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Aggies look to secure spot in next week’s CUSA Championship.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Story and Photo By Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
KENNESAW, Ga. – NM State Softball is set to wrap up the 2025 regular season in the Peach State. For the first time in program history, the Aggies will clash with Kennesaw State, embarking on a three-game road tilt with the Owls. The series marks Kathy Rodolph‘s last chance to guide her team to a berth in next week’s CUSA Championship, needing a top-six finish in the league standings to do so. The Crimson & White currently find themselves in fifth at 12-12 and look to build momentum while in Georgia.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: NM State (25-24, 12-12 CUSA) at Kennesaw State (11-39, 2-22 CUSA)
Where: Bailey Park – Kennesaw, Ga.
When: May 2-4 | Friday (6:00 PM ET) / Saturday (3:00 PM ET) / Sunday (12:30 PM MT)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Record vs. Kennesaw State: 0-0
Under Kathy Rodolph: 0-0
All-Time Record in Kennesaw: 0-0
Last Meeting: N/A
Current Streak: N/A
LAST TIME OUT
Over the weekend, NM State welcomed Middle Tennessee to the Land of Enchantment for the home team’s Senior Weekend. The Crimson & White came back in the series opener, winning on a walk-off single from sixth-year Aggie Riley Carley. The festivities didn’t stop there, as a 5-2 win on Saturday was followed up by the ceremony recognizing the program’s five exiting graduates; Taylor Nicholson, Kristiana Watson, Jaileen Mancha, Kayla Lunar and Riley Carley. On Sunday, Tamara Carranza dealt the final blow with a three-RBI home run to seal a 9-1 run-rule victory and the squad’s second sweep of CUSA play.
COACH’S TOUGHTS
Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, on the series at Kennesaw State: “I want us to be able to go in and not have to play a game to get familiar with the team and their facility. I want us to be able to go in on Friday night firing on all cylinders and playing Aggie softball. It doesn’t really matter who’s in the other dugout. It’s all about what we do.”
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The Aggies (12-12) currently find themselves in fifth place among the CUSA leaderboards with three games left on their regular-season slate. To secure a return to WKU Softball Complex in Bowling Green, Ky., NM State will have to finish in the league’s top six. With some help elsewhere, the Crimson & White could vault as high as the third seed in the four-day tournament.
If NM State does advance to the CUSA Championship (May 7-10), the squad will vie for its first trip to an NCAA Regional since 2018 and its first conference title (regular-season or tournament) since 2021. The Aggies have not guaranteed a postseason trip, so they will hope to carry momentum into this weekend’s series and build on their winning streak heading into the season’s most important stretch.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME…
This season, NM State has gone 4-4 in neutral contests. Excluding those eight games, the unit has amassed 21 wins. Of those, just three have come in road tilts. An 18-7 home record across the season is far from mirrored by a 3-13 cumulative mark in visiting dugouts, but NM State is nowhere near alone in the struggle.
Conference USA’s 10 softball teams have picked up 118 league victories. Of those, 72 have come from the home team, while just 46 have been from the visitors. Liberty (10-1) and LA Tech (8-4) are 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.
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 last week, 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. After a nine-game tally with 12 total runs, the Associate Head Coach oversaw a three-game and 18-inning tally of 19 runs, including five long balls.
SHE DOES IT ALL…
On Monday, Desirae 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 has delivered just as well in the circle. Despite missing three games this season, she still ranks second on the team in innings pitched (100.1), behind only Faith Aragon (113.0) for the team lead. The El Paso native still paces the Aggies in both strikeouts thrown (102) and ERA (3.63). In 19 starts, the two-way star has amassed 10 victories, placing her in a tie for seventh among all CUSA pitchers in 2025.
At the plate, the second-year Aggie has staked a clear claim as the best hitter in CUSA, ranking among the nation’s top 15 in six different offensive categories. She paces the conference in home runs (18) walks drawn (46), slugging percentage (.983), on-base percentage (.608) and OPS (1.591) despite ranking 58th in at-bats (116).
THAT’S ODD…
This season, NM State has been outscored by nine runs at a total of 247-256. However, in odd innings – the first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth – the Aggies have put up 22 more runs than their opponents. In such frames, NM State holds a 157-135 edge, while being outpaced 90-121 in even-numbered innings. The team’s worst inning from a run standpoint this season has been frame two, conceding a 22-36 tally. However, the next stanza tends to bode well for the Crimson & White, as the third inning has totaled 46-25 in their favor, making it easily the most productive for the Aggies this year.
AGGIES OF THE WEEK
NM State added some hardware on March 31, courtesy of Faith Aragon. The sophomore standout was named CUSA Pitcher of the Week after tossing two complete games against Sam Houston as the Crimson & White swept the Bearkats. Across 13 scoreless innings, first-year Aggie allowed just six hits and one walk while striking out 15 batters, including a career-high nine on Saturday. Aragon picked up her second career honor after earning the same distinction once with UTEP a season ago.
In mid-March, Devin Elam returned from an eight-game injury absence and made an immediate impact that earned her CUSA Co-Hitter of the Week honors. The 2024 All-CUSA First Team selection posted a .600 batting average as she racked up six hits in three outings against Jax State, leading the offense to another series win. With a walk, two doubles and a home run, Elam notched 11 total bases and a 1.736 OPS. For the week, the California native tallied seven RBIs to pace an NM State offense that scored 26 runs in a 3-1 week that began with a rivalry win over New Mexico.
After the opening week of the season, Lauren Garcia earned similar recognition. The UNM transfer posted a team-high .600 batting average, boosted by three walks for an on-base percentage of .667. Her squad-best eight extra-base hits resulted in a then-nation’s best 1.667 slugging percentage and an otherworldly 2.333 OPS. Conference USA recognized the remarkable weekend by tabbing Garcia as the first CUSA Player of the Week for 2025.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw State is under the direction of Tripp MacKay, who holds a 144-196 record in his seven seasons with the program. The Owls are out to an 11-39 start in 2025, holding a 2-22 record in CUSA play that has the squad in sole possession of 10th place. Last weekend, they picked up the Saturday contest to spoil UTEP’s Senior Day in El Paso, Texas. The shutout of the Miners gave MacKay his team’s first win away from home in 2025, including neutral games.
On the field, the Owls are led by Ava Guzowski, who headlines the offense with a .300 batting average, four home runs and an on-base percentage of .412. The pitching staff revolves around a trio of student-athletes with at least 80.0 innings tossed apiece. Kenley Hilleary paces the squad with a 3.59 ERA, but Emma Friedel has seen the most action at 107.0 innings.
SERIES HISTORY
The Aggies and Owls have never met in program history, making Friday’s clash the first of its kind. Kennesaw State is the second new opponent to grace NM State’s schedule in 2025, joining Alabama A&M, who the Aggies defeated 5-4 in nine innings on March 2 in Austin, Texas.
Kennesaw State is the newest member of Conference USA, having joined in July 2024. The Owls were previously an Atlantic Sun representative before becoming CUSA’s 10th full-time member in the offseason. NM State is the last of nine league opponents to face the Owls this season.
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).
