By David Stevenson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday Jan. 25, 2002
UNM head coach comes home
Arizona hopes to continue its 84-year dominance against New Mexico at home today in the season opener. The game will also be the first game under new UA head coach Andy Lopez.
"We try not to pay attention to that kind of stuff. It doesn't really matter who we play; our main thing is just to play hard."
-Chris Cunningham senior catcher
|
The Wildcats hold a 122-28 all-time advantage over the Lobos while currently riding a 14-game winning streak in the series.
"It's pretty impressive (history). Hopefully we will keep it that way," freshman outfielder Chris Marini said.
UNM head coach Rich Alday grew up in Tucson and played baseball at Tucson High School. Afterward, Alday helped install the baseball program at Pima Community College. He became the school's first head coach in 1972 and held the job for 18 years.
"He really is a honorable type of guy who was a caring coach," said current Pima baseball head coach Edgar Soto, who was an outfielder under Alday at New Mexico in 1991-92.
Last year, UNM tied for third place in the Mountain West Conference with a record of 26-34 and 14-16 in conference play.
UA will look to staff ace Sean Rierson to shut down Lobo second baseman Troy Cairns Jr. Rierson went 7-4 for the Wildcats with a 4.67 ERA last season.
New Mexico will not start its ace, junior pitcher Jeremy DeYapp, today against Rierson but instead will save him until Sunday, to pitch against sophomore Marc Kaiser.
On offense, the Lobos are led by Cairns, who batted .349 last year, finishing eighth in the nation with 26 doubles. He also set a Lobo record with 275 at-bats. Cairns was later named to the All-Mountain West Conference team.
"He's a scrappy player that swings the bat freely," sophomore UA second baseman Greg Powers said.
Senior designated hitter Anthony Lovato, also named to the All-MWC team, hit .327 with 43 RBIs last season.
Arizona's offense is led by sophomore center fielder Brian Anderson, who batted .370 last year with a .553 slugging percentage.
Arizona enters the game No. 40 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll.
"We try not to pay attention to that kind of stuff," said senior catcher Chris Cunningham. "It doesn't really matter who we play; our main thing is to just play hard."
Today's game begins at 3 p.m. Tomorrow's game starts at 3 p.m. and Sunday's at 1 p.m. All games are at Frank Sancet Field.
