April 10, 2008

Lobo Baseball vs. Air Force Game Notes

Up Next For Lobo Baseball
Games #34-36 • vs. Air Force
Friday, April 11 • 6 p.m. (MDT)
Saturday, April 12 • 6 p.m. (MDT)
Sunday, April 13 • 12 p.m. (MDT)
Ricketts Field • Farmington, N.M.

Live Stats: Link available on GoLobos.com.

Against Air Force: The Lobos have a commanding 97-40 series lead over Air Force, including 57-14 at home. This will be a home series for UNM even though it will be played in Farmington to accommodate the Albuquerque Isotopes home opening weekend.

Up Next: The Lobos will host Arizona to open the home portion of the four-game series on April 15-16. Game time at Isotopes Park on Tuesday is set for 6 p.m. while Wednesday will be an afternoon matinee at 12 p.m.

LOBO BASEBALL QUICK HITS

• LOBOS GET VOTES ... For the second time this season, the New Mexico baseball team is getting some recognition from the coaches who vote on the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll. UNM received votes in the poll on March 3 after a quick 7-1 start, then again on April 7, at 20-11.

• Bobby LaFromboise NAMED MWC PITCHER OF THE WEEK ... In his first appearance in two weeks, Bobby LaFromboise threw his first complete game of the season in UNM's 5-2 series opening win over league-leading San Diego State. After giving up two earned runs in the second inning, the Downey, Calif., native, did not allow a base runner past second base for the rest of the game, giving up just two hits and striking out seven to bring home the victory. LaFromboise is the third Lobo to earn a weekly honor from the conference this season.

• SPORTSMANSHIP NIGHT ON APRIL 15 ... The Lobos will be hosting Sportsmanship Night on Tuesday, April 15, when the nationally-ranked Arizona Wildcats come to Isotopes Park. Joining Lobo fans that evening will be famous Texas Tech Heckler Chris Snead. Snead is well know for his heckling of opponents in a sporting manner at Texas Tech baseball games. Snead will present Lobo fans with his "10 Commandments of Heckling" throughout the game.

LOBO BASEBALL YOUTH CLINIC ... The UNM baseball team will host a Youth Clinic on Saturday, April 12 at 10 a.m. at Roberto Clemente Field in Farmington, N.M. The clinic is free and open to youth, 8th grade and younger.

RED CROSS UNIT ... Junior pitcher Willy Kesler will be out 1-2 more weeks as he recovers from surgery on March 29 to remove his appendix ... Junior center fielder Max Willett broke his hand against Northern Iowa on March 8 when he was hit by a pitch and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

TURNING TWO ... The Lobos currently lead the nation in double plays turned with 45 through the Texas Tech series ... First baseman Kevin Atkinson leads the way, having a part in 38, while shortstop Scott Gracey has turned 31, and Mike Brownstein 27.

About New Mexico (21-12, 5-4 MWC) ... The Lobos will spend the last six weeks of the regular season fighting for a conference championship and a strong RPI ... The majority of the Lobos remaining schedule is against Mountain West Conference competition (15 games) ... Seven non-conference games against Top 25 teams UC Irvine and Arizona are thrown in for good measure ... UNM is receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll for the second time this season and hold an unofficial RPI of 51 going into the Air Force series ... The Lobos have put together two seven-game winning streaks this season ... Senior Matt Hibbitts leads the team in batting with a .370 average ... The right side of the infield, first baseman Kevin Atkinson and second baseman Mike Brownstein, have started every game for the Lobos in 2008 ... The weekend pitching has stabilized with seniors Bobby LaFromboise, Jacob Norton and Stephen Smith leading the way.

About Air Force (11-19, 0-8 MWC) ... The Falcons recently beat Doane College, 37-13, to set several MWC and Academy records, including 37 runs in a game, 7 runs in a game by Addison Gentry and 11 RBI for Matt Alexander ... AFA has had one MWC game against Utah postponed due to snow ... Josh Meents and Parker Mayo split catching duties.

Probable Starters

New Mexico (21-12, 5-4 MWC)
1B Kevin Atkinson
2B Mike Brownstein
SS Scott Gracey
3B Ian Hollick
LF Matt Hibbitts
CF Adam Courcha
RF Brian Cavazos-Galvez
C Rafael Neda
or Drew McDonald
DH Bobby Moore

Pitching Rotation
Friday - Bobby LaFromboise (L)
Saturday - Jacob Norton (L)
Sunday - Stephen Smith (R)

Air Force (11-19, 0-8 MWC)
1B Addison Gentry
2B Nathan Carter
SS K.J. Randhawa
3B Jason Griggs
LF Daniel Walker
CF Jake Allen
RF Chay Derbigny
C Josh Meents
or Parker Mayo
DH Matt Alexander

Pitching Rotation
Friday - Colin Shepherd (R)
Saturday - David Miller (R)
Sunday - Jake Petro (R)

2008 NCAA National Stats Rankings (as of April 6)
UNM Team Top 50 rankings
1. Double Plays 43
2. Double Plays per game 1.39
19. Hits 350
19. Fielding Percentage .973
22. Doubles 70
23. Hit By Pitch 46
28. Sacrifice Flies 17
37. Doubles per game 2.26
46. Sacrifice Bunts 23
49. Batting Average .314

UNM Individual Top 100 rankings
50. Brian Cavazos-Galvez, tough to K 15.3
53. Mike Brownstein, stolen bases 13
69. Matt Hibbitts, hits 45
71. Rafael Neda, doubles 11
80. Willy Kesler, victories 4
89. Rafael Neda, doubles per game 0.39
96. Mike Brownstein, stolen bases per game 0.42

Current RPI (Final 2007 UNM NCAA RPI - 167)
Boyd's World (April 10) - 51 (MWC - 10)
WarrenNolan.com (April 10) - 51 (MWC - 9)
Ping Baseball - coming in April
2008 NCAA - coming in April