Aztecs Prep for Pivotal Home Series vs New Mexico

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State continues its Mountain West docket this weekend when it welcomes New Mexico for a key three-game series, May 2-4, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.  

Friday’s opener is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. PT, while Saturday’s showdown is slated for a 4 p.m. start, followed by Sunday’s finale at noon.

Live stats will be available all weekend, while Friday’s game will air live on the Mountain West Network, with links to both platforms available on GoAztecs.com. Fans can also catch Friday's action on their TVs or smartphones by downloading the MW app.

Plenty of promotions are on tap for the upcoming weekend, highlighted by Friday night’s Tony Gwynn bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 spectators. The Aztecs will also conduct an ALS Awareness Day in conjunction with Saturday’s contest, recognizing individuals and families impacted by ALS. The series concludes on Sunday with a Star Wars Day promotion, with several Star Wars-themed activities planned. In addition, fans are encouraged to wear costumes of their favorite characters.

SETTING THE SCENE
Entering this weekend’s series, SDSU (15-31, 10-11 MW) finds itself slotted fourth in the Mountain West standings, two games behind New Mexico (25-18, 12-9 MW) and Nevada (25-19, 12-9 MW), both of which are tied for second.

The Aztecs dropped a three-game conference series at UNLV last weekend, falling by scores of 8-5, 13-2 and 10-3, while the Lobos captured two of three meetings at home against San José State, posting a pair of huge seven-inning run-rule victories, 25-5 and 19-3, before losing a 14-12 slugfest.

SDSU is coming off a tough 7-6 non-conference defeat at UC Riverside on Tuesday night, while UNM was idle during the midweek.

The Lobos are one of four Mountain West teams the Aztecs will face just once during the regular season along with Air Force (road), Fresno State (home) and Nevada (road).

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, May 2, SDSU: Marko Sipila, RHP (3-3) vs. UNM: Daxton Purser, LHP (4-3)

Saturday, May 3, SDSU: Omar Serrano, RHP (4-5) vs. UNM: Christian Mogen, RHP (2-2)

Sunday, May 4, SDSU: Garvey Rumary, LHP (2-5) vs. UNM: TBA

Sipila returns to the lineup after missing the previous two series at San José State and UNLV. The Aztec junior matched his career high with nine strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings against Fresno State in his last start on April 11 but was charged with the loss in a 7-0 defeat. 

Sipila picked up his last victory at Air Force on April 4 in SDSU’s 16-4 rout when he gave up three runs on eight hits and three walks in five innings of work.

Serrano looks for a return to form when he tossed a complete game shutout in the series finale at San José State on April 19. Against the Spartans, the Aztec senior scattered four hits with just one walk and posted six strikeouts to earn MW Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time in his career.

Rumary also emerged triumphant in the opener at SJSU on April 17 when he yielded two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks in a career-long six innings with four strikeouts.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of May 1, the Aztec staff leads the Mountain West innings pitched (393.0) and is slotted second in strikeouts (364) while ranking fifth in both ERA (7.12) and opposing batting average (.302).

Individually, Peyton Rodgers tops the conference with 24 games pitched, while Xavier Cardenas III is slotted third with 20 appearances, followed by Evan Miranda and Chris Canavan, who are tied for fourth with 19 games apiece.

Cardenas shares the fourth position in the league with five saves, while Rodgers is tied for seventh with three in that statistic.

Elsewhere, Omar Serrano ranks fourth in the MW in innings pitched (61.2) and shares the fifth spot in victories (4) while occupying the seventh position in strikeouts (53).

Additionally, Garvey Rumary is tied for second in fewest hits allowed (53) and shares the third spot in opponent batting average (.275).

Despite missing his last two starts, Marko Sipila still finds himself among the conference leaders in strikeouts (T-5th, 54), opposing batting average (6th, .280), innings pitched (T-7th, 53.1) and ERA (8th, 5.23).

Offensively, SDSU is slotted third in the MW with 90 doubles and 16 triples while ranking fourth with 176 walks. In addition, the Scarlet and Black occupies the sixth position in hits (420) and the seventh spot in batting average (.275), runs scored (251) and RBIs (230).

Finley Bates is tied for the conference lead with 33 walks, while Nevan Noonan shares the fourth position with 61 hits and the seventh spot with 15 doubles.

Elsewhere, Evan Sipe owns the top perch in the league with 10 sacrifice hits, followed by Drew Rutter (T-3rd, 6) and Jonathan Smith (T-7th, 5).

Jackson and Smith have already tied the program record with two triples in a game this year. Jackson accomplished the feat in the season opener vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 14, followed by Smith’s performance at Air Force on April 7.

AZTEC NOTEBOOK
For the season, Nevan Noonan leads the Aztecs with multiple hits in 18 games, followed by Daniel Arambula (16), CJ Moran (13) and Jonathan Smith (12).  Noonan and Arambula are the only two players to start all 46 games for the Scarlet and Black this season.

In addition, Arambula is lone Aztec to start every contest at one position (third base), while Bates (leadoff) leads the team with 41 games played in the same spot in the batting order.

Last month, Arambula garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades after leading the Scarlet and Black to a doubleheader sweep of San José State on March 15, when he batted a combined .571 (4-for-7) with two homers, eight RBIs and four runs scored.

In SDSU’s 6-4 victory over Fresno State on April 12, Noonan belted his first two home runs in an Aztec uniform, including a two-run shot in the first inning before adding a solo blast in the fourth.

With his effort, Noonan completed San Diego State’s first game with multiple home runs since Shaun Montoya hit a pair at Nevada on May 17, 2024.

After his 2-for-4 performance at UCR on April 29, Moran has extended his streak of reaching base safely to 19 consecutive games.

Since returning from an injury against UCSD on April 15, a span of 10 games, Moran leads the team in batting average (.429), hits (15) and on-base percentage (.500) while contributing three doubles, six RBIs and five runs scored.

For the season, Moran is batting .385 (42-109) with 11 doubles, 22 RBIs and 18 runs scored. The Murrieta, California, native ranks third on the squad with multiple RBIs in seven games, including three in the second game of a doubleheader vs. Northeastern on March 8.

Since March 28, a stretch of 21 games, Noonan is hitting .412 with team highs of 35 hits, four homers and 24 RBIs, followed by Bates (.338), Arambula (.333), Smith (.321) and Jake Jackson (.319).

Jackson has two homers, six doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs in that span, while Smith has contributed one home run, five doubles, two triples, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases.

In a doubleheader at Air Force on April 6, Jackson recorded eight consecutive hits across two contests and tied a single-game school record with four doubles in the opener, helping the Scarlet and Black to a big 16-4 victory.

All 17 of San Diego State’s freshmen have seen action this season, including pitcher Aaron Kniffin, who returned from an injury to make his collegiate debut against California Baptist on April 8. The Scottsdale, Arizona, native allowed one unearned run vs. the Lancers on one walk in 1 2/3 innings. He also fanned a season-high three batters at USD on April 21.

Against Nebraska on Feb. 16, the Aztecs employed 21 players on the night, including five true freshmen who were making their first career appearances (Evan Escobar, Cody Liscio, Dillon Marrisett, Alito McBean, Hank Tripaldi). Tripaldi singled in his first collegiate at-bat with a grounder through the right side in the eighth.

Escobar has started 22 of 28 games at shortstop, belting his first collegiate home run vs. Fresno State on April 12, while Tripaldi made his first career start at Washington State on March 22. 

Previously, McBean earned his initial career start on the mound in the Aztecs’ home opener against Seattle on Feb. 20. The SDSU left-hander earned his first collegiate victory on April 22 against Cal State Fullerton when he allowed one run on seven scattered hits and three walks in five innings of work.

In addition, catcher Xavier Farnum made his first career start at USC on April 1, finishing with one hit, one walk and a run scored, while Keynen Gomez earned his first collegiate start at second base vs. California Baptist on April 8.

Farnum has started seven of his last 11 games played, collecting nine hits in 27 at-bats (.333) with one double, one triple, eight RBIs and four runs scored.

The Aztecs are 14-1 this season when leading after seven innings, suffering their first loss in that category at UCR on Tuesday night. SDSU is also 13-1 this year when limiting opponents to five runs or fewer and 13-2 when outhitting the opposition.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 85 of its last 137 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 7-5 mark this year, a 14-13 ledger during the 2024 campaign and a 14-12 record in 2023.

Since 2019, the Aztecs are 77-63 in their last 140 games when striking out 10 or more batters. SDSU pitchers fanned 17 hitters in its season opener against Seton Hall at the MLB Desert Invitational.

The Aztecs are 179-71 over the last seven-plus seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

SERIES RECORD VS. NEW MEXICO
The Aztecs lead the all-time series vs. the Lobos, 134-88 dating back to 1960.

SDSU has won 16 of the last 21 meetings against New Mexico since the 2021 campaign.

The Lobos are one of five programs the Aztecs have recorded over 100 victories against. The other four are Air Force (123), Fresno State (114), UNLV (105) and Utah (104).

SDSU boasts a 78-39 record vs. New Mexico in San Diego, a 46-45 mark on the road and a 10-4 ledger on a neutral field.

Last season, the Aztecs posted a 2-4 record against the Lobos, winning two of three games at Tony Gwynn Stadium before suffering a weekend sweep in Albuquerque.

In last year’s home series vs. UNM, San Diego State dropped the opener by a 5-2 count before storming back with a doubleheader sweep by scores of 8-6 and 13-0, punctuated by former Aztec Jacob Riordan's no-hitter, which marked the ninth such occasion in program history.

SDSU pitchers held the Lobos to a .155 batting average for that weekend after they entered with a conference-leading .332 clip.

Conversely, the Aztec offense came to life in the series, posting a collective .345 batting average (35-102) with nine doubles, three homers and 19 RBIs, as Finley Bates hit .467 (7-15) across three games, highlighted by three doubles.

In six games against New Mexico in 2024, Bates batted .423 (11-26) with four walks and five runs scored.

LOBOS AT A GLANCE
New Mexico (25-18, 12-9 MW) enters the weekend tied for second in the Mountain West standings after claiming a series victory at home against San José State, April 25-27.

With their results, the Lobos raised their record to 18-6 at home this year while maintaining a 7-12 mark in road/neutral contests. In addition, UNM owns a 9-3 mark on their home field in conference play and a 3-6 ledger on the road.

Offensively, the Lobos are paced by outfielders Jordy Oriach (.410/.500/.777), Khalil Walker (.399/.455/.627) and first baseman Ethan Ott (.387/.489/.754), all of whom find themselves among the conference top 10 in numerous statistical categories.

Entering the weekend, Oriach is tied for the conference lead with 13 home runs and 18 doubles while ranking second in hits (68) and RBIs (50). In addition, the UNM junior ranks 19th nationally with 1.62 hits per game, while his .410 batting average is tied for 20th.

Not to be outdone, Walker leads the MW in triples (15) and is slotted third in hits (68).

Similarly, Ott shares the third spot in doubles (17) and ranks fourth in both runs scored (42) and home runs (11) while tying for fifth in RBIs (40).

Elsewhere, outfielder Will Asby (.316) is tied for fifth in home runs (10) and doubles (16), while infielder Akili Carris (.336) is slotted fourth in RBIs (41).

Collectively, the Lobos top the Mountain West in most statistics, including batting average (.341), hits (522), home runs (73), runs scored (405) and RBIs (375). UNM’s .341 batting average and 2.74 doubles per game leads the nation, while its average of 9.4 runs per game is ranked sixth.

As a staff, New Mexico pitchers are tied for the league lead in saves (12) and are slotted fourth in strikeouts (332), but rank last in hits allowed (487), opponent batting average (.320) and ERA (8.41).

Closer Ty Cunningham leads the MW with 10 saves, which is tied for fifth nationally, while fellow reliever Josh Barnhouse is slotted second in the conference with 22 appearances.

In addition, Friday’s projected starter Daxton Purser occupies the fourth spot in the league in strikeouts (64) and ranks seventh in opposing batting average (.287).

Junior infielder/outfielder Luke Mansey graduated in 2021 from St. Augustine High School and was a teammate of Aztec infielder Nevan Noonan at Grossmont College in 2023.

AZTECS IN MLB DRAFT
Since 1965, San Diego State has had 227 student-athletes chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, including 31 selections since 2015.

Former Aztec center fielder Cole Carrigg was taken by the Colorado Rockies as a catcher in the Competitive Balance "B" Round with the 65th overall pick of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft; pitcher TJ Fondtain was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 14th round (423rd overall), while fellow hurler Kelena Sauer went to the Toronto Blue Jays shortly thereafter in the 15th round (454th overall).

With its selections, SDSU has had multiple players picked in six of the last eight years and nine of the last 12.

In 2022, former Aztec right-hander Troy Melton was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round with the 117th selection overall.

The previous year, in 2021, SDSU had five individuals drafted by MLB organizations: Mike Jarvis and Wyatt Hendrie (Pirates), Matt Rudick (Mets), Jaden Fein (Nationals) and Michael Paredes (Twins).

LOCAL HEROES
San Diego State sports eight players on its current roster who are alumni of San Diego County high schools, including Xavier Farnum (Christian), Trevor Fox (St. Augustine); Jake Jackson (Madison); Nevan Noonan (Francis Parker); Peyton Rodgers (Torrey Pines); Eli Selga (Cathedral Catholic); Connor Shaw (Westview); and Evan Sipe (San Marcos).

MW TO HOST 2025 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN MESA, ARIZONA
The Mountain West, in partnership with the Arizona Sport and Entertainment Commission, will host the Credit 1 Baseball Championship, May 21-24 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The agreement marks the first time the MW baseball tournament will be held on a neutral field and in the state of Arizona.

“Hosting the baseball championship in a first-class venue like Sloan Park is a tremendous opportunity for the Mountain West, our baseball student-athletes and our fan base,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

The six-team double elimination format begins on Wednesday, May 21, with the No. 3 seed facing the No. 6 seed. The second game will feature the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.

On Thursday, May 22, the top two seeded teams square off with the winners from Wednesday. The winners of Thursday’s first two contests advance to Friday, while the losing teams battle in elimination games. The MW champion will be crowned on Saturday, May 24, earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Ticket information for the 2025 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Baseball Championship will be available at a later date.

UP NEXT
Following this weekend’s action, San Diego State wraps up its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, May 6, when it plays host to CSUN at Tony Gwynn Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. PT.