SAN ANGELO, Texas – The ninth-ranked Angelo State baseball team is set to host the opening round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, taking on seventh-seed Arkansas Fort Smith in a best two-of-three series at Foster Field at 1^st Community Credit Union Stadium beginning on Friday,
 
SERIES SCHEDULE: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LISTEN LIVE
Friday, May 14 | 6:30 p.m. | San Antonio, Texas
Saturday, May 15 | 1 p.m. | San Antonio, Texas
(If Necessary) Saturday, May 15 | 3 p.m. | San Angelo, Texas
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Rams closed out the regular season with a three-game sweep of St. Mary's in a non-conference series on the road. Trent Baker opened the series with his 11^th win of the season, earning LSC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this year. ASU closed out the series with a 12-5 win and a 15-5 win on Saturday.
 
(#2-Seed) #9 ANGELO STATE (34-6 LSC) vs. (#7-seed) Arkansas Fort Smith (13-17)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Angelo State leads 1-0, LAST MEETING: ASU, 11-6
The Rams have faced the Lions only one other time in program history, winning 11-6 in a neutral contest during the 2017 season.
 
SCOUTING ARKANSAS FORT SMITH:
The Lions come to San Angelo with a 13-17 overall record after finishing the conference season at 12-15. In their last series, UAFS dropped two out of three games against Oklahoma Christian after winning game one 12-9. The Lions have not played since Apr. 26, having their last two series canceled due to Covid-19 policy.
 
Arkansas Fort Smith ranks 10^th in the LSC in team batting average at .262 and has scored the fifth-fewest runs with 207 on the year. Brooks Sunny leads the squad with a .337 average, tallying six home runs and 23 RBIs. The Lions have three others batters with an average above .300, including Dylan Hurt who has collected a team-high 24 RBIs.
 
On the mound, UAFS has the fifth-lowest ERA at 5.40 as a team but has earned the fewest strikeouts in the league at 218. Nico Sharp holds the seventh-lowest ERA in the conference at 3.94, earning six wins in 12 appearances and totaling 28 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings.
 
LSC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
The Rams have tallied three tournament titles since the conference began the current format and have made eight finals appearances. ASU won the tournament championship in 2007, 2012, and 2015.