Lobos putting No. 1 RPI ranking to stiff test
UNM to visit nationally ranked Oklahoma State, Cal State Fullerton
How do the University of New Mexico Lobos stack up with the nation’s best college baseball teams? Depends upon which rankings you believe.
UNM (11-3, 6-0 Mountain West) remains on the fringes of baseball’s various polls after sweeping its four games last week. The Lobos received votes in Monday’s USA Today Coaches Poll but not quite enough to crack the top 25. Other noteworthy polls released Monday do not list teams receiving votes.
However, one significant list of rankings puts UNM at the absolute head of the class. Monday’s NCAA RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) standings have the Lobos ranked No. 1 among the nation’s 299 Division I college baseball programs. The RPI index ranks teams according to both won-lost records and schedule strength.
The Lobos were No. 1 in RPI over the weekend according to warrennolan.com, but the NCAA’s version is not updated on weekends. The Lobos were No. 2 on Friday and moved up a notch Monday.
“It’s fun,” Lobo coach Ray Birmingham said of seeing his team atop the national listings. “It’s not our primary goal, which is getting to Omaha (site of the College World Series), but it is fun. Now we have to work to stay high on that list.”
The Lobos will have every opportunity this week to boost
their résumé with a pair of difficult road series. The Lobos open a two-game series today at Oklahoma State (9-6) then travel to Cal State Fullerton (9-5) for a three-game weekend series. The Cowboys are ranked No. 23 by Baseball America this week and have an RPI ranking of 100, while the Titans are ranked No. 7 and 31, respectively.
Win or lose, road series against such traditionally strong programs figure to ultimately help UNM’s RPI. But the Lobos are not particularly interested in boosting their computerized statistics.
“We feel like we can compete with anyone in the country,” junior outfielder/pitcher Luis Gonzalez said. “It’s a good feeling to know we’re No. 1 in RPI, it’s a confidence booster, but we’re looking forward to playing Oklahoma State and Fullerton. We’re looking to win.”
UNM’s current RPI ranking has been built on a challenging schedule that included road trips to Dallas Baptist (40 RPI) and Texas Tech (7). The Lobos also have received a boost from Binghamton, a team UNM swept on the season’s opening weekend. The Bearcats have not lost since and have an impressive RPI ranking of 10th.
MWC HONORS: UNM swept the Mountain West weekly honors Monday. First baseman Jack Zoellner was named Player of the Week for the second time this season after hitting .529 with two homers and eight RBIs in UNM’s four games. Tyler Stevens was named Pitcher of the Week after tossing a complete game fourhitter with eight strikeouts against San Jose State.
NOTES: Left-hander Austin Isenhart (1-0) is expected to start for UNM today, Birmingham said, with Wednesday’s starting pitcher yet to be determined … All five of UNM’s games this week will be broadcast live on 101.7 FM.