Aztecs Wrap up Regular Season at New Mexico

Aztecs Wrap Up Regular Season This Weekend at New Mexico
In need of one victory to claim the Mountain West's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, the San Diego State softball team wraps up its regular season this weekend at New Mexico. The Aztecs (35-13, 18-3 MW) and Lobos (25-25, 5-16 MW) will play at 6 p.m. MT Thursday, 6 p.m. MT Friday and noon MT Saturday.

All three games will be broadcast on Mountain West Network (links will be available on GoAztecs.com).

SDSU, which is 24th in the latest D1softball.com rankings, has won all seven of its MW series this season and is in first place in the league standings at 18-3, two games ahead of Boise State (16-5) and three ahead of UNLV (15-6). San Diego State has already won series against both Boise State and UNLV, and need just one win this weekend to clinch at least a share of the MW title and the league's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA tournament, regardless of what else happens in the league. Two victories by the Aztecs will clinch an outright league championship, their first since 2014.

On Wednesday, SDSU dominated the MW awards, winning the coach of the year (Stacey Nuveman Deniz), player of the year (Mac Barbara) and pitcher of the year (Maggie Balint).

Barbara leads San Diego State in most offensive categories, including batting average (.401), hits (59), doubles (14), home runs (14), RBIs (52), total bases (117), slugging percentage (.796), walks (31) and on-base percentage (.503).
Bella Espinoza, who joined Barbara and Balint on the all-MW first team, is hitting .387 (58-for-150) with team highs of 32 runs and 12 stolen bases (tied), while Taylor Adams (.327, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 19 R) and AJ Murphy (.306, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 15 R) made the all-conference second team. Jillian Celis (.309, 30 R, 7 2B, 4 3B) is also hitting over .300 for the Aztecs and has played every game this season, along with Barbara.

Balint is 16-5 with six saves and a 1.43 ERA, striking out 257 against 33 walks in 166 innings, while limiting the opposition to a .168 average. Balint has won nine of a possible 13 MW Pitcher-of-the-Week awards, tied for the most in league history with former Aztec greats Christina Ross (2008) and Samantha Beasley (2010).

Dee Dee Hernandez (9-4, 1.84 ERA, 3 SV, 80.0 IP) made the all-league second team, while Dani Martinez (5-2, 3.35 ERA, 48.0 IP) and Allie Light (5-2, 3.77 ERA, 1 SV, 42.2 IP) have also logged innings in the circle for SDSU.