Community Champions: NMSU baseball team departs for Lubbock
The NMSU baseball team has a chance to add to one of the best years in the history of Aggie athletics later this week.
The team boarded a bus in Las Cruces today to travel to their NCAA Tournament regional site in Lubbock. Fans of the program cheered the players on as they packed up their gear and headed out Wednesday.
The Aggie baseball team will meet Texas Tech at 12 p.m. MT in Lubbock on Friday in the NCAA Tournament opener for both teams.
The Aggies, fresh off winning the WAC Tournament, are looking to carry that momentum into a tough matchup with a Red Raiders team that has already beaten NMSU twice this season. The Red Raiders won the first meeting 12-0 in Lubbock in February. However, NMSU nearly beat Texas Tech in April in Midland, losing just 2-1.
“I’ve got a lot of butterflies, but they are excited butterflies,” said NMSU head coach Brian Green. “I’ve got so much pride right now that we are doing this for New Mexico State, and I’m a part of it. It’s awesome.”
In addition to NMSU and Texas Tech, the Lubbock regional also contains Louisville and Kent State. It’s a double elimination format with only one team advancing out of the region in the end.
Win or lose, one could argue this has been the greatest single year in NMSU athletics. From the football team’s victory in the Arizona Bowl to the men’s basketball team securing a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Aggies have had a great run. Throw in a WAC title for the softball team, and you’ve got an incredible year.
“You know, from a program standpoint, it’s really the cherry on top of what is arguably the greatest athletic season we’ve had in our history,” said athletic director Mario Moccia.
