Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After advancing to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history and claiming its first conference championship last spring, the New Mexico State softball team begins its fall season this weekend at the NM State Softball Complex.

Head coach Kathy Rodolph's squad returns 13 players from the 2011 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship team that set a school record for wins last season with a 44-17 ledger. The Aggies also welcome a large number of freshmen to the team this fall, totaling nine new players in all.

The Aggies start their fall schedule this Saturday, Sept. 24 against El Paso Community College beginning at 2 p.m. at the NM State Softball Complex. Admission is free.

The Crimson and White entertains EPCC again the following weekend with a 1 p.m. matchup on Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Complex.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: WAC Media Relations

DENVER, CO - New Mexico State University softball student-athlete Kandis Jones and University of Idaho Track and Field student-athlete Eugenio Mannucci have been named the 2010-11 Western Athletic Conference Stan Bates Award winners. Named in honor of former WAC Commissioner Stan Bates, the annual award is given to the WAC's top male and female scholar-athletes and recognizes the recipients' athletic, academic and community accomplishments. The awards include a $2,000 postgraduate scholarship.

Jones, a native of La Mirada, California, earned a degree in Community Health in May and graduated with the highest GPA for the major with a 3.894. She is a four-time Academic All-WAC honoree and also a 2011 first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American. The Faculty Athletic Council at New Mexico State University recognized Jones as the outstanding female scholar-athlete for 2011.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

STARKVILLE, MS - Coming off of her fifth straight New Mexico high school softball state championship, future New Mexico State freshman pitcher Karysta Donisthorpe earned 2011 Louisville Slugger/NFCA High School All-American Second Team honors, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced Tuesday.

Donisthorpe earned NFCA All-West Region First Team honors earlier this month for the second straight season. As a result, she became eligible to be named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger/NFCA First Team, Second Team or Honorable Mention High School All-American squads.

The incoming Aggie freshman hurler set the state of New Mexico high school record for strikeouts in a season with 346 in 2010. Donisthorpe followed that up with 307 K's during her senior campaign in 2011. As a junior she set the state record for strikeouts in a game with 19.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Former New Mexico State softball centerfielder Kandis Jones earned recognition as one of a record 473 college and university nominees for the 21st annual NCAA Woman of the Year award, the organization recently announced.

The award that will be presented in October, honors senior female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

"Any coach would love to have Kandis in their lineup, because every day the team could count on engaged, enthusiastic effort and clutch performance," said head coach Kathy Rodolph. "She is the complete embodiment of what coaches want their student-athletes to be, so this honor is well-deserved."  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Former New Mexico State softball player Hoku Nohara led the nation in 2011 as the statistical champion for home runs per game and slugging percentage the NCAA announced Thursday.

A departing senior, Nohara blasted the Aggie single-season record of 24 home runs this season, averaging 0.43 per game to lead the country. She also led the nation in slugging percentage at 1.007.

The Aggie all-time home run leader also ranked third nationally in three stat categories including 1.3 RBI per game, 1.13 walks per contest and an on-base percentage of 0.61.

"Hoku put up amazing offensive numbers against some of the best teams in the nation this season," said Aggie associate head coach Cat Heifner.

Nohara recently signed a professional contract with the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league, participating in six of eight games so far this season.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

STARKVILLE, MS - Former New Mexico State softball player Hoku Nohara earned 2011 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-American Second Team honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the organization announced Wednesday.

A departing senior, Nohara is the only player from a non-BCS conference to attain first or second team honors from the NFCA this season. She also stands as the lone All-American selection from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2011. Fifty-four student-athletes from 29 different institutions representing 11 conferences earned the honor of being named to one of the three Division I All-American teams this year.

Nohara is the second Aggie in program history to earn NFCA All-American honors. Former NM State third baseman Stephanie Bonillas claimed third team recognition in 1997.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State softball team's career home run leader, Hoku Nohara, recently signed a contract to play professional softball with the Akron Racers of the National Fastpitch Professional (NPF) League.

Nohara led the nation in home runs in 2011, hitting 24 pitches out of the ballpark. She becomes the first Aggie to play professional softball in the NPF. Nohara is the most recent Western Athletic Conference (WAC) player to join the league, most recently following in the footsteps of Amberly Waits (LA Tech, 2010) and Kate Robinson (Hawai'i, 2008).

"We are extremely exicted for Hoku," said Aggie head coach Kathy Rodolph. "We look forward to watching her achieve success on the professional level after a great Aggie career."  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

TOWSON, MD - New Mexico State softball senior centerfielder Kandis Jones was just one of 11 Division I athletes to be named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® Softball First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the organization announced Thursday.

A Community Health major with a 3.88 grade point average, Jones is a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) outfielder who earned first team conference honors in 2011. She helped lead New Mexico State to a program-best 44-17 record, its first WAC regular season and tournament championships as well as the Aggies' first NCAA tournament selection.

A native of La Mirada, Calif., Jones set new NM State single-season records in 2011 with 82 hits and 61 runs scored. Primarily hitting in the second position of the batting order, Jones posted a .387 average at the plate while driving in 34 runs this season.

Jones was one of two Aggie players to earn CoSIDA All-District honors, as sophomore Teresa Conrad was a 2011 Second Team All-District honoree.

The four-year starter is just the ninth NM State softball player to earn Academic All-America honors and only the fourth to claim First Team accolades. The last Aggie softball player to attain the honor was former home run leader Christine Stephens who acquired first team recognition in 2003.  Continue Reading This Post >>