Baseball | 3/1/2017 3:18:00 PM
SAN ANGELO - The No. 4 Angelo State baseball team will return to play after a weekend off, facing Eastern New Mexico in a four-game non-conference series that starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday night at Foster Field at First Community Credit Union Stadium.
Following the Friday night opener, the Rams (9-1) will take on the Greyhounds (14-1) in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Saturday and play the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
ASU played just one game last week, winning 18-6 in a midweek road matchup against St. Mary's. The offensive production was the most the Rams have had in a game this season and already the fourth time they scored double digit runs on an opponent.
The Rams have been a patient team at the plate so far this season, drawing the second most walks in the conference at 60. ASU also leads the conference in sacrifice flies and ranks No. 12 nationally and first in the LSC in total stolen bases.
Catcher Matt Waller has led the way on the basepaths for Angelo State so far this season, swiping a conference-leading six bags in seven attempts. The senior is hitting .389 on the season while starting all 10 games behind the plate and ranks third in the conference in doubles with five.
Leading ASU in batting average this season is infielder Jonathan Soberanes. The junior college transfer ranks No. 10 in the LSC with a .448 average, and he has also walked seven times on the year for an on-base percentage of .568. Outfielder Elias Aguirre has followed right behind Soberanes with a .432 average through the first ten games of the year. Aguirre is tied for the team lead in hits with 16, and has also scored the second most runs on the squad with 10. Both Aguirre and Waller have reached base safely in all 10 games this season
The last Ram with a batting average at .400 or above is Jacob Boston. The Arizona native is tied for the team lead in hits, and has scored the most runs with 12. Boston also leads the LSC in home runs this season with four through ten games, and is hitting .455 when leading off an inning. His slugging percentage of .825 is sixth in the conference as well.
Two other Angelo State players, Steven Pinales and Michael Urquidi, are hitting above .300 for the year. Pinales is currently batting .333 with a pair of doubles, a conference-leading two triples and one home run. Urquidi has racked up nine hits in just seven starts on the year for a .321 average with two doubles and home run of his own.
Nick Novak has come on of late for the Rams, starting at shortstop in the last three games and getting five hits in his first 10 at-bats. Â Jay Gonzales is hitting just below the .300 mark for the year with a .296 average, and is second in the conference in hit-by-pitches.
Both Tyler Coolbaugh and Mitch Henshaw have gotten more than 20 at-bats with the team so far this season as well and are hitting .286 and .273, respectively. Three of Coolbaugh's six hits have been for extra bases so far this year with two triples and a double, giving him a slugging percentage of .564. Henshaw is tied for the team lead in walks with eight, has an on-base percentage of .467 and has one home run for the year.
On the mound, ASU has an overall earned run average of just 3.66, which ranks No. 43 in the nation. Matt Shannon, Kenton Schroter and Shane Browning have been the three pitchers used in the starting role so far. Shannon has made the most starts with four, striking out 13 in 17.2 innings of work. Browning is the ASU strikeout leader on the season, picking up 19 in his three starts and holding a 3.55 ERA. Schroter has followed close behind Browning with 17 strikeouts of his own this year and racking up a team-most three wins on the season.
The Ram bullpen has been one of its biggest strengths of the season so far, with an overall ERA of 2.47 and an opponent batting average of just .217. Senior Joe Hauser leads the way out of the pen 13.0 innings pitched and no runs given up. Hauser has earned one win this season, racked up four saves which ranks No. 5 in the nation, and built a strikeout to walk ratio of 9.00 which is No. 16 nationally.
Dustin Angiel has the next most appearances in relief with four on the season, averaging just over an inning per appearance. The Rockwall native has given up just four hits and struck out four this season. Blake Barr is the only other Ram still holding an ERA of 0.00, but has just one inning of relief on the year.
Jake Mathys and Ryan Smith have had the longer appearances out of the bullpen so far this year. Mathys has appeared three times on the season and has two wins so far this season. The right-hander has struck out eight batters in 10.1 innings of work. Smith has two wins and no losses as well with an ERA of 2.38 and four strikeouts.
Eastern New Mexico comes to San Angelo with a 14-1 overall record and the most runs scored in the Lone Star Conference with 181. The Greyhounds' one loss was to Morehouse College on February 12.
- The No. 4 Angelo State baseball team will return to play after a weekend off, facing Eastern New Mexico in a four-game non-conference series that starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday night at Foster Field at First Community Credit Union Stadium.
Following the Friday night opener, the Rams (9-1) will take on the Greyhounds (14-1) in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Saturday and play the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
ASU played just one game last week, winning 18-6 in a midweek road matchup against St. Mary's. The offensive production was the most the Rams have had in a game this season and already the fourth time they scored double digit runs on an opponent.
The Rams have been a patient team at the plate so far this season, drawing the second most walks in the conference at 60. ASU also leads the conference in sacrifice flies and ranks No. 12 nationally and first in the LSC in total stolen bases.
Catcher Matt Waller has led the way on the basepaths for Angelo State so far this season, swiping a conference-leading six bags in seven attempts. The senior is hitting .389 on the season while starting all 10 games behind the plate and ranks third in the conference in doubles with five.
Leading ASU in batting average this season is infielder Jonathan Soberanes. The junior college transfer ranks No. 10 in the LSC with a .448 average, and he has also walked seven times on the year for an on-base percentage of .568. Outfielder Elias Aguirre has followed right behind Soberanes with a .432 average through the first ten games of the year. Aguirre is tied for the team lead in hits with 16, and has also scored the second most runs on the squad with 10. Both Aguirre and Waller have reached base safely in all 10 games this season
The last Ram with a batting average at .400 or above is Jacob Boston. The Arizona native is tied for the team lead in hits, and has scored the most runs with 12. Boston also leads the LSC in home runs this season with four through ten games, and is hitting .455 when leading off an inning. His slugging percentage of .825 is sixth in the conference as well.
Two other Angelo State players, Steven Pinales and Michael Urquidi, are hitting above .300 for the year. Pinales is currently batting .333 with a pair of doubles, a conference-leading two triples and one home run. Urquidi has racked up nine hits in just seven starts on the year for a .321 average with two doubles and home run of his own.
Nick Novak has come on of late for the Rams, starting at shortstop in the last three games and getting five hits in his first 10 at-bats. Â Jay Gonzales is hitting just below the .300 mark for the year with a .296 average, and is second in the conference in hit-by-pitches.
Both Tyler Coolbaugh and Mitch Henshaw have gotten more than 20 at-bats with the team so far this season as well and are hitting .286 and .273, respectively. Three of Coolbaugh's six hits have been for extra bases so far this year with two triples and a double, giving him a slugging percentage of .564. Henshaw is tied for the team lead in walks with eight, has an on-base percentage of .467 and has one home run for the year.
On the mound, ASU has an overall earned run average of just 3.66, which ranks No. 43 in the nation. Matt Shannon, Kenton Schroter and Shane Browning have been the three pitchers used in the starting role so far. Shannon has made the most starts with four, striking out 13 in 17.2 innings of work. Browning is the ASU strikeout leader on the season, picking up 19 in his three starts and holding a 3.55 ERA. Schroter has followed close behind Browning with 17 strikeouts of his own this year and racking up a team-most three wins on the season.
The Ram bullpen has been one of its biggest strengths of the season so far, with an overall ERA of 2.47 and an opponent batting average of just .217. Senior Joe Hauser leads the way out of the pen 13.0 innings pitched and no runs given up. Hauser has earned one win this season, racked up four saves which ranks No. 5 in the nation, and built a strikeout to walk ratio of 9.00 which is No. 16 nationally.
Dustin Angiel has the next most appearances in relief with four on the season, averaging just over an inning per appearance. The Rockwall native has given up just four hits and struck out four this season. Blake Barr is the only other Ram still holding an ERA of 0.00, but has just one inning of relief on the year.
Jake Mathys and Ryan Smith have had the longer appearances out of the bullpen so far this year. Mathys has appeared three times on the season and has two wins so far this season. The right-hander has struck out eight batters in 10.1 innings of work. Smith has two wins and no losses as well with an ERA of 2.38 and four strikeouts.
Eastern New Mexico comes to San Angelo with a 14-1 overall record and the most runs scored in the Lone Star Conference with 181. The Greyhounds' one loss was to Morehouse College on February 12.
