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SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State baseball team returns to action this weekend with a four-game Lone Star Conference series against Cameron University in Lawton, Okla. at McCord Field.

ASU (27-15, 11-9 LSC) is coming off a split against Tarleton State last weekend in their home series of the season, while Cameron (11-26, 5-15 LSC) went 1-3 against Abilene Christian in Abilene. The Rams are 14-4 on the road this season. CU is 5-10 at home this year and is currently on a four-game losing streak after dropping its final three against ACU and then falling 6-3 in a midweek game against Southeastern Oklahoma State.

The series starts at 3 p.m. on Friday with a single game, followed by a 3 p.m. doubleheaderon Saturday and the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The Rams enter the second-to-last regular-season weekend in third place in the LSC standings with Tarleton State (14-6 LSC) leading the conference and ACU (13-7) in second. The Texans and Wildcats play each other this weekend in Stephenville, while fourth place Incarnate Word (11-9 LSC) travels to play West Texas A&M (10-10 LSC) in Canyon. Texas A&M-Kingsville (10-10 LSC) is also on the road where it will play Eastern New Mexico (6-14 LSC) in Portales, N.M. The Rams will conclude the regular season next week with their series against Abilene Christian.  

Angelo State is 17-14 all-time against Cameron, but is 6-7 in games played at McCord Field. ASU won last year's series 3-1 after dropping the series opener at Foster Field.

ASU baseball, which has been under the guidance of head coach Kevin Brooks since it was started in 2005, come into this weekend's series with a 332-181 all-time record. The Rams are known for getting stronger as the season progresses and are 140-68 in program history in games played after April 1st (117-51 in regular-season games). The Rams went 7-1 last season in their final two regular-season series en route to capturing the conference's regular-season championship.

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ON THE MOUND
For the third straight weekend, the Angelo State probable starting pitching rotation will be Jake Albert, Jake Feckley, Mike Weatherly and Michael Lange.

Albert (4-3) took the loss in ASU's 5-4 series opener last weekend against Tarleton State, but has been invaluable for the Rams in his junior season. The Conroe native will be making his third start and 13th appearance of the season on Friday. A reliever for most of his collegiate career, Albert will also be making the 40th appearance in his career which ranks sixth all-time in program history. The right hander has 20 strikeouts in 36 innings of work with a 4.25 ERA this season.

Feckley (7-3) is coming off a one-hit complete-game shutout of the Texans last weekend. He earned his first LSC Pitcher of the Week honor of the season for his effort and carries a 2.42 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 52 innings of work this season into Oklahoma. The junior right-hander from Wylie is only four strikeouts from 100 in his career at ASU and is limiting opponents to a .270 batting average this year. He was a LSC second-team selection last season and is sixth in program history with 12 career wins and is tied for the program lead with two career shutouts (along with Chace Vacek and Ryan Mulle).

Weatherly (4-3) received the loss in a 4-2 game last weekend against the Texans and is now 1-1 in conference play. The senior right-hander has 46 strikeouts in 55.1 innings of work this season and is a returning LSC first-team selection. Last year he recorded nine saves as the Rams' closer and will be making his 11th start of the season on Saturday. He has a 3.42 ERA this season and is eight strikeouts away from 100 in his career. Weatherly will be making his 38th career appearance this weekend which will keep him ninth all-time in program history one behind left-handed reliever Austin Church who has made 39 appearances in his career coming into the weekend. He is the program leader with 8.87 strikeouts per 9-inning game.

Lange (4-2) has reemerged as one of the top pitchers in the conference after early-season struggles. The senior right-hander is 13-3 in his career and is fourth all-time in program history in wins. A Columbus, Neb. native, Lange has 43 strikeouts in 55.2 innings of work this season. He will be making his ninth start of the year and 14th appearance. Lange was a first team all-region and all-conference selection last season and will be fifth all-time in program history when he makes the 22nd start of his career on Sunday.

As a staff, the Rams have a 4.67 ERA with 271 strikeouts, 143 walks and 177 earned runs through 341.1 innings this season.


AT THE PLATE
Angelo State enters this weekend's series with a .306 team batting average with 289 singles, 80 doubles, 19 triples and 15 home runs. The 19 triples ranks second in the nation and are only one behind national leader St. Thomas Aquinas. The Rams have stolen 96 bases this season (11th in the nation) and have walked 159 times and reached 63 times after being hit by a pitch.

Andrew LaCombe enters the series with a team-leading .366 batting average, including hitting .409 through the first 20 conference games of the season. The senior catcher/left fielder from Southlake has 13 doubles and 34 RBI this season and is a returning first-team all-conference performer. His 34 RBI ranks third in the conference. He holds the program's record by throwing out 36 runners attempting to steal and has 104 career hits in his career. He has started 98 games and played in 99 games entering this weekend. LaCombe, Reggie Rodriguez and Christian Summers are all tied for the conference lead with 13 doubles.

Quaid McKinnon was selected as the LSC's Hitter of the Week on Monday after hitting three home runs over a five-game span last week. The senior first baseman is hitting .333 this season with 12 doubles, a triple and three home runs. He ranks 10th in the nation with 34 walk this season and is third in program history with 75 career walks (two behind Trey Carter's 77). A first-team all-conference and LSC tournament MVP as a junior, McKinnon has walked 16 times in 20 conference games this season and has 119 hits in his career. He has started 99 games entering this weekend.

Lee Neumann hit his third home run of the season last Sunday in the series finale against Tarleton State and enters the weekend hitting .333 in his senior year. A returning all-American, all-region and LSC Player of the Year, Neumann leads the Rams and second in the conference with 35 RBI this season and is tied with McKinnon for the team lead with 49 hits. Neumann is second in the nation with seven triples and is only two behind the national lead. The Brenham native has been the Rams' designated hitter for the past month and has scored 38 run this season. For his career, Neumann has 130 hits, including a program-leading 16 triples and 10 home runs.

Ryan Greer has started 99 games in his career at ASU and is hitting .296 entering the Cameron series. Greer is a returning all-region and first-team all-conference selection and has seven doubles, two triples and a home run this season. A left-handed hitter from Glendale, Ariz., Greer has 115 hits in his career and 75 career RBI. He has stolen 21 bases this season and 50 in his career. Tyler Coughenour has also stolen 21 bases to tie Greer for the team lead and is hitting .284 with four doubles, two triples and a home run. Greer and Coughenour are second in the conference in stolen bases behind UIW's Derrick Walls' 32.

Summers is hitting .350 with 13 doubles, five triples and two home runs. He has a  conference-leading .585 slugging percentage and has walked 25 times. Rodriguez delivered two big hits for the Rams last weekend, first with a walk-off hit for ASU's 1-0 win on Saturday and then a three-run double to left center field on Sunday to highlight a five-run inning which propelled the Rams to a win. Rodriguez, who also hit a walk-off home run this season against Lubbock Christian, is hitting .322 with 28 RBI in his junior season.

David Goggin is hitting .346 in conference games in his freshman season and is hitting .309 overall. A catcher/outfielder, Goggin has 23 singles and two doubles this season. At third base, Hunter Choate turned in four tremendous plays in the series finale last weekend and is also providing production at the plate. A redshirt freshman from Athens, Choate is hitting .311 this season with 16 RBI. He is hitting .333 in conference games.
 

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
Cameron enters this weekend's series against the Rams with a .261 team batting average and a 6.47 pitching staff ERA. The Aggies have hit 233 singles, 52 doubles, five triples and 10 home runs.

Nick Smith leads CU with a .343 batting average with eight doubles and two home runs. A senior from Washington, Smith has a .423 on-base percentage and eight stolen bases in his senior season. Thomas Galvin is hitting .308 with four doubles, while Keaton Green is at .305 with 33 singles, five doubles and a home run and triple in his senior season out of Houston.

Kenny Acosta has eight doubles to tie Smith for the CU team lead, while Brad Blumer leads the team with 23 RBI and two triples. Kaz Sanders has added 21 RBI and 35 hits for the Aggies.

Aaron Kleekamp (3-4), a senior right-hander, leads the Aggies with 36 strikeouts this season and has a 3.60 ERA. Drew Reidt (2-3) leads the team with a 3.38 ERA and has 19 strikeouts in 50.2 innings of work. Brian Schwabe (2-4) has thrown 40.1 innings with 24 strikeouts and a 6.47 ERA, while Cody Hudson is 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 26.2 innings.