SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 15 Angelo State baseball team will return home to kick off a two-week home stand beginning with Lubbock Christian in a four-game series set to begin on Friday, Mar. 6 at Foster Field at 1^st Community Credit Union Stadium.

Due to expected inclement weather this weekend, Saturday's doubleheader has been moved up from the originally scheduled 4 & 7 p.m. to 1 & 4 p.m.

SERIES SCHEDULE
No. 13 Angelo State Rams vs Lubbock Christian Chaparrals
Foster Field at 1^st Community Credit Union Stadium
San Angelo, Texas

Game 1: Friday, Mar. 6, 6:30 p.m.
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Game 2 (7 Innings): Saturday, Mar. 7, 1 p.m.
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Game 3 (7 Innings): Saturday, Mar. 7, 4 p.m.
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Game 4: Sunday, Mar. 8, 1 p.m.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Rams faced some adversity over the weekend, having to come back in half the games to sweep then-ranked No. 23 St. Mary's on the road over the weekend.

PITCHING
Josh Reed's streak of wins on Friday night starts came to an end after he dealt four and a third innings but three runs off three hits and a couple of walks while recording three strikeouts. Furthermore, three players made multiple relief appearances; Garrett Baumann picked up a 1-1 record on the weekend. Garrett Villa made an appearance in every game, tossing four innings allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out five batters.

HITTING
Chase Pendley saw a return to his All-American form as he recorded a .688 batting average, collecting 11 hits while contributing 11 total runs. Brett Smajstrla earned a couple of long balls while batting .500 and recording eight RBIs.

SCOUTING THE CHAPARRALS
Lubbock Christian enters the weekend with an 8-10 record, good for ninth in the Lone Star Conference. The Chaparrals most recently concluded their two-week homestand where they went 4-4 against St. Mary's and UT Dallas.

As a team, the Chaps are hitting at a .304 clip, good enough for fifth-best in the LSC while boasting a conference-best .499 slugging percentage.

KEY PLAYERS
Among qualified hitters, the Chaps have two players with an OPS over 1.000, led by Hudson Grace, who is swinging at a .415 clip and has three home runs and 13 RBIs.

On the mound, the Chaps have a staff ERA of 7.43, which is tenth in the LSC. Karson Dunn leads the rotation with a 2.17 ERA, with Aaron Rubio providing a second strong option with a 3.86 ERA, recording the lone complete game effort for LCU.

RAMBLINGS ABOUT THE RAMS
RAMS IN THE RANKINGS
No. 13 – American Baseball Coaches Association
No. 15 – D2 Baseball
No. 15 – Perfect Game
No. 16 – National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association

BAU-WOW-MANN
Garrett Baumann was named Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week after the Poth native earned two wins in relief against then-No. 23 St. Mary's by tossing eight shutout innings with six strikeouts. Baumann scattered three hits – all singles – and allowed just a .111 opponents' batting average.

COOK-ING ON THE MOUND
In just three 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 two career starts against Sul Ross State and St. Mary's and currently sits with a 1.00 ERA while recording 14 strikeouts.

NEW KIDS (ON THE DIAMOND)
The Angelo State baseball program has seen numerous contributions from new faces early in the 2026 campaign:

- Payton Bush: .362 batting average, .500 on base percentage and .431 slugging percentage
- Gamaliel Jones: .341 batting average, .526 on base percentage
- Ryan Cook – Mentioned in the previous section
- Garrett Baumann – Mentioned in the previous section

HIS NAME IS BECK…AUSTIN BECK
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, 269
- Runs Scored in a Career (Lone Star Conference), 269
- 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, 31 Away
- School Record for Games Started in a Career, 30 Away
- School Record for Hits in a Career, 27 Away
- School Record for Doubles in a Career, 15 Away
- School Record for Total Bases in a Career, 4 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 848-368 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 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Mar. 2 – Garrett Baumann

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.