New Mexico State’s baseball team takes on Kennesaw State in game 5 of the Conference USA tournament at Worthington Field on May 22, 2025. Photo taken by Simon Barbre Courtesy of KSU Athletics.
Baseball returned home on Thursday to face Dallas Baptist at Mickey Dunn Stadium at Hennsler Financial Field, winning the series finale to avoid a home sweep for the second time in a row.
Thursday’s season opener began with both offenses getting hot, and the Owls held a slim 5-4 lead over the Patriots after six innings.
The DBU bats caught fire in the late innings, however, and scored six unanswered runs to secure a 10-5 win.
The Patriots picked up where they left off in Friday’s game, scoring four unanswered runs in the opening frame. KSU came back for a moment and took a 5-4 lead before DBU scored three answered, winning 7-5 and securing the series.
The Owls came into Saturday’s matchup hoping to change the tone after losing the first two games of the series.
The Patriots had the upper hand in the early and mid-innings of the game, scoring two runs in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth to take a 4–0 lead.
Even though KSU fell behind early, they continued to fight at the plate. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Owls started to string together good at-bats and put pressure on the DBU pitching.
Charlie Jones got his team on the board with a double down the right field line, scoring Trenton Lyons and getting the home crowd on its feet.
Later in the inning, Shamaar McDuffie singled through the right side, which scored Josh Gibbs and cut the lead to two. Cooper Williams hit another single, which brought in another run and brought KSU even closer.
The Owls continued the rally, and James McGee worked a walk with the bases loaded to tie the game. Soon after, a wild pitch let the game-winning run score, ending the seventh inning with five runs and giving the KSU a 5–4 lead.
After head coach Ryan Coe was ejected in the seventh, the bats began to rally, a major turning point for the team on Saturday. Players used the situation as a motivation to not lie down.
Jones played a big role in his team’s comeback, leading the charge with his RBI double in the seventh inning.
“I’ve been feeling good at the plate,” Jones said. “It was a great moment for sure. I saw the ball well and knew he might miss low with the slider. I was just glad I was able to get the barrel to it and drive it backside to score the run.”
The team kept their composure, despite an early hole and the ejection of their head coach.
“That was something we really needed,” Jones said. “We stayed composed and kept the momentum going. Everyone trusted each other and focused on passing the bat to the next guy.”
The Owls look to grab another upset over a top-ranked school when they travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on April 7.
