McKinley Boston said that he would meet with Rocky Ward on June 13 to discuss the coach's future with the team.
Ward just completed the final year of his contract. The Aggies had a better year this season under Ward but it wasn't a standout campaign. They finished under .500 but still qualified for the WAC Tournament where they were eliminated following consecutive losses in the first round.
Offensively, the team put up runs. Still, defense and pitching was a constant problem for NMSU. Those two elements dictate if you win in baseball. Good pitching keeps you in just about every contest even if your offense is sputtering. And when you boot the ball around, it leads to unnecessary runs for the opposition.
The team did battle and did get better. They were an improved conference team. The fact that six of seven teams in the conference make the tournament seems too open ended. But NMSU finished in last the two seasons prior so a fifth place group was an improvement.
I think Ward should be brought back. He is a passionate coach who will talk about baseball for hours on end. He lives and breaths the game. The WAC underachieved this year on the diamond but it still is a strong conference. It's a tough hill to climb for the Aggies. I do believe Ward should continue to try and bring the program back to respectability.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Mayfield ranking
Mayfield High School was ranked the No. 1 high school sports program in New Mexico by Sports Illustrated.
Here is the list, state by state
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/highschool/05/19/state.no.1/index.html?eref=T1
Here's SI's Top-25, although Mayfield is not on this list:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/highschool/05/19/high.school.top.10/index.html?eref=T1
Here is the list, state by state
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/highschool/05/19/state.no.1/index.html?eref=T1
Here's SI's Top-25, although Mayfield is not on this list:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/highschool/05/19/high.school.top.10/index.html?eref=T1
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Some material from Louisiana
Both of these come from the News Star in Monroe, Louisiana. First off, some La. Tech basketball players were blindsided by their release from the team. Check it out
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/SPORTS/805220343/1006
The Bulldogs were awful last season but it appears like this is somewhat of a surprise. Washington brought some firepower on offense and Lathan is a local product.
Also, something on WAC baseball. NMSU is mentioned due to their high-octane offense.
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/UPDATES02/805220340/1006/SPORTS
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/SPORTS/805220343/1006
The Bulldogs were awful last season but it appears like this is somewhat of a surprise. Washington brought some firepower on offense and Lathan is a local product.
Also, something on WAC baseball. NMSU is mentioned due to their high-octane offense.
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/UPDATES02/805220340/1006/SPORTS
Friday, May 16, 2008
NMSU Golf
A blogger on the QB post asked for some Aggie golf coverage. This is more than warranted.
NMSU finished Round 1 of their regional competition in Chattanooga in 7th place. The region has 27 teams in it. The top 10 from each region go to the NCAA Tournament.
30 teams total go to the NCAAs.
NMSU currently is in but have a long way to go. Still, that doesn't mean they can't make it. The Aggies came on strong at the end of the year, winning their final two regular season tournaments and then the WAC tourney, where they entered as the favorite. Scott Lieberwirth has done a great job since taking over the program five years ago. They've won three conference titles, two of which came in the WAC. They also have a young team. Matt Edwards is the lone senior and probably isn't even the best player on the team. That honor would be awarded to Travis Reid. Bottom line, everyone plays a role here. Kevin Lozares, Tim Madigan and Josh Stewart all had solid years, with Madigan winning WAC freshman of the year. Stewart did not make the trip to regionals after breaking his wrist. His spot is being filled by Mark Mueller.
The reality is, it's nice seeing an NMSU program do well, no matter who might be producing. Give Lieberwirth props for being competitive most years. NMSU entered regionals as the No. 25 seeded team in the 27-team bracket. In other words, they weren't supposed to do anything. They did on Day 1.
NMSU finished Round 1 of their regional competition in Chattanooga in 7th place. The region has 27 teams in it. The top 10 from each region go to the NCAA Tournament.
30 teams total go to the NCAAs.
NMSU currently is in but have a long way to go. Still, that doesn't mean they can't make it. The Aggies came on strong at the end of the year, winning their final two regular season tournaments and then the WAC tourney, where they entered as the favorite. Scott Lieberwirth has done a great job since taking over the program five years ago. They've won three conference titles, two of which came in the WAC. They also have a young team. Matt Edwards is the lone senior and probably isn't even the best player on the team. That honor would be awarded to Travis Reid. Bottom line, everyone plays a role here. Kevin Lozares, Tim Madigan and Josh Stewart all had solid years, with Madigan winning WAC freshman of the year. Stewart did not make the trip to regionals after breaking his wrist. His spot is being filled by Mark Mueller.
The reality is, it's nice seeing an NMSU program do well, no matter who might be producing. Give Lieberwirth props for being competitive most years. NMSU entered regionals as the No. 25 seeded team in the 27-team bracket. In other words, they weren't supposed to do anything. They did on Day 1.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Quarterbacks
San Antonio quarterback Drew Allen confirmed to PonyStampeded.com that he got a scholarship offer from New Mexico State.
This brings us to an interesting topic: an overabundance of quarterback talent at NMSU. Obviously Chase Holbrook is the QB this season but after that it's wide open.
J.J. McDermott is the backup as we speak. Trevor Walls - I believe that's his name - should be here next season. Now Allen possibly. The QB position, if you load up on scholarships, it becomes a transfer haven. Does Mumme not believe in McDermott? He has options after this year. An interesting development to keep an eye on.
This brings us to an interesting topic: an overabundance of quarterback talent at NMSU. Obviously Chase Holbrook is the QB this season but after that it's wide open.
J.J. McDermott is the backup as we speak. Trevor Walls - I believe that's his name - should be here next season. Now Allen possibly. The QB position, if you load up on scholarships, it becomes a transfer haven. Does Mumme not believe in McDermott? He has options after this year. An interesting development to keep an eye on.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Naylor, Martinez and Cleaver
The past week it appeared as if Jared Naylor, Mike Martinez and Nick Cleaver would get shots to make NFL rosters.
First off, when I heard about Naylor, I was surprised. Jared didn't see the field much, at least not enough to really open my eyes, last season. His numbers aren't through the roof either. But whatever. Buffalo must like something about him. NMSU played in a 3-4 defense which is tough when you're D-end. We'll see what happens.
Martinez is a big guy and he has proved to be durable. Mike played every game last season. He has the size and it seems like he will be moved inside if he does make an NFL roster.
Cleaver, he was hurt last year. There's no doubt he can catch the ball. New Orleans seems like a good fit there. They have a creative offensive coach in Sean Payton. He finds roles for guys and they have had under-the-radar rookies make big impacts. Think Marques Colston two years ago and last year with running back Pierre Thomas. We'll see if they can do the same thing with Cleaver.
First off, when I heard about Naylor, I was surprised. Jared didn't see the field much, at least not enough to really open my eyes, last season. His numbers aren't through the roof either. But whatever. Buffalo must like something about him. NMSU played in a 3-4 defense which is tough when you're D-end. We'll see what happens.
Martinez is a big guy and he has proved to be durable. Mike played every game last season. He has the size and it seems like he will be moved inside if he does make an NFL roster.
Cleaver, he was hurt last year. There's no doubt he can catch the ball. New Orleans seems like a good fit there. They have a creative offensive coach in Sean Payton. He finds roles for guys and they have had under-the-radar rookies make big impacts. Think Marques Colston two years ago and last year with running back Pierre Thomas. We'll see if they can do the same thing with Cleaver.
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