New Mexico will return to league play this weekend against UNLV after taking to the road the past six games.
Across those six games matchups, the Lobos only dropped a one-game series against Texas Tech while the squad was able to sweep Sacramento State on Tuesday, and nearly completed a sweep over SDSU last weekend.
“Sac State is a team that just earlier in the season had won a series in Auburn in the southeast conference and taken one of three against LSU,” head coach Ray Birmingham said. “So those were two big wins for us.”
The two wins at the beginning of the week were no. 10 and 11 for the club over its past 14 games. Birmingham said even though typical injuries have presented themselves over the course of the long baseball season, the team has stepped up to the challenge.
“We’re starting to gel, things are getting better but we’ve had some injuries that have hurt us and we’ve had to patchwork it,” Birmingham said. “It’s a testament to the kids.”
One of the reasons the Lobos (17-8, 7-2 MW) have been producing wins is the potency of the offense. UNM has been led by the three spot in the lineup.
Catcher/DH Chris DeVito is among the conference’s best in several major hitting categories. DeVito has already accumulated 34 RBIs and 40 hits (best in MW), seven homers (tied for 1st in MW) and he is third in the league with a .404 average.
“Chris DeVito is a typical UNM baseball story,” Birmingham said. “He was a kid who nobody thought could hit, a walk on from California and he has been through his ups and downs.”
While Birmingham couldn’t pass up on the powerful swing that has taken a popular stance in the heart of UNM’s lineup, the head coach said it wasn’t without adversity.
“He’s fought through it and he’s turned into one of the top hitters in the nation,” Birmingham said. “I’m happy and I hope he continues it because he has a bright future in baseball.”
Happy bats are always a plus, Birmingham said. However, per usual, UNM’s head coach said defense and pitching is going to get the squad to the next level.
That next goal is a Mountain West Championship, the head coach said.
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“Every year I’ve been in this league, UNM is part of the championship situation,” Birmingham said. “We’ve either been a champion or a runner up.”
Currently, UNM sits in second place behind Air Force (13-5, 4-1 MW). UNM is within striking distance with plenty of season left, but Birmingham said there are quite a few contenders in the league to deal with before the Lobos can be victorious.
“Our league is really, really tough,” Birmingham said. “Unfortunately, we’ve fallen out of first place early. We’ve got to hold it; we’ve got to fight through it because tougher times are coming.”
While the Lobos will work to place another championship year on the outfield wall, UNM has its work cut out with several teams within reaching distance of a regular season title.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday night at Santa Ana Star Field.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
