FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
LAS CRUCES – New Mexico State head baseball coach Rocky Ward recently released the 2011 baseball schedule with 32 games scheduled at Presley Askew Field and 21 away games.
The season starts Feb. 12 with the Annual Alumni game before opening the regular season, Friday, Feb. 18 with a three-game series against Houston Baptist. Those games are the first of seven consecutive home games at Presley Askew Field. The Aggies took on Houston Baptist last season, earning a sweep in Houston, Texas.
After the seven home games, NM State heads to Beaumont, Texas for a tournament, March 3-5, where it will face Cal State-Northridge, San Francisco, and Lamar University. NM State then returns home for the first of two games with in-state rival New Mexico, Tuesday, March 8. NM State split a four-game series with the Lobos last year, winning one game at home and one on the road.
The Aggies then head to Corvallis, Ore., March 11-13 taking on Virginia Military Institute and Oregon State in a tournament hosted by the Beavers. OSU won back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007 under current head coach Pat Casey.
“I am looking forward to taking on former national champion Oregon State”, Ward said. “Head coach Pat Casey is a good friend and we are looking forward to playing the series in Corvallis.”
After heading to the Northwest region, NM State returns home for an 11-game home stand taking on I.U.P.U. Fort Wayne, March 18-20, Binghamton, March 24-26, and Northern Colorado, April 1-3. It’s the first time the Aggies will face I.U.P.U. Fort Wayne and Binghamton, while NM State carries an 11-5 all-time record against Northern Colorado. The last time the Aggies took on Northern Colorado was in 2009 going 3-1 in Greely, Colo.
Western Athletic Conference play opens for the Aggies, April 8, when they head to Ruston, La. to take on the Bulldogs in a four-game series. The Aggies follow that with a home-conference series against San Jose State, April 15-17.
League play breaks for the Aggies, April 19, when NM State faces the Lobos in Albuquerque in the second game of the season-series. The team returns to WAC play when the Aggies face Nevada, April 22-25, in Reno, Nev. From Reno, NM State will travel to Seattle, Wash. for a four-game non-conference series against Seattle University, April 28-30.
“This will be a little different because we have not played UNM this late in the season in a long time,” Ward said. “Both teams should be fine tuned and it should make for a great match-up.”
The Aggies wrap up the season with three conferences match-ups, taking on Sacramento State, May 6-8 and Hawai’i, May 19-21 at Presley Askew Field. Hawai’i took home the WAC Tournament title last year after defeating Fresno State in the title game as a No. 4 seed. In between those two home series, the Aggies travel to Fresno, Calif. to face the defending WAC regular-season champion Bulldogs, May 12-15.
“I think the series against Hawaii to end the regular season will be a big series,” Ward said.
The Aggies finished the 2010 season with a 36-23-1 overall record and a 14-9-1 league record. They finished second in the regular season and led the league in batting average (.349), slugging percentage (.572), on-base percentage (.449), runs scored (613), hits (776), RBI (576), doubles (150), home runs (104), total bases (1272) and walks (382).
