The Lobos (6-5, 0-0) look to get back to their winning ways, as they start Mountain West Play tonight with a three-game series at Nevada (4-8, 0-2). After starting the year 6-1, the Lobos have lost all four games in the last week, with 3 losses to Dallas Baptist and a loss to NMSU in El Paso. It will be important for the Lobos to get good pitching, as they have given up 59 runs in the last 4 games. Carson Schneider will be given the ball in his customary Friday night role and will be counted on to get the series off right with a great start. At the same time, the Lobo offense needs to get an early lead to get the team’s confidence back. The Lobos are hitting .326 as a team with an on-base percentage of .440, so the offense hasn’t been the problem, but with the struggles the pitching staff is having right now, there has been added pressure to be even better. The Lobos pitching staff is allowing a .337 batting average against and have an earned run average of 6.80, which clearly needs to be better if the Lobos want to win the Mountain West Regular Season Title. They have the talent to do it, though, so I’m optimistic that they’ll get back on track soon.
Scattered Thoughts:
- With Danny Collier back in an everyday role, what will Coach Birmingham do with the starting lineup? Coach Birmingham is fortunate that he has good options on who will play where, but figuring out the best options might be tricky. I think the biggest question is if Chris DeVito can catch 2 games a weekend. If DeVito is able to do this, it will allow Coach Birmingham to use the DH for either Carl Stajduhar, Collier or Jared Mang.
- It is pretty clear right now that Dalton Bowers is the starting shortstop for the Lobos. Bowers is a great defensive shortstop who struggled with injuries last year, as well at the plate, but has shown that he is healthy and taken a huge step forward with his offensive production. Bowers is second on the team with a .441 batting average and leads the team with a staggering .578 on base percentage. On Sunday, we saw Bowers hitting in the number 2 spot of the lineup, so don’t be surprised if he stays there for most of the year.
- With the emergence of Bowers at shortstop, Jared Holley has become the utility infielder that will still see a fair amount of time. I expect to see Holley at third late in game, or even start there if Stajduhar is the DH.
- Does the starting rotation end up being Carson Schneider, James Harrington and Colton Thomson? So far this season, these three have been the best starters for the Lobos, as Tyler Stevens has had one really good start, one ok start, and one bad start. If Stevens struggles to be consistent, don’t be surprised if Coach Birmingham inserts Harrington into the weekend rotation full time.
Nevada Wolf Pack:
Nevada lost their Head Coach from the last two seasons after he accepted the head coaching position at University of Arizona. After that, Nevada ended up hiring T.J. Bruce, who was an assistant coach at UCLA the last five years. He also spent time at Long Beach State as an assistant coach and four years as a player. This is Bruce’s first season as a Head Coach, so there is no way of knowing how good of a head coach he is. One thing that is known is he has worked and played at two of the best baseball schools in the country. Bruce has a chance to be a great hire for the Wolf Pack, the question is when will they be really good?
The Wolf Pack are coming of a great season, when they won the Mountain West Regular Season Title and finished the season with a 41-15 (22-7 MW) record. They ended up not making the NCAA Tournament after losing their first two games against UNM and SDSU in the Mountain West Tournament in Reno. Last season, the Wolf Pack won the season series 5-2, but the Wolf Pack did lose a lot off of last year’s team. So far this season, the Wolf Pack have been led by junior college transfer Miles Mastrobouni, who is hitting .486 on the young season. Other hitters to watch for the Wolf Pack include TJ Friedl and Senior Bryce Greager, who hit .355 last season and is likely their best player.
The weekend rotation so far this season for the Wolf Pack has been Christian Stolo, Mark Nowaczewski and Trenton Brooks. Stolo has been really good in the Friday night role with a 3.32 earned run average, while allowing opponents to only hit .247. Nowaczewski and Brooks have struggled so far this season, so it will be interested to see if there are any changes in the rotation after Stolo. The key relief pitchers for the Wolf Pack are Ty Pennington, Alex Lott and Charlie Brooks, who have only given up 1 earned run combined in 15 innings.
Conference Standings:
- AFA 2-0
- FSU 2-1
- UNLV 2-1
- UNM 0-0
- SJSU 1-2
- SDSU 1-2
- Nevada 0-2
I slot the Lobos in the 4 spot since they haven’t played any games, although the MW website standings go by win percentage only, so they have the Lobos at 6. One thing for sure this season, you can’t take AFA lightly. In years past, you might have had to worry about your series in Colorado Springs and that’s it, but this year they boast maybe the best 1-2 punch in the Friday and Saturday starter roles.
Series Prediction:
I think the Lobos are in for a good weekend after suffering four straight loses. I don’t think they will get the sweep, but if they win Friday’s game against Stolo, that becomes a real possibility. I have the Lobos winning the series 2-1.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico Lobos (6-5, 0-0) at Nevada Wolf Pack (4-8, 0-2)
Where: Peccole Park, Reno Nevada
When: Friday March 11th 5 PM MT, Saturday March 12th 2 PM MT, Sunday March 13th 2 PM MT
Probable Starters:
Game 1: Carson Schneider (2-1, 3.44 ERA) vs. Christian Stolo (0-3, 3.32 ERA)
Game 2: Tyler Stevens (1-1, 8.56 ERA) vs. Mark Nowaczewski (1-1, 9.00 ERA)
Game 3: Colton Thomson (1-0, 4.09 ERA) vs. Trenton Brooks (0-2, 8.10 ERA)
Stream: MW Network/ Campus Insiders