The NBA playoffs are in full swing as the clock ticks down to the Championship Series this June. Former Aggie Pascal Siakam is making it rain for the Indiana Pacers while teams in our broader community are making rain of their own. If April showers bring May flowers, area sports are set to BLOOM! (Photo: Courtesy Getty Images)
Las Cruces Digest Sunday Sports Special
Written by: Levi Gwaltney
Welcome to the first Sunday Sports Special. Here, Las Cruces Digest sums up the weeks headlines in local sports. In this inaugural post, we break down articles by sport and provide you with all you need to know; however, just follow the links provided if you want to explore more!
Basketball
Our local basketball teams are well into the off season; however, they are making hay by recruiting and retooling for next year. Here are the stories you might have missed:
NMSU Inks Three New Recuits:
“The Hun” and “done” and A “young gun”:
A Senior recruit coming to the Aggies this fall is Big Forward, Peter Filipovity. He is also known for getting the rock in the hole. Filipovity hails from Kaposvar, Hungary, so Las Cruces Digest can’t wait to yell, “HUN!” every time he attacks the glass or plunders rebound.
“We are thrilled to have Peter join our Aggie family ”
~Coach Hooten
Another Senior recruit, Dionte Bostick will be joining the Aggies next year on the Lou Henson Court. He is best described as a tenacious shooting guard, and Las Cruces Digest has high hopes. As a Senior, this season will be a one-and-done for Dionte, so Las Cruces Digest is ready to yell “DONE!” every time Dionte drains one.
“I’m so excited about his toughness and ability to defend, which is another reason why Dionte is a WINNER! ”
~Coach Hooten
Holy Cow! The Aggies inked a Freshman! Gabe Pickens hails from Glendale, Arizona–200 miles south of Tombstone. He was rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports. As a point guard, he will be the Aggies up-and-coming slinger, shooting passes to his teammates and running the offense. For this reason, Las Cruces Digest is excited to look for this “YOUNG GUN” this Fall.
“Gabe is a tremendous young man with all the qualities you look for in a point guard.”
~Coach Hooten
Mayfield Taps Ben Trujillo to Boost Boys Basketball Program
Las Cruces Public Schools, together with Mayfield High School, announced the addition of Ben Trujillo as the new head coach of the Trojan boys basketball program. [Click on image, below, for more information.]
Stop Yelling at the Lebron:
Take It Out On The Court
Adult Basketball League Registration in Las Cruces
The Parks & Recreation Department will offer online team registration for the summer Adult Basketball League beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, May 10, 2024.
Baseball
The Aggies may be praying for rain this season, but on the high school level, there is plenty of sunshine to go around as the hunt for a district titles heats up.
NMSU Aggies Baseball
April 27, 2024
NMSU Takes Series vs Jax St.
Score: NM State 9 – Jax State 5
Records: NM State (19-23)| Jax State (14-26)
Location: Jacksonville
Win: Hayden Walker (3-2) | Loss: Jackson Sleeper (1-3)
| BOX SCORE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico State | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 1 |
| Jacksonville State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CUSA | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|
| LA Tech | 10-4 | 32-13 |
| WKU | 12-5 | 30-14 |
| Dallas Baptist | 9-5 | 30-11 |
| Liberty | 9-6 | 18-24 |
| FIU | 10-7 | 23-19 |
| Sam Houston | 7-10 | 24-19 |
| NM State | 6-11 | 19-23 |
| MTSU | 5-12 | 14-28 |
| Jax State | 3-11 | 14-26 |
District 3 5A Standings
| School Name | *W-L | W-L | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organ Mountain | 11-1 | 19-4 | 1 W |
| Centennial | 9-3 | 16-7 | 1 L |
| Las Cruces | 8-4 | 16-7 | 3 W |
| Mayfield | 6-6 | 11-12 | 1 W |
| Gadsden | 2-10 | 6-17 | 1 L |
| Alamogordo | 0-12 | 5-16 | 12 L |
District 3 5A Baseball finally has a definite front runner. Two weeks ago, the Organ Mountain Knights swept a three game series against the Las Cruces Bulldawgs, and last week, the Knights took two out of three against the Centennial Hawks. The Knights took the series tiebreaker in the second leg of a double header played on Friday, April 26:
| BOX SCORE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organ Mountain | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| Centennial | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
This week, the battle for second heats up as the Hawks face the Bulldawgs in a three game series at the Field of Dreams Baseball Complex:
Tuesday, April 30
7PM Las Cruces High School @ Centennial High School
Friday, May 3
5PM Centennial High School @ Las Cruces High School
7PM Centennial High School @ Las Cruces High School
District 3 4A Standings
| School Name | *W-L | W-L | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Teresa | 4-1 | 9-13-1 | 3 W |
| Chaparral | 2-3 | 12-9 | 3 L |
| Deming | 2-3 | 4-18 | 2 W |
| Silver | 2-3 | 8-12 | 2 L |
District 3 3A Standings
| School Name | *W-L | W-L | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobre | 7-0 | 19-3-1 | 11 W |
| Hatch Valley | 3-4 | 8-14 | 2 W |
| Hot Springs | 3-4 | 6-11 | 2 L |
| Socorro | 1-6 | 5-15 | 4 L |
District 1 A Standings
| School Name | *W-L | W-L | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesilla Valley Christian School | 3-1 | 11-4 | 1 L |
| Magdalena | 3-1 | 6-7 | 1 W |
| Jemez Valley | 2-2 | 9-9 | 2 W |
| Northwest | 0-4 | 3-15 | 2 L |
The Mesilla Valley Christian School SonBlazers faced of against the Madgalena Steers in double-header action on Saturday, April 27. With the fate of District 1 A hanging in the balance, the Steers split the series with the SonBlazers, leaving district title hopes very much in play with only a couple of games remaining in the regular season. The SonBlazers Run-Ruled the Steers in Game 1:
Game 2 saw the Steers bounce back to hold off a 7th inning run:
The SonBlazers play two against cellar dweller Northwest on May 4 while Magdalena will cross bats with Jemez Valley for a pair on April 30.
Softball
NMSU Aggies Softball
April 27, 2024
Pair of Home Runs Not Enough Against LA Tech
LA TECH (29-17, 12-8 CUSA)
VS
NM STATE (26-21, 11-9 CUSA)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner LA Tech | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| NM State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
W:MELNYCHUK, B (10-7) L:Mancha, Jaileen (11-7) S:BUSTER, Matt (2)
Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CUSA | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 19-4 | 31-18 |
| WKU | 13-7 | 28-18-1 |
| LA Tech | 12-8 | 29-17 |
| NM State | 11-9 | 26-21 |
| Jax State | 11-9 | 22-25 |
| UTEP | 9-11 | 23-17 |
| FIU | 6-14 | 19-27 |
| Sam Houston | 6-14 | 18-28 |
| MTSU | 5-16 | 19-30 |
District 3 5A Softball Standings
| School Name | *W-L | W-L | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamogordo | 11-1 | 20-3 | 9 W |
| Centennial | 10-2 | 21-2 | 10 W |
| Organ Mountain | 6-6 | 14-9 | 3 L |
| Mayfield | 6-6 | 13-10 | 3 W |
| Las Cruces | 3-9 | 8-15 | 6 L |
| Gadsden | 0-12 | 3-20 | 13 L |
District 3 4A Softball Standings
| School Name | *W-L | W-L | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | 6-0 | 18-5 | 14 W |
| Santa Teresa | 3-3 | 12-11 | 2 W |
| Deming | 2-3 | 7-15 | 3 L |
| Chaparral | 0-5 | 6-14 | 10 L |
District 3 3A Softball Standings
| School Name | *W-L | W-L | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobre | 5-0 | 16-6 | 3 W |
| Socorro | 3-2 | 7-14 | 2 L |
| Hatch Valley | 2-3 | 7-14 | 2 W |
| Hot Springs | 0-5 | 0-19 | 19 L |
District 3 2A/A Softball Standings
| School Name | *W-L | W-L | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tularosa | 6-0 | 13-4 | 6 W |
| Mesilla Valley Christian School | 7-1 | 16-2 | 6 W |
| Lordsburg | 5-4 | 12-7 | 1 W |
| Capitan | 1-6 | 2-11 | 1 L |
| Mescalero Apache | 0-8 | 4-9 | 8 L |
The Mesilla Valley Christian School SonBlazers will face off against District leader Tularosa in double-header action on Tuesday, April 30th. If they can sweep the Wildcats, the SonBlazers stand to take control of District 3 2A/A. The SonBlazers will travel to Tularosa for the double header.
Track & Field
NMSU Aggies Track & Field
On Saturday, Apr. 27, NM State will take part in the Desert Heat Classic, hosted by the University of Arizona to close their season.
Aggies in Conference USA Top 5 Best Times 2024
| Rank | Athelete | Year | Score | Location | Date |
| 4 | Downie, Jhana | JR-3 | 23.59 @ | New Mexico Collegiate Classic | Feb 2, 2024 |
| 4 | Amon, Thulisile | SR-4 | 2:09.26 | Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championship | Feb 23, 2024 |
| 4 | Logan, Aliyah | JR-3 | 8.23 @ | Don Kirby Elite Invitational | Feb 9, 2024 |
| 4 | Hodges, Cameron | SO-2 | 11.93m | 39′ 1.75″ | Stan Scott Memorial | Jan 13, 2024 | NWI |
| 1 | Green, Rebecca | JR-3 | 16.10m | 52′ 10″ | New Mexico Collegiate Classic | Feb 2, 2024 |
| 3 | Kobler, Ladina | FR-1 | 14.66m | 48′ 1.25″ | Stan Scott Memorial | Jan 13, 2024 |
High School Track & Field
There is very little published information on the current performances of area high school Track & Field athletes. If you know of a source, please contact us so we can include that information in our coverage.
Game & Fish
Copa de vecinos
La Copa de Vecinos 23-24
[Note: “La Copa de Vecinos” is not endorsed, affiliated or sanctioned by the New Mexico Activities Association nor any of the schools or school districts represented in the competition.]
La Copa de Vecinos ( or “Neigbors Cup”) is a competition among our local scholastic sports teams. Since our local schools compete in different NMAA Classes and Divisions, teams earn points for finishing in the top three (3) in their respective Districts (regardless of Class). 1st in District earns 3 pts, 2nd/2pts and 3rd/1pt. Individual and match/meet/tournament sports (such as wrestling, golf, tennis, swimming and track & field), earn points when a student athlete competes at State in his/her/their sport or event (½pt per competitor participating per event). A 5pt. bonus is awarded for each individual or team who wins a State Championship.
Current Standings
| 🏆 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total1 | |
 | 🏆(2) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 34 |
 | 🏆 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 32 |
 | 🏆 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 27½ |
 | 🏆(3) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 26½ |
 | 🏆 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 19 | |
 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7½ |
- LCHS: State Champions Volleyball, State Champion Girls Wrestling(Alyssa Sedillo), 1st Volleyball, 1st Girls Soccer, 2nd Football (32 individual State qualifiers); OMHS: State Champions Co-Ed Cheer, 2nd Boys Soccer, 2nd Volleyball, 3rd Girls Soccer, 1st Boys Basketball, 2nd Girls Basketball (25 individual State qualifiers); STHS: 1st Boys Soccer, 1st Volleyball, 1st Girls Soccer, 3rd Football, 2nd Boys Basketball (14 Individual State qualifiers); Cent: State Champion Powerlifing (Zantelle Rodriguez); 1st Boys Soccer, 1st Football, 3rd Volleyball, 3rd Boys Basketball (27 individual State qualifiers); MVCS: 1st Football, 1st Volleyball, 3rd Boys Basketball; HVHS: 3 State Champions Powerlifting (Juan Polino, Ignacio Pinon and Elizabeth Elias); 2nd Boys Soccer, 2nd Girls Soccer, 3rd Football, 3rd Girls Basketball (11 individual State qualifiers); MHS: State Champion Powerlifing (Taylor Rogers); 2nd Girls Soccer, 3rd Boys Soccer, 1st Girls Basketball (22 individual State qualifiers); Chap: 2nd Boys Soccer, 3rd Girls Basketball, 3rd Boys Basketball (8 individual State qualifiers); GHS: 2nd Football (11 individual State qualifiers); ↩︎
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