SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State baseball team will begin its postseason journey this week, taking on Eastern New Mexico in the first round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday at Wilder Park in Canyon, Texas.
The Rams (33-17, 14-10) are the No. 4 seed in the tournament, which they have won three times in program history with the last tournament championship coming in 2015. ASU also has the second most tournament final appearances in LSC history with eight.
Angelo State currently boasts a team earned run average of 4.15, which ranks second in the LSC as well as a team batting average of .312, which ranks third. The Rams also rank in the top 25 nationally in walks drawn (No. 16), times hit by pitch (No. 19), on-base percentage (No. 9), and stolen bases (No. 6) as well as hits allowed per nine innings (No. 18) and shutouts (No. 23)
Seven of the nine Ram starters currently boast batting averages above the .300 mark, led by redshirt freshman Parker Bramlett at .365. Bramlett has scored 25 times and driven in 14 runs while reaching base at a .483 clip.
Bradley Mathiowetz is just behind Bramlett with a .361 batting average while also slugging .570. The Minnesota native is tied for the team lead with five home runs while also hitting 12 doubles and three triples for a team-leading 90 total bases.
Sophomore Nicholas Novak is hitting .352 this year with a team-second 42 runs scored on the year. He is the other Ram tied for the team lead with five home runs while also hitting nine doubles and two triples.
Jacob Boston and Michael Urquidi are the only two ASU players to play in all 50 games so far this season, hitting .350 and .345, respectively. Boston is the team leader with 45 RBI while hitting 13 doubles, one triple and four home runs.
Urquidi also has 13 doubles and leads the team with a .495 on-base percentage. He also leads the team with 52 runs scored out of the leadoff spot and has swiped a team-leading 30 bases.
Trevor Moses has a .309 batting average on the year after taking over as the everyday second basemen. He has hit four home runs, driven in 18 RBI and scored 15 times.
Andrew Morales is the final Ram with a batting average above .300 at .306. He has seven doubles and a pair of home runs while driving in 36 runs.
Sitting just under the .300 mark is Mitch Henshaw with a .298 batting average. Henshaw has seven doubles and has scored 24 times while driving in 22 runs.
Alex Salcido has slowly raised his batting average to .262 while serving as the primary catcher for the year. He has five doubles and three home runs while posting an on-base percentage of .343.
ASU has also gotten contibutions at the plate from Jonathan Soberanes, Elias Aguirre and Joe Scott Pace. Soberanes has a .448 on-base percentage and is third on the team with 19 stolen bases. Aguirre has scored 28 runs on the season with a .231 batting average, and Pace has a .375 on-base percentage in 26 appearances.
On the pitching staff, the Rams are led by starters Tyler Lesley, Andrew Croucher and Shannon Broussard as well as relievers Kellen Rholl, Shane Browning and Austin Thomason.
Lesley has been the main Angelo State starter in 2018, making 13 appearances all in the starter role. He has a 2.92 earned run average and is tied for the team lead with 69 strikeouts.
Croucher has gone a perfect 2-0 in his last two starts, earning LSC Pitcher of the Week this week. He has a 2.95 ERAÂ in 21.1 innings pitched while limiting opponents to just a .231 batting average.
Shannon Broussard has recently moved into the starting role after beginning the season in the bullpen. The left-hander has three starts now with 13 total appearances and has posted a 4.15 ERA in that time.
ASU's closer, Kellen Rholl, has been the most used pitcher this season with a team-leading 24 appearances. He has 40 strikeouts in just 29 innings and opponents have hit just .198 against him.
Shane Browning has moved into the bullpen after beginning the season as a starter and has a 4.32 ERA. He has 66.2 innings pitched and is tied for the team lead with 69 strikeouts.
Austin Thomason has recently been added to the Ram bullpen with a 2.57 ERA in three appearances. The Arizona native has 12 strikeouts and has allowed just two runs overall.
Other contributors to the ASU pitching staff include Trent Baker, Logan Teske and Josh Barnett. Baker has made eight starts with a 3.56 ERA while limiting opponents to a .227 average. Teske has been used exclusively out of the bullpen with six strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Barnett is second on the team in appearances with 26 strikeouts.
The Rams faced Eastern New Mexico eight times during the regular season, sweeping the four-game series on the road and splitting with two wins apiece when the teams faced off at Foster Field at 1st Community Credit Union Stadium.
If ASU wins the first round game, they will advance to face the No. 1 seed West Texas A&M. The games can be heard locally on 1260AM KKSA.Â
