LAS CRUCES – California Baptist University baseball will close out its Western Athletic Conference season two series on the road, starting with a trip to NM State this weekend.

The last time the Lancers were at Presley Askew Field, they claimed a share of the 2019 WAC title. CBU did it with a 9-4 win on the last day of the regular season, which secured a three-game series win over the Aggies.  

CBU will look for another big series win in New Mexico this week, as it is in pursuit of its second-straight WAC title. The Lancers go into the week tied with Grand Canyon for the lead in the WAC standings, as both have identical 23-5 conference records.

Overall, CBU is 31-13 this season after it split its last home series with Sacramento State last weekend after sweeping Saturday's doubleheader in dramatic fashion. The Aggies are 19-27 overall and 16-16 in the WAC after they split their last series on the road at Utah Valley.

It leaves NM State in fifth place in the league, with Sacramento State (19-13) and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (16-12) rounding out the top-four.

CBU will need a good showing in New Mexico this week to keep pace with a GCU team that has won 14 of its last 15 in WAC play. The Lopes will play four games at Tarleton State this weekend, with the Texans coming in with 20-31 overall and 13-19 league records.

FILLING OUT THE ROTATION
Six different Lancers have made starts on the mound this season. Chris Burica and Bryan Pope have solidified themselves as the No. 1 and 2 starters, and Drew Necochea and Matt Amrhein have started games three and four the last three weeks.

Necochea has been terrific with a 2.86 ERA, 3-0 record and .185 opposing batting average in his seven starts this season. Amrhein has been the game four starter the last two weeks in a row. He's maintained a 2.60 ERA, 2-1 record and .169 BAA, with 16 strikeouts and just two walks over 17.1 innings, in three starts.  

WHO'S HOT
Damon Keith and Nick Plaia both extended their hitting streaks to 15 games last week. It's tied with Luke Navigato (2019) and Tommy Bell (2017) for the fourth-longest hitting streak in CBU's NCAA era, with that record being 22 games set by Bryce Macy in 2016 and 2017. A 17-game hitting streak would rank top-10 in the Lancers' modern era.

Five of the Lancers' regular starters hit .333 or better last week: Mitchel Simon (.500), Plaia (.429), Chad Castillo (.400), Harrison Spohn (.333) and John Glenn (.333). Simon had a team-high seven hits, eight runs batted in and six runs scored with a 1.071 slugging percentage thanks to two homers and two doubles against Sacramento State.  

GAME ON FOR DAMON
Keith has been on fire this season for CBU. The outfielder has started in all 44 games and leads the Lancers in batting average (.365), slugging percentage (.611), on-base percentage (.446), hits (61), runs (46), stolen bases (10) and home runs (10).

He has a hit in 35 of 44 games, 16 multi-hit performances, eight three-hit games on the year and two four-hit performances. Keith leads the WAC in home runs and slugging percentage, ranks second in hits and runs, third in on-base percentage, fourth in batting average and sixth in stolen bases.  

SERIES INFORMATION
Opponent: NM State
Dates/Times: Friday, May 14 (2 p.m.); Saturday, May 15 (12 p.m.); Sunday, May 16 (11 a.m.)
Location: Las Cruces, N.M. (Presley Askew Field)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
Video: WAC Digital Network – Game 1 | Games 2-3 | Game 4

AGGIES AT A GLANCE
NM State got off to a strong 7-1 start to the WAC season with a series win of Dixie State and sweep of Northern Colorado. The Aggies are over .500 in their last three conference sets, with splits against Tarleton State, Utah Valley and a win over UTRGV.

It has helped NM State rebound from a rough 2-10 stretch in WAC play, which included series losses to Seattle U, Sacramento State and being swept by Grand Canyon.

The offense has been NMSU's strength this season, as it hits .287, slugs .432 and has stolen 39 bases as a team. Overall, the Aggies average 6.41 runs a game but allow 5.76 with a 5.63 earned-run average as a team.

Five of NMSU's regular starters hit above .300, but Zerek Saenz and Tommy Tabak are the top-two threats. Saenz leads the Aggies hitting .384, slugging .453 with a .478 OBP and 44 runs. Tabak hits .374 and slugs .520.

Kevin Jimenez (.331), Cal Villareal (.311) and Ethan Mann (.308) all hit above .300, as well. Mann leads the team with nine homers, 46 RBI and eight stolen bases. Brandon Dieter is another power threat with a .514 slugging percentage, eight homers and a .286 batting average.

Eight Aggies have made starts this season, with Chris Jefferson making 11 starts. He's maintained a 4.45 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and logged seven complete games over 66.2 innings. Rorik Maltrud leads NMSU's starters with a 3.67 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.

Frank Dickson Jr., Brendon Rodriguez and Lyle Hibbits lead NMSU's bullpen with at least 14 appearances each. Ben Des Rosiers has the best stats of any reliever with a 3.06 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.