SAN ANGELO, Texas – The top-ranked Angelo State baseball team will close out the regular season on the road this week as the Rams travel to Canyon for a four-game series against West Texas A&M beginning Friday at Wilder Park.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Rams wrapped up the home slate of the regular season last week, sweeping four games against No. 8 St. Edward's on their way to their seventh straight win. ASU pulled off the comeback in game one of the series, winning 7-6 after 11 innings while giving up only one run in the final two games combined.
 
#1 ANGELO STATE RAMS (40-6, 38-6 LSC) vs. WEST TEXAS A&M BUFFALOS (28-18, 26-18 LSC)
Game 1: Fri, Apr. 28, 6 p.m. | Game 2/3: Sat., Apr. 29, 3 p.m. | Sun. Apr. 30, 1 p.m.
Foster Field at 1^st Community Credit Union Stadium – San Angelo, Texas
Live Video: lonestarconferencenetwork.com/asu
Live Stats: angelostats.com
 
SERIES HISTORY:
All-Time Series: ASU leads 62-40
Last Meeting: May 14, 2022 – ASU, 10-4
The Rams currently hold the advantage in the all-time series against the Buffs dating back to the 2005 season. ASU claimed the LSC Tournament title in the last meeting against WT, winning 10-4 at home.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS:
The Buffs enter the weekend with a 28-18 overall record, going 3-7 in their last 10 games. WT is currently fifth in the conference standings, going 28-18 against LSC opponents. The Buffs hold the third-best ERA in the LSC at 6.41 and rank fifth in batting average at .318.
 
Adam Becker, the LSC Preseason Player of the Year, has continued to shine at the plate, leading the conference in batting average (.434), runs batted in (70) and hits (82) while sitting in second in slugging percentage (.778). Nick Marshall leads the pitching staff for WT, holding an 8-1 record with a 3.57 ERA which is the fourth lowest in the conference.
 
BRAGGIN' ON BRAGG:
Kade Bragg has dominated in his first year on the mound for the Rams, leading the country in wins with an 11-0 record while leading all levels of collegiate baseball with an ERA of 0.27. In 67 2/3 innings, Bragg has allowed only 33 hits, two earned runs and has collected 88 strikeouts. He holds the program record for most shutouts in a single season with four and has the fifth-best WHIP in Division II at .87.
 
RAM NAMED LSC PITCHER OF THE WEEK (AGAIN):
After tossing a complete seven-inning game in ASU's win over St. Edward's, Jackson Berry was named the LSC Pitcher of the Week. He gave up only one run on one hit while striking out seven batters and holding the Hilltoppers to a batting average of .192. It is the fifth time this season an ASU pitcher has earned the honor.
 
POLL RANKINGS:
For the fourth week in a row, the Rams rank at the top spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll while coming in at No. 2 in the NCBWA Top 25.
 
LEADING THE REGION:
The Rams came in at No. 1 in the latest NCBWA South-Central Regional Poll, earning all eight first-place votes.
 
QUICK HITS:
-The Rams rank third in the country in batting average (.347) and lead the LSC.
-With a team ERA of 3.48, ASU leads the conference and ranks sixth in Division II.
-The Rams have been hit by a pitch 116 times this season which is the second most in DII.
-ASU is allowing an average of 7.44 hits per nine innings which is the second-lowest average in the country.
-The Rams rank fourth in Division II in on-base percentage (.466) and runs scored (452).
-With nine shutouts this season, the Rams lead Division II.
-ASU ranks fourth in Division II in stolen bases with 151 this season.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
LSC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
- Feb. 14 – Braxton Pearson, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Feb. 21 – Jordan Williams, Angelo State (Hitter)
- Mar. 14 – Aaron Munson, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Mar. 14 – Jacob Guerrero, Angelo State (Hitter)
- Mar. 21 – Kade Bragg, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Mar. 28 – Kade Bragg, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Apr. 25 – Jackson Berry, Angelo State (Pitcher)
 
RAMS SET PROGRAM RECORD FOR SHUTOUTS IN A SEASON:
After closing out the series against St. Edward's with an 8-0 win, the Rams have tallied nine shutouts this season which set the program record. The previous record of eight was set during the 2012 season.
 
RAMS SET PROGRAM SCORING RECORD:
In a non-conference game against Southwestern, the Rams defeated the Pirates 33-4, setting a new program record for runs scored in a game. The previous record of 29 runs was set in 2021 against McMurry.
 
NEW HIT KING AT ASU:
Jordan Williams became the all-time hit leader for the Rams this season, surpassing 250 hits in his career.
 
WIN No. 700:
Against UAFS earlier this season, Head Coach Kevin Brooks tallied his 700^th win at Angelo State.
 
CONFERENCE FAVORITES:
The Rams were selected as the favorites to take the 2023 LSC crown, earning the top spot in the preseason poll with 407 points, including 23 first-place votes. Coming in second was West Texas A&M followed by Texas A&M- Kingsville and Lubbock Christian.
 
NCBWA PRESEASON ALL-REGION:
The Rams had two players selected to the NCBWA Preseason All-Region Team, infielder Austin Beck and starting pitcher Aaron Munson. Beck was selected as the LSC Freshman of the Year last season after hitting .420 with 59 RBIs and 84 runs scored. He earned two All-American honors and led the Rams in stolen bases with 33. Munson led the Rams in wins a season ago, finishing with an overall record of 11-3 while collecting 81 strikeouts. He held opponents to a .277 hitting average while throwing 94 1/3 innings on the year.