ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Lobos baseball team is set to begin its season next week and morale of the team is the highest it has been in recent years. Head Coach Tod Brown is entering his second season with the Lobos, and the team will look a little different with a large mix of freshmen and transfers.
“We are excited about the season,” Brown said. “We have a good mixture of returning players and new players. What I would say is that our roster is improved but unproven.”
While there are plenty of new faces, they seem to be gelling with the rest of the team. Multiple returners stressed the growth of their relationships they formed during preseason workouts.
“The team chemistry right now is unbelievable,” said shortstop Chase Weissenborn. “I mean, it’s the best it’s been in the past three years that I have been here. So, I think that says a lot when it comes to winning ball games.”
“When Coach gives us an off day, basically the whole team is there on the off day,” outfielder Lenny Junior Ashby said. “That is a team that is hungry. So, I just look at that, and I think the guys are ready this year.”
While the lineup is due to produce runs, finding a solid pitching staff is a struggle that many Mountain West programs face. The team knows that’s the part of the game that will be won or lost.
Story continues below:
- Community: ‘Bear huggers’ wanted with New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
- Albuquerque: 40 vehicles found damaged in downtown Albuquerque parking lots
- New Mexico: Historic La Fonda Hotel embarks on new business venture: short term rentals
- Crime: Violent weekend leaves four people dead in Albuquerque
“If you look at last year, every chance that we pitched well, we had a shot to win late in the game,” coach Brown said.
“I want to be in that conference tournament, and I have been here for three years, and I feel like we have the team to do this year,” Riley Egloff said.
UNM opens the season in Surprise, Arizona on February 17 against Oregon State.
