The Lobos (8-6, 2-1) started off their conference play with a good weekend in Reno, as they took two of three from the Nevada Wolf Pack, winning Friday’s game 8-3 and Saturday’s game 3-2 before falling in Sunday’s game 7-6. It was encouraging to see some great bounce back performances after the disappointing weekend against Dallas Baptist, especially among the pitching staff. The start by Tyler Stevens was great to see and the bullpen was fantastic in their limited work this weekend. The key for the Lobos to win the conference regular season title is to win series on the road and look for sweeps at home. On top of that, if you can avoid getting swept in a series, it will go a long way towards winning a conference title. One thing that I noticed during the series is that the Wolf Pack pitchers attacked the Lobo hitters, limiting Lobo walks to 4. It will be interesting to see if this is how pitching staffs in the Mountain West will attack the Lobo lineup and if so, how that lineup will handle it.
Scattered Thoughts:
- For the second straight weekend, the Lobos had one starter have a rough start and this week it was Colton Thomson. I’m not too worried, though, and I think that we will see him bounce back in his next start, like Stevens did this weekend.
- It was an interesting weekend for the Lobos, as they had a few players that didn’t even go to the game on Saturday because of a bug that was going around the team. Despite being shorthanded, the Lobos were still able to win the game 3-2 to clinch the series win.
- The Lobo lineup is starting to come into focus with Danny Collier back at the leadoff spot. The Top 6 in the order seem pretty set when everyone is healthy, with the order being, Collier, Bowers, Gonzalez, Stajduhar, DeVito, Zoellner. The last three spots might see a little shuffle, but I imagine that it will come together soon.
Pitching Performances:
The Lobos pitching was great as a whole this weekend, with the only blemish being the 7 runs given up on Sunday.
Carson Schneider (3-1): He was fantastic on the mound Friday Night, throwing a complete game with 4 strikeouts, while allowing only 3 runs on 6 hits, a walk and a hit batter. Schneider has been fantastic so far this season as the number one starter for the Lobos.
Tyler Stevens (2-1): What a bounce back game for the sophomore starter! After a bad start against Dallas Baptist, he responded by going 7 2/3 innings with 3 strikeouts, while allowing only 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. The issue with Stevens so far has been whether he has been able to throw strikes or not. When he has been able to, he’s been great this season, particularly when he has had 3 or less walks.
Colton Thomson (1-1): It was a weird start for Thomson, as he wasn’t necessarily good, but he wasn’t bad either. He had some unlucky plays that ended up affecting his line, including two straight sacrifice bunts that went for singles. He ended up going 3 2/3 innings with 3 strikeouts, while allowing 6 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batters. I expect the senior left hander to a response much like Stevens and pitch really well next weekend.
Hitters:
Danny Collier: He had a good weekend at the top of the Lobo lineup, going 5-12 with 3 runs scored, 1 RBI, a double, 2 stolen bases and a hit by pitch.
Carl Stajduhar: He had his first great weekend this season by going 8-14 with 3 runs scored, 4 RBIs, 2 doubles and a homerun.
Chris DeVito: He had another good weekend, this time starting every game behind the plate (which would be nice to see if he can do that regularly). He ended up going 4-12 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBIs, 2 doubles and a HR over the three games.
Jack Zoellner: He was great in his two games this weekend. Despite missing the game Saturday, he finished his weekend at 4-8 with 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, a walk and a homerun.
Up Next:
Before returning for their first conference home series this season, the Lobos make a stop in Phoenix to take on Grand Canyon University on Tuesday and Wednesday. GCU (10-5) has had a really good start to their season, which is only their third year as a Division 1 school. This is the second straight midweek games against a WAC opponent, after the Lobos played NMSU last Tuesday. With a two-game midweek series, it will be interesting to see who pitches the second game on Wednesday for both teams. The expected starters for Tuesday’s game will be James Harrington for the Lobos and Tyler Wyatt for GCU. I wouldn’t be surprised if Luis Gonzalez starts the game Wednesday for the Lobos and if GCU treats the game a bullpen game. The leading hitters to watch for GCU are Austin Bull, Thomas Lerouge and Paul Panaccione.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico Lobos 8-6 vs. Grand Canyon University Lopes 10-5
Where: Brazell Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona
When: Tuesday March 15th, 8 PM MT; Wednesday 3 PM MT
Steam: No Steam for the game
Stats: golobos.com