SAN ANGELO, Texas – The No. 13 Angelo State baseball team will take the field on Friday, February 5 at 4 p.m. at Uni-Trade Stadium in Laredo, Texas, for a three-game series to open the 2016 season as they take on the Dustdevils of Texas A&M International.
The Rams will play a doubleheader at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday and follow it up with the series finale on Saturday at 1 p.m. ASU will look to complete the series with TAMIU. Angelo State is 6-5 all-time in season-openers and are boasting an all-time record of 411-229. ASU finished the 2015 season with a 42-18 overall record and made its second College World Series appearance in program history. The Rams are 4-2 in the all-time series against TAMIU, and swept the Dustdevils in a three game home series last season. Angelo State took the first game 12-6 and then followed it up with a pair of victories (11-9, 15-3) in a doubleheader the next day.
The ASU baseball program will be entering its 12th season under the direction of head baseball coach Kevin Brooks, who received NCAA DII Regional Coach of the Year honors in 2013 and during the Rams College World Series runs in 2007 and 2015. Brooks staff includes assistant coaches John Anderson, Travis Lawler and volunteer coach Rex Scofield. The ASU coaching staff has averaged 40 wins a season with 2006 & 2012 LSC South Champs, 2007 & 2012 LSC Tourney Champs, 2007 & 2015 Regional Champs and 2007 & 2015 College World Series appearances.
"Every team presents another challenge," commented ASU Baseball head coach Kevin Brooks. "It is going to depend on what we do. If we go out and play well, I'll feel well about the end result. If we do not do well then it will not really matter who is in the other dugout. They have a quality club, they play hard, and they will be ready to get after us."
Pitcher Bryce Zak has been named as the opening day starter for the Rams. In 2015 he was selected to NCBWA's All-Region Second Team. He earned five wins in 70.2 innings pitched, and closed out the season with a 2.67 ERA to earn second team All-LSC honors. Zak was second in the LSC in runs allowed (27) and earned runs allowed (21).
Though the remainder of the series rotation has not yet been decided, the Rams can pull from a solid pitching staff which includes pitchers such as Matt Shannon, Graylon Brown and Kellen Rholl. Shannon tossed 38 innings from the hill for ASU in 2015, racking up 33 strikeouts. He started five games for the Rams and was credited with four wins. Brown played a key role as the team's primary closer recording the most saves in a single season (12) and will look to increase his record for the career saves in Ram baseball history (17). He finished the year credited with three wins, having pitched 48.2 innings with a 3.33 ERA. Rholl, who earned the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year honors, will also return to the hill for ASU. In his initial season as a Ram he made 14 appearances and tossed 21.1 innings.
Leading the team on the field and at the plate, All-American Paxton DeLaGarza will return for the Rams. The senior shortstop averaged .338 from the batter's box, knocking in a team first 53 RBIs. He also launched a team second nine home runs and led Angelo State with a .595 slugging percentage.
Also returning this season to assist the Rams will be Sam Kohler and David Goggin. Kohler capped of last season with a .281 batting average, 17 RBIs and a fielding percentage of .955. Goggin, a 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-American, finished last season with a .224 batting average, 15 RBI's and a .927 fielding percentage.
Two newcomers to keep an eye are catcher Matt Waller and outfielder Steven Pinales. Waller, a junior transfer from Angelina College, finished his last season with a stellar .311 batting average, .413 on base percetage and caught 18 runners stealing (2nd in District 14). Pinales, also a transfer, came to ASU via Sullivan County Junior College where he sported a .324 batting average, .500 slugging percentage and .424 on baseb percentage last season.
