SAN ANGELO, Texas – The third-ranked Angelo State baseball team will continue Lone Star Conference play on the road this weekend as the Rams take on Lubbock Christian in a four-game series beginning on Friday.
LAST TIME OUT:
After dropping game one of the series to the Rattlers, the Rams won the final three games to top St. Mary's 3-1. In game two,
Kade Bragg held the Rattlers to only four hits with an unearned run as the Rams won 6-1 before closing out the series with a 14-5 victory.
#3 ANGELO STATE RAMS (26-4, 24-4 LSC) vs. LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN CHAPS (16-9, 15-9 SCAC)
Game 1: Fri., Mar. 24, 6 p.m.
| Game 2/3: Sat., Mar. 25, 2 p.m.
| Game 4: Sun. Mar. 26, 1 p.m.
Hays Field and City Bank Clubhouse – Lubbock, Texas
Live Video: lonestarconferencenetwork.com/asu
Live Stats: angelostats.com
SERIES HISTORY:
All-Time Series: ASU leads 26-16
Last Meeting: Mar. 6, 2022 – ASU, 9-4
The Rams hold a ten-game lead in the all-time series against the Chaps, winning 26 games compared to 16 for LCU. ASU holds an 11-4 record in the last 15 games, while the Chaps and Rams split last year's regular-season series.
SCOUTING THE CHAPS
The Chaps hold a 16-9 overall record, picking up LSC series wins over Cameron, UAFS, and Oklahoma Christian while splitting with UT Tyler, UT Permian Basin, and St. Mary's. LCU has the third-best batting average in the conference at .337 while ranking fifth in ERA at 6.43.
Nate Van Maanen leads the Chaps with a .438 batting average, which is third in the conference, while Carson Ogilvie is second in on-base percentage at .544. Aydan Alger leads LCU in innings pitched, holding a 3.93 ERA through 34 1/3 innings pitched and a 3-1 record in decisions.
LEADING THE REGION:
The Rams came in at No. 1 in the latest NCBWA South-Central Regional Poll, earning all eight first-place votes.
QUICK HITS:
-The Rams hold the top batting average in the conference at .357 and lead in ERA at 3.38.
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Jacob Guerrero holds the top batting average (.506) and on-base percentage (.598) in the LSC, ranking first and second, respectively, in Division II.
-The Rams are second in the country in batting average, third in walks, and first in on-base percentage.
-ASU also has the second-best scoring offense with 313 runs this season.
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)
RAMS SET PROGRAM SCORING RECORD:
In a nonconference 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.
