SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State Rams will be making their 10th appearance at the Lone Star Conference Baseball Championship this week where they'll open against West Texas A&M at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Nolan Ryan Field in Kingsville.

The Rams (34-15, 21-14 LSC) are the third seed in the tournament and are 20-14 all-time in LSC Championship play. ASU has won two tournament titles, coming in 2007 and 2012 and has reached the finals five times. The program owns a 403-228 all-time record. WT (34-16) is the second seed in the tournament and finished as the regular-season co-champions with Texas A&M-Kingsville (29-21) after the two teams both finished with 23-12 conference records. The Javelinas, who swept Tarleton State this weekend in a three-game series, will play the Texans again at 3 p.m. on Thursday following the ASU-WT game. The losers of the first two games will play an elimination game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, while the winners advance to play at 3 p.m. on Friday. The championship is scheduled for noon on Saturday. An if-necessary game would follow at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic bid to next week's NCAA Division II South Central Championship.

Collegiate Baseball has ASU and WT tied for No. 30 in its national rankings entering the conference tournament.

Angelo State finished the regular season fourth in the nation with 10.0 strikeouts per 9-inning game and eighth with a 3.05 ERA. The pitching staff has established a new program record with 444 strikeouts this season and its 3.05 ERA is currently the lowest in program history. ASU's previous record for strikeouts was 440 in 2009 and the lowest ERA in a season came in 2006 when that pitching staff had a 3.82 ERA. The Rams lead the conference in 12 statistical categories coming into the postseason, including in ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.17), hits allowed (8.41) and WHIP (0.694). Offensively, the Rams top the LSC in batting average (.296), home runs (35), home runs per game (0.71), sacrifice flies (24) and slugging percentage (.430). A .969 fielding percentage also leads the LSC along with a .694 win-loss percentage. ASU is second in the conference with 90 doubles, total hits (451), on-base percentage (.365), shutouts (4), stolen bases (49) and stolen bases per game (1.00).

Individually, a Ram leads 16 statistical categories after the completion of the regular season. Paxton DeLaGarza led the conference with a .382 batting average, total hits (68) and total bases (104). Steve Naemark is fourth in the nation with 108 strikeouts and ninth with a 1.09 ERA – both of which lead the LSC. Blake Bass is first in the conference with nine victories and Graylon Brown is second in the LSC with 10 saves. Nehwon Norkeh led the LSC with nine home runs this season and J.C. Snyder topped the conference with 21 doubles, doubles per game (0.43) and slugging percentage (.595). Cody Semler had the most stolen bases with 12 this season, while Snyder was second with 62 total hits and DeLaGarza was second with seven home runs. Brett David finished the regular season with five sacrifice flies which ranked second in the LSC and Sam Kohler had 0.21 sacrifice bunts per game which was also second.

ASU and WT have met four times in the LSC tournament and are 2-2 all-time in postseason play. The Buffs eliminated the Rams from last year's tournament and ended their season with a 5-3 win that went 10 innings. WT won the regular-season series 4-3 over the Rams this year with the two teams splitting a four-game series at Foster Field and then the Buffs taking two of three in Canyon with a pair of one-run walk-off wins. The Rams won the series finale 9-7 with home runs from Nehwon Norkeh, Paxton DeLaGarza and David Goggin.

Tarleton State (20-23) is the defending tournament champion after it earned its first tournament title last season with a 4-3 win over WT in the championship game. WT will be looking for its first tournament championship this season, while Kingsville has four tournament titles. ASU is 3-1 all-time against Kingsville at the tournament and 5-2 against Tarleton in LSC Championship play. The Rams, who have won seven of their last eight games, are 4-3 against the Javelinas and Texans this season coming into the tournament.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 7
Game 1: #2 West Texas A&M vs. #3 Angelo State, 11 a.m.
Game 2: #1 Texas A&M-Kingsville vs. #4 Tarleton State, 3 p.m.
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 8
Game 4: Winner or Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 5: Loser of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 3, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 12 p.m.
Game 7 (If-Necessary): 4 p.m. 
 
ASU SEASON TRACKER
Overall Record:  34-15
Lone Star Conference Record:  21-14
At Foster Field:  24-5
Away from San Angelo:  10-10
Neutral Site Games:  0-0
LSC Home Games:  13-5
LSC Road Games:  8-9
Current Streak:  L1
Longest Winning Streak:  W15 (*program record)
Longest Losing Streak:  L4
Most runs scored:  18
Fewest runs scored:  0 (2)
Vs. Cameron: 7-0
Vs. Eastern New Mexico: 3-4
Vs. Tarleton State: 4-3 (36-20 all-time)
Vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville: 4-3 (28-25 all-time)
Vs. West Texas A&M: 3-4 (35-18 all-time)
 
PITCHING STAFF REPORT: Angelo State has not announced its probable rotation for the conference tournament and will not do so until game day. The pitching staff has led the conference throughout the season in ERA and strikeouts and has already established multiple program records. Steve Naemark (8-1) is a three-time LSC Pitcher of the Week and has also earned two NCBWA South Central Pitcher of the Week honors and national awards from Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA. A junior left-hander, Naemark has established the program's single-season record for strikeouts in a season and currently has the lowest ERA in program and conference history. Naemark is 1-0 against WT this season with 12 strikeouts and only one earned run allowed in two starts and 16 innings of work against the Buffs. He enters the postseason with 108 strikeouts and a 1.09 ERA and has only allowed 11 earned runs in 91.0 innings of work where he has limited the opposition to a .194 batting average. Naemark established a new single-game record for the Rams after striking out 15 in a win over Regis earlier this season and also has double-digit strikeout performances against Lubbock Christian (12) and Eastern New Mexico (11) on his resume. Naemark went over the 100-strikeout milestone two weeks ago when he struck out nine in a victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville at Foster Field.

Blake Bass (9-2) is coming off a career-best where he struck out 12 and earned his first LSC Pitcher of the Week honor after his conference-leading ninth victory of the season. Bass, who was a two-time LSC Pitcher of the Week last season and an LSC first-team selection, has recorded 91 strikeouts through 82 2/3 innings of work in his senior season. The 91 strikeouts are the second most in a season in program history behind only Naemark. A senior from Lubbock, Bass transferred from Texas Tech and has amassed 130 strikeouts and a 13-6 record in his two seasons at Angelo State. Bass, who is 0-0 with 15 strikeouts in two no-decision starts against WT, also had a double-digit strikeout performance when he had 10 against Tarleton State in a win in Stephenville and has recorded five or more strikeouts in 11 games. He has been identified as the No. 3-ranked Division II professional prospect by Baseball America and was the LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

Bryce Zak (5-6) enters the postseason currently with the best strikeouts-per 9-inning game record in program history at 10.91. A junior right-hander from San Angelo, Zak has 78 strikeouts this season in 64 1/3 innings of work and has limited the opposition to a .232 batting average. Zak recorded a career-best 11 strikeouts in a win over Regis at home earlier this season and then had 10 against West Texas A&M on the road. Zak has a 10-7 career record at Angelo State and 116 career strikeouts. He missed last season with an injury after recording a 5-1 record as a sophomore during the 2013 season. Zak has made 12 starts and 14 appearances this season for the Rams and is fifth in the conference with his 78 strikeouts. Zak is 2-0 against WT this season with a 0.77 ERA and 11 strikeouts in two starts and 11 2/3 innings of work.

Graylon Brown (3-2) established a new program record with 10 saves in the regular season and is currently second all-time with 15 career saves. A junior right-hander from Brownwood, Brown has recorded 39 strikeouts through 38 innings this season and owns a 2.13 ERA after allowing only nine earned runs throughout the season. Brown, who has two saves and two losses against WT this season, earned a win in last year's LSC Championship when he worked the eighth inning of the win over Texas A&M-Kingsville. Brown's 15 saves are only one behind Joe Key who had 16 saves from 2006-09. For the season, Brown passed Mike Weatherly who had held the record of nine saves since 2012. Brown, who was named to the LSC All-Tournament team as a freshman in 2013, leads the team and the conference with 25 appearances this season and is second in the conference in saves behind only WT's Paul Lujan who had 11 saves this season for the Buffs.

Dillon Becker (6-2) has made 24 appearances from the bullpen and earned his sixth win of the season last weekend after going three innings in the series opener against ENMU where he struck out six and did not allow a hit or a run. He is second on the team and fifth in the conference with five saves this season. A junior right-hander from Bastrop, Becker has record 49 strikeouts through 31 2/3 innings of work this season and has limited the opposition to a .167 batting average. He owns a 9-5 career record and has 84 strikeouts through 69 2/3 innings of work as a Ram. Becker transferred to ASU last season after playing his freshman season at Blinn College. He has made 40 appearances at ASU with 34 of those coming from the bullpen after he made six starts last year. He has appeared in four games against WT this season and has limited the Buffs to a .100 batting average. He has struck out seven and allowed only one earned run in 2 2/3 innings against WT. Becker has allowed only 19 hits in his 31 2/3 innings this season. Matt Shannon (3-1) has played a pivotal role as a starter and reliever for the Rams in his redshirt freshman season and enters the postseason with 27 strikeouts. Shannon and Becker have both thrown 31 2/3 innings this season. Shannon, a right-hander from Pleasanton, has made 14 appearances with four starts. He has won three games with two of those victories coming in starts against regionally-ranked St. Mary's. Kellen Rholl (0-1) has made 12 appearances (three starts) for the Rams and has a 5.03 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his freshman season, while Trae Davis has made 14 appearances and has 11 strikeouts through 15 1/3 innings of his senior season.  

LINEUP REPORT: Nehwon Norkeh has led off every game of the season for the Rams and led the conference with nine home runs. A sophomore center fielder from Minnesota, Norkeh earned one LSC Hitter of the Week honor this season and finished the regular season with a .311 batting average which included 14 doubles, one triple and his nine home runs. He had 15 multi-hit performances this season and eight games where he drove in multiple runs. Norkeh had a career-high four hits in a win over Texas A&M International and a career-best four RBI at Kingsville when he blasted his first career grand slam. Norkeh has 13 career home runs and 95 career hits entering the postseason. Two of his home runs have come against WT pitching this season. His nine home runs this season are the most for the program since Chris Adamson hit 10 in the 2010 season. The nine home runs are still a long way from the program record though with Keith Towne hitting 26 in the 2009 season.

Paxton DeLaGarza led the conference with hit .382 batting average and 68 hits this season and also led the Rams with 37 RBI. A junior shortstop, DeLaGarza also shined in the field as he committed only 10 errors. A starter in all 49 games this season, DeLaGarza had 13 doubles, a triple and seven home runs this season and also walked 19 times. He was named the LSC Hitter of the Week after driving in five runs and hitting .500 with four hits and four walks two weeks ago in the sweep of the Javelinas. He has nine multi-RBI performances this season and is tied with J.C. Snyder for the team lead with 20 multi-hit games. DeLaGarza is 12-for-28 (.429) against West Texas A&M this season with two doubles and a home run. He has also pitched in four games and has seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of work.

Snyder leads the conference this season with his 21 doubles which are the sixth most in ASU program history. A senior from Utah, Snyder has four games where he hit two doubles and enters the postseason with a .358 batting average and a .595 slugging percentage which leads the conference. His 62 hits are the second most in the conference and he is coming off a series against ENMU where he had five RBI and four hits in the three-game series. He also has six home runs and a triple on his resume this season. His 21 doubles are the most since Austin Lasprilla hit 22 doubles in the 2009 season. The all-time record at ASU is 28 doubles in a season which was established by Steven Allred during his All-American season in 2007. Snyder has started all 49 games this year after transferring from BYU and has played the last 19 games at third base after playing the majority of the early part of the season in the outfield. He has committed only seven errors all season.

Derek Tyner enters the postseason with a .310 average this season and having 18 multi-hit performances. A senior from Boerne, Tyner has hit five home runs this season and has nine doubles as the team's designated hitter. Tyner hit two home runs in a win over Tarleton State and has 29 RBI this season. He started his collegiate career at Odessa College before transferring to ASU last season. In two seasons at ASU, Tyner has 103 hits and 50 RBI for the Rams. He was named to the LSC All-Tournament Team last season. Cameron Massengill is also in his second season with the Rams after transferring from Cisco College. A returning all-conference and all-region selection, Massengill has proved to be one of the top catchers in program history and enters the postseason with a career .297 batting average and 96 total hits. He has played in 100 games for the Rams and has 43 RBI. Massengill has thrown out 24 runners attempting to steal this season which is one back of Andrew LaCombe who threw out 25 in the 2012 season for the program's single-season record. Massengill has thrown out 35 runners in his career which is five shy of LaCombe's career record of 40. Massengill has recorded 13 multi-hit performances this season and has had three hits in five games during his career with the Rams.

Brett David is the lone four-year senior on the ASU team and has played in three LSC Championships coming into this week's tournament. David was a freshman when the Rams earned the 2012 championship at Foster Field. One of the top fielding first basemen in the nation, David enters the postseason with eight career home runs and 114 career hits. He had a career-best four hits earlier this season in a win over Tarleton and hit a grand slam in a win over Texas A&M International. He has a career-high four home runs this season after hitting two as a junior and one during his sophomore and freshman seasons. An El Paso native, David had 154 games of experience for the Rams. David Goggin was an all-tournament selection at last year's LSC Championship and has returned from injury to start 27 games for the Rams this season. A junior who was an Academic All-American last year, Goggin has 17 hits this season which includes the first two home runs of his career. He was the 2013 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year and enters the postseason with 65 RBI and 112 hits in his career. He has played in 129 games and two conference tournaments in his career.

Cody Semler and Sam Kohler are each hitting .259 for the Rams this season and have been two of the best defensive players in the conference throughout the year. Semler leads the conference with his 12 stolen bases and has also added 30 hits and 24 runs scored in his senior season. Kohler is a junior second baseman and has 28 hits and 21 runs scored this season. He has hit second in the lineup throughout the last half of the regular season and has six multi-hit performances, including three-hit games against Regis and ENMU. Semler has three three-hit performances coming against TSU, WT and ENMU. His most recent three-hit game came last Friday in the series opener against ENMU when he went 3-for-4 with three singles and two runs scored. Semler played two seasons at Weatherford College before playing at West Virginia as junior, while Kohler played his first two seasons at Angelina College.   
 Most team wins
1. 51 (51-20) - 2007
2. 45 (45-20) - 2009
3. 41 (41-16) - 2006
4. 40 (40-17) - 2012
5. 39 (39-19) - 2008
6. 37 (37-21) - 2013
7. 34 (34-26) - 2010
    34 (34-15) - 2015
Most pitching staff strikeouts
1. 444 - 2015
2. 440 - 2009
3. 427 - 2007
4. 365 - 2006
5. 364 - 2012
Lowest pitching staff ERA
1. 3.05 (398.0 IP) - 2015
2. 3.82 (442.2 IP) - 2006
3. 3.87 (457.2 IP) - 2012
4. 3.87 (439.0 IP) - 2014
5. 4.39 (478.0 IP) - 2013
Lowest opponent batting avg.
1. .245 (442.2 IP) - 2006
2. .246 (398.0 IP) - 2015
3. .270 (439.0 IP) - 2014
4. .270 (457.2 IP) - 2012
Highest team fielding pct.
1. .969 (1194-426-51) - 2015
2. .963 (1400-587-76) - 2008
3. .963 (1373-575-75) - 2012
4. .959 (1391-602-85) - 2010
5. .959 (1588-611-94) - 2009
Most wins in a season
1. 12 - Cody Broussard (12-2) - 2007
2. 10 - Kenny Elkind (10-4) - 2009
    10 - Jake Feckley (10-5) - 2013
    10 - Michael Gunter (10-5) - 2007
5. 9 - Sean Winscher (9-3) - 2008
    9 - J. W. Nastoupil (9-1) - 2006
    9 - Elliott Love (9-5) - 2006
    9 - Michael Lange (9-1) – 2012
    9 - Blake Bass (9-2) - 2015
9. 8 - Mike Weatherly (8-3) - 2013
    8 - Ryan Mulle (8-3) - 2005
    8 - Tommy Rafferty (8-1) - 2006
    8 - Steve Naemark (8-1) – 2015
Lowest earned run avg. (min. 37 IP)
1. 1.09 - Steve Naemark (91.0 IP) - 2015
2. 1.73 - Tommy Rafferty (52.0 IP) - 2006
3. 2.24 - Bryce Zak (64.1 IP) – 2015
4. 2.40 - Blake Bass (82.2 IP) - 2015
5. 2.52 - Mike Weatherly (82.0 IP) - 2013
Most strikeouts in a season
1. 108 - Steve Naemark - 2015
2. 91 - Blake Bass - 2015
3. 89 - Michael Gunter - 2007
4. 88 - Kenny Elkind - 2009
5. 86 - Joseph Key - 2009
6. 81 - J. W. Nastoupil - 2006
7. 79 - Cody Broussard - 2007
8. 78 - Bryce Zak – 2015
Lowest opponent batting avg. (min. 37 IP)
1. .147 - Tommy Rafferty (52.0 IP) - 2006
2. .194 - Steve Naemark (91.0 IP) - 2015
3. .220 - J. W. Nastoupil (82.0 IP) - 2006
4. .226 - Graylon Brown (55.1 IP) - 2014
5. .226 - Austin Church (41.1 IP) - 2012
6. .232 - Bryce Zak (64.1 IP) - 2015
7. .244 - Graylon Brown (38.0 IP) – 2015
Most saves in a season
1. 10 - Graylon Brown - 2015
2. 9 - Mike Weatherly - 2012
3. 8 - Joseph Key - 2008
4. 7 - James Conlee – 2011
Most career saves
1. 16 - Joseph Key - 2006-09
2. 15 - Graylon Brown - 2013-15
Most strikeouts/9 inn game (min. 37 IP)
1. 10.91 - Bryce Zak (64.1 IP) - 2015
2. 10.89 - Mike Weatherly (38.0 IP) - 2012
3. 10.68 - Steve Naemark (91.0 IP) - 2015
4. 9.91 - Blake Bass (82.2 IP) - 2015
5. 9.58 - Austin Church (41.1 IP) - 2012
6. 9.24 - Graylon Brown (38.0 IP) – 2015
Most caught stealing by
1. 25 - Andrew LaCombe - 2012
2. 24 - Cameron Massengill - 2015
3. 16 - Trey Carter – 2009
Most career caught stealing by
1. 40 - Andrew LaCombe - 2012-13
2. 35 - Cameron Massengill - 2014-15
Highest fielding pct. (min. 100 chances)
1. .995 - Cameron Massengill (734-58-4) - 2014-15
2. .994 - Ryan Greer (170-9-1) - 2012-13
3. .990 - Quaid McKinnon (973-62-10) - 2012-13
4. .990 - Clay Calfee (1039-46-11) - 2006-08
5. .989 - Derek Tyner (256-12-3) - 2014-15
Most doubles in a season
1. 28 - Steven Allred - 2007
2. 24 - Clay Calfee - 2008
3. 23 - Shan Sullivan - 2008
4. 22 - Austin Lasprilla - 2009
    22 - Nate Hemm - 2005
6. 21 - J.C. Snyder - 2015
7. 20 - Zak Leonhardt – 2010
Most home runs in a season
1. 26 - Keith Towne - 2009
2. 13 - Clay Calfee - 2008
    13 - Matt Lenderman - 2007
4. 11 - Trey Carter - 2009
5. 10 - Drew Caraway - 2007
    10 - Chris Adamson - 2010
7.  9 - Chris Adamson - 2009
     9 - Ronnie Gaines - 2006
     9 - Nehwon Norkeh - 2015
     9 - Clay Calfee - 2007
Most appearances
1. 29 - Jeffrey Asby - 2009
2. 28 - James Conlee - 2011
    28 - Joseph Key - 2007
4. 27 - Austin Church - 2012
5. 26 - Mike Weatherly - 2012
6. 25 - Graylon Brown - 2014
    25 - Michael Gunter - 2007
    25 - C. Blair - 2009
    25 - Graylon Brown - 2015
10.24 - Joseph Key - 2008
     24 - Dillon Becker - 2015
     24 - Cody Broussard - 2007
     24 - Jake Albert - 2012