due in large part to two newcomers; Kristiana Watson (41) and Faith Aragon (32). The former is tied for the CUSA lead with 11 doubles, while ranking second in the conference with 37 RBIs. Only two league individuals have more home runs than the first-year Aggie this season (nine), including her teammate Desirae Spearman. Watson, having appeared in all 32 games thus far, is on track to tally 60.13 RBIs during the regular season.
 
AGGIES OF THE WEEK
NM State added some hardware earlier this month, courtesy of Devin Elam earning Co-CUSA Player of the Week honors. The junior outfielder returned from an eight-game injury absence, making an immediate impact. The 2024 All-CUSA First Team selection posted a .600 batting average as she racked up six hits in three outings against Jax State, leading the offense to another series win. With a walk, two doubles and a home run, Elam notched 11 total bases and a 1.736 OPS. The junior's home run on Sunday brought in three of her team's five runs as NM State took the rubber match against the Gamecocks. For the week, the California native tallied seven RBIs to pace an NM State offense that scored 26 runs in a 3-1 week that began with a rivalry win over New Mexico. 
 
After the opening week of the season, Lauren Garcia earned similar recognition. The UNM transfer posted a team-high .600 batting average, boosted by three walks for an on-base percentage of .667. Her squad-best eight extra-base hits resulted in a then-nation's best 1.667 slugging percentage and an otherworldly 2.333 OPS. Conference USA recognized the remarkable weekend by tabbing Garcia as the first CUSA Player of the Week for 2025. 
 
SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
Sam Houston is under the direction of Garrett Valis, who holds a 137-191 record in his seven seasons with the program. The Bearkats are out to a 17-16 start in 2025, finding themselves on a five-game winning streak before falling on Tuesday to the sixth-ranked Aggies of Texas A&M. Last weekend, the Bearkats hosted Kennesaw State, sweeping the Owls by a combined score of 18-4.
 
On the field, the Bearkats are led by Jenny Robison, who paces the squad with a .375 batting average. The pitching staff revolves around Abigail Young and her CUSA-best 1.57 ERA. However, Amy Abke's 65.1 innings pitched leads a true five-player rotation that has all seen between 29 and 66 frames of action this season. 
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Aggies and Bearkats have met 12 times in history, with NM State holding a 9-3 edge. In Las Cruces, the home team has prevailed four of six times and Kathy Rodolph has a personal record of 8-2 against her former WAC rival. After sharing the league in 2022 and 2023, both joined Conference USA in July 2023 ahead of the Spring 2024 season. 
 
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP
NM State traveled to Sam Houston in March for its first-ever road CUSA series. The visitors gave the hosts more than they could handle as the Aggies picked up a three-game sweep by a combined score of 12-6. Sam Houston finished the season 8-15 in league play, missing the CUSA Championship by two and a half games.
 
For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2025 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).