What Up, Mang?

UNM sophomore outfielder Jared Mang of Los Alamos. Courtesy/UNM
 
By RJ Montaño
Sports Editor, Los Alamos Daily Post

To say UNM sophomore outfielder Jared Mang is having a great is season is to say the Cubs had an okay season last year. Yeah, you can say they had a pretty okay year. Mang, a Los Alamos High School alum, leads the Lobos (23-16-1, 1st in MWC) in batting average (.381), and hits (61) and is doing so against the nation’s best teams.

“Well across the country they know the University of New Mexico is a pretty good baseball team and [we] don’t shy away from anybody,” Lobo Head Coach Ray Birmingham said in a recent interview on ESPN Radio affiliate KQTM in Albuquerque.

Birmingham isn’t exaggerating either; the Lobos are facing the toughest non-conference strength of schedule of any team in the NCAA according to warrennolan.com, who is dedicated solely to covering college baseball.

“We want to play a schedule that rivals an SEC schedule, or a PAC-12 schedule, or a Big 12 schedule, and we do,” Birmingham said.

New Mexico has another huge task ahead of them this week as they play a two-game, mid-week series against No. 4 Texas Tech at Santa Ana Star Field in Albuquerque. The Lobos will be looking for Jared Mang to continue his hot streak against the Red Raiders. “Jared Mang’s on fire. Jared Mang hit .617 in the last 5 games and he’s got a chance to be a USA candidate and one of the best players in the country,” answered Birmingham when asked who to look out for this series.

The “USA Candidate” comment Birmingham is referring to: Jared Mang is a candidate to be one of a select few who get picked to be on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

Mang and the Lobos look to pick up an RPI boosting win against the No. 4 Red Raiders before hitting the road for a weekend series against the Mountain West’s 2nd place team, San Diego State.

Up Next

  • Today: No. 4 Texas Tech at New Mexico 6:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday: No. 4 Texas Tech at New Mexico 1 p.m.
  • Radio: KQTM-FM 101.7 and www.1017theteam.com
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