In the final home game of the 2024 season, the Aggies took on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and delivered a 6-0 shutout win behind senior pitcher Emily Dix who posted a nine-strikeout performance. The Aggies are currently the 4th seed in the Conference USA standings with only three games left to play.
Before the first pitch, the seniors were recognized and joined by their families, including having their jersey numbers painted on the field for the entire weekend.
After the short ceremony, the Aggies got the night started defensively with Dix at the mound for one final time in the regular season. Starting off with a solid defensive effort, Dix and the Aggies went into the bottom of the first after three quick outs following an initial walk.
The Aggies were quick to get the offense rolling as senior Jillian Taylor got on base after getting hit by a pitch and then was brought home following senior Jessica Carreon’s RBI-double to put the Aggies on the board. Continuing the hot start, junior Dezianna Patmon and redshirt senior Riley Carley each nailed a solo home run to give the Aggies a three-run inning to begin the game.
The Aggies and the Bulldogs traded easy three outs for the next two innings before the Aggies took the batter’s box and delivered another three-run inning in the bottom of the fourth. After being hit by pitch in her first plate appearance, Jillian Taylor smashed a three-run home run to left center to secure a 6-0 lead for her team. Carreon reached first base on a throwing error before the Bulldogs closed out the fourth inning.
The Aggies’ defense picked up where they left off to start the fifth. After walking the first two batters, Emily Dix threw two consecutive strikeouts and managed to draw the third out with a flyball in foul territory.
Going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Aggies managed to get runners on base with two singles, but two early outs and a strikeout ended the inning and the game with the last two innings featuring similar results.
Emily Dix’s performance led to her being named Conference USA pitcher of the week. She allowed only two hits in eight total innings pitched over the series and leads all-time Aggie pitchers with 59 strikeouts this season, ending her final regular season home game on a high note.
“I guess it’s crazy for me to even say that I’m a senior,” Dix said. “This is awesome, I’m glad I got to play this long.”
Other seniors shared their thoughts on how playing for New Mexico State has been.
“The strong bond that we create is so strong that those bonds will last for a lifetime,” Taylor said.
The Aggies will now travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to battle against Middle Tennessee State to play the final series of the regular season starting on Friday, May 3 at 5 p.m. followed by Saturday at 3 p.m. and ending on Sunday, May 5 at 11 a.m. All updates will be posted to the official NMSU Athletics website.
