SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State baseball team will make its home debut this weekend when the Rams host Texas A&M International in a three-game, non-conference set at Foster Field.

The Rams (1-1) are coming off a season-opening doubleheader split against McMurry in Abilene on Monday, while the Dustdevils (2-1) opened their season by taking two of three from Southeastern Oklahoma State last weekend. ASU swept a three-game set from TAMIU last season in Laredo.  

The Rams and Dustdevils will open the set with a single game at 3 p.m. on Friday before playing a doubleheader (7/9 innings) that will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Foster Field. ASU went 16-8 at home last season and is 194-81 all-time at Foster Field. TAMIU went 16-34 overall during the 2014 season.
 
Angelo State Probable Starting Rotation
Game 1: Steve Naemark, LHP (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 3K, 0BB, 5H, 5.0 IP)
Game 2: Blake Bass, RHP (0-0, 0.00ERA, 2K, 2BB, 2H, 4.0 IP)
Game 3: Jayden O'Dell, RHP (0-0, 0.00ERA, 0K, 0BB, 0H, 0 IP)

STARTER REVIEW: Naemark will be making his second start for the Rams after going five innings in Monday's second game at McMurry. A left-hander who transferred from Cochise, Naemark scattered five hits and allowed only one run in his five innings of work in his debut. He struck out three and did not walk a War Hawk before exiting with the game tied at 1-1. Bass will also be making his second start of the season after throwing four innings of scoreless baseball in the season-opener. The Lone Star Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year struck out two and allowed only two hits in his four innings of work. Bass has a career 2.59 ERA and a 4-4 record at Angelo State. In 14 career appearances and 13 starts, Bass has 41 strikeouts and has only walked 14 batters in 80.0 innings of work. O'Dell will start the finale of the three-game set against the Dustdevils and will be making his Angelo State debut. A junior right-hander, O'Dell pitched at Midland College for two seasons after playing his high school baseball at Tuscola Jim Ned. He had 48 strikeouts last season for Midland College in 64 1/3 innings of work as a sophomore.

BULLPEN REPORT: Graylon Brown (1-0) improved his career record to 9-4 on Monday by picking up the win over McMurry in the season opener after going 1 2/3 innings without allowing a run. Brown did not walk or strikeout a batter but allowed only two hits in the first appearance of his junior season. Brown has made 45 appearances for the Rams. Dillon Becker earned his first career save on Monday after recording a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the game. Becker, a junior RHP from Bastrop, has made 17 career appearances. Bryce Zak (0-1) returned to the mound after missing last season and took the loss in the second game at McMurry after allowing two runs on four hits. A RHP from San Angelo, Zak has a 5-2 career record at Angelo State after pitching at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi during his freshman season. Zak has 39 career strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings of work and 17 appearances for the Rams.

LINEUP REPORT: Angelo State hit .369 (24-for-65) against the War Hawks on Monday with 16 singles and eight doubles to go along with reaching base four times on walks and three hit-by-pitches. Paxton DeLaGarza and Hunter Spear each had strong debuts for the Rams on Monday, going 4-for-7 (.571) in the doubleheader against McMurry. DeLaGarza, a shortstop who transferred from Weatherford College, had three singles, a double and also reached base after being hit by a pitch. He went 2-for-4 in the opener before going 2-for-3 with a run scored in the second game. Spear, who played at third base on Monday, opened the season by going 2-for-3 with two RBI in the first game of the year and then went 1-for-3 in the second game. Spear also reached base on a walk in the first game of the day.

Nehwon Norkeh opened his sophomore season by going 4-for-10 in the doubleheader, including a 3-for-6 game in the season-opener. Norkeh finished his freshman season with 19 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He picked up his first RBI of the season in the second game of the doubleheader and led the Rams along with Cameron Massengill with a pair of doubles. Massengill, who was an LSC first-team selection last season, opened the season by going 3-for-7 with his two doubles and also a single. He led ASU with three runs scored and caught both games. Brett David and Chandler Patterson also had doubles against McMurry with David going 2-for-6 on the day and Patterson 1-for-3. David, who is a four-year senior, had nine doubles last season.

Jarryd Klemm and J.C. Snyder also had multi-hit days to open their ASU careers with Klemm going 3-for-8 and Snyder finishing with two hits. Klemm went 1-for-5 in the opener before going 2-for-3 with a double in the second game of the season. Snyder went 2-for-4 in the opener with an RBI. Cody Semler, who started both games at second base for the Rams, went 1-for-6 at the plate with a bunt single to lead off the eighth inning of the first game.
 
UP NEXT: Angelo State will return to action next weekend with a three-game set against Lubbock Christian at Foster Field. The Rams and Chaps will play the three games over three days, starting with a 3 p.m. game on Friday before playing at 2 p.m. on Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday.