UNM baseball opens 2026 season with experience, newcomers and big goals

Things look quite a bit different around Lobo Baseball Field these days.

It starts with the obvious: UNM's home stadium currently has no press box. The woefully small capsule that topped the grandstands in recent years is gone and will be replaced by a larger, more modern version.

But that long-delayed project has yet to be completed and the Lobos will open their 2026 season Friday with temporary, clear-plastic tents in the stands serving as temporary press areas. The permanent version is scheduled to be completed by March.

Fans will notice big changes on the field, too. The Lobos, who host Fordham for a four-game series, will be without several of the big boppers and a few key arms that propelled them to a 30-23 record and a Mountain West tournament berth in 2025.

It's not an overhaul. New Mexico has 18 returnees and its lineup figures to be stocked with familiar faces when the Lobos take the field against the Rams. Still, there are 18 newcomers on the roster.

"I like our roster," fifth-year UNM coach Tod Brown said. "We had a really good fall and we've shown improvement this spring. We're pretty healthy — knock on wood — and this group has really good chemistry. We're excited to get started and see how far we can take it."

UNM's schedule has a decidedly different look in 2026. It's the first and last season with the current nine-team Mountain West membership before Fresno State, San Diego State and baseball-only affiliate Washington State depart for the Pac-12.

That means just 24 Mountain West games on the schedule (three against each opponent) and 27 nonconference games for the Lobos. It also means lots of games at Lobo Field, which will offer free admission to baseball fans this season.

The Lobos aren't complaining.

"New Mexico's my home, so I love playing here," said junior pitcher Ryan Castillo, a Los Lunas native who projects as a weekend starter. "It's a challenge for pitchers, but I feel like if you can win here, you can win anywhere. And, our hitters obviously love this park."

Here's a quick look at what's ahead for UNM baseball this season.

Lineup

The bad news first: The Lobos won't have five productive bats who helped them lead the NCAA in batting average (.337) last season. Jordy Oriach transferred to Georgia in the offseason, while Ethan Ott, Josh McAlister, Will Asby and Tye Wood exhausted their eligibility.

Next, the good news: UNM's roster has plenty of proven hitters and familiar faces. In fact, Friday's opening-day lineup could feature as many as seven familiar faces. The outfield looks particularly stout with two-time MWC batting champ Khalil Walker, junior college transfer Anthony Diaz and surprise returnee Lenny Junior Ashby likely to start.

Ashby, a two-time All-MWC selection at UNM, played at Kansas in 2024 and was granted an extra year of eligibility after spending last season at Division II Tampa. He opted to finish his career as a Lobo.

"I'm just so excited to have another year of college baseball and to spend it here," Ashby said. "I think this team has the talent and pitching depth to make a run at (NCAA) Regionals."

The infield has returnees Akili Carris (3B), Karsen Waslefski (SS), Luke Mansy (2B), Gene Trujillo (1B) and Caleb Herd/Brodey Williams at catcher. Newcomers Tristan Russell, Aidan Kuni and Damian Garcia also figure to see action on the infield or at designated hitter.

"We have the potential to be a really good hitting team again," said Carris, an Albuquerque native and senior co-captain. "I think we may be a little less dependent on home runs, which can be good for us when we play elsewhere. We'll still hit our fair share of home runs, though."

Pitching

UNM lost a few key arms, including workhorses Daxton Purser and Dayne Pengelly, but Brown feels good about the depth and versatility of this year's staff. UNM's pitching corps was plagued by injuries in 2025 but enters this season healthy.

Likely starters include returnees Cristian Mogen, Castillo, Diego Alvarez and Ty Cunningham, who worked as UNM's closer last season. All are right-handers and they'll be joined by newcomers Tyler Do (RHP) and Cooper Corkrean (LHP). Key bullpen arms include returnees Josh Barnhouse, Luke Wiseman, Tommy White and newcomer Talor Grubbs.

Schedule

The Lobos will spend a lot of time at home in 2026, playing 35 of their 51 games at Lobo Field. UNM was not included in this year's MLB Desert Invitational field and will instead play three straight four-game series at home before visiting New Mexico State on March 3. The Lobos and Aggies will meet four times, twice at each home venue, and UNM will play midweek games against Texas Tech (home and away) and at Arizona.

The revamped Mountain West schedule shakes out favorably for UNM, which was picked to finish fourth in the league behind defending champ Nevada, Fresno State and newcomer Grand Canyon. The Lobos will host a series against Nevada and Fresno State and visit GCU. The top six finishers advance to the MWC tournament May 20-23 in Mesa, Arizona, with the top two receiving first-round byes.

"There are a lot of good teams in the conference and I think we're in that mix," Brown said. "It always comes down to pitching and I'm sure it will again, but this is a tight-knit group with a lot of experience (18 seniors). I like our chances."