SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Angelo State baseball team will prepare for its final challenge of the 2021 season as the Rams travel to Cary, N.C., for the 2021 NCAA Division II College World Series at the USA Baseball Training Complex.
 
The Rams begin the eight-team double-elimination tournament as the No. 3 seed, playing No. 6 Wingate in their opening game of the tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. CST.
 
GAME COVERAGE: All games will be live-streamed on ncaa.com and live stats will also be provided. Fans can also listen live at 100.1 COOL-FM and online at http://www.kcll-fm.com/kcll-streaming with Jeremy Bryant on the call.
 
View the interaction bracket here: https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/baseball/d2/2021
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Rams swept their second straight tournament last weekend, claiming the South-Central Region title after an 18-4 defeat of West Texas A&M in the championship game. ASU also began the tournament against the Buffs, winning 10-2 while also picking up a 5-2 victory over top-ranked Colorado Mesa.
 
(#3-Seed) #9 ANGELO STATE (42-7 LSC) vs. (#6-seed) #16 WINGATE (34-12)
ALL-TIME SERIES: 0-0, LAST MEETING: NA
This will be the first meeting between the Rams and the Bulldogs in program history.
 
SCOUTING WINGATE:
The Bulldogs enter the championship tournament with a 34-12 overall record, punching their first-ever ticket to the College World Series after winning the Southeast Region title, another program first. Wingate swept through their regional tournament, winning four straight including back-to-back wins over No. 11 Mount Olive. Before that, the Bulldogs claimed their third SAC tournament title and have closed out the season winning 11 of their last 12 contests, going 8-1 in the playoffs.
 
Wingate ranks seventh in the SAC in team batting average, hitting .292, and has scored the third-most runs with 359 while hitting 52 home runs on the season. McCann Mellett leads the squad with a .350 batting average while hitting 11 home runs and 15 doubles with 47 RBIs. Six other Bulldogs are hitting above .300 this season.
 
The Bulldogs hold the third-lowest team ERA in their conference at 4.36 while leading in strikeouts with 391 so far this season. Three pitchers hold an ERA lower than 2.90 with Brody McCullough earning a 2.11 ERA through 55.1 innings of work while leading the team in punch outs with 66. Hunter Dula and David Nash each have seven wins to lead the team.
 
TOP 5 IN THE COUNTRY:
The Rams rank in the top five in all of Division II in multiple categories heading into the championship tournament, including holding the top on-base percentage in the country at .482. ASU also ranks second in scoring with 10.9 runs per game, while ranking third in team ERA and fielding percentage. The Rams also rank fourth in DII in batting average at .349.
 
STRENGTH IN THE PLAYOFFS:
The Rams look to be hot at the right time, winning 18 of their last 19 games while going 8-1 in the postseason. In the playoffs, the Rams have tallied 10-plus runs in seven of their nine games while outscoring opponents 108 to 31.