UNM opens baseball series at UNLV tied for first in the MWC

You do the math. Ray Birmingham wants no part of it.

With the University of New Mexico and TCU baseball teams in a dead heat atop the Mountain West Conference standings, the tiebreaking scenarios are convoluted enough to give a calculator a headache.

“As much as I hate to say it,” Birmingham said, “we’ll just go a game at a time. Tell me who we’re playing next, and we’ll show up. I can’t figure out the rest of it.”

	Today UNM at UNLV, 7:05 p.m. TV: The Mtn. Saturday 3:05 p.m.; Sunday 2:05 p.m.

With six conference games remaining, trying to line up scenarios for MWC tournament seeding is certainly confusing. UNM and TCU almost certainly will be the top two seeds, but each is 13-5 in league play and the teams split their head-to-head meetings 3-3.

The next tiebreaker is record against the third-place team in the standings, currently San Diego State. The Lobos went 5-1 against the Aztecs. TCU is 2-1 against SDSU and hosts a three-game series against the Aztecs this weekend, while UNM opens a three-game series at UNLV today.

Should the Horned Frogs and Lobos sweep, the tiebreaker would move to records against the fourth-place team, which could be either UNLV or Air Force.

And however things stand come Monday, they could change again next week.

“We just want to make sure we get at least a share of the (regular-season) championship,” Birmingham said. “There really isn’t that big a difference between being the No. 1 or 2 seed for the tournament. You still have to win once you get there, no matter who you play first.”

Of greater concern for the Lobos (27-21) is trying to regain momentum after dropping two of three last week at TCU. UNM must do so against a UNLV squad that figures to have plenty of motivation.

The Rebels (22-27, 6-15) are in fourth place in the MWC with one more win than fifth-place Air Force, but the Falcons have six league games remaining. UNLV has just three.

Only four teams advance to the conference tournament, which UNLV is hosting.

“They’re not going to want to be left out,” Birmingham said of the Rebels. “I expect they’ll give us all they have this weekend.”

UNM will be short-handed after suffering several injuries against TCU.

Designated hitter John Pustay is out for the season after suffering a freak knee injury during Sunday’s game. Pustay’s spikes got caught while he fouled off a pitch and his left knee simply gave out, Birmingham said.

Shortstop Alex Allbritton fouled a ball off his left foot and missed the final two games at TCU. He’s unlikely to play this weekend.

Third baseman D.J. Peterson (elbow) and shortstop Kyle Stiner (back) are also wounded but expected to play.

The Lobos swept UNLV in Albuquerque but have traditionally had a tough time in Las Vegas. They’re 27-57 overall and were swept there last season.
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal