SAN ANGELO – After a month at home, the Angelo State baseball team will travel to Stephenville to play a three-game Lone Star Conference set against Tarleton State this weekend at the Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex.
ASU (23-15, 12-11 LSC) is 5-2 in its last seven conference games following series victories over Eastern New Mexico and Cameron, while Tarleton State (18-16, 8-13 LSC) is 1-6 over that same period after dropping three of four against Texas A&M-Kingsville and being swept in a three-game set last weekend by ENMU. The Rams are coming off a doubleheader split against McMurry, while TSU took a 5-4 win over Arlington Baptist in nonconference play on Tuesday.
The Rams took three of four from the Texans (8-5, 1-3, 1-0, 6-3) in the first series between the two teams earlier this season at Foster Field. ASU is 32-13 all-time against Tarleton entering the weekend. The three-game set will begin with a 3 p.m. game on Friday before a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday. TSU is the reigning LSC regular-season champion, while ASU won the regular-season title in 2012. ASU is currently third in the conference standings – three games behind the Javelinas and four behind LSC-leading West Texas A&M – and TSU is fifth.
Angelo State will return home to host the Buffs in a three-game set next weekend in its final home games of the regular season. The Rams are currently second in the LSC with a 2.89 pitching staff earned run average and have 268 strikeouts and only 96 walks through 305 innings of work.
Jason Zgardowski (4-2) was named the LSC Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for the second consecutive week and enters this weekend's series against Tarleton State with 59 strikeouts and a 1.71 ERA through 58 innings of work. He is scheduled to start the first game of the series on Friday. A junior right-hander from San Antonio, Zgardowski started his collegiate career at Midland College before transferring to ASU this season. He recorded five strikeouts and scattered seven hits and allowed only one run in a seven-inning no-decision in his first meeting against Tarleton State. He is second in the LSC in strikeouts and fifth in ERA and he has limited the opposition to a .212 batting average throughout the season.
Blake Bass (3-2) is scheduled to start the second game of the series and enters the weekend leading the Rams with a 1.45 ERA through seven starts and eight appearances. His 1.45 ERA leads the LSC for starting pitchers. ASU is 5-2 this season in games that Bass has started and the junior right-hander has 28 strikeouts and only three walks in 43 1/3 innings of work. Bass struck out six and threw a nine-inning complete-game win against Tarleton State in the first series this season at Foster Field. He was named the LSC Pitcher of the Week for his effort. The tallest player on the ASU roster at 6-foot-7, Bass is in his first season with the Rams after playing his freshman and sophomore years at Texas Tech. Also contributing at the plate, Bass has six RBI with a .246 batting average at the plate where he has three doubles, a triple and a home run. He has played in right field, first base and has been the team's designated hitter this season when he's not pitching and is currently on a team-leading four-game hitting streak.
Jake Feckley (5-2) is the all-time winningest pitcher in ASU history and has a 20-10 record in his three seasons at ASU. He is second in program history with 161 strikeouts and is scheduled to start the series finale on Saturday. Feckley earned his fifth win of the season last Saturday in a three-inning relief appearance. He is fourth in the conference with 49 strikeouts this season and is 10th with his 1.96 ERA through 64 1/3 innings of work. Feckley is a two-time LSC Pitcher of the Week and started this season with 32 innings without surrendering an earned run.
Graylon Brown (3-2) leads the ASU bullpen with 18 appearances and has limited batters to a .191 average this season. A sophomore from Brownwood, Brown has recorded four saves and 30 strikeouts. He has a 2.72 ERA through 43 innings of work. He has 56 strikeouts and is 5-2 through 37 appearances and 76 1/3 innings in his two seasons at ASU.
Tyler Coughenour leads the Rams with 12 multi-hit games and nine doubles. He enters this weekend hitting .315 with two triples and is tied with
Nehwon Norkeh for the team lead with three home runs. A senior shortstop/second baseman, Coughenour missed last weekend's series and Tuesday doubleheader with an injury. He is a career .305 hitter (93 hits) in his two seasons at ASU after transferring from Wichita State and leads the Rams this season with a .409 on-base percentage. He has 42 stolen bases in his career and is second on the team this season with 17. Norkeh leads the Rams and the conference with 19 stolen bases this season and is hitting .244 with five doubles, three triples and three home runs in his freshman season. Norkeh has started 36 of 38 games this season in center field. Doing what they need to do to get on base, Coughenour has been hit by 12 pitches and Norkeh 10 pitches to lead the Rams. Coughenour is fourth in the LSC with 29 runs scored and Norkeh is fifth with 28 runs.
Christian Summers is tied for the conference lead with 25 RBI and 17 walks in his senior season and is a two-time LSC Hitter of the Week. Summers is a career .320 hitter (101 total hits) at ASU after transferring from the University of Texas before last season and leads ASU with a .311 average in conference play. He is hitting .477 (21-for-44) in the past 13 games and has four doubles and 11 RBI in those games. For the season, Summers is hitting .292 with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and has a .379 on-base percentage. He enters this weekend 12-for-13 on stolen base attempts.
Cameron Massengill hit .342 during ASU's 13-game home stand with 13 hits and enters this weekend with a .302 batting average with 11 RBI this season. A junior from Kennedale, Massengill joined the Rams this season after playing his first two years at Cisco College. He has started 33 games at catcher and has been the team's designated hitter once this season.
David Goggin leads the Rams with seven multi-RBI games this season and is hitting .284 with 23 RBI in his sophomore season. The LSC Freshman of the Year last season, Goggin is the only Ram to start every game this season and enters this weekend with five doubles and two triples. Goggin has started 29 games in left field, five at catcher and four in right field. His 23 RBI ranks fourth in the conference.
Derek Tyner is hitting .298 with 17 RBI in his first season at ASU after playing at Odessa College the past two seasons. A Boerne native, Tyner has five doubles, eight walks and a .338 on-base percentage for the Rams. He has started 23 games at first base, nine at designated hitter, two in right field and once in left field. Tyner leads the Rams with five sacrifice flies this season.
Reggie Rodriguez went 2-for-2 in the second game on Tuesday against McMurry and enters this weekend with a12 RBI and 19 hits in his senior season. Rodriguez leads ASU with five sacrifice bunts and has stolen six bases. He is a career .286 hitter (81 hits) for the Rams in his two seasons with 18 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 44 RBI. Rodriguez went 5-for-13 (.385) at the plate against the Texans in the first meeting between the two teams.
Hunter Choate is hitting .268 in his sophomore season and has five doubles, a triple, a home run and 15 RBI for the Rams. Choate has shown his versatility throughout the season by starting 22 games at third base, 10 at second base and three as ASU's designated hitter. Choate has 69 career hits at ASU and 36 RBI. He led the Rams in their first series against Tarleton State by going 8-for-16 with four RBI against the Texans.
JP Zapata has played 10 games as a sub this season which is tops on the ASU roster. He is hitting .371 after starting his career 13-for-35. A freshman from Lake View, Zapata served in the Army for four years before deciding to attend Angelo State University and walk-on to the ASU baseball team. He has scored five runs and has made four starts in left field, two in right field and four as the team's designated hitter.
TARLETON STATE TEXAN REPORT (18-16, 8-13 LSC)The Texans enter this weekend with a 10-5 record at the Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex this season, but are 4-4 in LSC games on their home field. TSU is hitting .282 as a team this season with 56 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs and have reached base 100 times on walks, 37 time by being hit by pitches and have stolen 52 bases on 75 attempts. The team has struck out 197 times.
Rustin Thomas leads TSU with a .348 batting average with nine doubles and six home runs. He has 17 RBI this season and a .417 on-base percentage, while Alvaro Moreno is tied with him for the team lead with 39 hits. Moreno is hitting .320 and has six doubles and 17 RBI. Noel Nevarez and Kevin Meredith lead the Texans with 20 RBI. Nevarez leads the team with eight doubles and has four home runs.
Jacob French (5-2) is the scheduled starter for Friday's game and comes into the game with 36 strikeouts and a 4.11 ERA through 46 innings. French has only walked seven hitters this season. He received a loss against the Rams at Foster Field after allowing six runs on 11 hits in 7 1/3 innings. He had six strikeouts in the game.
