SAN ANGELO – The journey for the Angelo State baseball team in 2013 begins at noon on Friday with a doubleheader against Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. at Rab Rodgers Field. The two teams will then complete the four-game series with another noon doubleheader on Saturday. The series will follow a 9-inning/7-inning format each day.

This is the first time the Rams have opened on the road in program history and also the first time they have played in Arkadelphia since winning the 2007 NCAA Division II South Central Regional hosted at OBU and advancing to the College World Series. ASU is 3-5 all-time in the first game of the season and 11-3 all-time against Ouachita Baptist.

“The challenge is to go out and play with the confidence, composure and aggressiveness we practice with,” said ASU head coach Kevin Brooks, who enters his ninth season with a 305-166 career record after the Rams went 40-17 last season. “If we transfer the way we practice to the games, I feel like we have a chance to be successful.”

Probable starting pitchers were not released by either team prior to the series.Click for Ram Notes

Angelo State, which is ranked No. 16 nationally by CollegeBaseballLineup.com, swept a four-game series to open last season against the Tigers. ASU outscored OBU 36-8 and had a .353 team batting average in the series at Foster Field. Ouachita Baptist finished last season with a 30-26 record and finished second in the Great American Conference's tournament.

Quaid McKinnon and Ryan Greer started last season in style with productive performances against OBU. McKinnon had eight hits and six RBI, while Greer had six hits and four RBI in the four-game series. Andrew LaCombe added seven RBI on five hits, including a home run. McKinnon was named the Lone Star Conference's Hitter of the Week following the season-opening series. Michael Lange and Travis Stavinoha each earned wins on the mound for the Rams who held OBU hitters to a .189 batting average in the series.

OBU, with Jeremy Haworth returning for his second season as head coach, was selected to finish fourth in the Great American Conference behind Southern Arkansas, Southeastern Oklahoma and Arkansas Tech. The Tigers went 17-11 last season at Rab Rodgers Field and finished the season with a .277 team batting average and with a 4.89 pitching staff ERA.

In a review of conference statistics from 2012, the Rams were second in team batting average (.321), second in pitching (3.87 ERA) and first in fielding percentage (.963). The team never lost more than two games in a row and started last season on a six-game winning streak and were 14-2 through the first 16 games of the year.  They enter this year as the preseason selection to win the conference for the second straight season.

Click for Angelo State roster breakdown

Angelo State enters the 2013 season with 30 players on its roster – 23 returners and seven newcomers. The Rams are coming off a celebrated season where they won the Lone Star Conference's regular-season and tournament championship and earned 40 victories for the fourth time in program history. ASU will need to replace four everyday starters with the departures of third baseman Toby Semler, shortstop Zach Cohen, second baseman Doug Snover, right fielder Tate Allison and designated hitter Brett Parsons along with pitchers Rick Reyna, Matt Rechkemmer and Craig Blair who provided pitching depth.  

The Rams will return home to face Southern Arkansas in a series from Feb. 8-9 at Foster Field. SAU is 4-0 all-time against the Rams, including taking a 7-2 win at the NCAA DII South Central Regional Championship in Warrensburg, Mo. Live stats for the series at OBU will be available here.