LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Fresh off a 38-win season, New Mexico State softball announced its 2017 schedule that features seven programs from a Power 5 conference and five programs that concluded last season top-30 nationally in RPI. NM State will start the season on an eight-game homestand, beginning Feb. 11.
“Every year we try to challenge ourselves so we are ready for the intensity of conference play and the postseason,” head coach Kathy Rodolph said. “Once again we are hosting high profile programs with Oregon State, Tennessee, Depaul and Arizona all visiting Las Cruces. Playing seven games against Pac-12 foes should also challenge us during non-conference.”
The Aggies kick off the season at the NM State Softball Complex against UTSA Feb. 11 in a doubleheader before closing out the series on Feb. 12. NM State stays at home the next week for the annual Troy Cox Classic, which features Depaul, Bradley, Northern Colorado, Oregon State and Tennessee. Oregon State, from the Pac-12, is coming off a 30-win season while Tennessee went 43-16 in 2016, including 16-7 mark in SEC play, and finished the campaign with an RPI of 15.
NM State hits the road for the first time Feb. 23-26 to take part in the prestigious Mary Nutter Class in Cathedral City, Calif. NM State opens with LSU, a 52-win team and top-10 national program from 2016, before facing Stanford, Oregon State, St. John’s and Bethune-Cookman in the four-day event.
The Aggies come home for a single game against Battle of I-10 rival UTEP on March 1 before returning to the road to take part in the Rebel Classic, hosted by UNLV in Las Vegas. Depaul, Portland State and Southern Illinois will be the opponents for NM State.
Following a home rivalry game with New Mexico on March 15, NM State makes a four-day road trip to the Midwest to play a three-game series with Big 10 power Nebraska, March 18-19, before finishing up the trip against Omaha on March 21.
NM State then travels to Tempe, Ariz., for a matchup with Arizona State a day later on March 22 before making the short trip down I-10 for its second meeting of the season against UTEP on March 28 prior to starting Western Athletic Conference play.
Utah Valley serves as the first WAC opponent for NM State with a three-game series slated for March 31-April 1.
After a trip to Seattle U, April 7-8, NM State begins a five-game homestand that starts April 14 against UMKC and ends April 18 with Pac-12 foe Arizona in Las Cruces.
April concludes with a road series at CSU Bakersfield, April 21-22, and a three-game home series with Grand Canyon April 28-29.
A road game with Battle of I-25 rival, New Mexico, in Albuquerque May 2 and a home game with Florida Atlantic May 4 conclude the 2017 regular season. Florida Atlantic dominated Conference USA in 2016 and completed the season with an RPI of 28 and a 51-9 overall record.
“We are a very young and energetic team,” Rodolph remarked. “I think we’ll be a lot of fun to watch. I expect us to be more versatile offensively and talented but young in the circle. Our team is working hard right now to reach the goals they’ve set for the postseason. It will be fun to see how this high spirited group responds to the 2017 schedule.”
NM State is coming off four straight 30-win seasons and has won back-to-back WAC regular-season titles with two straight 14-1 conference finishes. In 2016, NM State ranked seventh in the nation in team batting average (.343), 14th in on-base percentage (.427), 25th in slugging percentage (.508) and 25th in stolen bases per game (1.8).
