SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 9 Angelo State baseball team will look to bounce back on the road when it travels to Alpine to face Sul Ross State in the season's first four-game series of the 2026 season, scheduled to begin on Friday, Feb. 13 at Kokernot Field.

SERIES SCHEDULE
No. 9 Angelo State Rams at Sul Ross State
Kokernot Field
Alpine, Texas

Game 1: Friday, Feb. 13, 2 p.m.
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Game 2 (7 Innings): Saturday, Feb. 14, 12 p.m.
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Game 3 (7 Innings): Saturday, Feb. 14, 3 p.m.
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Game 4: Sunday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Rams opened the 2026 home schedule with a top-10 series against UT Tyler in a rematch of last season's South Central Super Regional. After opening the series with a victory, a couple of key breaks went the way of the visitors as the Patriots picked up games two and three by a total of three runs

PITCHING
Josh Reed put together a strong start on Friday night, overcoming two solo home runs early to fend off the Patriots and allow the Rams to storm back in the bottom of the fifth. An injury-riddled bullpen has opened the door for unproven talent to get opportunities in high-leverage moments, with many taking advantage.

Isaac Godard and Jude Stephens completed Reed's victory on Friday night. Ryan Cook entered early in Saturday's contest and tossed six scoreless innings, followed by Jalen Rogers and Garrett Villa, who kept the goose eggs on the board and forced the game into extra innings.

Finally, in Sunday's shootout, Jon Shields and Ridge Morgan kept the door open for ASU's nine-run eighth inning.

HITTING
Blake Wilhoite led the team with a .444 batting average and a .667 on base percentage from the lead off spot. Austin Beck collecting four RBIs followed closely by Tate Greene and Christian Garnette who have registered three each.

SCOUTING THE LOBOS
Under the direction of second-year head coach Caleb Abney, Sul Ross State is looking to improve across the board in only the program's second season as a Division II program. Last season, the Lobos went 4-46, recording the programs first DII win against St. Mary's.
Most recently, SRSU opened the 2026 campaign getting swept by the Rattlers before picking up their first win of the season in a wild 24-22 contest on the road against Lubbock Christian.

KEY PLAYERS
In a small sample size, the Lobos boast four players who have a OPS over 1.000; Leo Salas (1.289), Alfonso Lopez (1.113), Joseph Binder (1.334) and Max Wiggins (1.552). Salas leads the team with 13 hits while Binder and Wiggins tie as the team leaders in RBIs (12).

On the mound, the Lobos allow the most runs in the Lone Star Conference with a team ERA of 16.99, allowing 17.33 runs a game. Gage Cobb is the staff leader with a 5.00 ERA, making two scheduled starts with six strikeouts over nine total innings of work.

RAMBLINGS ABOUT THE RAMS
RAMS IN THE RANKINGS
No. 9 – American Baseball Coaches Association
No. 11 – D2 Baseball
No. 12 – National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association

THE NEW KIDS (ON THE DIAMOND)
The Angelo State baseball program have seen numerous contributions from underclassmen early in the 2026 campaign as Garrett Wallace is the active team leader with a .368 batting average, Tate Greene has been the everyday third baseman with a .304 batting average, six RBIs and being apart of six double plays turned. On the mound, Ryan Cook made his collegiate debut and turned in six innings of shutout baseball in relief against UT Tyler.

AUSTIN BECK, RECORD BREAKER
Austin Beck has broken numerous school and Lone Star Conference Records over the course of his stellar career in the Blue and Gold. Entering his senior season, the Allen, Texas native owns the program's:

- Stolen Base in a Career, 119
- Runs Scored in a Career, 248
- Runs Scored in a Career (Lone Star Conference), 248
- Triples in a Career, 17
- Walks in a Game, 4

Beck now has his sights set on more records, including…

- Lone Star Conference Record for Triples in a Career, 3 Away
- School Record for Games Played in a Career, 43 Away
- School Record for Games Started in a Career, 42 Away
- School Record for Hits in a Career, 52 Away
- School Record for Doubles in a Career, 21 Away
- School Record for Total Bases in a Career, 41 Away

THE SKIP: KEVIN BROOKS
Kevin Brooks has guided the Angelo State baseball program to seven NCAA Division II College World Series appearances, including seven South Central Championships, and has compiled an impressive overall record of 837-367 since starting the ASU program in 2005. In 2023, the Rams claimed the Division II National Championship for the first time in program history.

KEY RETURNERS (2025 Stats)
- DH/INF Chase Pendley: .390 batting average in 200 at-bats….461 on-base percentage and .515 slugging percentage…78 hits…13 doubles…3 triples…2 home runs…47 RBIs…60 runs scored.
- INF Austin Beck: .376 batting average in 181 at-bats….500 on-base percentage and .569 slugging percentage…68 hits…11 doubles…3 triples…6 home runs…48 RBIs…65 runs scored.
- C Blake Wilhoite: .297 batting average in 145 at-bats….458 on-base percentage and .421 slugging percentage…43 hits…13 doubles…1 triple…1 home run…32 RBIs…39 runs scored.
- LHP Josh Reed: 19 appearances…1 start…3-2 record…3 saves…6.93 ERA…24.2 innings pitched…29 strikeouts…9 walks…284 opposing batting average.

THE SCHEDULE LOOKS…DIFFERENT
With the addition of UT Dallas in the Fall of 2025, the Lone Star Conference had to make adjustments to the schedule to adhere to the 50-game regular season limit imposed by the NCAA. Therefore, all games on the Rams' 2026 schedule are Lone Star Conference games, with the first two series of the season will be three games each before transitioning back to a four-game series format beginning in week three.

PRESEASON HONORS
NCBWA PRESEASON SOUTH CENTRAL ALL-REGION
Chase Pendley – Designated Hitter

LONE STAR CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
The Angelo State baseball team was picked to finish as the runner-up, totaling 599 points and collecting 20 of the possible 42 first-place votes. UT Tyler was selected to win the LSC with 603 points and garnered an additional 20 first-place votes. Lubbock Christian, St. Edward's and West Texas A&M rounded out the top five, with the last two first-place votes going to Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International.

LONE STAR CONFERENCE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chase Pendley – Designated Hitter/Infielder
Josh Reed – Left-Handed Pitcher

2025 SEASON RECAP
Last season, ASU accumulated a 48-10 overall record and went 39-7 in Lone Star Conference play on the way to capturing the LSC Regular Season and Tournament Titles before falling to UT Tyler in the South Central Super Regional.