The Lobos (8-3, 3-0) are riding high, as they are on a four-game winning streak and look to extend it this weekend against the visiting San Jose State Spartans (6-5, 2-1). The Lobos scored a ton of runs and got good pitching for most of the past week, aside from the first 3 innings last Saturday. The Lobos have a chance to create separation early in the conference season, which could pay huge dividends as the season goes along and allow them to host the conference tournament for the second straight year. Look for the Lobo pitching staff to have a great weekend against the struggling offense of the Spartans, while the Lobo bats will be the biggest test this Spartans’ pitching staff has faced this season. It should be a good weekend for the Lobos at Santa Ana Star Field.
San Jose State Spartans:
Coming off a last place finish last season in the conference, the Spartans are now led by new Head Coach Jason Hawkins. The Spartans went 1-5 last season against the Lobos, with the lone win coming in San Jose. It will take time for Coach Hawkins to leave his print on the Spartans program, but he has a good chance to improve the Spartans’ standing in the conference. The Spartans have a good pitching staff, but their lineup will have a difficult time keeping up with the Lobo offense.
Key Players:
- Joseph Stefanki is their best hitter so far, with a triple slash line of .417/.563/.625. He is more of a gap to gap hitter than a power hitter, but the Lobos will need to do a good job of keeping him off the bases.
- Aaron Pleschner has a triple slash line of .359/.390/.385.
- Kellen Strahm has a triple slash line of .359/.381/.410.
- Josh Nashed is their best starting pitcher, sitting at 0-0 with a 1.59 ERA. In 17 innings of work, he has allowed 8 runs (3 earned), 17 hits (3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homerun) and has 16 strikeouts to 2 walks and a hit batter.
- Jake Swiech is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. In 12 innings of work, he has allowed 4 runs (3 earned), 11 hits (2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homerun) and has 10 strikeouts and only 2 walks.
- The Spartans have a great bullpen, featuring the likes of Zach Tanner, Joseph Balfour, Hilario Tavar, Josh Goldberg, and Cameron Keup.
Conference Standings:
- UNM 3-0
- FSU 2-1
- SJSU 2-1
- SDSU 0-0
- Nevada 1-2
- UNLV 1-2
- AFA 0-3
Player of the Week:
The games considered for this week are the 3 games against Dallas Baptist.
Hitters:
This week we have three players tied for the hitter of the week, as they were all excellent.
Luis Gonzalez: Went 12 for 19 with 10 runs, 6 RBI, 4 doubles, 3 walks, a HBP and 2 stolen bases.
Jack Zoellner: Went 13 for 21 with 6 runs, 7 RBI, 3 doubles, 2 homeruns, 2 walks and a stolen base.
Carl Stajduhar: Went 11 for 20 with 9 runs, 9 RBI, 4 doubles, 3 homeruns and a walk. Was named Conference Player of the Week.
Pitchers:
- Justin Slaten: Made two appearances (1-0), pitching 5 1/3 innings, giving up 8 hits, 1 run (1 earned), while striking out 5 compared to 2 walks.
- Austin Isenhart: Made two appearances, pitching 4 1/3 innings, giving up 1 hit, 2 runs (2 earned), 2 strikeouts and 2 walks.
- Tyler Stevens: Went 1-0 on the week, pitching 7 2/3 in his start, allowing 8 hits, 5 runs (all earned), while striking out 9 compared to 1 walk.
Series Predictions:
This series should be one of the easier ones for the Lobos this season. Even though I believe that SJSU is improved from a year ago, I don’t think they match up well against the Lobos. There is the chance that they get a great start this weekend and have a low-scoring game, but I don’t know if they can score enough runs. I give the Lobos a 35% chance for a sweep, a 45% chance for a 2-1 series win, a 15% chance for a 1-2 series loss, and a 5% chance for getting swept. I have the Lobos sweeping the series with two comfortable wins and 1 close game.
Series Info:
Who: New Mexico Lobos (8-3, 3-0) vs, SJSU (6-5, 2-1)
When: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. March 10-12. First Pitch at 6 PM, 2 PM and 1 PM
Where: Santa Ana Star Field, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Stream: Mountain West Network
Radio: 101.7 The TEAM