ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – In this edition of the Sports Desk we start with the University of New Mexico Football as the Lobos were picked to finish last in the Mountain Division in 2020.

The Mountain West released their predicted order of finish on Tuesday and UNM Head Football Coach Danny Gonzales released this statement on being picked to finish last: “Don’t care,” he said. “We won’t be picked last for long around here.”

Here is a full look at the Mountain West football predicted order of finish:

MOUNTAIN DIVISION

Rank    Team (first-place votes) Points

  1.          Boise State (20)            125
  2.          Wyoming (1)                 90
  3.          Air Force                      86
  4.          Utah State                    60
  5.          Colorado State              59
  6.          New Mexico                  21

WEST DIVISION

Rank    Team (first-place votes) Points

  1.          San Diego State (19)     122
  2.          Nevada (2)                    100
  3.          Hawai‘i                         74
  4.          Fresno State                 73
  5.          San José State              43
  6.          UNLV                            29

Sticking with football, Valley High School graduate and now senior offensive lineman for UNM, Teton Saltes heard some more good news on Tuesday, as he was named to the Outland Trophy Watch List.

Saltes is one of 85 interior linemen from around the nation, and one of just 32 offensive tackles, named to the Outland Trophy Watch List. The recipient of the 75th Outland Trophy will be announced in early December.

Now to soccer, New Mexico United announced on Tuesday that their home game on the 29th against Real Monarchs SLC will not take place. The game has been postponed to September 12, as a match next week would be impossible under Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public health order.

“We literally are the only team out of 35 teams that is not allowed to play in our home stadium without fans and if that’s what the governor feels is right, right now, then that’s what we are going to do, and hopefully in the next few weeks or month or two we can work towards an environment where we play without fans and then maybe we get to October and we can have 25% capacity,” said NM United Owner, Peter Trevisani.

New Mexico United will play their next game on Friday at El Paso and that 7:30 p.m. match will be shown on ESPN+.

Now to baseball, the Albuquerque Isotopes released a statement on Twitter on Tuesday, saying that Isotopes Park will no longer be the location for the Colorado Rockies Satellite operations during the upcoming MLB season. Isotopes Park is unable to house these players, because of the mandatory 14-day quarantine for everyone who enters the state of New Mexico.

Sticking with baseball, La Cueva sophomore Kasey Crawford announced some big news over the weekend, as he has verbally committed to play college baseball at the University of Oklahoma.

“It just makes me feel good because all of the hard work I have put in, all the days in the weight room, and arm training have paid off, and a year ago I was probably throwing not even 80 mph and now, 89 in my last start, it feels really good. It’s not over though. You still have to keep on going until you make it,” said Crawford.

OU was the 3rd Division I offer that Crawford received and he said it was an offer he couldn’t pass up. Crawford is apart of the class of 2023 but he has shown a lot of upsides already, as his velocity has gone up and he has grown three inches. He credits a lot of his growth to playing at Albuquerque Baseball Academy.

“Well going to ABA has helped me like, practice with other great players, like Jacob Kmatz he goes to Sandia. Yeah, I have been looking up to him since I was young, and its just been competitive. So, it just pushes me harder,” said Crawford.

Let’s finish with Tuesday’s edition of The Lost Season as we highlight St. Pius student-athlete Brody Cast.

“Hi my name is Brody Cast and I just finished my senior year at St. Pius High School. I am going to Central Washington University to play rugby and major in construction management. As seniors during this pandemic, we lost one of the best parts of high school and losing my senior season with my brothers was heartbreaking, because with a lot of great players we were on track to compete for a state championship. I just want to say thank you to all the brothers that I have battled with and against on the field and thank you most of all to Coach Neese and Coach Cole for teaching me the sport that I love. Thank you and stay safe,” said Cast.