NMSU pulls three Carlsbad HS alums from UTEP–one of whom shared C-USA All-Freshman Team honors with standout Spearman.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Story and Photo by Matthew Knope for NMSU
After a 30-win 2024 campaign that landed four Aggies on Conference USA’s Postseason Awards list came to a close, Head Coach Kathy Rodolphbegan searching for additions to what will be her 22nd roster at NM State. The Aggies nabbed nine incoming transfers from across the nation to bolster their roster in preparation for the 2025 season.
Two sets of three relatives make up a majority of the transfer crop. First, the Aragons; a local trio that includes sisters Faith and Grace as well as cousin Johnna. All three Aragons hail from nearby Carlsbad, N.M. and saw action at UTEP a season ago.
Additionally, three more sisters enter the building as Taylor, Kenzie and Payton Nicholson will don the Crimson & White in 2025. Taylor and Kenzie have each made stops at Arizona State, while Kenzie is most recently from CUSA foe Jax State. Payton spent her freshman season at Georgia State as a utility/infield player.
Taryn Bennet, Lauren Garcia and Kristiana Watson round out the crop of nine additions. Bennet spent her freshman season as a pitcher at Hampton, Garcia played against the Aggies in the Battle of I-25 each of the past two seasons at New Mexico and Watson will enter as a graduate student with two prior stops at Power Five institutions.
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the 2025 incoming transfers: “The talent and character of this recruiting class is outstanding. Each student-athlete is special, mature and ready to work for Aggie Nation. We gained valuable experience in the pitching circle that will immediately make an impact. Along with pitching, we are adding big-power potential and speed offensively. Defensively, this group adds depth in both the infield and outfield. We are going to be fun to watch!”
Faith Aragon | So. | Pitcher/Utility | 5-2 | UTEP (2024) | Carlsbad HS | Carlsbad, N.M.
Desirae Spearman made national headlines in 2024 for her elite pitching and hitting ability as a freshman. Meanwhile, the Borderlands had another standout first-year pitcher as UTEP’s Faith Aragon also ended up on the CUSA All-Freshman Team. Aragon was remarkable in the circle, posting 12 wins and complete games across 132.0 innings of work. Opponents hit just .277 off of Faith as she held a 3.66 ERA – the 16th-lowest mark in the entire conference – as a freshman. Her 86 strikeouts were more than double the total of the next closest Miner (37). She tossed almost 40 innings more than any of her teammates a year ago and still did not lead the team in runs or walks allowed. In high school, the 2022-23 New Mexico Softball Gatorade Player of the Year was a two-time 5A State Champion with Carlsbad, hitting .636 with 14 home runs her senior year to go alongside a sensational 0.43 ERA.
Grace Aragon | R-So. | Utility | 5-2 | UTEP (2023-24) | Carlsbad HS | Carlsbad, N.M.
As the oldest of the Aragon trio, Grace comes in as a redshirt sophomore after two campaigns with the Miners just 43 miles south along I-10. The 5-foot-2 utility player redshirted the 2023 season before her sister and cousin joined the UTEP roster alongside her in 2024. Last season, Grace made 12 appearances and recorded three RBIs and a double across two at-bats. In high school, Aragon was a 5A State Champion and a two-time First Team All-State selection.
Johnna Aragon | So. | Infield | 5-3 | UTEP (2024) | Carlsbad HS | Carlsbad, N.M.
Former four-year Aggie Gabby Aragon often looked up in the stands and saw her younger sister, Johnna. Now, the Carlsbad native will round out a new trio of Aragons with cousins Faith and Grace. Johnna spent her freshman campaign at UTEP with her cousins, where she made four appearances and recorded a hit in two at-bats. In high school, she won back-to-back 5A State Championships and was a two-time First-Team All-State member.
Kenzie Nicholson | Jr. | Utility | 5-2 | Arizona State (2023), Jax State (2024) | Campbell HS | Atlanta, Ga.
In 2023, Kenzie Nicholson played alongside her older sister Taylor at Arizona State. After making seven appearances and stealing two bases, Kenzie transferred to Jax State for the 2024 campaign. The sophomore made 52 appearances and 44 starts for the Gamecocks a year ago, as JSU, akin to NM State, made its Conference USA debut. In four games against NM State last year, Nicholson recorded three of her 23 runs on the season and stole two bases in the opening round of the CUSA Championship. For the season, Nicholson recorded 38 hits, 14 RBIs and a .286 batting average while successfully stealing all six bases she attempted.
Payton Nicholson | So. | Utility/Infield | 5-3 | Georgia State (2024) | Campbell HS | Atlanta, Ga.
The youngest of the Nicholson triplets made her collegiate debut this past spring with Georgia State. Making 41 starts in 45 appearances, Payton was an integral part of the Panthers’ lineup. In 101 at-bats, Payton recorded a .238 batting average with 24 hits and scored nine runs on three extra-base knocks. Like her sister Kenzie at Jax State, Payton went a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts in 2024.
Taylor Nicholson | R-So. | Infield/Utility | 5-4 | Missouri (2021), Arizona State (2023) | Warhill HS | Atlanta, Ga.
With two stops at Power Five programs behind her, Taylor Nicholson brings solid potential and power-hitting ability to the Aggie lineup. After redshirting at Missouri, Nicholson joined Arizona State in 2023, but saw just 10 at-bats across 13 appearances. She recorded a hit, a walk and a sacrifice fly for one RBI. Nicholson was selected to her All-State First Team twice and still holds the Warhill High School records for home runs, stolen bases and batting average.
Lauren Garcia | R-So. | Infield | 5-10 | New Mexico (2023-24) | Montwood HS | El Paso, Texas
After spending two seasons with the Lobos, Lauren Garcia is making her return to her native Borderlands. The 5-foot-10 infielder was a key piece of the 2023 lineup before making just four appearances in 2024. In her freshman campaign, Garcia posted 31 hits, including nine for extra bases to post a .780 OPS. On March 28, 2023, Garcia hit a three-run home run versus NM State as part of a two-hit outing. In high school, she was a 2021 Max Preps All-American Second Team selection, the 2021 El Paso County Softball Player of the Year and hit 72 home runs for her career, batting .729 in her senior campaign.
Taryn Bennett | So. | Pitcher | 5-10 | Hampton (2024) | Bothell HS | Bothell, Wash.
After a stellar freshman campaign at Hampton, Taryn Bennett is set to further develop under the tutelage of Kathy Rodolph. The Bothell, Wash. product was exceptional for the Pirates in 2024, leading the team with 54 strikeouts, three complete games and two saves. In 87.1 innings of work, Bennett posted an 8-6 record while recording a team-best 3.05 ERA and holding opponents to a .270 batting average. On March 25, she was named Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Week after posting one earned run across 9.0 innings of action for an ERA of 0.78 and an opponent batting average of .161. In May, Bennett was named to the 2024 CAA All-Rookie Team, becoming the first Pirate to receive postseason CAA honors.
Kristiana Watson | R-Jr. | First Base | 6-0 | Arizona State (2021-22), Duke (2023) | Amphitheater HS | Tucson, Ariz.
After two prior stops at Power Five institutions, Kristiana Watson brings serious power into the Aggie lineup. While she graduated high school in 2020, a redshirt campaign in 2021 and a season away from softball in 2024 leave Watson with two years of eligibility remaining. At every step, Watson has shown a clutch gene. At Arizona State, she hit a grand slam against Cal State Fullerton in the NCAA Regionals. Earlier that season, she hit a three-run walk-off home run, coincidentally against her future team – the Duke Blue Devils. 2023 was Watson’s lone season in Durham, where she posted a two-run home run to cap off a 7-1 win in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals against Georgia Tech.
Who They Join
NM State went 30-25 a year ago, advancing to the penultimate game of the CUSA Championship on its home field before falling to eventual champion Liberty. With a robust senior class on its way out, NM State is returning six student-athletes from the first roster in CUSA program history. The returners from the Aggies’ 50th season are Desirae Spearman (P/UTL), Devin Elam (OF), Riley Carley (1B), Kayla Lunar (3B), Kendal Lunar (C) and Jaileen Mancha (P).
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).
