Not Giving the Devils Their Due

Titans Win Fullerton Regional (3-0)

def. Columbia 4-1, def. Arizona State 1-0, def. Arizona State 6-1

By Don Hudson

You either saw the games in person or on ESPNU – no need to rehash the details of what you already witnessed.  Rather than detailed recaps, I feel in more of a reflective mood as we get ready for the Super Regionals against the UCLA Bruins.

Game 1 Reflections: Arizona State Sun Devils 4, New Mexico Lobos 3

Coming into the Regionals, both teams had advanced billing as prolific offenses, with ASU having better pitching.  Both teams started their regular “Friday guys”, albeit with NMU’s Josh Walker coming in with an 11-0 record matched up with ASU’s Trevor Williams, who is a highly regarded pro prospect (selected #44 overall today) but had scuffled this year after earning all-conference honors and pitching for Team USA in 2012.

Part of the intrigue of this quartet of teams was that it included three pitchers with 11-0 regular season record: Walker, Fullerton’s Justin Garza and ASU’s Ryan Kellogg.  All three pitched impressively and certainly well enough to win, but Walker and Kellogg ended up with their first losses of the season before the weekend was finished.

The lasting impression from this game was that neither team hit as well as their advance press clippings.  The Lobos outhit the Devils, 8-4, but committed three errors and allowed three unearned runs and gave the game away.  Two of the errors were by shortstop Jared Holley, who was named to the All-Regionals team; the other was committed by Walker himself, who struck out three, walked four and allowed just four hits in 7-1/3 innings.  Williams was “good enough” for ASU, allowing eight hits, three walks and three hit-batsmen in 7-2/3 innings.

It’s a strange feeling sitting at Goodwin Field when you don’t have a dog in the fight – you feel no stress, enjoy no adrenaline, don’t get too mad, don’t get too thrilled – don’t even get mad at Blue.  It’s a nice reminder of how partisan we are when we watch a baseball game: the neutral fan sees a pitch low and a foot outside, while the die-hard fan with emotional investment sees it perfectly “painting the black” and screams “That’s on you, Blue!” when the hitter drives the next pitch into the alley.

Game 2 Reflections: Cal State Fullerton Titans 4, Columbia Lions 1

Wiest dominant
(Fullertontitans.com)

Maybe I worry too much.

Even against an Ivy League opponent that had played just one game in the last three weeks, I was worried.  I think I was worried as much about the Titans not wearing the orange uniforms in a Friday night opener as I was about eschewing our top two pitchers and going with Grahamm Wiest, a pitcher I have utmost confidence in but who had an ERA of 8.59 in his three prior starts.

But my worries were misplaced: Wiest did a great job and pitched a complete game, allowing just one run (a home run by Columbia third-baseman David Vandercook) on three hits with no walks and three strikeouts.  It was a very efficient outing for Wiest, who threw just 86 pitches.

By completing the game, it allowed the Titans to eschew the use of closer Michael Lorenzen, lest he use up pitches and give his next opponents a chance to see him pitch in person.

Chapman goes deep
(Fullertontitans.com)

The offensive standout was Matt Chapman, who smoked a line-drive single to centerfield in the first inning to drive in Richy Pedroza with the game’s first run, then led off the fourth inning with a home run that gave the Titans a little breathing room.

But what stands out the most to me was the amazing defense played by the infield.  Pedroza demonstrated every possible shortstop skill in dazzling fashion – backhands deep in the hole; ranging far to his left (like somewhere in shallow centerfield) and throwing guys out; charging slow-hoppers and grabbing in-between hops; and eating up balls smashed hard.  Third-baseman Chapman also had some late-game web-gems where both his glove and howitzer arm were on display.  First-baseman Carlos Lopez also had some great scoops and stretches – there were a couple plays where “both ends” of the play were spectacular.

Game 3:  Columbia Lions 6, New Mexico Lobos 5  (too many innings)

College baseball has grown astronomically since ESPN began televising selected College World Series games back in 1980, in addition to a few locations at both the Regionals and Super Regionals. Based on the inaugural popularity, they began televising all the CWS games played in Omaha.  This year’s progression to cover all games at all sites is a huge game-changer, albeit there being a pretty major difference between games shown on ESPN2 and ESPNU versus ESPN3 (internet only).

For all their investment, ESPN gets to call the shots – which I can’t fault.  They decide the starting times, when to resume play after commercials, when the national anthem shall be sung, whether supplementary lights will be used (to make for better picture quality), etc.

Being selected as a frequent host site for ESPN telecasts has been a mixed blessing for the Titans, although the pluses have far outweighed the negatives.  The biggest plus is the national exposure given to the Titans “brand” and its powerful benefits recruiting players who want to play on the game’s biggest stage.  One of the trade-offs has been the late starting times – especially an issue in Sunday night games or any game involving John Savage and his UCLA Bruins.

It would have made infinitely more sense to play Game 3 (e.g. the game shown only on ESPN3) early in the afternoon, since the loser would be eliminated and the winner wouldn’t play again until the next day.  That way, if the game went long, it wouldn’t impact the nationally telecast feature Game 4.  But that isn’t what King ESPN wants, so the game began at 4:05 p.m. and just might have finished in plenty of time – until the Lions woke up and overcame a 5-0 deficit and tied the score in the top of the eighth inning.

If you want to know what eternity feels like, just watch the reply of this game starting in the ninth inning.  The Titans and Sun Devils fans lined up to watch the feature game ended up standing there for 3+ hours.  Mercifully, the Lions scored a run in the top of the thirteenth inning and the Lobos rallied but were unable to tie the score in the bottom of the frame.

After the Lions roared back and tied the score, it became a lengthy battle of bullpens and relief pitchers walking tightropes.  Columbia’s Joey Donino was the game’s eventual winning pitcher, throwing 103 pitches and striking out eight Lobos in 6-2/3 innings of relief.  Donino was the intended starter for their next game had Columbia advanced, so his stellar effort on Saturday afternoon/night created a big hole that they couldn’t overcome in their next game.

It was cool to see an Ivy League underdog get their first-ever NCAA playoff win – just wish it didn’t take 4 hours, 36 minutes and 437 pitches to accomplish.  The teams combined for 27 hits and there was just one error (by Lobos’ shortstop Holley).

Game 4 Reflections:  Cal State Fullerton Titans 1, Arizona State Sun Devils 0

The game pitted the aforementioned 11-0 freshmen pitchers – Fullerton’s Garza and ASU’s Kellogg – in what delivered on its promise to be a classic pitchers’ duel.  This game was one of the best I’ve ever seen – too bad it started at almost midnight on the east coast and most of the national TV audience was sound asleep.

Garza brilliant
(Photo: Jorge Lopez)

The lasting impression: no matter how many ways the Titans invented to squander scoring opportunities, Garza was simply going to will the Titans to victory.  While renowned for his fastball that begins in the 91-92 mph range and increases to 94-95 in the middle innings, it was Garza’s change-up that befuddled the Sun Devils, as he struck out nine and allowed just three hits and no walks in 8-2/3 innings of work.

Kellogg wasn’t nearly as sharp as Garza, but he was very impressive nonetheless.  He stranded two Titans runners in the bottom of the first inning and was the beneficiary of some dubious strategy and poor execution by the Titans in the second inning when they had a golden chance to give Garza an early lead.  His infield defense was shaky – for sons of former MLB infielders, you’d expect more defensively from third-baseman Benjamin and shortstop Stankiewicz – but Kellogg was at his best when the Titans had runners in scoring position.

Husky invasion
(Photo: Jorge Lopez)

But before the inning got really strange, a beautiful husky ran out on the field and provided some much-needed comedic relief to what was shaping up as a white-knuckle affair. (Video)

After the dog left through the gate beside the leftfield fair pole, Chad Wallach walked and Greg Velazquez blooped a single to start the inning. Hooky eschewed having Jake Jefferies bunt in a situation where it was pretty obvious, even though it isn’t the strength of JJ’s game.

After Jefferies flied out on the first pitch and neither runner could advance, Austin Diemer singled to rightfield, where the ball was quickly charged by ASU’s strong-armed Trever Allen, who already had nine outfield assists this season.  Wallach’s running is timed with a sundial instead of a stopwatch, so it was stunning when he was given the signal to try to score – Allen’s throw was perhaps fifteen feet up the third-base line, but Wallach was still another ten feet away before catcher Max Rossiter caught it and made the uncontested tag.

The peculiarities continued in the bottom of the fourth, as Velazquez reached second base with one out on a single and groundout.  Diemer lined the ball sharply to centerfield and Velazquez made a quick determination that the ball was going to drop in for a hit, so he sprinted aggressively towards third base and was a “dead duck” when the ball hung up and was easily caught by ASU centerfielder Kasey Coffman, who lobbed the ball to second to double off Velazquez and end the threat.

Both pitchers were nails throughout the middle innings, but with Kellogg’s pitch count rising rapidly and his throws-to-first count getting up into the 30’s.  I loved how the home crowd switched from booing the ASU pitcher’s tosses to first to mock cheering them.  It was a great “in your face” move when Lopez stole a base off him after about eight straight pickoff attempts.

The defense behind Garza was stellar, most notably a great diving grab by leftfielder Diemer on a sinking line drive.

Jefferies doubles, scores winning run
(Photo: Jorge Lopez)

The Titans finally scored in the bottom of the seventh.  Right after that time honored tradition, Jefferies led off and launched a deep fly off the wall in leftfield for a double.  Diemer bunted the ball back to Kellogg, who clutched once and ignored the catcher’s instruction to throw to first base.  On his second clutch, Kellogg threw to third, where third-baseman Michael Benjamin caught the ball and made no attempt to tag Jefferies, as though it was a force-out situation.  I doubt Benjamin would have had Jefferies even with an attempted tag, but it might have been different had Kellogg thrown the ball on his first clutch.

With runners at the corners and nobody out, Pedroza delivered a flyball just shy of the warning track in leftfield, allowing Jefferies to trot in with what would prove to be the game’s only run.  Kellogg left the game to a well-deserved ovation from the partisan supporters of both teams.

When Rossiter singled with one out in the top of the ninth, Hooky wasted no time in bringing in closer Lorenzen.  Similar to when Kellogg left the game, fans on both sides gave Garza a hearty ovation for pitching a great game.

Lorenzen came in blazing – he struck out the two batters he faced to nail down the 1-0 win.  It was Lorenzen’s 35th career save – breaking the tie with Chad Cordero and Nick Ramirez and making him Fullerton’s all-time leader.  Garza and Lorenzen combined for eleven strikeouts and allowed just four hits.

Game 5: Arizona State Sun Devils 10, Columbia Lions 5

This was a typical Sunday afternoon elimination game, with both teams in the losers bracket in a dogfight to see which has enough pitching left to try to climb back into contention, facing the daunting task of subsequently having to beat the undefeated team twice.  It really underscores the importance of winning the Saturday night game.

Columbia fought gallantly and even outhit the Devils, 12-5.  From a Titans fan’s perspective, the good news was that the Sun Devils used five pitchers, including their third-best starter, Zak Miller.

ASU lit up the depleted Columbia pitching staff for all ten runs in the first four innings, including home runs by Coffman and Nate Causy. The Devils enjoyed the largesse of the Lions’ first two pitchers, with ten runs on five hits, four walks and two hit-batsmen in those four innings.  Columbia relief pitcher Zak Tax threw five no-hit shutout innings.

My favorite recollection from this game: sitting behind a couple of ASU fans as their boys were pounding Columbia, they were in adamant agreement that “Fullerton definitely doesn’t want any part of us!”

We’ll see.

Game 6:  Cal State Fullerton Titans 6, Arizona State Sun Devils 1

 It was a comforting feeling to be sitting in the Titans’ position: it’s Sunday night, the other team has to beat you twice, their pitching staff is running on fumes and you’ve still got your Friday guy ready to go.

The Titans’ Thomas Eshelman was matched with ASU sophomore Adam McCreery, a 6-9 sophomore left-handed pitcher from Bonita High School in lovely La Verne – a teammate one year ahead of Garza.  He has a live arm but has yet to establish control, yielding a disproportionate number of walks and hit-batsmen.  With the patience of the Titans’ offense, you knew this was not a match-up favorable to Arizona State.

It was actually painful to watch McCreery pitch – he was nowhere near the plate.  First inning walks to Pedroza, Chapman and J.D. Davis loaded the bases for Lorenzen, who sharply lined a two-run single into rightfield to give the Titans a quick 2-0 lead.  With two outs, Velazquez walked to re-load the bases and Jefferies followed with an RBI walk.  The Titans scored three runs on one hit and five walks in the first inning, with McCreery throwing 46 pitches before Eshelman threw his first.

After a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the first, McCreery returned to the hill and showed no better command.  There was a scary moment when Lopez was hit in the helmet on a high, inside fastball.  When Chapman followed with a walk, ASU coach Tim Esmay had seen enough and called right-handed side-armer Josh McAlister from the bullpen.

Davis jumped on McAlister right away with an RBI single that scored Lopez and sent Chapman to third.  Lorenzen executed a perfect squeeze bunt and Chapman scored to make it 5-0 – a very comfortable feeling with Eshelman and the orange jerseys working for you.

Eshelman mows down ASU
(Fullertontitans.com)

Eshelman threw strikes in his habitual machine-like manner.  McAlister got into trouble in the third but escaped with the bases loaded and no runs across for Fullerton.

It felt like a one-sided game, but McAlister pitched great and the Sun Devils scored a run in the bottom of the fourth against Eshelman.  Rossiter lined a one-out sinking line drive that Lorenzen made a diving attempt to catch when it appeared certain to be a single – the ball went by him for a triple.  Allen singled with two outs to drive in Rossiter with ASU’s only run of the game.

Not much else happened.  Much has been written elsewhere about incidents that happened in the stands – I wasn’t anywhere near it, so I’ll leave it to others to describe and opine.  My focus was directed towards the game and the team – and I was very pleased with the outcome.

Eshelman scattered seven hits over eight innings of work, striking out seven and walking – yes, you guessed it – zero.  Tyler Peitzmeier finished it off with an easy 1-2-3 ninth inning.

The Titans and Devils both had six hits, but the Titans were aided by eleven walks and two hit-batsmen – Eshelman and Peitzmeier had zero walks and hit-batsmen.  The Titans definitely won the WTF battle in this game.
 
Game 7 Reflections: “Not Necessary”

I save the ticket stubs from every game.  There is no better ticket than the one that goes unused because the Titans have already clinched a series.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So what did we learn in the Regionals?

Even though the pitching had been dominant throughout the season, there is always that bit of uncertainty when the playoffs begin.  Wiest came in after three weekends of shaky performances (most notably at Riverside and Northridge) – it was huge for him to set the tone for the Regionals with a complete game victory and no walks allowed.

There is also the uncertainty of how freshmen pitchers will pitch in the pressure of nationally televised playoff games and at that juncture of the season when there is concern that they will “hit the wall” as they amass innings and pitch totals far beyond their pre-collegiate experience. But Garza and Eshelman certainly were outstanding.

In total, the pitching staff allowed just two runs and zero walks in 27 innings in the Regionals.  Besides their obvious talents and skills, I think Eshelman and Garza were well prepared by the number of road games played against quality opponents in hostile environments, plus they had each pitched in televised games during the regular season.  It’s cliché to say “they are no longer freshmen,” but it is obvious they both demonstrate the pitching command and maturity of juniors or seniors.

I liked how Paul Lo Duca made several mentions how much Wiest has contributed to the rapid development of both freshmen phenoms.

Pitching and defense are what wins championships – but defense doesn’t seem to matter much when they select the All Regionals team.  Congratulations to Wiest, Garza, Chapman (4-for-10, 3 RBI home run), Davis (4-for-11, 4 RBI) and Jefferies (2-for-7, huge hit and scored only run in crucial winners bracket game) for their selections, with Garza named MVP – all well-deserved honors.

New Mexico’s Holley batted .571 (4-for-7), while Pedroza was just 1-for-10 and scored three runs.  But Pedroza was spectacular on defense and was a HUGE factor in the Titans’ wins, while Holley made three errors and almost single-handedly kicked away the opening game against Arizona State.

Pedroza didn’t hit for much, but he got on base with walks and drove in the game’s only run with a sacrifice fly to beat ASU in the 1-0 game on Saturday night/Sunday morning.  I understand how they try to have at least one player from each team and that Holley’s offensive numbers were outstanding, but if you actually watched the games and didn’t just scan the stats sheet, Pedroza was the obvious choice.

Overall – including the regular season games and this weekend’s series – I wasn’t greatly impressed by Lo Duca.  He was strong in certain areas – good insights on in-game action and strategies, plus he exhibited absolutely no bias towards Arizona State, his alma mater.  (If anything, he sounded like a Fullerton sycophant.)

But I don’t think the ESPNU broadcast team did much homework.  Lo Duca worked five Fullerton games (regular season games against Long Beach State and UC Irvine, plus the three games in Regionals) and told the exact same stories each time about the Titans players whose dads he knew from MLB. (Paul, we get it: Jake learned to swing the bat under water and Chad used to be your batboy but now is a foot taller than you.) But every other player has a story to be told, not just the kids of guys who played with you on the Mets or coached you on the Dodgers.  Not once did I hear any mention on ESPNU of Nick Hurtado or why #56 was so ubiquitously on display – contrast that with the FSN West telecast of the second UCI game that talked about Nick’s passing and what it has meant to his teammates.

Big Glove Man earns lots of airtime
(Photo: Jorge Lopez)

I was ready to let Lo Duca off the hook when he told the heart-warming story about Columbia designated hitter Joey Falcone celebrating his 27th birthday – which makes him even older than Carlos! – and how he had done three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a military medic.  It was an incredible story about a remarkable young man – after I heard it, I stood and applauded every time Falcone came to bat – but then I realized the only reason LoDuca knew about it was because he had played with the kid’s father, Pete Falcone, who pitched for the Giants, Mets, Cardinals and Braves.

I’m still not sure Lo Duca has figured out that “the guy with the big glove” is a heckler … he made numerous mentions to him having “the biggest glove I’ve ever seen” to catch foul balls hit into the stands.

Lo Duca is one of the players I respect most for “owning” his inclusion in the Mitchell Report and publicly apologizing for his “mistakes in judgment.”  He is an earnest guy and a likeable personality – I would like to see him work harder at becoming a student of color commentary if he is going to make that his vocation.  Conversely, FSN West’s John Jackson did an amazing job in Game 2 of the UCI series, providing insightful commentary and a deep bench of stories about players and coaches from both teams.

Pedroza named BWC top defender
(Fullertontitans.com)

The honors keep stacking up for the Titans.  Congratulations to Eshelman and Lorenzen (utility, recognized as two-way player) for being amongst the seventeen players named Louisville Slugger first team All-Americans, while Garza was named second team All-American.  Eshelman and Garza were both named this week to Collegiate Baseball’s Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team, with Eshelman named Freshman Pitcher of the Year.

Lorenzen and Eshelman are also Golden Spikes Award semi-finalists.  Lorenzen is also a semi-finalist for the John Olerud Award (best two-way player) and Dick Howser Trophy (best closer).

The Titans also dominated Big West Conference honors, with Rick Vanderhook named Coach of the Year; Garza was Pitcher of the Year; Eshelman was Freshman Pitcher of the Year; Lopez was Co-Field Player of the Year; and Pedroza was Defensive Player of the Year.  First-team All Big West first team honorees included Lorenzen, Pedroza and Lopez, while Chapman, Chad Wallach and Austin Diemer were on the second team.  Wiest, Koby Gauna and Tyler Peitzmeier received honorable mention accolades.

Of all the awards recognition, my favorite might be Carlos Lopez being named third-team Capital One Academic All-America honors, just the second Titans baseball player to earn this distinction.  Carlos also has a slim lead in voting for the Senior CLASS Award – have you voted today?

And on Thursday night, Michael Lorenzen became the 15th Titan to be taken in the first or sandwich round when the Cincinnati Reds selected him 38th overall. He's the first Titans to go in the top round since both Christian Colon (No. 4) and Gary Brown (No. 24) were taken in the first round in 2010.

Vedo: Stupid words

Do you remember Matt Vedo?  We spoke about him here last season:  Matt was the UC Santa Barbara pitcher who pitched brilliantly against the Titans in the middle game last season, but then shot his mouth off in the newspaper: “I knew they were a good-hitting team, but I know I have great stuff and I can make hitters look stupid.  I made some of their better hitters look stupid, and I was loving it.”

It was kind of a dumb thing to say in the press – especially since the series wasn’t finished.  Karma bit Vedo in the ass the next day when his comments became bulletin board fodder and the Titans and their traveling fans broke out of their somnambulant state when Vedo entered the finale in the seventh inning of a 3-3 game. He got lit up for six runs (one in the eighth and five in the ninth) and grabbed his crotch and gestured with his junk towards the Titans side of the stands.  After the 9-3 win, Hooky told the same reporter, “Number 27 popped off and said ‘it was fun making them look stupid (on Saturday), so I think we made him look a little stupider today.”

Didn’t you just know karma would bite Drew Stankiewicz in the ass when he made comments in the Arizona newspaper the week before the Regionals: “Fullerton is just another team on our way.  The only thing that’s going to be special is my grandparents live in Fullerton, and they’re going to see me play.”

Stankiewicz: Stupid words II

I can understand lingering bitterness or resentment by Stankiewicz, who had signed a letter of intent with Fullerton out of Gilbert High School but was released following the Serrano-to-Vanderhook coaching transition and subsequently signed with ASU.  It’s completely understandable that he would have added impetus to show that the incoming coaching staff had made a huge mistake … but the best way to do that is with your actions on the field, not with your words through the press.

After making himself the lightning rod for attention, how did Stanky perform in the four games he played?  He went 0-for-12 and was mediocre in the field: he made a couple decent plays but also misplayed a few.  It was poetic justice that he was the final out in the loss to “just another team.”

Instead of arguing with the fans, ASU pitching coach Ken Knutson might think about teaching his pitchers how to keep runners close using a slide-step.  I felt badly for both Kellogg and McCreery for the incessant signals from the dugout to throw over to first to hold runners close.  Notwithstanding irritating the crowd – who cares about that? – it took the pitchers out of their rhythm, took away their focus on the batter, consumed throwing energy, got the ASU fielders back on their heels and probably also impacted the ball/strike calls.

So much for last weekend – this UCLA series ought to be epic.  I have seen computer projections and message board polls that favor the Titans, but I believe this series is virtually a 50/50 coin flip: two virtually mirror image teams with dominating pitching, outstanding defense, opportunistic offenses and great coaching.

There are two factoids that have me encouraged: the Titans are 9-1 against the Pac-11 and are riding a ten-game winning streak, their fourth such streak of the season.

There are also two factoids that scare the shit out of me: the Titans are 9-1 against the Pac-11 and are riding a ten-game winning streak, their fourth such streak of the season.

The Garza vs. Kellogg match-up was fantastic, but the Friday match-up between Garza and UCLA’s Adam Plutko takes it to another level.  Plutko is 5-0 in his five career playoff starts, with an ERA of 0.97 – you can’t underestimate the importance of experience in these games as the stakes continue to get higher.

Eshelman against Nick Vander Tuig before a jam-packed sellout crowd on Saturday night should also be fantastic.  It will be interesting to see how the Titans offense adapts to facing right-handed pitchers in the first two games after facing three southpaws in the Regionals.  Anthony Hutting and Austin Kingsolver will get an opportunity to become offensive factors as the left-handed component of the corner outfield platoons.

Perhaps the biggest weapon the Bruins hold, besides the post-season experience of their starting pitchers, is closer David Berg, the first reliever ever to be honored as Pac-11 Pitcher of the Year on the strength of a 6-0 record with 20 saves, ERA of 0.81, and a 69-7 strikeouts-to-walks ratio in 67 innings pitched.  That is a staggering amount of innings for a closer – compare to 22-2/3 by Lorenzen.  If you want to beat UCLA, you’d better be ahead by the sixth inning – after that, you’ll face formidable headwinds in the late innings against Berg and set-up men James Kaprielian and Zack Weiss.  The Sheriff is obviously not afraid to bring Berg into the game earlier than most closers.

UCI Super Fan pulling for Titans

Finally, I wanted to share a note I received the day before the Regionals from Keith Franklin, better known as “The UCI Superfan.”  To me, Keith is the epitome of a great college baseball fan – he fervently roots for his team from first pitch to last, first game to last, whether they are ahead or getting their asses kicked.  And win or lose, he is the first guy to shake hands and extend congratulations and best wishes to the fans of UCI’s opponents.

Subject: Best Wishes from Irvine

Donny Boy, now's the time, perpetuate destiny. You and your Titan comrades on the terraces are the bugle sound the charge for the boys, smell the muskets and the horses’ breath and dispel all who oppose you into certain death.

With love from Superfan

To me, it’s what makes college baseball such a great experience that transcends mere winning and losing.  Whether it’s The UCI Superfan, Dr. Dan from Long Beach State, “Tempe Tim,” the witty hecklers from Texas A&M and University of Arizona, the Cal Poly parents, the UCLA and USC alums, the incredibly hospitable people at LSU and Southern Mississippi, etc., I truly treasure meeting and befriending fans whose passion for the sport is simply directed towards a different set of young student-athletes.  Not every kid can be lucky enough to be a Titan!

Fullerton Regional: New Mexico Preview

By FullertonBaseballFan

No. 3 Seed – New Mexico Lobos

• Overall Record – 37-20
• Conference Record – 25-5 (1st place) in the Mountain West Conference
• How they qualified for a regional – At-large
• Last regional appearance – 2012.  1-2 at UCLA regional.  Win against San Diego, losses to UCLA and Creighton. 
• RPI/ISR – 51/38 (Fullerton opponent ISR comparison – UCSB 31, Texas A&M 43)
• SOS – 115 (RPI)/85 (ISR)
• Record vs. tournament field – 7-7.  Non-conference – 1-2 vs. Oklahoma State, 0-1 at Arizona State, 1-1 at Arkansas.  Conference – 5-3 vs. San Diego State.
• Record vs. top 50/top 100 RPI – 1-5/14-11

Season Summary

Ray Birmingham arrived in Albuquerque for the 2008 season after a long and successful career coaching at the JC level and immediately changed the culture of the program and had New Mexico in a regional in his third season in 2010, when they played at Fullerton and beat Stanford in their first regional game since 1962 before losing their next two games to Minnesota and Fullerton.  The Lobos had a rebuilding year in 2011 when they won only sixteen regular season games but got hot in the MWC tournament and upset heavily favored TCU twice to win the conference’s automatic bid and had Arizona State on the ropes in the opening game of the regional in Tempe before the Sun Devils came back late to win and they lost their next game to Arkansas.  New Mexico was much better in 2012 and shared the regular season championship with TCU and rolled to the MWC tournament title by outscoring their three opponents 40-5 and defeated San Diego in their opening game at the UCLA regional before losing to UCLA and Creighton to be eliminated.

New Mexico expected to have a strong team this season because they were returning their four best hitters from 2012, including All-American DJ Peterson, and were nationally ranked in some of the pre-season polls despite losing two of their best starting pitchers.  The Lobos got off to a slow start at 2-6 after losing their opening series at home to Oklahoma State, losing two out of three games in a tournament at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and losing both games at Nebraska and split four games against UC Riverside in their last non-conference series.  New Mexico was only 6-9 going into their MWC schedule when they started playing much better and won two out of three games in each of their first four series, swept their next four series, won two out of three at Fresno State and swept their series at San Diego State to end the regular season on an 18-2 roll with a 25-5 conference record to win the regular season title by seven games.  The Lobos won their first two games in the MWC tournament against Nevada and UNLV before running out of pitching and losing twice to San Diego State 8-7 and 9-4 as the Aztecs won the tournament and the conference’s automatic bid.


Offense

·       Park Factor according to Boyd’s World – 133 (increases offense by 33%).  Albuquerque is a mile above sea level and New Mexico doesn’t use a humidor like the Colorado Rockies do to keep the ball from flying out of the yard.
·       Batting Average – .336 (NCAA ranking – 1st, conference ranking 1st); .354 in conf. games (1st).
·       Scoring – 479 (1, 1), 8.4 runs per game; 279 (1st), 9.3 runs per game in conf. games.
·       Home Runs – 52 (17, 1); 33 in conf. games (1st).
·       Slugging Percentage – .510 (2, 1); .560 in conf. games (1st).
·       On Base Percentage – .424 (1, 1); .436 in conf. games (1st).
·       Walks – 282 (11, 1), 4.9 per game; 147 (1st), 4.9 per game in conf. games.
·       HBP’s – 61 (113, 4); 26 in conf. games (5th).
·       Stolen Bases – 71-98 (105, 2); 30-49 in conf. games (3rd).
·       Sac Bunts – 49 (88, 3); 30 in conf. games (3rd).
·       Strikeouts – 346 (DNR, 6), 6.1 per game; 167 (6th), 5.6 per game in conf. games.

New Mexico had the best offense in the country this season and led the nation in scoring, batting, and on base percentage and was second in slugging.  Playing at elevation and in a conference where four of the six ballparks significantly inflate offense has helped them to put up those types of lofty numbers but that type of production isn’t a fluke.  The Lobos have been held to four runs or less only thirteen times this season.  New Mexico has a sound hitting philosophy where they are very patient and wait for their pitch and when they get it they usually don’t miss it because they are eleventh in the country in walks but had the fewest strikeouts in their conference.  New Mexico will also play some little ball with five players having six or more SAC bunts and four players having at least eight stolen bases.

Batting Order

RF – JC transfer #12 Chase Harris (RH – .328/.380/.470, 5-48-19) came into the program this season and has literally hit the ground running and is second in the MWC in stolen bases and is also among the conference leaders in R, H, 2B, HR and RBI.  He is an aggressive hitter who doesn’t walk much with a 16/35 BB/K but makes up for it with the power that he provides as a leadoff hitter.  Harris is a good bunter and will also try to use his speed to bunt for hits and has six SAC bunts.

2B – FR #5 Sam Haggerty (Both – .280/.418/.379, 1-32-4) was the Co-FR of the Year in the MWC and 2nd team all-conference as an all-around solid player offensively and defensively.  He does an excellent job of getting on base and was second in the MWC in runs.  Haggerty will work counts and see lots of pitches, drawing lots of walks as the leader in the conference in that area and also striking out quite a bit with a 47/45 BB/K ratio.  He is an excellent bunter and led the MWC with fifteen SAC bunts so he will often be asked to bunt runners over.

1B – JR #33 DJ Peterson (RH – .411/.525/.823, 18-70-5) has been one of the best hitters in the country over the last two seasons and also hit over .400 in 2012 with 17 HR and 78 RBI.  He is in the top ten nationally in AVG, R, 2B, HR, RBI, SLG and OBP, will be one of the finalists for the Golden Spikes award for the national player of the year and will be a first round pick in the MLB draft next week.  Peterson has excellent plate discipline for a power hitter with a 46/32 BB/K ratio and teams have showed him a great deal of respect by intentionally walking him sixteen times instead of letting him beat them.

C – SR #10 Mitch Garver (RH – .387/.455/.580, 5-65-12) is a three year starter and the leader of the team who has done an excellent job of providing protection in the lineup for Peterson and was Co-MVP of the MWC with him.  Garver led the conference in hits, was second in the MWC in AVG and RBI and was also among the leaders in the conference in R, 2B, 3B, HR, SLG and OBP.  He is a versatile player with good speed for a catcher and was also in the top ten in the MWC in SB’s.  Garver has good plate discipline and had a solid 27/33 BB/K ratio.  He is a semi-finalist for the Johnny Bench Award for the national catcher of the year and the MLB scouts have also noticed his ability and he will be drafted in the 7th-10th rounds next week as a good SR signing.

DH – Soph #3 Alex Real (RH – .320/.405/.524, 8-36-2) only hit .271 as a FR but has stepped up his game this season and was among the MWC leaders in HR’s and SLG as a power threat in the middle of the lineup.  Real didn’t hit much in non-conference games but had a strong conference season when he hit .349 with 6 HR’s and a .624 SLG% and was second team All-MWC.  He will see lots of pitches and also swing at lots of pitches and had a 27/40 BB/K ratio.  Soph #34 Ryan Padilla (LH – .270/.396/.443, 3-18-0) hit .353 as a FR but hasn’t hit as well this season and has become the fourth OF and part-time DH and would be the most likely batter called upon to pinch-hit late in a game.

CF – SR #24 Josh Melendez (RH – .335/.434/.491, 3-41-13) came into the program as a JC transfer in 2012 and had an immediate impact, hitting .349, and has continued to hit this season and was among the conference leaders in R, H, 2B, 3B, RBI and OBP and was 1st team All-MWC.  He is another patient hitter who had a strong 36/34 BB/K ratio and was third in the conference in walks.  Melendez also has good speed and was among the MWC leaders in SB’s and will sometimes try to drop a bunt down for a hit and has six SAC bunts.

LF – SR #18 Luke Campbell (RH – .382/.447/.602, 7-49-8) hit .301 and was third on the team in AVG as a JC transfer in 2011 but had to redshirt last year when he was injured a week before the season started.  He has been busy making up for lost time and was 2nd team All-MWC after finishing among the conference leaders in AVG, R, H, 2B, HR, RBI and SLG.  Campbell doesn’t walk much but doesn’t strike out much either with a solid 18/20 BB/K ratio.

3B – SR #4 Alex Albritton (RH – .321/.353/.418, 2-38-3) is one of the team leaders with Garver as a four year starter who has played all over the infield during his career.  He didn’t hit much in his first three years with a .250 AVG but has had a good SR season that was recognized by the conference coaches who voted him first team All-MWC.  He has below average plate discipline with an 11/35 BB/K ratio.  Albritton is a good bunter with 23 SAC bunts over the last three seasons, including seven this year.

SS – FR #6 Jared Holley (RH – .280/.385/.320, 0-18-3) is a little guy who is about the same size as Fullerton’s Richy Pedroza and has the same scrappy approach to playing the game.  He doesn’t have much power with only six extra base hits (all 2B’s) and doesn’t walk much but does a good job of making contact and has a 13/22 BB/K ratio.  Holley is an excellent bunter and was third in the MWC with twelve SAC bunts.


Defense

·       Fielding – .969 (113, 2) – 70 errors, 48 unearned runs.  .974 (2nd) with 31 errors in conf. games.  New Mexico is a decent fielding team that did a better job during conference play.  Peterson and Albritton are solid on the corners and have been used to playing more challenging positions earlier in their careers.  Haggerty and Holley have good range up the middle and were second and third in the MWC in assists but they are FR and have combined to make 26 errors.  Campbell, Melendez and Harris have good range because OF’s need to with the way the ball flies all over the park at New Mexico.  The pitchers have been their own worst enemies because they have made sixteen errors.

·       Stolen Base Attempts – 58-81 (DNR, 4).  Garver has a solid arm and runners are 47-64 on stolen base attempts against him.

·       WP’s/PB’s Allowed – 76 (DNR, 6).  Garver does not do a good job of blocking pitches and New Mexico allowed the most WP’s/PB’s in the MWC.


Pitching

Pitchers don’t have an easy go of it trying to get hitters out in the launching pad at New Mexico but every season there are a few pitchers for the Lobos who put up solid numbers while the rest of the staff struggles and this year is no different.  New Mexico has only had one reliable starter for most of the year but had an excellent trio of relievers who were able to shorten games while the offense bashed their way to wins until one of those relievers was moved into the rotation three weeks ago and became another viable starter.

• ERA – 5.03 (221/4); 4.65 in conference (2nd). 
• AVG – .284 (196/3); .284 in conference (3rd). 
• HR – 36 (DNR/6); 14 in conference (1st). 
• SLG – .404 (DNR/4); .390 in conference (3rd).  
• Walks – 223 (188/4), 3.9 BB’s/9 IP; 102 (3rd) in conference, 3.4 BB’s/9 IP. 
• HBP – 66 (DNR/3); 43 in conference (1st). 
• OBP – .370 (DNR/4); .369 in conference (3rd). 
• Strikeouts – 354 (174/5), 6.2 K/9 IP; 158 in conference (6th), 5.3 K/9 IP. 

Starters

JR #37 Josh Walker (RHP – 11-0, 3.91 ERA, 7 saves, 28 apps, 3 GS, 1 CG, 71 IP, 72 H, 18 BB, 52 K, .268 AVG, 4 HR, 5 HBP, 1 WP, 2-3 SB) is in the top ten nationally in wins despite not starting a game until three weeks ago and ended up finishing third in the MWC in appearances and saves.  Walker has been effective all season with a 3.05 ERA except for one disastrous outing against San Diego State when he allowed seven runs to inflate his ERA by almost a run.  He was moved into the rotation three weeks ago as New Mexico attempted to find anybody to get outs as a weekend starter and he has been solid with a 3-0 record and a 2.38 ERA in his three starts, throwing a shutout at Fresno State, allowing three runs in five innings at San Diego State and allowing three runs in 8 2/3 IP against Nevada in the MWC tournament.  Walker throws from a low 3/4 arm slot that makes it tough on hitters to pick up the ball and has an upper 80’s fastball and a slider.  He does a very good job of holding runners.

SR #7 Sam Wolff (RHP – 7-3, 3.05 ERA, 15 GS, 86 IP, 78 H, 36 BB, 78 K, .244 AVG, 5 HR, 7 HBP, 9 WP, 14-22 SB) has been the one constant in the weekend rotation, has had an excellent SR season and was voted first team All-MWC after finishing among the conference leaders in W’s, ERA, IP, K’s and AVG.  He was especially tough in MWC games, where he went 5-1 with a 2.21 ERA, and has allowed three runs or less in each of his last ten starts including four straight starts in which he only allowed one run.  Wolff has been tough to hit and has only given up fifteen hits in his last 33 IP over his last five starts. He wasn’t striking out many hitters earlier in the season but has been averaging a strikeout per inning over his last four starts.  Wolff isn’t a big guy but throws hard with a fastball that sits in the 93-95 range along with a solid changeup and breaking ball but sometimes runs into control issues and averages about three walks allowed per game.  He doesn’t do a good job of holding runners so that is something to keep an eye on.  Wolff is expected to drafted in the 8th-10th round next week as a good SR signing.

FR #20 Drew Bridges (RHP – 3-1, 4.46 ERA, 11 apps, 9 GS, 42 IP, 37 H, 18 BB, 21 K, .247 AVG, 1 HR, 6 HBP, 4 WP, 2-3 SB) would be one of the options to start a third game this weekend.  He is a tall guy with some upside but has been inconsistent and hasn’t thrown more than five innings in a start since his best outing of the season when he allowed no runs in 5 1/3 IP at Arkansas.  Bridges was taken out last Saturday after allowing two runs on five hits in three innings to San Diego State in the MWC tournament. He has struggled with his control and doesn’t have a swing miss pitch to put hitters away.

JC transfer #28 A.J. Carman (RHP – 1-1, 6.05 ERA, 14 GS, 58 IP, 70 H, 28 BB, 24 K, .307 AVG, 3 HR, 6 HBP, 5 WP, 10-15 SB) would be the other option to make a start this weekend but would be on a very short leash because he hasn’t gotten out of the fourth inning in any of his last four starts.  He isn’t a hard thrower and doesn’t have good control, which results in him putting too many runners on base by walks and guys hitting the ball around the yard against him.

Relievers

New Mexico had three excellent options to go to when Walker was the closer but they had to move somebody into the rotation to give stabilize things.  They still have a good RHP/LHP combo in the bullpen in the set-up and closer roles but things thin out in a hurry after that.

SR #2 Gabe Aguilar (LHP – 5-2, 2.55 ERA, 3 saves, 27 apps, 35 IP, 29 H, 9 BB, 37 K, .232 AVG, 2 HR, 6 HBP, 4 WP, 5-5 SB) inherited the closer’s role from Walker and has had an excellent season after only throwing five innings in 2012 and was first team All-MWC.  He has a funky sidearm motion that is especially tough on LH hitters that has allowed him to strike out a batter per inning despite not being a hard thrower.  New Mexico has gone to Aguilar often this season and he was fourth in the conference in appearances.

SR #29 Hobie McClain (RHP – 3-1, 4.44 ERA, 1 save, 30 apps, 47 IP, 49 H, 19 BB, 33 K, .274 AVG, 2 HR, 12 HBP, 4 WP, 2-2 SB) also throws from a sidearm slot that makes it tough on RH hitters but LH hitters have hit well against him.  He has control issues, averaging about 3 1/2 walks per 9 IP, and was among the MWC leaders in HBP’s. McClain has also taken the ball often and was second in the conference in appearances.

Other relievers

JC transfer #11 Jonathan Cuellar (RHP – 2-1, 5.87 ERA, 1 save, 17 apps, 2 GS, 38 IP, 50 H, 14 BB, 19 K, .323 AVG, 3 HR, 6 HBP, 5 WP, 6-9 SB)

JR #38 Jake McCasland (RHP – 1-1, 5.09 ERA, 1 save, 16 apps, 18 IP, 19 H, 8 BB, 16 K, .279 AVG, 0 HR, 4 HBP, 6 WP, 2-3 SB)

JR #58 Josh McAlister (RHP – 0-1, 1.29 ERA, 11 apps, 14 IP, 11 H, 7 BB, 9 K, .220 AVG, 0 HR, 2 HBP, 0 WP, 1-1 SB)

Soph #26 Alex Estrella (LHP – 0-1, 6.68 ERA, 1 save, 17 apps, 5 GS, 32 IP, 41 H, 12 BB, 21 K, .311 AVG, 5 HR, 1 HBP, 6 WP, 0-0 SB)

JC transfer #19 Kevin Baumgartner (LHP – 2-5, 8.35 ERA, 12 apps, 6 GS, 32 IP, 47 H, 10 BB, 22 K, .333 AVG, 5 HR, 3 HBP, 3 WP, 10-11 SB)

SR #41 Will Mathis (LHP – 0-4, 8.05 ERA, 21 apps, 19 IP, 32 H, 11 BB, 15 K, .376 AVG, 2 HR, 4 HBP, 6 WP, 1-2 SB)


Outlook

New Mexico didn’t start the season off well, struggling with some good opponents (Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Nebraska) and went 1-5 against those teams and even split four games at home with Riverside, one of bottom three teams in the Big West conference.  The light bulb went on for the Lobos once they got into conference play and they have been playing well since then until getting upset twice by San Diego State last weekend.  The question for New Mexico is going to be which team shows up, the one that struggled against better competition in non-conference games or the one that usually drilled lesser opponents in the MWC but they will not be psyched out by playing on the big stage because this is the fourth straight season that they have played in a regional. Moving Walker into the rotation gives the Lobos a chance to put together solid starts in the first two games and that could potentially make them one of the final two teams left standing this weekend but the depth in the rotation drops off of the cliff after that.  New Mexico would probably have to bash their way to wins on Sunday and potentially Monday but Fullerton and ASU figure to have enough offense and too much pitching depth, especially Fullerton, for the Lobos to advance out of the regional and into a super regional next weekend.

Fullerton Regional Preview (New Mexico)

By FullertonBaseballFan

No. 3 Seed – New Mexico Lobos

Overall Record – 37-20
Conference Record – 14-8 (2nd place)
How they qualified for a regional – At large
Last Regional Appearance – 1962
RPI/ISR – 46/43
SOS – 102 (RPI)/88 (ISR)
Record vs. tournament field – 3-8
Record vs. top 50/top 100 RPI – 3-8/6-9

Season Summary

New Mexico had a very similar season in 2009 to the one that they have had this season, going 37-20 overall and 15-8 in conf games to finish in 2nd place. But, the Lobos only had an 88 RPI on selection day due to a poor non-conference schedule and as a result they were left at home while three other Mountain West Conference teams were playing in regionals. New Mexico improved their non-conference schedule with series at national seed Texas and USC (both of which the Lobos won 2-1) and two game midweek series at Arkansas and Arizona (which the Lobos went 0-4 in) which helped boost the strength of New Mexico’s non-conference schedule and RPI enough to get into a regional. Besides those ten games and going 1-3 against TCU, the rest of the Lobos schedule wasn’t much to write home about with only one other game against a team in the top 100 in the RPI (a midweek win vs. Texas Tech). New Mexico once again has one of the best offenses in the country playing in one of the best hitters ballparks as well as playing several conference series in hitters parks that also help offenses put big numbers up on the board. The Lobos have gotten effective front end pitching that has helped them win every three game weekend series they played except for two.

Offense

Park Factor according to Boyd’s World – 118 (increases offense by 18%).
Batting Average – .350 (NCAA ranking – 4, Conf ranking 1)
Runs Per Game – 8.4 (30, 2)
Home Runs – 38 (212, 7)
Stolen Bases – 48 (214, 6)
Slugging Percentage – .502 (47, 3)
On Base Percentage – .420 (DNR, 1)
Walks – 233 (87, 2)
Strikeouts – 292 (DNR, 7)
HBP’s – 36 (269, 7)
Sac Bunts – 53 (25, 1)

The approach that the New Mexico hitters take to the plate is that they are a line drive hitting machine. Their ballpark has a huge right-center gap where it is 404’ to the wall and that is where many of the 2B’s and 3B’s end up landing (the Lobos had 181 2B’s and 3B’s). New Mexico is patient at the plate and have a very good BB/K ratio because they focus on taking pitches and putting the ball in play on a line when they get the pitch they want. The Lobos do not run much with one player accounting for nearly 1/3 of their SB’s but they will put runners in motion on hit and run plays and bunt runners over with three hitters having at least nine SAC’s. One thing to note is New Mexico has been held to four runs or less in 10 of 17 games that they didn’t play at elevation either at home or in one of the other MWC launching pads.

Batting Order

2B #1 SR Adam Courcha (RH – .313/.418/.447, 1-27-4) was a starter in the OF in 2009 (.313-2-22-5) but moved to 2B when last year’s starter MWC MVP Mike Brownstein moved on. Courcha does a good job of setting the table for the heart of the lineup.

1B #11 SR Justin Howard (LH – .455/.505/.712, 10-72-5) isn’t built like and definitely doesn’t hit like the prototypical top of the lineup hitter. Howard is 2nd in the country in AVG, H (117) and 2B (32), 10th in TB and is in the top 50 in OBP, SLG and RBI. What might be one of the most impressive numbers for Howard is his 29/18 BB/K ratio.

C #12 JR Rafael Neda (RH – .369/.438/.604, 10-63-1) provides the power to the New Mexico offense along with Howard. Neda has been 1st or 2nd team all MWC each of the last two seasons (’09 – .415-7-49-0). He is in the top ten in the conf in AVG, OBP, SLG, H, 2B, HR and RBI.

DH #33 JR Ryan Honeycutt (LH – .358/.418/.509, 6-53-2) has had a similar season to last year except with a lower average (’09 – .406-6-53-0) as a solid run producer in the middle of the lineup.

RF #19 SR Chris Juarez (RH – .406/.449/.490, 2-30-9) doesn’t hit like the usual middle of the order hitter because he only has 12 extra base hits but he has a very good 18/21 BB/K ratio as a line drive hitter. He is 3rd in the MWC with 12 SAC’s and 2nd on the team with 9 SB’s.

CF #18 SR Max Willett (RH – .324/.414/.445, 3-35-15) has skills that look more like a leadoff hitter because he has 15 extra base hits, he is 3rd in the MWC with 15 SB’s, he has 9 SAC’s and he has an outstanding 27/20 BB/K ratio.

LF #13 SR Cameron Smith (LH –.323/.413/.470, 3-33-1) gives the Lobos another LH bat in the lineup to take advantage of the RF gap at home and he has 15 doubles in only 164 AB’s and a solid 22/28 BB/K ratio.

3B #4 FR Alex Albritton (RH – .308/.384/.413, 0-30-3) stepped right into the lineup and has been solid both offensively and defensively. Very good 20/26 BB/K ratio for a FR. 7 SAC bunts.

SS #10 SR Daniel Gonzalez (RH – .337/.402/.431, 0-40-3) is the glue of the infield defense and has been a very good run producer for a 9 hitter. 2nd in the MWC with 13 SAC bunts.

Defense

Fielding .972 (40, 2) – 62 errors. Good fielding team at all four infield positions. Good speed in the outfield to get to the gaps in their home ballpark.
Double Plays – 50 (101, 3)
Stolen Base Attempts – Baserunners are 23-32 against Neda.
WP’s/PB’s Allowed – 45. Neda does a solid job of blocking pitches.

Pitching

ERA – 5.36 (94, 2)
BA – .306 (DNR, 3)
HR – 56 (DNR, 4)
BB’s/9 IP – 3.51 (86, 2)
K’s/9 IP – 7.0 (125, 3)

New Mexico had the second best pitching staff in the MWC behind TCU, who had the advantage of not playing in a hitters paradise. They have gotten solid work out of their weekend starters and have used quite a few arms out of the bullpen although they don’t have a shut down closer.

Starting Pitchers

#14 SR Willy Kesler (RHP – 6-3, 3.78 ERA, 15 starts, 3 CG, 95 IP, 87 H, 24 BB, 92 K, .242 BA, 8 HR, 5 HBP, 5 WP) was the only pitcher not from TCU to be voted first team all MWC. Kesler isn’t a big guy but he has a solid fastball that sits around 90 and has late movement on his pitches. He got off to a slow start and didn’t throw well against either Texas or USC (6 1/3 IP, 10 R) but he threw well for the rest of the season, going 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA in MWC games including a 3-2 CG win vs. TCU, before losing his last two starts. Kesler does not do a good job of holding runners (8-8 SB’s) and he has also committed 8 balks.

#17 JR Kenny Toves (LHP – 5-2, 4.55 ERA, 20 apps, 11 starts, 65 IP, 80 H, 31 BB, 43 K, .307 BA, 8 HR, 6 HBP, 5 WP) is a crafty lefty who tries to minimize damage and keep his team in the game by keeping hitters off balance. He started out the season in the bullpen and threw the ball very well in relief outings against Texas and USC (8 2/3 IP, 1 R) before being moved into the rotation. He threw the ball well at Arizona (6 IP, 2 R) but struggled at Arkansas and was decent in conf starts before allowing 5 R in 1/3 IP to TCU and ending up with a 5.16 ERA in conf games. Baserunners are 5-7 on SB attempts against Toves and he has two pickoffs.

#27 Soph Rudy Jaramillo (LHP – 4-2, 5.92 ERA, 15 apps, 10 starts, 59 IP, 74 H, 14 BB, 27 K, .306 BA, 8 HR, 6 HBP, 4 WP) has been in and out of the rotation during the conference season, starting only twice in MWC games although one of them was a good outing against TCU when he allowed 3 R (2 ER) in 8 IP. He also had a good start against UNLV in the conf tournament (7 1/3 IP, 3 R, 7 H). Jaramillo is a finesse pitcher who has to keep the ball down to have any success. He does a very good of holding baserunners (1-3 SB’s).

The most likely other option if New Mexico has to come out of the losers bracket would be #16 JC transfer Richard Olson (RHP – 4-3, 4.19 ERA, 1 save, 18 apps, 7 starts, 54 IP, 68 H, 29 BB, 48 K, .316 BA, 3 HR, 5 HBP, 8 WP), who traded off with Jaramillo in the weekend rotation during conf games when he was 2-0 with a 4.81 ERA in 7 apps (3 starts).

Relief Pitchers

Closer – #24 JC transfer Gera Sanchez (RHP – 2-2, 5.32 ERA, 20 apps, 5 saves, 22 IP, 31 H, 9 BB, 16 K, .341 BA, 1 HR, 3 HBP, 1 WP).

#21 JC transfer Mike LaChapelle (LHP – 5-2, 6.41 ERA, 16 apps, 6 starts, 53 IP, 72 H, 16 BB, 31 K, .317 BA, 10 HR, 2 HBP, 1 WP). Has alternated between very good (6 IP, 1 R at Texas) and very bad (2 IP, 8 R vs. TCU).

#23 SR Edwin Carl (RHP – 5-2, 5.57 ERA, 1 save, 25 apps, 42 IP, 59 H, 23 BB, 46 K, .353 BA, 3 HR, 4 HBP, 8 WP).

#20 FR Bobby Mares (RHP – 3-1, 4.46 ERA, 12 apps, 5 starts, 34 IP, 36 H, 17 BB, 24 K, .275 BA, 3 HR, 4 HBP, 0 WP).

#26 SR Jason Oatman (LHP – 0-2, 5.19 ERA, 1 save, 17 apps, 1 start, 35 IP, 39 H, 1 BB, 26 K, .281 BA, 3 HR, 1 HBP, 1 WP). Outstanding BB/K ratio.

#15 FR Austin House (RHP – 1-1, 8.71 ERA, 17 apps, 1 start, 21 IP, 38 H, 12 BB, 16 K, .400 BA, 6 HR, 2 HBP, 3 WP).