Give the University of New Mexico baseball team a solid ‘A’ for its pre-conference assignments.
The Lobos came through a their first dozen games with a 9-3 record, three noteworthy wins and some of the nation’s most eye-popping hitting stats. That includes a .366 team batting average that ranks second only to Alabama’s .368.
UNM’s pitching and defense have earned passing grades, too. The Lobos have posted six quality starts in 12 games and committed a Mountain West-low six errors.
Second-year coach Tod Brown has little to complain about.
“You can go up and down the roster for contributions,” Brown said. “The offense has been off-the-charts good and we’re happy with the way our pitching and defense have improved. The guys are off to a really good start.”
Anyone sensing a “but” coming will not be disappointed.
UNM opens Mountain West competition Friday with the opener of a home three-game series against Air Force. Friday and Saturday games begin at 6 p.m., with Sunday’s finale set for noon. (Saturday’s game was rescheduled from a 2 p.m. start to avoid expected high winds.)
As Brown pointed out, UNM’s 9-3 start does not carry over to conference play and is unlikely to impress the Falcons. The Lobos were picked to finish seventh in the seven-team MWC in the league’s preseason coaches poll.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position and we’re playing with confidence,” Brown said, “but it can all go away quickly. Air Force is in the top 1% of the country when it comes to mental toughness, and we’re not going to intimidate them. We have to come ready to play.”
The Falcons’ pre-conference work has not gone as well as UNM’s. AFA (4-9) dropped two of three against rivals Army and Navy but is coming off a win over Michigan State. Falcons first baseman Sam Kulasingam ranks second in MWC hitting with a .472 average.
Kulasingam’s name is surrounded by Lobos atop the league’s hitting stats. Third baseman Dylan Ditzenberger (.467) leads the MWC and is ranked 14th nationally. UNM regulars Braydon Runion (.467), Lenny Junior Ashby (.435), Deylan Pigford (.415) and Jake Holland (.412) all rank among the league’s top eight.
As a team, UNM leads the MWC in runs (140 also ranks 11th nationally), home runs (19), walks (75), batting average and fielding percentage (.986).
UNM’s pitching numbers land more in the middle of the conference pack, but they’re a bit skewed by two bad outings. The Lobos allowed 31 combined run in losses to Oregon State and St. Bonaventure. They allowed 31 runs in their other 10 games combined.
Right-handers Riley Egloff (3-0, 2.65 ERA), Tristin Lively (2.0, 4.50) and Isaac Gallegos (2-0, 1.80) are set to start for UNM this weekend.
NOTE: Admission is free to all three games this weekend. Fans are asked to park south of Santa Ana Star Field to avoid state high school basketball tournament crowds.
