ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Season tickets for the University of New Mexico Football’s 2023 campaign went on sale Monday. Lobo Head Football Coach Danny Gonzales is excited to get the community more involved this year and is even on a mission to “Pack the Den” in their home opener.
“People might think that I am crazy, but I am going to be all over this town over the next six months. We have 138 days from today before we open up with Texas A&M. That means we have 145 before Tennessee Tech, and I am on a mission. Operation Pack the Den – I want to sell out Tennessee Tech and people are going to say ‘why?’. Because why not? Because of what we did in the Pit. That is so much fun. Let’s sell out University Stadium; let’s pack the den and start it off the right way,” said Danny Gonzales.
Coach Gonzales gave the media an update on his team during a press conference on Monday, but a major topic would be “NIL” or Name, Image, and Likeness. College athletes and programs are now getting NIL money across the country, and Danny Gonzales hopes that a new affordable initiative will allow the community to help the program.
“We need the resources to compete and they have opened up an avenue for us to compete at a high level and keep young men around here. The AJ Haulcy’s that we lost, the Aaron Dumas’, those guys that we could keep around here, they have given us an opportunity as a community. Let’s take advantage of it”, said Gonzales.
Gonzales looks to create a new tier system with 505 Sports Venture, 505sports.org, which would allow community members to donate to the programs with prices starting at $10 a month. Gonzales says any donation would help as they look to provide more support to the players, on and off the field, moving forward. Details are still being worked out, and Gonzales hopes that more info will come out this week. He also says that 505 Sports Venture is working to make it tax deductible.
After a solid series in El Paso, Isotopes infielder Coco Montes was named PCL Player of The Week on Monday. Montes had a solid stretch at the plate as he helped his club take four of six games against the Chihuahuas. Montes went 11-for-26 with four doubles, a triple, three homers, and 12 RBI. He also had five multi-hit contests and drove in multiple runs in four of the six games.
The Isotopes will start a 6-game series with OKC on Monday at Isotopes Park, first pitch for game one is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Volcano Vista won their 16th game of the season on Monday, as they beat Rio Grande 14-2 in a non-district matchup. This loss snapped a 9-game winning streak for the Ravens.
UNM Women’s Golf will be in search of their 10th Mountain West Title starting on Tuesday. The team will play in this year’s conference tournament Tuesday through Thursday at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course in California.
UNM won the MW Title back in 2021 and, with a solid core of players returning, they feel confident coming into this tournament. “I think we need to take advantage of just the experience that we all have going in. We have one freshman coming in, so she is the only one that hasn’t played the course before”, said UNM Sr. Golfer, Lauren Lehigh.
UNM will tee off at 8:45 a.m. MT on Tuesday. The winner of this tournament will get an automatic bid to an NCAA Regional.
