The Lobos (13-6, 5-1) finished off a perfect 5-0 week with a three game sweep of SJSU. Lobos won Friday’s game 9-6, Saturday’s game 3-2, and Sunday’s game 11-1. After Friday’s game, where Carson Schneider battled through 6 1/3 innings, the Lobos pitching was fantastic, with two great starts by Tyler Stevens and Colton Thomson. The Lobos offense was its usual self, scoring 23 runs in the three games. As we have seen so far this season, if a starting pitcher just gives the Lobos a decent start, the Lobos will have a good chance to win the game. I like the feel of how the team is playing right now and think that the Dallas Baptist series was just a bad weekend. Since the four game losing streak (3 against DBU and 1 against NMSU), the Lobos have won 7 of their last eight.
The Lobos will look to continue their winning ways in a midweek game at nationally-ranked Texas Tech. this will be the first of three games against Texas Tech this season, with a two game midweek series in Albuquerque later this season. The Lobos will send James Harrington to the mound, where he has pitched well for the Lobos so far this season. For the past several years, this has been a good series and look for that trend to continue. I wish that some years that it would be a weekend series, that way both teams would be throwing their best starting pitchers, but we have to take what we can get.
Scattered Thoughts:
- Colton Thomson responded after a rough start against Nevada, much like Tyler Stevens bouncing back after a rough start against DBU. The Lobos now have Carson Schneider coming off a less than stellar start against SJSU, so look for him to rebound this weekend against SDSU.
- Chris DeVito has been outstanding at the plate for the Lobos this season, having reached base in all 19 games and is currently on an 18 game hit streak.
- Carl Stajduhar was named MW Offensive Player of the Week after a dominant week at the plate to help the Lobos go 5-0 in that stretch. After a slow start to the season Stajduhar has hit well over .400 the last 10 games.
- The Lobos didn’t have the services of Danny Collier this past week, as he had concussion like symptoms and hasn’t passed protocol. In his place, the Lobos started Erik Migueles in left field and he responded with a great weekend. The Lobos also started Austin Bell in two games this weekend.
Pitching Performances:
Just another weekend at the office for the Lobos pitching staff, getting two brilliant starts from two of their starters and another starter who battled through 6 1/3 innings. Overall, the Lobos only gave up 9 runs on the weekend, which will see them win most series this year.
Carson Schneider (3-1) was due for a less than stellar game, but I really liked what I saw, as he battled through 6 1/3 innings while giving up 6 runs on 9 hits and 2 hit batters. He didn’t walk a batter and had 4 strikeouts, which I’ll take every time. While he didn’t factor in the decision, it was great to see your Friday night starter give you a chance to win even if he didn’t have his best stuff.
Tyler Stevens (3-1) backed up his great start at Nevada with another stellar start against SJSU. Stevens went 8+ innings allowing 2 runs (1 earned), on 9 hits and a walk. He also had 6 strikeouts in the game, occasionally making the SJSU hitters look silly. After struggling with his command early in the year, Stevens has only 4 walks in his last two starts over 15 2/3 innings.
Colton Thomson (2-1) just dominated the SJSU hitters from the first pitch. Thomson ended up going 8+ innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits and two walks and notching 4 strikeouts on the day. He is the key to the Lobos pitching staff, in my opinion. If he can anchor the Sunday role, the Lobos will have a huge advantage to win weekend series in the conference.
Hitters:
Carl Stajduhar had a great weekend, finishing the week going 5 for 10 with 3 runs, 4 RBIs, a walk, 2 HBP, a double and a home run.
Chris DeVito wasn’t his best weekend, but still had good production, finishing the week, 4 for 14 with 2 runs, 5 RBIs and 2 doubles.
Jack Zoellner went 0-3 with a sacrifice fly in each of the first two games, but still managed to finish the weekend going 3 for 10 with 2 runs, 6 RBI, a double and a triple.
Erik Migueles stepped up in a starting role this weekend and had a great weekend, going 4 for 8 with a walk, an RBI and a double.
Luis Gonzalez had a great weekend at the top of the Lobos’ order, finishing the weekend 5 for 9 with 6 runs scored, an RBI, 4 walks, a HBP, 2 stolen bases and a double.
Jared Holley had a great weekend by getting a start every game and hitting in the two-hole. He ended the weekend with a 3 for 9 line, with 5 runs, 3 RBIs, 4 walks and a HBP.
Up Next:
The Lobos head to Lubbock, Texas for a midweek game against nationally-ranked Texas Tech (12-7). This is the first of three meetings against Texas Tech for the Lobos this season. The Lobos will have midweek starter James Harrington on the mound and look for Texas Tech to counter with Ty Damron. Look for Texas Tech to go to their bullpen early in the game if Damron runs into any trouble, as it maybe their biggest strength. Texas Tech’s offense is led by Tanner Gardner, who is hitting .467 so far this season with a .568 on base percentage. Other hitters to watch for on Texas Tech include Stephen Smith, Eric Gutierrez and Michael Davis.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico Lobos (13-6) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-7)
Where: Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park, Lubbock Texas
When: Tuesday March 22nd, 1 PM MT
Steam: Video Stream (subscription)
Radio: 101.7 FM The Team
Stats: golobos.com