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New Mexico transfer blasted four home runs and tallied 12 RBI on 2.333 OPS.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Matthew Knope
Photo By Emilio Garcia for NMSU: Courtesy
DALLAS – With the first weekend of Division I softball in the books, Conference USA announced its first crop of weekly awards for 2025 on Monday. The awards recognize the best player, pitcher and freshman of each week. Headlining this week’s group was NM State’s own Lauren Garcia after a phenomenal three days at the plate. In her first weekend with the Crimson & White, Garcia led the way for an Aggie offense that racked up 70 hits on a .389 batting average en route to a 4-2 record.
Lauren Garcia posted one of the best debuts in Aggie history over the weekend as NM State went 4-2 with two wins over each Colorado State and Kansas City. In 15 at-bats, the New Mexico transfer racked up nine hits, including eight for extra bases. Four home runs and as many doubles each led the team as the redshirt sophomore tallied a whopping 25 total bases in just six games. Garcia accounted for 12 RBIs, including 10 on Sunday alone; eight of which came against Kansas City in the final game of the weekend. Her eight RBIs were also tied for the most by an Aggie in a single game in five seasons. A .600 batting average was just the beginning of the El Paso native’s remarkable individual marks, as three walks boosted her on-base percentage to .667. The team-high eight extra-base hits resulted in an otherworldly 1.667 slugging percentage and 2.333 OPS.
Last season, two Aggies earned the same award. Jillian Taylor became the first CUSA Player of the Week in program history, earning the honor on April 1, 2024. Two weeks later, Devin Elampicked up the same honor. Elsewhere, Desirae Spearman picked up five Freshman of the Week awards and a Pitcher of the Week distinction before Emily Dix matched with a pitching award of her own on April 29.
It was later announced that Lauren Garcia has the best slugging percentage in all of DI NCAA Softball through one weekend. Her .600 Batting Average landed her at the 43-spot, nationally (shared with teammate Desirea Spearman, who also managed a .600 Batting average).
- Garcia’s 8 RBIs against the Roos tied the most in a single game for an Aggie since Kayla Bowen drove in eight runs on Feb. 23, 2020, against IUPUI (now known as IU-Indianapolis).
- Launching two home runs in the contest, Garcia became the second Aggie to post two blasts in a single game this season.
- Kendal Lunar also rocketed a pair of home runs against UC Santa Barbara on Friday.
- Over the weekend, NM State hit .389 as a group, while opponents hit just .280. Garcia led the way as one of two Aggies with a .600 individual average (Desirae Spearman)
- 17 hits against Kansas City on Sunday were the most in a single game for the Aggies since April 9, 2024, at Jacksonville State (18; won 10-2)
- It only took the Aggies five tries to amass 11 runs in a single game. In 2024, the Crimson & White only did so once (May 9, 2024 vs. Liberty; won 11-3 in five innings)
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on Lauren Garcia’s opening weekend: “Lauren is simply amazing. We recruited her out of high school, so when she went into the portal, I felt all along that she was our type of hitter. I’m very grateful to have her and I feel like she is going to come into her own this year as an Aggie.”
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Redshirt sophomore first baseman Lauren Garcia, on her offensive success: “Coming from the portal while I dealt with an injury, the main reason I came here was that I wanted a coaching staff that believed in me. I think that had to do with me having success at the plate. Having a group that believes in you and a team behind you with a good setup all made it easy for me to go right away. [Coach Rodolph] said to just swing so I did! It’s been a while since I’ve been this healthy, and staying in New Mexico helps, too. It feels like a second home, and I just feel very comfortable here.”
Next weekend, Garcia will lead the Aggies into the annual Troy Cox Classic. Over the four-day invitational, 13 games will be played – including seven for the hosts – between Friday, Feb. 14, and Monday, Feb. 17. Nationally-ranked Nebraska headlines the group that also includes Northern Colorado, Montana and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. Every game will be available to follow via nmstatestats.com and the Aggies’ contests will be broadcast on 91.5 FM KRUX.
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).
