SAN ANGELO - The No. 6 Angelo State baseball team will play its Lone Star Conference opener this weekend against Cameron in a four-game series at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium.
The Rams (18-4) will begin the series with the Aggies (18-7) at 6:30 p.m. Friday night followed by a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The series finale will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
ASU is coming off of a series split with No. 15 West Texas A&M that saw the Rams win the first two contests 7-1 and 9-1, respectively. The 18-4 start is the best in program history for the Rams after starting 17-5 in both 2014 and 2015.
Starting pitcher Matt Shannon led the way in Friday night's series opener, earning LSC Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time this season for his performance and he was also named the NCBWA South Central Region Pitcher of the Week for a second time this season as well.
Shannon threw his second two-hitter of the season Friday night against the Buffs as a part of a 7-1 win. The ace of the Ram staff went seven innings without giving up an earned run, allowing just two hits in that time. Shannon struck out six and held WT to a batting average of just .083, earning his third win of the season in the process. For the season, the Pleasanton native leads the team in innings pitched with 34 and is second in strikeouts with 32.
The team leader in strikeouts is fellow starting pitcher Shane Browning with 33. Browning had one of his best outings of the season against WT on Saturday, tying his career high in innings with five and strikeouts with seven while allowing just two hits. Browning has an ERA of 2.45 for the year, which is the lowest of any ASU starter, but has yet to factor into a decision in his six starts.
Leading the Rams in wins is Ryan Smith at 5-0. Smith has an ERA of just 2.92 in 24.2 innings pitched. ASU also got a start from Blake Barr against West Texas A&M, his first of the season. Barr has given up just two earned runs all season in six and a third innings. Kenton Schroter has also started five games this year for the Rams and made a pair of relief appearances as well. His 24.1 innings pitched is fourth on the team.
Out of the bullpen, Joe Hauser, Jake Mathys and Dustin Angiel have led the way for ASU. Hauser has 12 appearances on the year with an ERA just under two in that time. He has seven saves on the year, which ranks second in the nation and first in the LSC. Angiel has made 10 appearances on the year as well, and has struck out 15 batters in that time.
Mathys has been of the force out of the bullpen as well in his 22.1 innings pitched. The senior's strikeout to walk ratio leads the LSC, and he has given up just 11 runs in that time while striking out 16.
Offensively, the Rams have been one of the top teams in the nation at getting on base at No. 6 overall. Eight different ASU players are batting better than .300 for the year and nine have more than eight walks.
Elias Aguirre is the batting leader on the team with a .406 average. The junior is tied for the team lead in runs scored with 21 and is second in the LSC in stolen bases with nine. His four sacrifice bunts are also best in the conference.
Jonathan Soberanes and Matt Waller follow right behind Aguirre at the plate, each recording 29 hits for an average of .392. As the Rams' leadoff batter, Soberanes is tied with Aguirre for the team lead in runs with 21. He also has swiped seven bags on the year. Waller spent time in the cleanup spot against WT, and leads the team with 25 RBI and 45 total bases.
Nick Novak and Jacob Boston are also both hitting over .350 for the season. Boston is second on the team in total bases with 43 and has hit a team-leading four home runs. Novak has the highest on-base percentage on the team at .491 and has a pair of doubles and a triple in his first season of collegiate baseball.
Mitch Henshaw, Tyler Coolbaugh and Michael Urquidi are all hitting above .300 for the season. Henshaw got his second home run of the season against West Texas A&M and added in a triple as well to improve his batting average to .328 on the year. Coolbaugh is second on the team in doubles with seven and is hitting .309, while Urquidi follows close behind with a .304 average and 12 RBI.
Steven Pinales and Jay Gonzales have also been regulars in the ASU lineup. The pair are first and second on the team in walks with 14 and 12, respectively, and the four triples for Pinales leads the LSC.
The Aggies are coming into San Angelo after a series victory at Texas A&M Kingsville and with the LSC Hitter of the Week. Outfielder Cody Bower hit .538 with four runs scored and seven RBI against the Javelinas. His best performance came in game three as he went 3-4 with two runs scored and four RBI in CU's 8-4 win over the Javelinas. He is now batting .429 with 32 RBI and 25 runs scored on the season, and is ranked in the top-10 of the conference in almost every hitting category.
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