The NM State Softball Complex will also be home to the 2015 WAC Tournament, which will be played from Thursday, May 7, through Saturday, May 9.
“We are excited about our extensive home slate this year,” Rodolph said. “We have perennial powerhouses Arizona and Arizona State in home doubleheaders. Plus, hosting the WAC tournament in 2015 gives us a chance to compete for a WAC title at home in front of our fans, so that's a great opportunity.”
The Aggies kick off their season by hosting the Hotel Encanto Invitational for the ninth-straight season, Feb. 5-8. Among the teams in the tournament will be top-50 teams Texas Tech and Nebraska along with Colorado State, Montana and Texas-San Antonio.
Following the Hotel Encanto NM State hosts the 25th Annual Troy Cox Classic, Feb. 13-15. The Aggies will welcome Weber State along with 2014 NCAA Tournament participants Kansas and Bradley to Las Cruces.
“We host some great competition in our first two tournaments as Nebraska, Kansas and Bradley all competed in the postseason last year,” Rodolph said. “Montana will play its inaugural games in our first tournament so that will be fun to be a part of. Add in a tough Texas Tech, Colorado State, Weber State and UTSA teams and our opening tournaments should be really fun for fans.”
After hosting two tournaments, NM State hits the road for two tournaments beginning with a trip to Phoenix for the Arizona State Tournament. The Aggies will play the Sun Devils, who finished in the top 15 in the nation last season and notched an 11-seed at the NCAA Tournament, along with Indiana State, Boise State, Minnesota, UNLV and Colorado State. NM State and Arizona State will meet two more times later on in the season in Las Cruces.
The Aggies then head to Las Vegas, Nev., to play in the UNLV Tournament before returning home for round robin play against Tulsa and North Dakota, Mar. 6-8. After a single game with Middle Tennessee, NM State heads to its final tournament of the season, the San Diego State Tournament.
The Aggies will host I-10 rival UTEP on Wednesday, Mar. 18, before welcoming on of the most storied franchises in college softball, Arizona, to the NM State Softball Complex. The Aggies and Wildcats, who made the Super Regionals at last season’s NCAA Tournament and finished in the top 15, will play a doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 21.
After a trip to Albuquerque to meet UNM, the Aggies begin conference play by hosting defending WAC champion Utah Valley for a three-game series.
On Monday, Apr. 6, NM State will take a break from WAC play as Arizona State comes to town to meet the Aggies for the second and third time of the season as the teams play a doubleheader in Las Cruces.
NM State will also welcome the Lobos to the NM State Softball Complex on Tuesday, Apr. 14, and will conclude the regular season by heading to El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, Apr. 28, for a doubleheader against the Miners before hosting the WAC Tournament.
“We have built this schedule with one goal in mind – post season,” Rodolph said. “We have about half of our nonconference games against 2014 NCAA Tournament participants. I feel like this prepares us to play at a high level during the most important part of the year.”