A conference regular season crown may be out of reach for the Cougar sluggers, but BYU looks to play the part of spoiler against the first place Lobos.
On Thursday, BYU plays the first of a three game series against Mountain Western Conference leading New Mexico who are struggling to stay atop the conference.
The two teams will square off at 7 p.m. at Larry H. Miller Field.
The Cougars improved their record to 18-26 by completing a two game sweep against the 15-30 Northern Colorado Bears on Tuesday. BYU looks to build off of their success against the Bears as they return to conference play.
While looking strong at some points in the season, this was the first time the Cougars have won back-to-back games in over a month. The most recent set back was a loss to last-place Air Force.
New Mexico, however, took first place in the conference this last weekend as TCU and SDSU broke a three-way tie between the teams by splitting a three game series. While happy to be in first place, the Lobos cannot feel too comfortable with their current lead over TCU, as New Mexico comes into the game on a five-game loosing streak.
This will be the first time the two teams face each other this season, but BYU is hoping for a repeat of last year where they defeated New Mexico twice in the regular season, and once in the conference tournament.
Cougar outfielders Sean McNaughton will be looking to extend his 10-game hitting streak against the Lobos pitching squad. McNaughton also leads the team with 11 homeruns on the season.
The Cougars will be relying on the pitching strength of Jake Wortham who will be starting for the first time this season. The junior out of Texas will be appearing in his second game this season.
With only a 6-8 record thus far in conference play, the Cougars will need a strong outing in the conference tournament in order to get an invitation to continue their season in post-season play. A win against New Mexico could go a long way in helping them pass UNLV in the conference standings, and get a more favorable match up in the upcoming playoffs.
Patrick_Perkins@byu.net
Copyright Brigham Young University 1 May 2008
