Utah Hosts New Mexico This Weekend

April 30, 2002

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Utah Quick Hits

The Utes are five games behind San Diego State and one game ahead of Brigham Young for second place in the conference standings. Utah is 27-20 overall, 11-10 in league play. The Utes have nine regular season games left, along with the Mountain West Conference Championships. Utah needs to win nine of those games to tie its best single season wins total of 36, the next highest total is 31. Adam Castleton leads the conference with a .395 average, while Mitch Maio boasts a (tie) league-high seven wins.

Utah vs. New Mexico Notes

The Lobos swept the Utes in both teams first conference series earlier this season in Albuquerque. Since the sweep, New Mexico has posted a 4-14 league record, while Utah has gone 11-7.

Scouting The Lobos

New Mexico has stuggled on the road this season, winning only one game while dropping 16. The Lobos are 18-28 overall and sit in last place in the conference with a 7-14 record. Troy Cairns, who has proven to be one of the conference's best hitters, leads the Lobos offensive attack with a .390 batting average and 46 RBI. Chris Alexander has knocked out a league-high 13 home runs this season. James Vermilyea pilots the pitching staff, posting a 5-7 record with a 6.16 ERA in 14 appearances. As a team, New Mexico boasts a conference-best .343 batting average, but ranks last with an 8.12 ERA.

Last Week

The Utes swiped two-of-three games from first-place San Diego State last weekend in San Diego. In game one, Utah overcame a 7-0 deficit en route to winning 14-9. Game two featured two stellar pitching performances with Cheyenne Rushton getting his seventh win of the season, as the Utes won, 2-1. Game three was the opposite of game one for Utah, as they yielded a 5-0 lead and eventually lost, 6-5.

Esmay Insights

"The San Diego State series was a great battle between the top two teams in the conference, and it was a lot of fun. It says a lot about our team to take two-of-three from them at home."

"New Mexico proved earlier in the season they know how to play well against us. We need to take care of business at home against them."

Who's Hot Cheyenne Rushton struck out seven, while holding the first-place Aztecs to one run off five hits last weekend. The performance earned him his seventh win and Pitcher of the Week honors.

Take Note

Donald Hawes has a team-high seven game hitting streak heading into the New Mexico series.

Ute Leaders

Avg.    Adam Castleton  .395   ERA     Mitch Maio 3.82Hits    Nate Weese 64  Wins    Maio, Rushton   7HR      Nate Weese     11  SO      Mitch Maio 71RBI     Brit Pannier 48  O/BA    Mitch Maio .270Runs    Donnie Saba   50  Saves   Maio, Snyder    4

2002 Ute Honors

Mountain West Conference Player/Pitcher of the Week

Cheyenne Rushton Apr. 29     Mitch Maio     Mar. 6Mitch Maio              Apr. 2         Cheyenne Rushton Feb. 25Mitch Maio     Mar. 25     Brit Pannier     Feb. 11

Career Clips

Nate Weese is Utah's new career hits leader with 261, as of Apr. 23, with a lot of the season left to boost that number. The senior first baseman needs just two more home runs to tie the career record of 46. Adam Castleton tied the Ute career doubles record of 56 during the UNLV series, and needs just two triples to tie the career triples record.

On Deck

Utah concludes its home season by hosting Brigham Young May 9-11 in a three-game conference series. The Ute seniors will be honored before the game on May 11.

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Utah Hosts New Mexico This Weekend

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