Hope springs eternal for the Lobo Baseball team, as they look to make this year the year that Lob-Omaha becomes a reality. They’re coming off a very strong season, in which they went 39-23 (20-10 in conference play), won the conference tournament, and made noise in the Lubbock Regional before falling to Texas Tech and Dallas Baptist. Although they lost some talent from last season, the Lobos have reason to be optimistic about their chances this year, as not only do they still return a lot of talent, they brought some excellent players into the program, including many intriguing arms for the pitching staff. The Lobos will once again have a great offense and could very well have the arms necessary to bring fear to teams in a regional. While we don’t know what the season has in store for the Lobos, we know that we are excited to cover the journey and see the great moments and memories that play out over the next few months.

Once again, we will have a two-part Season Preview, where Part 1 will focus on Schedule Breakdown and our Bold Predictions, and Part 2 will look at the team in depth, including the returning players, newcomers, and positional breakdowns.

Schedule Breakdown:

The Lobos once again will have a very challenging schedule, which gives them the opportunity to position themselves for a regional birth without needing to win the conference tournament. Here are the series the Lobos will have this year, noting midweek series and conference series.

Note: Conference Series will be in bold, and if the series is played in multiple locations, the order of those locations is noted.

Series	Home, Road or Neutral	Number of Game (Midweek)
Binghamton	Home	3
Dallas Baptist	Road	3
Texas Tech	Home and Road	4 (2 and 2 midweek)
Air Force	Road and Home	6 (3 and 3)
NMSU	Home/Road/Neutral	3 (1,1 and 1 midweek)
SJSU	Home and Road	6 (3 and 3)
Oklahoma State	Road	2 (midweek)
Cal State Fullerton	Road	3
Grand Canyon	Home	2 (midweek)
UNLV	Road and Home	6 (3 and 3)
Fresno State	Home and Road	6 (3 and 3)
San Diego	Road	1 (midweek)
Missouri State	Home	3
Kansas State	Road	2 (midweek)
SDSU	Road	3
Nevada	Home	3

Top 10 Series:

Here are the 10 season series that I am most looking forward to this year. Midweek series games take a penalty in my mind compared to if they were weekend series against the same team.

1. FSU (both home and road): These six games will likely decide the regular season champ, and thus who host the conference tournament. Both teams will go all out to win these 6 games, which could lead to interesting moves and games. There is also a chance for another crazy game between the two teams like there was last season.
2. Cal State Fullerton: CSF lives up to their name as they are truly one of the Titans in College Baseball. This series is a huge chance for the Lobos to make a statement to everyone nationally that they are to be taken seriously. If they can win this series, the Lobos could find them on the right side of the bubble even if they don’t win the conference tournament.
3. Dallas Baptist: The two teams faced each 5 times last season, with DBU winning 4 of the 5 games and ending the Lobos’ season in the Lubbock Regional. This is a series that could become a huge non-conference rivalry and should be played every year. This year, the series is in Dallas and will be one of the series each team circles before the season.
4. Missouri State: While Missouri State may not be a household name to casual College Baseball fans, they are one of the best mid-major programs in the country and should be very good again this season.
5. Texas Tech: This rivalry would-be number 1 on this list if it were a weekend series, but I will take 4 midweek games against Tech every year. The Lobos will travel to Lubbock twice this season for one game apiece and will host Tech for a two game midweek series.
6. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys are coming off a trip to the College World Series and have Albuquerque native Tyler Buffet. However, it’s unlikely that we will be pitching in this midweek series, as he is a huge part of their weekend pitching staff.
7. Nevada: The lone series against the Wolf Pack at home is the final series of the regular season. If the Lobos or FSU have the conference locked up before this series, it could lose some luster, but if not, this could be an exciting series to watch. This could also be our last time to see Luis Gonzalez and Carl Stajduhar in person, if the Lobos don’t get to host either the conference tournament or a regional.
8. NMSU: After playing the Aggies four times last year in four different cities, the two teams will play three games in three different cities this season. Once again, this series will give the winner bragging rights against the other.
9. AFA: If you are surprised to see the Falcons on this list, I don’t blame you. However, the Falcons have a lot of talent and the series in Colorado Springs are always interesting.
10. SDSU: This season series would probably be number 7 on the list if they played two series against each other. After all, when these two programs meet, there are usually fireworks. Also, there is a chance of the Lobos clinching the regular season title in front of the Aztecs’ home crowd, which would be a bonus.

Bold Predictions:

Team Predictions:

• The Lobos will lead the country in multiple offensive statistics this season.
• The Lobos will break the school record for wins (42) in a season.
• The Lobos will sweep at least 4 weekend series.
• The Lobos will win both the Mountain West Regular Season and Conference Tournament.
• The Lobos will be ranked in the top 25 this season.
• The Lobos will be a 2 seed in a regional.
• The Lobos will win a regional for the first time this season, and advance to their first super regional.

Individual Predictions:

• Luis Gonzalez will hit over .400 and have an on-base % over .500.
• Luis Gonzalez will be named on at least one 1^st team All-American Team.
• Carl Stajduhar will hit at least 20 home runs this season, and have at least 45 extra base hits.
• Luis Gonzalez and Carl Stajduhar will be the two best players in the conference and will both be named to multiple All-American Teams.
• Tyler Stevens will win Mountain West Pitcher of the Year.
• Luis Gonzalez will be Conference Player of the Year.
• The streak of having a Freshman All-American will continue this season.
• Christian Tripp will become one of the better closers in the country.
• Luis Gonzalez will be drafted in the first 3 rounds of the MLB Draft.
• The Lobos will have 4 players with at least 10 home runs.