SAN ANGELO - The No. 7 Angelo State baseball team will travel to Canyon Texas this weekend to take on No. 24 West Texas A&M in the final series of the regular season.
The Rams (36-10, 14-5 LSC) will take on the Buffs (31-13, 12-6 LSC) at 6:30 p.m. Friday night in the series opener before a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The series will conclude with a game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
ASU is currently ranked in the top 25 nationally in all four Division II polls, including its highest rank from D2 Baseball News at No. 7. The Rams also checked in at No. 11 in both the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game polls and No. 14 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.
Coming off a four-game sweep of UTPB last weekend, the Rams rank in both batting average (No. 6) and on-base percentage (No. 2). ASU also ranks in the top 25 nationally in walks, slugging percentage, stolen bases and triples.
Jacob Boston leads the team in most offensive categories, including batting average at .390 and on-base percentage at .494. The Arizona native has 55 hits on the season including four doubles, three triples and a team-leading eight home runs.
Nine other Rams have played in more than 30 game this season while keeping their on-base percentage above the .400 mark, including Tyler Coolbaugh and Nick Novak, who reach base more than 45 percent of the time. Coolbaugh is hitting .348 in 41 games this year and is second on the team with 12 doubles. Novak is batting .357 in his first collegiate campaign and had the game-winning home run game three against UTPB this past weekend.
Elias Aguirre and Matt Waller have also turned in strong performances at the plate. Waller has started 36 games behind the plate for the Rams and is hitting .372 in that time. He leads the team with 13 doubles. Aguirre has gotten on base at a .426 clip in 162 at-bats and has also stolen 16 bases which is tied for the team lead.
Mitch Henshaw is in his first year with the Rams, but is tied for third most hits on the team and has 10 doubles. His five home runs are also tied for second on the squad with outfielder Steven Pinales. Pinales is hitting .331 on the year and also has eight doubles. He leads the Lone Star Conference with seven triples.
Jonathan Soberanes is the eighth and final regular Ram player with a batting average above .300. The junior is tied with Aguirre for the team lead in steals with 16 and has drawn a team-most 30 walks.
Michael Urquidi, Jay Gonzales, Zach Fleet and Nate Ruane have all made contributions at the plate for the Rams as well. Fleet has seen more time behind the plate in the month of April and his hitting .400 in 35 at-bats. Urquidi is hitting .287 with a pair of home runs and Gonzales is hitting .281. Ruane has seen more starting time lately and has .333 average in 39 at-bats.
 On the mound, ASU has been led by starters Matt Shannon, Ryan Smith and Blake Barr. Shannon is the Ram inning and strikeout leader, posting a 3.05 ERA and 7-3 record this year. Smith leads the team with 10 wins and has an ERA of 3.26. Barr started the season in the bullpen, but has started in his last four appearances and has a 1.69 ERA. The Midlothian native is holding opponents to just a .180 batting average.
The bullpen leaders for the Rams include Jake Mathys, Joe Hauser, and Dustin Angiel. Mathys has a 3.94 ERA in 45.2 innings pitched, and the senior ranks first in the LSC in fewest walks per nine innings. Hauser is the Ram closer and has made the most appearances this season with 23. Hauser is third in the nation and first in the LSC with 12 saves. Angiel has made the second most appearances with 18, holding opponents to a .259 batting average.
Other contributing pitchers include Shane Browning, Jhonatan Del Rosario and Kenton Schroter. Browning has a 3.32 ERA this year with 52 strikeouts. Del Rosario has an ERA of 1.93 in eight appearances out of the bullpen, while Schroter is 5-1 on the season.
West Texas A&M has the top pitching staff in the conference with and overall ERA of 2.95. The staff is led by starters Marshal Kasowski, who leads the nation with 132 strikeouts, and Joshua Payne, who leads the Buffs with a 2.16 ERA.
All four games of the series can be heard locally on 1260 KKSA with Jeremy Bryant on the call.
