Benet Higgs named New Mexico State's permanent softball coach

New Mexico State has officially found its next softball coach.

Interim coach Benet Higgs was named as the Aggies' permanent coach on Monday, May 11. She is now the program's 13th head coach in its history.

"From the moment I asked Coach Higgs to step into this role, her leadership, vision, and commitment to our student-athletes stood out," said NM State athletic director Joe Fields in a press release. "She exceeded every expectation and showed exactly what success for our softball program should look like. I’m proud to officially name Coach Higgs our permanent head softball coach and look forward to building a championship program together."

MORE AGGIES SPORTS:From Las Cruces High to New Mexico State, Steve Solorzano's dream is now a reality

Higgs was named interim coach on Oct. 29 after the Aggiesfired Kathy Rodolph. Higgs received a pay raise from $40,000 to $70,000 as part of her temporary elevation. It is unknown yet whether she has received a larger raise now that her interim tag has been removed.

While university leaders have continued to stay silent on why Rodolph was fired (or even publicly acknowledge her departure as a firing), Fields previously told the Las Cruces Sun-News that the reason is separate from Higgs.

"She had nothing to do with any other thing that was happening with the softball program, and she's done nothing but a phenomenal job since being asked to serve in this role," Fields told the Sun-News.

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MORE AGGIES SPORTS:NMSU's Emma Bunch named Conference USA Female Golfer of the Year for the 3rd time in a row

Under Higgs, the Aggies finished 27-27. Their 16-11 Conference USA record during the regular season gave NM State a No. 5 seed in theconference tournament. The Aggies went 1-2 there, defeating Sam Houston in the first round before losing their next two games against Delaware and Louisiana Tech. NM State was picked by CUSA head coaches in its preseason poll to finish No. 8 in the conference and receive the last seed in the CUSA Tournament.

While a record at .500 doesn't seem special on the surface, Higgs is just the third head coach in Aggies softball history to win at least 25 games in her first season. She was also one of four first-year coaches in the nation to post a winning record in the regular season this year, as NM State was 26-25 entering the CUSA Tournament.

"I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to lead New Mexico State Softball, and I’m incredibly thankful to Joe Fields for the trust and belief in me to lead this program," Higgs said in a press release. "Over the last year, I’ve seen the resilience, toughness, and competitiveness of this group firsthand, and I’m excited to continue building a program centered on development, accountability, connection and competing for championships in Conference USA.

"Las Cruces and NMSU mean a lot to me. There’s a lot of pride in this place, and I’m excited for what’s ahead for Aggie Softball."

Higgs had been an assistant under Rodolph in the 2024 and 2025 seasons after assistant coaching tenures at Stony Brook, Bradley and Army.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News:Benet Higgs named permanent New Mexico State softball coach

byJastin Mags

in

May 13, 2026

Benet Higgs named New Mexico State's permanent softball coach

New Mexico State has officially found its next softball coach. Interim coach Benet Higgs was named as the Aggies' permanent c...

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Streak of seconds follows Scottie Scheffler as he pursues another first

Scottie Scheffler may not have won a golf tournament since January, but he certainly has come close.

Scheffler placed second in three straight starts to end April before taking a week off to prepare for this week's PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia.

While that accomplishment would stand out on any golfer's resume, Scheffler, being the World No. 1, is tasked with answering why he's come up short.

"I think it was last week my wife was like, ‘Hey, Scottie, you're like the first guy in PGA Tour history to have three solo runner-ups in a row.' I'm like, ‘Yeah, it's probably because the guy that was playing that good figured out a way to win one of those, he didn't come second in all three,'" Scheffler joked when speaking with reporters Tuesday.

"A little bit of it is bittersweet. Finishing second in a golf tournament is not bad, but, I mean -- especially in the way I did it in a couple of them. I was spotting guys so many strokes going into the weekend, mainly the Masters."

Scheffler followed a second-round 74 at Augusta National with a 65-68 on the weekend to land one stroke behind Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy. The next week on Hilton Head Island, S.C., he went 64-67 to make another weekend move but lost to Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff at the RBC Heritage.

Two weeks later, it was another signature event at the Cadillac Championship and another slow start somewhat patched by a better finish. He placed second at 13 under, but champion Cameron Young beat him by six shots in Miami.

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"You know you're playing good golf, and you'd love to get some wins," said Scheffler, 29. "Finishing second hurts, but I think when you reflect and you're looking at things to work on, there's a lot less to clean up when you're finishing second than there is when you're finishing 30th."

Of Scheffler's four career majors, he has yet to win one back-to-back; his Masters wins came two years apart before he added the PGA Championship and Open Championship to his resume in 2025. He will try to successfully defend a major title for the first time this week.

Defending a major title outside of the Masters requires some luck with the course rotation. Scheffler prevailed at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte last year, a course that hosts an annual PGA Tour stop. On Tuesday, Scheffler said he doesn't believe he's ever played golf in the Philadelphia area.

"I think a lot of it depends on the golf course. A lot of it depends on the conditions," Scheffler said of the test a PGA Championship presents. "If you look at this golf course specifically, between it being soft and firm, I think is two totally different tests. If you're looking at this golf course when it's soft, I think there's a lot of stuff you can kind of get away with in terms of like you can hit it pretty far offline. There's not many things to block you. ...

"But if you look at this golf course when it's firm, the fairways are hard to hit. Then if you want to get the ball close to a lot of these pins, you have to control your spin and control your distance really well, which is not that easy to do out of the rough."

Scheffler knows one thing: He'd prefer to have to answer questions about why he didn't win a tournament than merely celebrate decent finishes.

"I'd much rather have to sit here and be (asked), ‘Hey, how come you didn't win last week,' versus, ‘He finished 15th, like that was a pretty good start for you, game's starting to turn around.' It's a lot better playing good golf," he said. "... I think those questions are easier to answer."

--Field Level Media

byJastin Mags

in

May 12, 2026

Streak of seconds follows Scottie Scheffler as he pursues another first

Scottie Scheffler may not have won a golf tournament since January, but he certainly has come close. Scheffler placed second in t...

Read More

Mark Consuelos Shares the Painful Realization He's Had Since His Father's Death (Exclusive)

Mark Consuelos reflects on his father’s death, describing him as a “mythical character” and a major influence

NEED TO KNOW

• The actor appeared on the I've Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDario podcast, in a clip PEOPLE can exclusively premiere

• Working on Broadway helped him process his grief, Consuelos says, but the loss hit harder during a family memorial

Mark Consuelosis opening up about the loss of his father.

In an exclusive clip from the Tuesday, May 12 episode of iHeartRadio'sI've Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDariopodcast, theLive with Kelly and Markco-host became emotional while reflecting on the death of his father,Saul Consuelos, whodied in March 23 after a lengthy illness.

“You know, I lost my father five weeks ago,” Consuelos tells host Tommy DiDario, in a conversation taped on May 1. “And it was kind of a brutal five-month saga leading up to him passing. I knew it was happening. We all knew, this is going to happen.”

The actor, who is currently starring in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival ofFallen Angelson Broadway, says he prayed for “a merciful exit” for his father and was grateful that “it happened that way — very quickly and painlessly.”

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Still, even though he tried to emotionally prepare himself for "the eventuality" of the loss ahead of time, when his father died, the reality hit hard.

“My father’s a mythical character to me,” Consuelos explains. “He’s, like, the best man I’ve ever met. Everything good that I’ve kind of globbed onto of how I carry myself comes from him.”

“I guess what I haven’t said is, I miss my dad,” he continues. “I’ve never said that. I’ve never said, ‘I miss my dad.’ Because he’s always been in my life. He’s always been available to me.”

The 55-year-old says he was in tech rehearsals forFallen Angelswhen his father died, forcing him to “compartmentalize” his grief while continuing to work on the production. “It was a welcomed distraction because I had to do this,” he says.

But when his family gathered for a memorial service, the loss became more real. “We just had a memorial for him this past Monday, where the family all got together,” he says. “And the reality of him being gone hit, of himactuallybeing gone.”

Though he says he still feels his father’s presence strongly, the actor became emotional while describing what he misses most.

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“I am starting to…,” Consuelos says before taking a deep breath. “I’m going to miss just giving him a hug and holding his hand and just laughing with him. That’s something I’ve never said in my life. I’m going to miss my dad.”

DiDario went on to thank Consuelos for sharing the moment, pointing out how helpful his words would be to "anyone going through their grief right now.”

"He’s certainly proud of you," DiDario says. "Look at everything you’re doing. Broadway star!"

That inspired Consuelos to share how he honors his father before walking onstage each night. “I do look up in the house every now and again,” he says. “You can’t really see, because of the lights. And I kind of picture [him]. I think about him before I go on stage.”

Consuelos announced his father’s death on the April 22 episode ofLive with Kelly and Mark.“My father passed away peacefully surrounded by family and love,” he said at the time, adding that his father “lived a beautiful life.”

"He came here from Mexico in his early teens, he immigrated here from Mexico. He served his country for 30 years. Ended up at Special Operations Command in Tampa. This young kid from Mexico just got his education from the Navy. Was always going to school. Was brilliant. Got his master's while I was a kid," he shared.

“He loved his country so much,” Consuelos added. “If you’re going to put a face to an immigrant, he would be the prime example of what this country promises people.”

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Kelly Ripa— who shares childrenMichael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 23,with Mark — also paid tribute to her father-in-law during the episode, remembering him as “the kindest man.”

New episodes of theI've Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDariopodcast drop Tuesdays.

Read the original article onPeople

byJastin Mags

in

May 12, 2026

Mark Consuelos Shares the Painful Realization He's Had Since His Father's Death (Exclusive)

Mark Consuelos reflects on his father’s death, describing him as a “mythical character” and a major influence NEED TO KNOW ...

Read More