Conference play starts at Air Force

‘Little things’ in Texas were big

The Texas swing could have been better, but the University of New Mexico baseball team hopes to complete its eight-game road adventure on a high note in Colorado.

The Lobos (4-3) open Mountain West play today as a three-game series begins at Air Force. The Falcons (4-3) have shown steady improvement in recent seasons and are always a tough assignment at Falcon Field.

“You never know at that ballpark,” Lobos coach Ray Birmingham said. “Air Force has pitching and we’ve had some lowscoring battles there, but if the wind starts blowing off the Rockies it’s a launching pad. You have to be ready for anything.”

The Falcons, who set a program record with 30 wins last season, will be playing at home for the first time this season. They’re coming off a series win at Navy and have several players off to impressive starts. Tyler Zabojnik leads the MWC in hitting at .480, while Sunday starter Matt Hargreaves is among the league leaders with a 2.77 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched.

But Birmingham is more concerned about getting his own team clicking more efficiently. Coming off four games against nationally ranked Dallas Baptist and Texas Tech, UNM ranks in the

middle of the MWC pack in hitting and has been prone to self-inflicted wounds.

For example, UNM pitching has been generally solid through the season’s first two weeks, but hit batsmen and untimely infield errors have proven costly. UNM pitchers hit four batters combined in Sunday’s 11-inning loss to DBU and Tuesday’s 7-2 defeat at Texas Tech. UNM went 1-3 on its Texas trip.

“Little things turn into big things against good ballclubs,” Birmingham said. “We’re working on minimizing our mistakes. Those little things really added up in the last week.”

The Lobos also spent extra time hitting Wednesday, their one day at home between road trips. Luis Gonzalez (.407) and Jack Zoellner (.310) have gotten off to solid starts at the plate, but most of their teammates have struggled.

As a result, Birmingham continues to platoon at several positions (catcher, shortstop and one outfield spot) until someone gets hot.

“It’s early and we’ve faced quality pitching,” Birmingham said. “The hitting will come around, but we need to get a few more guys started. It’s conference time. These games are important.”