SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State returns to America's Finest City for a weekend series with New Mexico at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (22-13, 7-8 MW) and the Lobos (6-31, 4-10 MW) will play a doubleheader Saturday at 2 p.m. PT and a single game at noon PT Sunday.
SDSU is coming off a third straight series victory after taking two of three at Utah State. San Diego State split a doubleheader on Saturday with the Aggies, winning, 6-3, and losing, 10-7. The Aztecs then rallied from a pair of deficits, including an 8-2 score after two innings, to down USU, 13-10, scoring four times with two outs in the top of the seventh and five runs total in the final frame. The victory was the 800th of Kathy Van Wyk's coaching career.
SDSU has won eight of the last 10 games entering this weekend's series, outscoring the opposition, 65-33, over that stretch.
San Diego State, which has 58 hits and 40 runs over its last four games, is hitting .277 as a team and is led offensively by middle infielders Jillian Celis and Shelby Thompson. Celis leads the team with a .342 average (38-for-111) and 11 doubles, while adding two home runs, 22 RBIs and 18 runs. Thompson, meanwhile, is batting .330 (38-for-115) and paces the Aztecs in runs (27), RBIs (26, tied), total bases (68), times hit by pitch (8) and on-base percentage (.410), while ranking second on the team with eight home runs. Taylor Adams and Alexa Schultz are hitting .295 and .294, respectively, with Adams tied for the team walk lead with Danielle Romanello at 15, while Schultz leads SDSU with nine home runs and a .637 slugging percentage, and tying Thompson for the lead with 26 RBIs. Jeweliana Perez has also come on strong, batting. 393 (11-for-28) in limited plate appearances (30).
The San Diego State pitching staff has combined for a 3.29 ERA with nine shutouts in its 22 wins. Maggie Balint (13-6, 1 SV, 2.34 ERA, 125.2 IP, 112 K, 35 BB, .210 opp. avg.) has five shutouts by herself and has combined on another one, while Marissa Moreno (4-4, 3.77 ERA, 55.2 IP, 25 K, 30 BB) also has pitched enough innings (35) to qualify for the Aztec leaders.
UNM has played extremely well as of late, winning last weekend's series with Boise State (6-4, 3-4 and 6-3) and taking three of the last five games overall.
Andrea Howard (.307, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 13 R, 7 2B, 15 BB) and Cameryn O'Grady (.303, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 24 R, 6 2B, 12 BB) are the top two hitters for New Mexico, which is hitting .207 as a team. Emma Guindon (5-18, 5.55 ERA, 116.0 IP), Ashlyn Roberts (0-2, 5.90 ERA, 40.1 IP) and Kiana Spencer (1-7, 9.39 ERA, 41.0 IP) pace a pitching staff that has posted a 7.03 team ERA.
Against common opponents this season, SDSU is 3-6, while the Lobos are 4-5. San Diego State leads the all-time series with UNM, 75-35, including a close series win (1-3, 9-8, and 4-3) the last time the two teams met March 15-17, 2019 in San Diego.
Following the three games with New Mexico, the Aztecs travel to Colorado State for a series May 8-9, in Fort Collins.