Over the course of the season, the Lobos saw six of their nine starting players miss time due to injuries. The pitching staff wasn’t immune to the injury bug either, as UNM lost two starters — sophomore Conner Rusch and senior Colton Thomson — during the year.
The Lobos were able to endure the losses, but finished in fourth place in the Mountain West at the end of the regular season. UNM’s finish is its lowest since the 2011 season, when it placed sixth.
“It was really, really hard,” head coach Ray Birmingham said. “It was one of the hardest seasons I’ve ever gone through because of the injuries.”
Another issue for UNM (32-27, 17-13 MW) throughout the season was losing one-run games. The Lobos lost 12 games by a single run during the year because the back end of their bullpen wasn’t as reliable as it had been in the past.
Redshirt junior Victor Sanchez, who was up for Closer of the Year award, struggled for most of the season. He finished with a 6.96 ERA and allowed opposing hitters to bat .324. The only regular relief pitcher to have an ERA under 3.50 was freshman Hayden Schilling (3.38), and he missed the final two MW Championship games against San Diego State due to a sprained shoulder.
“What happened to us there was the previous year our bullpen didn’t allow a run after the seventh inning,” Birmingham said. “We had a lead in most of those games, and we weren’t able to hold them.”
Even with all the injuries and bullpen issues, UNM found itself just one win away from an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. The Lobos marched their way into the MW Championship game having won their first three tournament games by an average of 10 runs.
UNM had two chances to clinch its sixth-straight season with a MW title, but fell short. The Lobos were blown out 11-1 in Game 1 by San Diego State, then lost a close 6-4 decision to the Aztecs last weekend.
“It was very impressive to me. As a veteran coach it was very impressive,” Birmingham said. “It was incredible, incredible run. It was a freshness about the team, and the chemistry was really good. It sent a great message for next year.”
The other key factor in UNM’s season was the team’s youth. The Lobos had just four seniors on the squad, and outfielder Ryan Padilla was the only four-year player.
But the young talent the Lobos had proved to be some of the bright spots on the team. Freshman pitcher Tyler Stevens was scheduled to be a reliever, but instead started 13 games and had the lowest ERA (3.44) among UNM’s starters.
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Catcher Cory Voss was named MW Co-Freshman of the Year as he batted .345 on the season. Third baseman Carl Stajduhar hit .322 and broke UNM’s freshman record for most RBIs in a season with 53.
“We could have three freshman All-Americans — and we’ll know next week — in Tyler Stevens, Carl Stajduhar and (Cory Voss),” Birmingham said.
Birmingham has made it a tradition to write the year on the outfield wall when UNM either wins a MW title or makes an NCAA appearance. That won’t be the case this season, and Birmingham isn’t satisfied with that.
“This was another year where we finished second (in the tournament). We’ve had a lot of firsts,” Birmingham said. “This year was just second place; it was runner-up. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like runner-up.”
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
