Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Opens Spring Trip in New Mexico Friday
3/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 20, 2009
NU Game Notes vs. New Mexico (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern opens its spring trip Friday as it begins a four-game series at New Mexico. The teams play a single game beginning at 7 p.m. CT Friday followed by a 3 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday. Following the set with the Lobos, the Wildcats play single games at Kansas State on Tuesday and Wednesday before opening Big Ten play at home against Purdue next weekend.
Gametracker for all four games can be found at NUsports.com, while streaming video can be accessed via GoLobos.com.
NU earned its first series win a week ago, taking two out of three games at Illinois-Chicago. Freshman second baseman Trevor Stevens got the Wildcats off on the right foot, homering and driving in five runs in a 9-2 win Friday. Eric Jokisch tossed a complete-game four-hitter to earn the win on the mound. The 'Cats got a strong outing from Joe Muraski in earning a 2-1 win in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. The junior lefty carried a shutout and went 8 1/3 innings to earn his first victory of the season. Northwestern led 3-1 in the eighth inning of the nightcap, but the Flames got a three-run homer to salvage the series finale.
Junior Kenneth Avila leads the Wildcats with a .340 average, while Stevens is batting .327 with a team-best 12 RBI. Jokisch, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, paces the pitching staff with a 2-0 record and a 2.56 ERA.
Scouting New Mexico
The Lobos (18-3) are coming off a two-game sweep at No. 3 Texas A&M, winning 10-6 Tuesday and winning 9-6 Wednesday. New Mexico boasts one of the nation's top offenses, hitting a whopping .399 as a team and scoring at least 10 runs in 13 of their first 21 games. Six starters are batting .398 or better, paced by left fielder Ryan Honeycutt who is second in the nation with a .540 average. First baseman Kevin Atkinson is hitting .443 with a team-leading 29 RBI. The pitching staff is led by left-hander John Hesketh who is 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .198. Fellow southpaw Bobby Moore is 4-0 with an ERA of 1.57. Ray Birmingham is in his second season with the Lobos and his 22nd season overall as a head coach.
Series History: New Mexico leads, 4-1-1.
Last Meeting: The Wildcats and the Lobos played to a 3-3 tie Feb. 22, 2004 in Albuquerque.
