DBU (9-8, 0-0 CUSA) vs. NEW MEXICO STATE (8-8, 0-0 CUSA)
March 13-15 | Dallas, TX | Joan and Andy Horner Ballpark

GAME NOTES
 
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Instagram: @dbu_baseball
Twitter/X: @DBU_Baseball
Facebook: DBU Baseball
 
DBU BASEBALL ON THE AIR
In their 15th season on the air, Reagan Ratcliff and Brendan Smith deliver all the action from Joan and Andy Horner Ballpark to Patriot fans. Every DBU home game is streamed live on ESPN+ with an additional audio broadcast on the Patriot Broadcasting Network.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
DBU: RHP Russ Smith (1-1 W-L, 9.00 ERA, 16.0 IP, 16 SO, 9 BB)
vs.
NMSU: RHP Colton Sneddon (1-1 W-L, 3.29 ERA, 13.2 IP, 6 SO, 2 BB)
 
Saturday
DBU: RHP Jared Schaeffer (2-0 W-L, 4.91 ERA, 18.1 IP, 16 SO, 9 BB)
vs.
NMSU: RHP Jake Carvajal (0-0 W-L, 5.68 ERA, 12.2 IP, 8 SO, 2 BB)
 
Sunday
DBU: RHP Ryan Borberg (0-1 W-L, 6.10 ERA, 10.1 IP, 8 SO, 5 BB)
vs.
NMSU: LHP Bradyn Barnes (0-1 W-L, 8.74 ERA, 11.1 IP, 14 SO, 13 BB)
 
LEADING OFF
COMING OFF CLOSE LOSS: DBU went to extra innings versus Oklahoma State on Tuesday, but fell in the 10th on a walk-off home run, 6-5.
THREE-HIT DAY FOR BENNETT: Jake Bennett went 3-5 on Tuesday, his second game with at least three hits this season.
DUNCAN DOMINANCE: Avery Duncan went a career-long 3.0 innings on Tuesday, giving up zero runs and only two hits while striking out two batters.
 
TOP STORYLINES
OPENING THE CONFERENCE CALENDAR: DBU begins Conference USA play this weekend with a home series against New Mexico State.
SLUGGING OFFENSE: The Patriots have displayed one of the most powerful offenses in CUSA, belting 31 home runs, the 2nd-most in CUSA and 14th-most in the country, and boasting a .523 slugging percentage, good for 2nd in CUSA and 32nd nationally.
HOME RUN THREATS: Jake Bennett and Ryan Martin own two of the hottest bats in CUSA. Bennett shares the conference lead at seven home runs, and Martin trails by just one at six round-trippers. Martin has hit a home run in three of the last four games.
POWER QUARTET: Four Patriots are currently among the top 25 in CUSA in slugging percentage: Jake Bennett (.738, 2nd), Ryan Martin (.645, 13th), Ben Tryon (.615, 16th), and Cooper Neville (.574, 25th). DBU is one of two teams in the league with four players in the top 25 in slugging percentage (Middle Tennessee).
PATIENCE AT THE PLATE: The Patriots have drawn the most walks of any team in CUSA (93). Jake Bennett is 6th in the league with 15 walks, and Cooper Neville is 7th with 14 walks.
CONSISTENT THREATS: Going back to last season, Jake Bennett has a career-best 25-game on-base streak, and Cooper Neville has reached base in 16 consecutive games with a plate appearance. Ben Tryon had his career-high 13-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday.
POWER + AVERAGE: Jake Bennett (1.220), Ryan Martin (1.072), Ben Tryon (1.058), and Cooper Neville (1.051) each own OPS marks above 1.000. Each of them also owns a batting average above .300 and a slugging percentage north of .570.
EMERGING ARM: Liam Watt has emerged as the premier arm out of the Patriot bullpen, with team-bests in ERA (1.06) and WHIP (1.06) plus 11 strikeouts opposite 4 walks in 17.0 innings.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: The Patriots' defense is 6th in the nation in fielding percentage with a .987 clip. Everyday infielders Dylan Cupp and Chayton Krauss have yet to commit an error this season, and DBU infielders have committed only four errors.
 
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: NM State comes off a big win on Tuesday against the University of the Southwest, in which the Aggies tied a program record by scoring 39 runs. They also set a program record for RBI in a game with 37 and tied another school record with 4 triples.
HIGH-SCORING OFFENSE: NM State leads CUSA in scoring, with an average of 8.9 runs per game. They are also first in the league with a .427 on-base percentage and second in batting average with a .304 mark.
TRIPLES MACHINE: NM State leads the nation in triples with 12 on the year. Nine different Aggies have recorded a triple this season.
BEST AVERAGES IN CUSA: Sophomores Cole Rogers and Chris Daniels have the two highest batting averages in CUSA, with .405 and .385 figures, respectively.
WYLDE OUT OF THE 'PEN: Lefty reliever Connor Wylde heads the Aggie pitching staff with a team-best 3.71 ERA and a team-high 17.0 innings pitched. In his most recent outing, he threw 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball against No. 24 UTSA.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Dating back to 2000, DBU is 13-3 all-time against NM State and 12-3 in its Division I era. The Patriots won eight straight versus the Aggies before dropping the last contest of a three-game series in Las Cruces last season.
 
ON DECK
DBU completes a four-game homestand with a midweek match against Texas Tech. First pitch is slated for Tuesday, March 17, at 6:35 p.m. at Horner Ballpark.