LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The New Mexico Highlands baseball team (5-8, 2-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) returns to the friendly of Brandt Park for a conference four-game series against CSU-Pueblo (5-7, 1-1 RMAC).
The Cowboys and ThunderWolves will play at nine-inning game Friday (March 7) at 2 p.m., and Sunday (March 9) at noon. The two teams play two, seven inning games on Saturday (March 8) beginning at 11 a.m.
"We have our work cut out for us. CSU-Pueblo is always a quality, well-prepared club and this is year is no exception," head coach
Steve Jones said. They are talented offensively and can really pitch.
"We will need to really improve our level of play this weekend," Jones added.
McCasland Slugs Way to RMAC Player of the Week
Junior
Morgan McCasland has been named the Rocky Mount Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week, announced the conference offices Tuesday (March 4).
McCasland went 7-for-11 (.636) for the weekend with five RBI's, five runs scored, three home runs and a pair of doubles. He had at least one RBI in each game against Adams State, a Cowboys 2-1 series win.
To read more, click
here.
Hustle Plays Leads to Runs
The Cowboys have already swiped home twice this season in 13 games played, using hustle on the bases that leads to runs.
In its first series of the season, the Cowboys lost the first game against Lubbock Christian. Highlands turned on the hustle in game two and held on for a 3-2 win. With one down in the second, redshirt junior
Matthew Chavez singled and swiped second on the first pitch. Junior
Mike Sordia followed with an RBI double to give the Cowboys its first lead of the season. After a senior
Tyler Hayes single put men on the corners, a double steal executed by Hayes and Sordia plated Highlands second run.
Already up 2-0, hustle provided what proved to be the winning run. With Hayes on second, junior
Nick Gonzales hit a liner to second base. He beat the throw to first, while Hayes hustled around third. He beat the throw home.
With the Cowboys already up 2-0 in the top of the second against Adams State in the first game on March 1, The Cowboys once again had men on the corners but with two outs.
EJ Stanton successfully stole second while
Jonathan Stavinoha swiped home.
While the Cowboys did not swipe home, hustle led to an unearned run against West Texas A&M Feb. 22. With runners on first and second, junior
Morgan McCasland took off for third. Successfully swiping the bag, Stavinoha soon followed by taking off for second. However, the throw was wild to second to allow McCasland to score.
Two Outs, None On, No Problem
Most teams cannot get much going when there is no one on with two outs. However, the Cowboys have thrived in that situation so far in 2014.
After losing the first three games of the series against Eastern New Mexico, Highlands was looking for a spark to win the finale. In the top of the first against the Greyhounds on Feb. 16 with two outs, redshirt junior
Matthew Chavez and classmate
Morgan McCasland both hit infield singles. Juniors
Nick Gonzales and
Joe Cervantes both had RBI singles before junior
Colby Wilmer blasted a two-RBI triple. Senior
Justin Rodriguez plated the fifth run of the inning on the sixth-straight hit for the Cowboys.
Two-out lightning set the tone in the series opener against Adams State Feb. 28. With two outs, Chavez and McCasland singled. Wilmer followed with another single to plate the first rum of the game. The first two were putout in the top of the third when McCasland homered. Wilmer followed with a single, stole second and scored on Rodriguez's dingle up the middle.
Despite a 9-6 loss against Adams State in the first game on March 1, the Cowboys scored a trio of runs after the first two men were retired in the top of the second. Gonzales and senior
Javier Ledford singled before an RBI double by senior
Jonathan Stavinoha. An error scored another run before Stavinoha stole home.
The Reports are in, Round One
The first round of NCAA statistics was posted Monday and the news is good for the Cowboys.
Home runs are certainly a high point for the Cowboys as they are 17th nationally in that category. Individually, junior
Morgan McCasland leads the conference and is fifth nationally with five home runs.
Extra base hits seem to also be a specialty for the Cowboys as they rank 21st nationally with five triples. Juniors
EJ Stanton and
Colby Wilmer rank eighth nationally with a pair of triples each so far in 2014. With the home runs and triples, Highlands ranks 20th nationally with a .456 slugging percentage.
Individually, McCasland is 12th in the nation with a .872 slugging percentage.
While the offense has been strong for the Cowboys, the defense has also come through. Highlands is 22nd in the nation having turned 14 twin-killings.
Scouting CSU-Pueblo
CSU-Pueblo (5-7, 1-1 RMAC) have posted a 3.25 ERA as a team and have struck out an RMAC-high 84 batters. Lonny Schoon (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) leads the RMAC with his 2.30 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a .192 batting average. Meanwhile, RMAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Mike Fabrizio (Sr., Pueblo., Colo.) has posted a 2.88 ERA to rank third in the RMAC thus far. He also paces the lead with 27 strikeouts while Jesse Bristow (Jr., Heber, Utah) has 15 to rank third in the conference. All three are 1-1 on the season.
Offensively, Evan Kenebrew (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) is hitting a team-best .333 after he went 4-for-8 in last week's doubleheader split. Dominick Bregar (So., Pueblo, Colo.) also leads the team with six doubles, tied for most in the RMAC, and is hitting .283 overall, just above Scott Hoyt (Sr., Longmont, Colo.), who has five doubles and a .282 batting average.
CSU-Pueblo was picked to win the RMAC Plains division, one spot ahead of the Cowboys.
To read more from CSU-Pueblo, click
here.
Next Up
New Mexico Highlands baseball returns to action next Friday (March 14) when it travels to Denver, Colo., to take on Metro State in a four game series.
