Chance to stay home thrills Lobo baseball
‘Capacity’ crowd gets to see UNM play Air Force
Saturday’s baseball doubleheader at Santa Ana Star Field will have something of a grand-opening feel.
The University of New Mexico baseball team opens Mountain West competition Saturday and Sunday with a home — yes, home — series against Air Force.
The Lobos will be among the first instate athletic teams to capitalize on New Mexico’s recently relaxed coronavirus restrictions, allowing outdoor home games with a 25% spectator capacity.
UNM expects to hit that percentage Saturday. As of Friday afternoon, the 624 tickets made available to the public were sold out, an athletics department spokesperson said. The school reserved 150 seats for players’ and coaches’ family and friends.
Walk-up sales will be offered for game two of the doubleheader (expected to start around 4 p.m.) if fans opt to leave after the 1 p.m. opener. A limited number of seats for Sunday’s finale of the three-game series remained available Friday.
Timing for New Mexico’s sports reopening could hardly be better for coach Ray Birmingham’s baseball program. UNM completed its latest set of upgrades to Santa Ana Star Field during the offseason, expanding seating capacity from 1,000 to roughly 3,500, including 200 stadium seats behind home plate. The ballpark also features new safety netting, infield turf and an updated sound system.
“I can’t wait for people to see what the ballpark looks like,” Birmingham said. “I’m pretty proud of it and I think they will be, too. We’re all pretty pumped about this weekend.”
Lobo pitcher and Las Cruces native Tristin Lively agreed.
“I’m a New Mexican, and I love playing in front of our fans,” Lively said. “My family will be here this weekend. This is just really good news.”
The Lobos (1-3) and Falcons (1-2) faced stiff competition in last week’s openers. UNM beat Kansas State but fell to Gonzaga and Oregon State (twice) in Arizona’s College Baseball Classic.
Air Force split a pair of games at No. 7 LSU before losing at Louisiana Tech. Both Air Force and LSU had series canceled due to COVID-19 issues, so the Falcons
agreed to make a trip to Louisiana.
This weekend’s matchup opens a marathon, 36-game Mountain West schedule that will include three-game series played over two days every week. Birmingham and his players are relieved that half of those games can now be played at home.
“We knew there was a possibility of having no home games,” said sophomore shortstop Mack Chambers, a transfer from Oklahoma’s Seminole State College. “When we heard we could play here, it kind of lit a fire underneath us. It’s a beautiful atmosphere and we’re excited.”
Fans will be required to wear face coverings at the ballpark, and social distancing policies will be enforced. Full concessions will not be available, so fans will be allowed bring in outside refreshments this weekend.