SAN ANGELO, Texas - The Angelo State baseball team will partake in a battle for first place in the Lone Star Conference this weekend with No.18/22 West Texas A&M beginning on Friday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m.
The Rams will follow Friday night's game with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 19 that begins at 4 p.m./6:30 p.m. and a final game four on Sunday, March 20 at 1 p.m. The Rams will enter this weekend's series with a 13-8 overall record and 6-2 record in the Lone Star Conference. ASU split its last series with Texas A&M –Kingsville and will seek to rebound after its game four loss in that series. The Rams offense is currently ranked second in the LSC as they are hitting .317 as a team.
The Buffs (17-5, 6-2 LSC) are coming off of a two game winning streak that concluded with a shutout of Cameron in its last game of the series. WT's pitching staff has pitched them into the top slot in the conference, with a combined 3.77 ERA. The Rams trailed the Buffs, 3-4, during last year's regular season play, but then edged WT in the initial round of the LSC tournament, 6-5. Both teams are currently tied for first in the LSC and will be fighting for sole possession of the number one ranking in the conference.
Paxton DeLaGarza has proven to be an extremely versatile player for the Rams this season. The senior not only leads the team in several offensive and fielding categories, but has also worked his way up the teams pitching ranks. At the plate, he is has amassed a team high and conference third 19 RBIs, has cranked a team leading three home runs this year. DeLaGarza also leads the squad with two triples and seven doubles. Earning the LSC player of the week for his efforts on the hill last week with a complete game shutout, he now has a team second and conference third 2-0 record. Amongst the staff he also has the lowest opposing batting average (.077) and 0.00 ERA. Playing shortstop DeLaGarza has tallied a team second 45 assists and fielded nine double plays.
Fellow LSC player of the week, Steven Pinales, had an excellent week for the Rams against the TAMUK Javelinas as he continued his eight game hitting streak recording eight hits in the four game series. The junior out of the Bronx, New York is tied for first on the Rams and third in the LSC with three total home runs on the season after knocking two of those this past weekend. He leads the squad with a .673 slugging percentage and team first two triples. The outfielder has also recorded a team second 13 RBIs on the season. On the base path he has pocketed seven stolen bases and leads not only ASU but also the conference in this category.
Sam Kohler, Tyler Coolbaugh and David Goggin round out the top performers at the plate for ASU. Kohler has been a consistent member of the Rams offensive attack as he leads the team and is third in the conference with 29 hits on the season. He is sporting a .382 batting average, a .461 slugging percentage and a .484 on base percentage. The senior also leads ASU and the LSC having been plated 24 times thus far. On the field he has turned a conference first 14 double plays and conference second 71 assists. Adding two in ASU's last series, Coolbaugh's 19 total RBIs has moved him into a tie for first on team. He is currently carrying a .361 batting average, a .508 slugging percentage and .451 on base percentage. He has tallied 22 hits this season and is tied for second with a pair of homers. Goggin is third on the team with 24 hits on the year. He has improved to a .338 hitting percentage, is boasting a .507 slugging percentage and has recorded 11 RBIs thus far.
With 59 strikeouts, Bryce Zak is not only leading the staff, but also the LSC. Entering this weekend's series with a 3.03 ERA, he has recorded a 4-0 record for the Rams. This places him in a four way tie in the conference and first on the team. The San Angelo native has limited opposing hitters to a conference fourth .205 batting average.
Graylon Brown and Matt Shannon complete the pitching standouts for the Rams. Brown continues to lead Angelo State and the conference with three saves this season and is only one save away from tying the conference career save record of 21. He has recorded 21 strikeouts this season and is currently sporting a 3.67 ERA with a record of 2-3. Finally, Shannon has pitched a team and LSC second 52 strikeouts this season and has a team low 2.97 ERA.
Live video and stats will be provided for all four games of this series. Audio will be provide for games 1, 3 and 4, with Jeremy Bryant on the call.
