SAN ANGELO, Texas – For the third year in a row, Foster Field at 1^st Community Credit Union Stadium will be the host site for the final round of the Lone Star Conference Baseball Tournament as the top-seeded and second-ranked Angelo State baseball team faces fourth-seeded Lubbock Christian on Thursday.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Rams moved on in the LSC tournament after taking both games against eighth-seeded Eastern New Mexico in the opening best-of-three series. Jacob Guerrero led the Rams at the plate, hitting .875 on the weekend with five RBIs and five runs scored combined.
 
DOUBLE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT:
Thursday, May 11
Game 1: UT Tyler vs. St. Edward's, 2 p.m.
Game 2: Lubbock Christian vs. Angelo State, 6 p.m.
 
Friday, May 12
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11 a.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 13
Championship Game: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 1 p.m.
If Necessary Game to follow 30 minutes after.
 
#2 [1] ANGELO STATE RAMS (44-8, 40-8 LSC) vs. [4] LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN CHAPS (33-19, 29-19 LSC)
Game 1: Thurs, May 11, 6 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 30-16
Last Meeting: Mar. 26, 2023 – ASU, 18-7
The Rams currently hold a six-game win streak over the Chaps, sweeping the regular-season series earlier this year. ASU closed out the series with an 18-7 win, taking all four games on the road.
 
SCOUTING THE CHAPS:
The Chaps entered the LSC tournament as the fourth seed, holding a 33-19 overall record. LCU advanced to the final site after sweeping both games against fifth-seed West Texas A&M, winning both games in walk-off fashion.
 
LCU holds the third-best batting average in the conference at .343, ranking first in home runs, second in RBIs, and second in slugging percentage. The Chaps have the two highest batting averages in the conference in Eduardo Acosta (.439) and Carson Ogilvie (.436). On the mound, the Chaps are in the middle of the pack with a 7.20 ERA which ranks seventh in the conference.
 
POLL RANKINGS:
The Rams remain at No. 2 in the NCBWA Division II Top 25 poll while coming in at No. 4 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll.
 
LEADING THE REGION:
In the first official South Central Regional rankings, the Rams came in at No. 1 in the region. In second was Colorado Mesa followed by St. Edward's to round out the top three.
 
QUICK HITS:
-The Rams are hitting .347 this season which is the fourth-highest batting average in Division II.
-ASU is the top fielding team in the country at .983.
-Kade Bragg leads Division II in ERA at 1.07.
-As a team, the Rams have the seventh-best ERA in the country at 3.61.
-The Rams allow the second-fewest hits per nine innings, holding an average of 7.54.
-With an on-base percentage of .462, the Rams rank third in Division II.
-The Rams have scored the fifth most runs this season with 495.
-ASU has stolen the fourth most bases in DII this season at 162.
-Jacob Guerrero holds the third-best batting average (.435) and on-base percentage (.525) in the conference.
 
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.