SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State baseball team will take on UT Permian Basin this weekend in a four-game series at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium.
The Rams (13-5) will open the series against the Falcons at 6:30 p.m. Friday night, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 4 p.m. and the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
ASU had one of the top pitching staffs in the Lone Star Conference through the first month of the season, ranking No. 8 nationally in hits allowed per nine innings, No. 9 in WHIP, No. 11 in shutouts and No. 22 in ERA. Their staff earned run average of 2.84 also ranks second in the LSC behind Eastern New Mexico, who the Rams swept in four games this past weekend.
Junior Tyler Lesley leads the pitching staff, coming off his second LSC Pitcher of the Week award. Lesley was dominant again in his game one starter role, pitching eight innings while allowing just one run in a win against Eastern New Mexico this past weekend. On the season, Lesley has pitched a team-high 35.2 innings with an ERA of just 1.77. He has struck out 25 batters and limited opponents to a batting average of just .185.
This marks the third week in a row that an ASU pitcher has earned the conference award, with Lesley winning for the first time on February 20 and Carson Childers taking home the honor on February 27. Childers has been used as a starter all season as well, posting a team-high 29 strikeouts in 28 innings with a 2.57 ERA overall.
The only other pitcher used consistently in the starting role so far this season has been Lubbock native Shane Browning. Browning has a 3.62 ERA this year in five starts and has struck out 24 batters in that time.
Other pitchers contributing the ASU staff this season have been Trent Baker, Cole Brandon, Shannon Broussard, Kellen Rholl, and Jordan Wekewa.
Baker made his first collegiate start against the Greyhounds last weekend, striking out seven batters over five innings and earning his first win in the process. The true freshman has an ERA of just .82 on the season through 11 innings and has already struck out 17 batters.
Kellen Rholl has been the Rams' main closer this season, ranking No. 3 in the nation with five saves already. Rholl has made a team-leading 10 appearances and struck out 18 batters with an opponents' average of just .133.
Brandon has pitched five times this year with a 1.72 ERA, Broussard has six strikeouts in seven innings on the mound and Wekewa made his second appearance of the season last weekend against the Greyhounds.
Offensively, ASU ranks third in the conference in most categories, including batting average, runs, RBI and total bases. The Rams are No. 3 in the nation, however, in stolen bases with 43. They are also No. 20 nationally in walks and No. 17 in hit-by-pitches.
Four Angelo State starters are currently batting over the .300 mark for the season, including Nicholas Novak, Michael Urquidi, Jonathan Soberanes and Jacob Boston.
Novak leads the way with a .338 batting average. The sophomore has also scored 16 times and driven in 13 runs on the year.
Urquidi is first on the team in runs scored with 17, holding a .328 batting average with three doubles and a triple. Soberanes is close behind with a .316 average, but has gotten on base exactly half of the times he has come to the plate this year. The Rams' everyday second basemen, Soberanes has reached base in all 18 games this season.
Boston is the Ram leader in slugging percentage at .456, with a .309 batting average, four doubles and a pair of home runs. His 19 RBI also lead the team.
Sitting just below the .300 mark are Bradley Mathiowetz and Andrew Morales, who are both hitting .288. Mathiowetz leads the team with five doubles and has an on-base percentage of .408. Morales is second on the squad in RBI with 14 and has gotten on base at a .377 clip.
Also contributing to the Ram offense this season has been Elias Aguirre, Alex Salcido and Mitch Henshaw. Aguirre has scored 12 runs this season while Salcido has driven in eight runs and Henshaw is hitting .233 with six RBI.
UT Permian Basin comes into the series with a 2-14 record and a five-game losing streak.
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