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Aggies eye first NCAA Regional appearance since 2018.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Story and Photo By Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
Photo: Courtesy
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A new season is on the horizon for NM State Softball. The CUSA Championship begins on Wednesday, with the fifth-seeded Aggies taking on No. 4 LA Tech in the opening round of the four-day, double-elimination tournament. Kathy Rodolph‘s bunch is on the prowl for its first trip to an NCAA Regional since 2018 and the program’s first CUSA title.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (27-25, 14-13 CUSA) versus LA Tech (30-23, 15-12 CUSA)
Where: WKU Softball Complex – Bowling Green, Ky.
When: Wednesday, May 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT (1:30 p.m. MT)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record vs. LA Tech: 21-16
Under Kathy Rodolph: 16-15
All-Time Neutral Record vs. LA Tech: 1-1
Last Meeting: NM State 4 @ LA Tech 10
Current Streak: LA Tech, 1 win (since March 9, 2025)
LAST TIME OUT
Kennesaw State hosted the Aggies in the final week of the regular season. NM State controlled the series opener, belting three home runs en route to a 6-2 victory. The Owls took the Saturday affair as the Crimson & White mustered only three hits before returning to form in a 13-inning thriller on Sunday. The Aggies prevailed 5-4 on a Desirae Spearman double while Faith Aragonpitched seven innings, including the final five scoreless, to pick up her 12th win of 2025.
COACH’S TOUGHTS
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the keys for success in the CUSA Championship: “We just need to continue to play clean defense, keep attacking in the circle, and find a way to pass the bat offensively. I think collectively, we’re playing a little more confidently. We’re playing together better and feeding off each other. I like what I see in the circle in terms of limiting run production. We’re playing clean defense, so when we do that, it allows our offense not to press.”
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
The CUSA Championship will consist of 10 matchups in a double-elimination format. Each of the first three days will see three games apiece before a single championship game on Saturday, May 10. The title bout will feature a one-loss team and an undefeated squad, with the winner taking the league title. While each of the first nine contests will be streamed on ESPN+, the finale will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. All the action will also be available to follow via StatBroadcast.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME…
This season, NM State has gone 4-4 in neutral contests. Excluding those eight games, the unit has amassed 23 wins. Of those, just five have come in road tilts. An 18-7 home record across the season is far from mirrored by a 5-14 cumulative mark in visiting dugouts, but NM State is nowhere near alone in the struggle.
Conference USA’s 10 softball teams picked up 132 league victories in the regular season. Of those, 87 came from the home team, while just 45 were from from the visitors. Liberty (10-1) and LA Tech (9-6) were the only two squads with a winning record in conference road games, while half of the league holds three or fewer wins in such bouts.
WKU, the second-highest seed in the six-team field, is the host for the tournament. At home this season, the Hilltoppers finished 14-7 with a 7-3 mark in league action.
WELCOME BACK, COACH
This spring, NM State has been playing with pink ribbons on the back of every helmet in support of Associate Head Coach Cat Heifner. The 21st-year Aggie hitting coach spent the first 11 weeks of the season away from the team while battling cancer. After arriving back in Las Cruces two weeks ago, Heifner made her return to the dugout for the first time against Middle Tennessee as her squad picked up a crucial sweep over Senior Weekend.
In Heifner’s return to the NM State Softball Complex, the Aggie bats awoke from their slumber, putting up an offensive onslaught that included five long balls. Last weekend, the associate head coach saw six more home runs launched at Kennesaw State as the squad clinched the fifth seed. With Heifner back in the dugout, NM State has posted a 5-1 record.
ALL-CUSA AGGIES
On Tuesday, Conference USA revealed its 2025 Softball Postseason Awards. Three Aggies earned recognition from the league. Desirae Spearman led the way with her second consecutive First-Team designation while Kristiana Watson picked up a Second-Team slot. Tamara Carranza was one of 11 individuals named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team, becoming the second Aggie to do so after Spearman in 2024.
SHE DOES IT ALL…
Last week, Spearman was named as the fifth-best two-way player in the country by Softball America. The true sophomore was not only last year’s CUSA Freshman of the Year, but her remarkable campaign as a pitcher and outfielder won her Player of the Year honors in the league as well.
This season, Spearman delivered just as well in the circle. Despite missing three games this season, she still ranked second on the team in innings pitched (108.0), behind only Faith Aragon(122.1) for the team lead. The El Paso native still paces the Aggies in both strikeouts thrown (112) and ERA (3.44). In 20 starts, the two-way star has amassed 11 victories, placing her in a tie for seventh among all CUSA pitchers in 2025.
At the plate, the second-year Aggie staked a clear claim as the best hitter in CUSA, ranking among the nation’s top 15 in six different offensive categories. She paced the conference walks drawn (4653 slugging percentage (.983), on-base percentage (.608) and OPS (1.591) while finishing second in home runs (19), runs (50) and batting average (.434) despite ranking 60th in at-bats (122).
THAT’S ODD…
This season, NM State has been outscored by eight runs at a total of 258-266. However, in odd innings – the first, third, fifth, seventh and so on – the Aggies have put up 24 more runs than their opponents. In such frames, NM State holds a 162-138 edge, while being outpaced 96-128 in even-numbered innings.
The team’s worst inning from a run standpoint this season has been frame two, conceding a 23-37 tally. However, the next stanza tends to bode well for the Crimson & White, as the third inning has totaled 47-25 in their favor, making it easily the most productive for the Aggies this year.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
LA Tech is under the direction of Josh Taylor, who holds a 133-89 record in his four seasons with the program. The Bulldogs finished the regular season at 30-23 overall in 2025, holding a 15-12 record in CUSA play. Last weekend, they took one of three contests at Sam Houston as the Bearkats clinched a spot in this weekend’s tournament with a Senior Day win.
On the field, the Bulldogs are led by Reagan Marchant, who headlines the offense with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs. The pitching staff revolves Allie Floyd, who paced the conference with 177 strikeouts. The junior earned a First-Team All-CUSA selection earlier today after posting a 2.76 ERA and nearly tripling her next closest teammate with 195.1 innings pitched.
THE 2025 MATCHUP
In the first series of CUSA play, NM State visited LA Tech. A pair of stellar pitching performances from Spearman and Faith Aragon landed the Aggies wins in each of the first two outings, earning 5-0 and 3-1 victories. On Sunday, the home team pulled out a victory to avoid the sweep, capitalizing on five Aggie errors to win 10-4.
SERIES HISTORY
The Aggies and Bulldogs have met 37 times in program history, with NM State holding a 21-16 edge. The two sides shared the WAC from 2006-13 before LA Tech hopped to Conference USA. Eleven years later, the Crimson & White were reunited when joining their new league ahead of 2024. In neutral games, each side holds one win, but both games came before the turn of the century.
For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2025 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).
