Jump to content

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

MaroonFrog

New Mexico Baseball

Recommended Posts

This was part of Baseball America's Weekend Preview:

Ray Birmingham doesn't mince words. He knows where New Mexico's program stood when he inherited it last summer, and he knows where it should be.

"I wouldn't want to take over any other program but this one," said Birmingham, a lifelong resident of New Mexico who coached New Mexico Junior College for 18 years before the Lobos hired him to replace retiring Rich Alday last summer. "It kind of underachieved, and we have the nicest Division I facility in the country out here (Isotopes Park). It won't be long before this program gets to Omaha."

Lofty talk for a program that hasn't even reached regionals since 1962. But in his first year at the helm, Birmingham already has the Lobos poised to end the NCAA tournament drought. Even after dropping a pair of midweek games against Arizona, they're 24-14 overall and 8-4 in the Mountain West Conference, tied with TCU for second place, just a game behind San Diego State. And New Mexico already has won road series against both the Horned Frogs and the Aztecs.

"These kids are playing over their heads and competing," Birmingham said. "They've played a tough schedule and risen above it."

Birmingham's tough talk has a lot to do with the turnaround. New Mexico's pitching staff features a number of power arms who are starting to play up to their potential. Senior lefthander Bobby LaFromboise (4-2, 3.93 with 37 strikeouts in 37 innings) has run his fastball up to 93-94 with armside run and improved his secondary stuff, emerging as the club's true ace. Senior righty Stephen Smith (3-1, 4.53) has reached 92 and flashed a very good slider. Junior righty Will Kerr (2-2, 3.86) reaches 92-93 and has excelled in a swing role, and closer Clinton Cox (1-0, 3.25, two saves) can reach 90 mph with good life. Senior lefty Jacob Norton (4-2, 6.07) competes as a weekend starter with a fastball that tops out around 85 mph. The X-factor is junior righty Willie Kesler (4-0, 1.90), who is working his way back from an emergency appendectomy three weeks ago. Kesler was outstanding in the Northwoods League last summer and can reach 94 with a very good breaking ball when healthy.

Collectively, the staff's ERA is down from 5.86 a year ago to 5.15, and falling.

"I think attitude is everything with the pitchers," Birmingham said. "Beforehand, when I came in here, they didn't really know what you had to do to win. They were trying to win, don't get me wrong, but I put them through some heavy exercises in attitude building, a lot of running and stuff like that. I felt like they were a fraternity with a baseball schedule

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely a good year for the Lobos, and I'm glad to see it, but we're starting to hit our stride and the conference tournament is at Lupton. Look for a Frog Three-peat in the MWC (and our 5th straight conference title going back to CUSA)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

any info on the tourney anyone... when... where? I'll be in Austin second weekend of May if it's in Tx.

"Make a mistake once and it becomes a lesson, make the same mistake twice and it becomes a choice."
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TCU always struggles against OU for some reason, and it sucks because OU is not really that great of a team. They beat TCU on Wednesday and then lost to NAIA Southern Nazarine on Wednesday.

And a note for Robert because him and I are probably the only ones that care, it sucks that Wesleyen's game against UTA was called for weather after TW was up 4-0 in the 3rd. Hopefully they can make a good playoff run.

LR5h5.St.58.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool article, there are alot of Baseball fans out here in NM. And I think Birmingham has UNM in the right direction.

Iostopes park is a gem, and is a great place to catch a game. UNM definitely has a great faciltiy. Although I don't know about attendance as I've never been to a game.

I am thinking about it though.

Cool story. It would awesome if UNM grabbed a MWC title in Baseball, When was the last time that happened, I probably wasn't born yet ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

UNM actually won the MWC in the year they split with the WAC, but the MWC was not awarded a automatic bid that season. I am not sure about all of the background, did the split begin with spring sports?

As for attendance, UNM gets between 300-600 going off of the boxscores. It probably looks pretty bad in Isotopes park.

LR5h5.St.58.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.


×
×
  • Create New...