GOLDEN, Colo. – Having just made a trip to the Denver area, the Western New Mexico University softball team will head back up that way to face Colorado School of Mines this weekend in RMAC play.
The Lady Mustangs are coming off of a solid 3-1 weekend where they swept UC-Colorado Springs and split with Colorado Christian in an important series as all three teams were tied in the standings entering the weekend. WNMU is sixth in the RMAC standings at 15-13, but are just percentage points behind CSU-Pueblo in fourth and Adams State in fifth. They are 18-21 overall on the season.
Mariangela Garcia (Tucson, AZ/Desert View) leads the team with a .435 batting average, while also adding nine doubles, four home runs and 29 RBI.
Stephanie Higgins (Escondido, CA/Mission Hills High School) is right behind with a .424 batting average, as she leads the team in doubles (15), home runs (8) and RBI (39).
Mary Othon (Tucson, AZ/Desert View High School) adds a .406 batting average along with nine doubles, seven home runs and 35 RBI.
Davi Martin (Silver City, NM/Silver City) (.351),
Linzy Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) (.333), and
Thailyza Ramirez (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) (.317) are all over a .300 average. WNMU hits .332 as a team, while opponents hold a .342 average.
In the circle, reigning RMAC Pitcher of the Week
Mikayla Austin (Florence, AZ/Florence ) holds a 5.28 ERA, along with nine wins, 27 appearances, 14 games started, 100.2 innings pitched and 102 strikeouts.
MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) holds a 6.37 ERA, along with five wins, 31 appearances, 14 games started and 107.2 innings pitched. The Lady Mustangs have a 6.26 ERA while opponents hold a 5.27 ERA clip.
WNMU has several numbers that rank high nationally and in the conference. Team rankings include 19
th in doubles per game (1.79), fourth in the RMAC, 34
th in batting average (.332), third in the RMAC, 36
th in slugging percentage (.500), third in the RMAC, 41
st in scoring (6.28), third in the RMAC, 57
th in triples per game (.28), fourth in the RMAC and 61
st in on-base percentage (.393), fourth in the RMAC.
Individually, Garcia is 75
th in batting average, fifth in the RMAC, Higgins is 95
th and sixth in the RMAC. Higgins is 43
rd in doubles per game (.38), third in the RMAC. Othon is seventh in the RMAC in home runs per game (.23). Higgins is 83
rd in home runs and fourth in the RMAC, eighth in the RMAC in on-base percentage (.493) and 44
th in RBI and fourth in the RMAC. Othon is 83
rd in RBI and ninth in the RMAC and is 50
th in RBI per game (1.13) and fifth in the RMAC. Ramirez is 38
th in sacrifice flies (3) and fifth in the RMAC.
Linzy Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) is 70
th in sacrifice hits per game (.23) and fourth in the RMAC. Austin and
MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) are seventh in saves with three and lead the RMAC. Higgins and Othon ranks high in slugging percentage with Higgins 65
th and second in the RMAC, while Othon is 75
th and third in the RMAC. Austin is 62
nd in strikeouts and third in the RMAC, while she leads the RMAC in strikeouts per game (7.1), good for 72
nd nationally.
Linzy Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad), Martin, Garcia and
Alicia Enriquez (Gilbert, AZ/Mesquite) rank third through sixth in the RMAC in toughest to strikeout, while
Linzy Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) is 48
th in triples (3) and sixth in the RMAC.
Colorado Mines is 7-30 overall and 5-18 in the RMAC having split their weekend series against CSU-Pueblo. They are 3-7 at home this season. A pair of players are hitting over .300 with Paige Noehring leading the way with a .369 average. Dana Gallegos adds a .336 average. Cassie Ford leads the team in home runs with two, while Sonoma Toot leads in RBI with 20. The Lady Orediggers hit .267 as a team while opponents hold a .374 average. In the circle, Hallie Smith leads the team in ERA (5.79), wins (6), appearances (29), games started (19) and innings pitched (119.2). Kristen Prudhomme has the other victory for CSM.
Last year, Colorado Mines took three of four from WNMU in Silver City. The Lady Mustangs have already surpassed last year's win total for overall victories (16) and RMAC wins (14).
WNMU and Colorado Mines will open their four-game set on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon. Live stats will be available.
