SAN ANGELO, Texas – The top-ranked Angelo State baseball team will continue play at home to start the week, facing St. Edward's in a single non-conference game on Tuesday before returning to Lone Star Conference action on Friday with a three-game series at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK:
Tuesday, Mar. 23: #1 Angelo State vs. St. Edward's - 6 p.m.
Friday, Mar. 26: #1 Angelo State at Texas A&M – Kingsville, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 27: #1 Angelo State at Texas A&M – Kingsville, 3 p.m.
Sunday, Mar. 28: #1 Angelo State at Texas A&M – Kingsville, 1 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Rams swept the series against Texas A&M International over the weekend, winning all three games in eight innings. ASU hit seven home runs in the series while Josh Elvir and Nick Seginowich both tallied eight RBIs in the series. The Rams outscored the Dustdevils 43-10, as Trent Baker picked up his fifth victory in a shutout in game one.
 
#1 ANGELO STATE (14-2, 10-2 LSC) vs. ST. EDWARD'S (5-10, 5-10 LSC)
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ALL-TIME SERIES: ASU leads the all-time series 10-9. Last Meeting: SEU 7-4
The Rams hold the slight edge in the all-time series against the Hilltoppers by one game. In a four-game series last year, both teams split with SEU winning games one and four, winning the last meeting 7-4.
 
SCOUTING ST. EDWARD'S:
The strength of the Hilltoppers has been in their pitching staff, holding a team ERA of 4.72 which ranks fourth overall in the Lone Star Conference. Blake Holub leads SEU with an ERA of 2.45, the third-lowest in the LSC, and holds opponents to a batting average of .212. He is also fifth in the conference in strikeouts with 38. Wesley Gafford also ranks in the top 10 in the LSC with a 3.06 ERA.
 
At the plate, the Hilltoppers sit in the middle of the conference with a .272 batting average. Chase Cos leads with a .370 batting average and a 1.073 on-base percentage while tallying eight RBIs so far. SEU has four other players hitting .300 or higher.
 
#1 ANGELO STATE (14-2, 10-2 LSC) vs. TEXAS A&M – KINGSVILLE (11-4, 11-4 LSC)
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ALL-TIME SERIES: ASU leads the all-time series 43-35. Last Meeting: ASU, 14-6
ASU holds the series lead against the Javelinas and has won eight of the last 10 games including four in a row heading into this weekend's series.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M – KINGSVILLE:
The Javelinas have had a strong start to their season, entering the weekend with an 11-4 overall record. TAMUK ranks fourth in the LSC in batting average at .288 at fifth in ERA at 4.81. Seth Spinn leads the Javelinas in nearly every offensive category including batting average (.381), hits (24), and RBIs (18). TAMUK has six batters hitting .280 or above and has tallied the third-most home runs with 19 on the season.
On the mound, Kolby Lunsford leads in ERA at 3.12 which ranks eighth overall in the conference. Logan Garza, who holds a 4.05 ERA, has tallied the second-most strikeouts in the league with 46. The Javelinas have also been a threat to steal this season, converting 29 of 38 stolen base attempts which ranks fourth in the conference.
 
LEADING THE LSC:
The Rams rank as the top batting team in the Lone Star Conference, holding a team batting average of .379. They also rank first in team ERA at 3.75 and are the top fielding team, with a fielding percentage of .982, committing only 10 errors on the season, 13 less than second-place West Texas A&M.
 
Elvir leads the LSC in batting average (.536), slugging percentage (.964), On-base percentage (.650), runs scored (33) and is tied with fellow teammate Jordan Williams for most hits with both players tallying 30. Trent Baker holds an ERA of 1.82 and is tied for the most wins in the conference with five and has the fourth most strikeouts with 39 Ks.
 
As a team, the Rams also rank first in the conference in stolen bases, converting 55 of 73 stolen base attempts on the year.