SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State baseball team will take the first steps in the journey back to the College World Series this weekend as it opens up the 2017 season with a three-game series against Regis.

The Rams will play the opener against the Rangers at 3 p.m. Friday, followed by a game at 2 p.m. Saturday and the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday. All games will take place at Foster Field at First Community Credit Union Stadium.

ASU is coming into the 2017 season after back-to-back South Central Regional Championships and two straight appearances in the College World Series in 2015 and 2016. The team completed its 2016 season claiming the Lone Star Conference regular season title and the NCAA DII South Central Regional title with a record of 39-22, 25-10 LSC. This marked the third time it claimed the Lone Star Conference regular season title and the NCAA DII Regional championship since the program's inception in 2005.

So far this year, ASU has been ranked in the top five of regional polls from both D2 Baseball News and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. D2 Baseball News picked the Rams to finish first in the South Central Region, while the NCBWA put them at fifth in the region. The Rams were also picked to win the Lone Star Conference in the Preseason Poll, earning 13 first place votes from media members and coaches in the conference. 

Angelo State is returning a number of players from 2016 in every position group and has bolstered the already formidable roster with several newcomers as well.

Several players who saw a lot of time in the outfield last season have returned for another campaign at ASU, as both Elias Aguirre and Steven Pinales played in more than 50 games with the Rams last season. Aguirre, a junior out of Midland, hit .271 last season with 16 RBI, while Pinales hit .294 and had the most home runs of any returner with six. The two are also the top base-stealers returning to the team from last season as Aguirre swiped 11 bags in 2016  and Pinales followed close behind with 10.

Sophomores Michael Urquidi and Clay Wegner are also returning to the outfield after successful freshman campaigns with ASU. Urquidi played in more than 40 games for the Rams last season, hitting a respectable .273 with two home runs. Wegner did not start a game all season, but appeared in 19 games on the season. The San Angelo native made the most of his opportunities, however, scoring six runs while only being credited with eight at-bats on the year.

In the infield, Angelo State will be returning several players as well, including the top returning hitter in Jay Gonzales. The senior first basemen hit .329 last season for the Rams, hitting a team-second 13 doubles slugging .445 on the season.

Also returning in the infield are shortstop Tyler Coolbaugh and second basemen Nate Ruane. Coolbaugh was named to the NCBWA preseason all-region first team after the shortstop hit .297 and the most RBI of any returners with 31 during his junior season. Ruane finished the 2016 season with a batting average of .272 and scored 22 runs overall. Utility player Omar Martinez has also made a return for his senior season after playing in 19 games last season and collecting three RBI on four hits.

A number of newcomers have also been added to the infield mix, including Jacob Boston, Nick Novak, Jonathan Soberanes, Nicholas Barron, Ryan Cole, Mitch Henshaw, Trevor Moses and Parker Bramlett.

Behind the plate for the Rams this season will be a familiar face in senior Matt Waller. The Arlington native caught in 33 games in 2016, collecting 12 RBI on 20 hits and swiping six bags on the season as well. The Rams will also have a returner in Joe Scott Pace, a native of Brady who redshirted last season. New to ASU behind the dish is senior catcher Zach Fleet who spent the first three years of his collegiate baseball career at fellow Lone Star Conference school Tarleton State. While with the Texans, Fleet started in 25 games, hitting a career-best .313 and posting a fielding percentage of 1.000.

Opposite the catchers in the battery is a number of returners and newcomers looking to contribute for the pitching staff in 2017. Returning from last year's staff are Matt Shannon, Kenton Schroter, Dustin Angiel, Joe Hauser, Kellen Rholl and Jhonatan Del Rosario.

Shannon was named the LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year after he finished the 2016 season with the most starts of any player returning at 15. The junior finished the season with a 7-5 overall record and a 2.71 earned run average (ERA) in 110.1 innings pitched. Hauser, however, made the most appearances of all returning Rams with 26. With only three starts, Hauser made the majority of his appearances in relief during his junior season, finishing the year with 50 total innings pitched and a 5-2 record.

Schroter, Angiel, Rholl and Del Rosario also gained experience during the 2016 season. Schroter finished the season without suffering a loss in 15 total appearances. The Canada native pitched two complete games in his six starts and finished the season with an ERA of just 2.50. Angiel had the lowest ERA in 2016 of any player still on the team, making nine appearances in relief and holding an ERA of .73 in that time. Rholl made 14 appearances on the season and allowed 27 hits in that time, while Del Rosario pitched 7.2 innings allowing just six hits during the 2016 season.

Brooks his coaching staff added a number of newcomers to the pitching staff this season as well, led by Jake Mathys, Shane Browning and Ryan Smith. Mathys was with the program last season, but was forced to sit out after transferring from Kansas State. Smith is also a Division I transfer who will look to make an impact in his final season of collegiate baseball, while Browning comes to ASU after two successful years at Midland Junior College.

Other additions to the pitching staff include Blake Barr, Justin Penny, Josh Haese, Logan Voth, Josh Barnett, Carson Childers, Jake Morgan, Jared Velasco, and Jordan Wekewa.

The Rams' opponent for the weekend, Regis, finished the 2016 season with a losing record at 20-26, placing third in the Plains Division of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Confernce. The Rangers have a new head coach in Mike Sirianni, but overall the team returns 11 starters for the 2017 season.

Both Friday's season opener and Sunday's series finale will be broadcasted live in high definition on RamTV (Suddenlink Channel 106) and on 1260AM KKSA, with Jeremy Bryant on the call.