SAN ANGELO, Texas – The second-ranked Angelo State baseball team is set to host the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament as the Rams come in as the top seed in the region.
Joining the Rams are fourth-seeded UT Tyler and fifth-seeded MSU Dever. The Patriots and Roadrunners will square off on Thursday in game one of the double-elimination tournament at 3 p.m., with the loser of that game facing the Rams at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Rams secured the automatic bid to the regional tournament after winning their third straight Lone Star Conference Tournament title. ASU scored 35 runs in three games while allowing 11 runs, earning wins over St. Edward's and Lubbock Christian.
Austin Beck was named tournament MVP while four other Rams were selected to the all-tournament team in
Jordan Williams,
Kade Bragg,
Justin Harris, and
Jacob Guerrero.
#2 [1] ANGELO STATE RAMS (47-8, 40-8 LSC) vs. LOSER OF GAME ONE
Thurs., May 18, 7 p.m.
| Foster Field at 1
st Community Credit Union Stadium – San Angelo, Texas
Tournament Central
Live Video: lonestarconferencenetwork.com/asu
Live Stats: angelostats.com
POLL RANKINGS:
The Rams remain at No. 2 in the NCBWA Division II Top 25 poll while moving up to No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll.
QUICK HITS:
-The Rams hold the fourth-best batting average in the country at .349 which leads the LSC.
-With a team ERA of 3.61, the Rams rank seventh in Division II.
-The Rams are the top fielding team in the country at .984.
-The Rams have been hit by a pitch 142 times which leads Division II.
-ASU has recorded 594 hits this season, ranking 11
th in DII.
-The Rams have the second-best on-base percentage in Division II at .464.
-With 532 runs scored, the Rams rank fourth in DII.
-The Rams allowed the second-fewest hits per nine innings in the country at 7.5.
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Jacob Guerrero holds the fourth-highest batting average in Division II at .449.
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Kade Bragg leads Division II in ERA at 1.21, is fourth in hits per nine innings at 5.29, and is tied for first in wins at 12.
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Austin Beck has recorded six triples this season which is the ninth most in DII.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
LSC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
- Feb. 14 –
Braxton Pearson, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Feb. 21 –
Jordan Williams, Angelo State (Hitter)
- Mar. 14 –
Aaron Munson, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Mar. 14 –
Jacob Guerrero, Angelo State (Hitter)
- Mar. 21 –
Kade Bragg, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Mar. 28 –
Kade Bragg, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Apr. 25 –
Jackson Berry, Angelo State (Pitcher)
RAMS SET PROGRAM RECORD FOR SHUTOUTS IN A SEASON:
After closing out the series against St. Edward's with an 8-0 win, the Rams have tallied nine shutouts this season which set the program record. The previous record of eight was set during the 2012 season.
RAMS SET PROGRAM SCORING RECORD:
In a non-conference game against Southwestern, the Rams defeated the Pirates 33-4, setting a new program record for runs scored in a game. The previous record of 29 runs was set in 2021 against McMurry.
NEW HIT KING AT ASU:
Jordan Williams became the all-time hit leader for the Rams this season, surpassing 250 hits in his career.
WIN No. 700:
Against UAFS earlier this season, Head Coach
Kevin Brooks tallied his 700
th win at Angelo State.
CONFERENCE FAVORITES:
The Rams were selected as the favorites to take the 2023 LSC crown, earning the top spot in the preseason poll with 407 points, including 23 first-place votes. Coming in second was West Texas A&M followed by Texas A&M- Kingsville and Lubbock Christian.
NCBWA PRESEASON ALL-REGION:
The Rams had two players selected to the NCBWA Preseason All-Region Team, infielder
Austin Beck and starting pitcher
Aaron Munson. Beck was selected as the LSC Freshman of the Year last season after hitting .420 with 59 RBIs and 84 runs scored. He earned two All-American honors and led the Rams in stolen bases with 33. Munson led the Rams in wins a season ago, finishing with an overall record of 11-3 while collecting 81 strikeouts. He held opponents to a .277 hitting average while throwing 94 1/3 innings on the year.
