SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 15 Angelo State baseball team will hit the road for a top-25 matchup when it faces St. Mary's in a four-game series scheduled to begin on Friday, Feb. 27.

SERIES SCHEDULE
Angelo State Rams at St. Mary's Rattlers
Dickson Stadium
San Antonio, Texas

Game 1: Friday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m.
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Game 2 (7 Innings): Saturday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m.
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Game 3 (7 Innings): Saturday, Feb. 28, 5 p.m.
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Game 4: Sunday, March 1, 1 p.m.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Rams took three of four against Oklahoma Christian over the weekend, outscoring the Eagles 39-13, but the loss came from a 2-0 shutout, the third time the Rams have lost by that same score this season.

PITCHING
Josh Reed improved to 4-0 after tossing another five innings while giving up a run and collecting six strikeouts. Furthermore, three players made multiple relief appearances; Garrett Baumann picked up a 1-1 record on the weekend. Garrett Villa tossed four innings over the last three games while Chance Douglas picked up the win in Sunday's series finale, holding off the Eagles for three innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out six.

HITTING
Four players registered over a .500 batting average as the Rams battled consistency on offense. Austin Beck led the way with a .563 batting average while producing 15 runs (6 runs scored, 9 RBIs). Blake Wilhoite swung .500 on the dot as he knocked in seven runs and seven RBIs. Payton Bush saw a return to form as he too had a .500 average while drawing five walks.

SCOUTING THE RATTLERS
St. Mary's enters the weekend on top of the Lone Star Conference with a 12-2 record, sweeping the likes of Sul Ross State and Oklahoma Christian while taking series wins over UT Dallas and Lubbock Christian.

KEY PLAYERS
The Rattlers have five players with an OPS over 1.000, led by Dillon Lopez, who is swinging at a .362 clip, while Garrett Brooks (.304) leads the team with five home runs and 20 RBIs.

On the mound, the Rattlers have a staff ERA of 5.59 and have accumulated 127 strikeouts, the most in the Lone Star Conference. Brandon Vasquez leads the rotation with a 4.67 ERA. Joel Burgess has the lowest ERA amongst qualified arms with a 2.45 ERA, making an appearance in four games thus far.

RAMBLINGS ABOUT THE RAMS
RAMS IN THE RANKINGS
No. 15 – D2 Baseball
No. 16 – Perfect Game
No. 18 – American Baseball Coaches Association
RV – National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association

'COOK'-ING ON THE MOUND
In just two appearances on the bump, Ryan Cook has proven to be an effective arm in the Rams' pitching staff. After his collegiate debut which saw him throw six shutout innings against ranked UT Tyler, the Evergreen, Colorado native made his first career start in game three against Sul Ross State and delivered a complete game, tossing all seven innings where he allowed just two runs on three hits while striking out 10 batters, the most recorded by a Rams pitcher in a single start this season.

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 fourth on the team with a .359 batting average, Tate Greene has been the everyday third baseman with a .294 batting average, 14 RBIs and being a part of seven 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, 134
- Runs Scored in a Career, 266
- Runs Scored in a Career (Lone Star Conference), 266
- 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, 35 Away
- School Record for Games Started in a Career, 34 Away
- School Record for Hits in a Career, 33 Away
- School Record for Doubles in a Career, 15 Away
- School Record for Total Bases in a Career, 13 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 844-368 since starting the ASU program in 2005. In 2023, the Rams claimed the Division II National Championship for the first time in program history.

IN SEASON AWARDS
NCBWA National Hitter of the Week
Feb. 19 – Austin Beck

NCBWA SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL HITTER OF THE WEEK
Feb. 25 – Austin Beck
Feb. 18 – Austin Beck

LONE STAR CONFERENCE HITTER OF THE WEEK
Feb. 23 – Austin Beck
Feb. 17 – Austin Beck

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