SAN ANGELO, Texas – The third-ranked Angelo State baseball team continues the Lone Star Conference schedule on the road this weekend as the Rams face off against Oklahoma Christian beginning Friday, Mar. 10 at Dobson Baseball Field.
#3 ANGELO STATE RAMS (17-3, 17-3 LSC) vs. OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN (8-9, 8-8 LSC)
Game 1: Fri., Mar. 10, 5 p.m. |
Game 2/3: Sat., Mar. 11, 2 p.m. (DH) |
Game 4: Sun., Mar. 12, 1 p.m.
Dobson Baseball Field – Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Video: lonestarconferencenetwork.com/asu
Live Stats: angelostats.com
LAST TIME OUT:
The Rams swept their third series of the season, winning all four games against UAFS. ASU's offense tallied 58 runs in the series while
Thomas Cain collected eight RBIs and
Jacob Guerrero and
Tripp Clark each added seven.
SERIES HISTORY:
All-Time Series: ASU leads the series 7-1
Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2022: ASU, 16-3 – San Angelo, Texas
The Rams have faced the Eagles in a three-game series and a four-game series, winning six of the seven games. They also played one neutral site game back in 2018 with the Rams winning 11-8. In the most recent series, the Rams took three from OCU with the Eagles winning game three 15-6, their only win against ASU.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES:
The Eagles are 8-9 entering the weekend and have an 8-8 record in conference play. Their only series win came in the second weekend of the season, winning three of the four games against the Lions. OCU opened the season with a split of UT Tyler and dropped their most recent series against Lubbock Christian last weekend, including a 25-8 loss in game four.
Oklahoma Christian ranks in the middle of the conference at the plate, combining for a batting average of .295 which is seventh in the LSC. On the mound, the Eagles have earned the third-best ERA at 5.78 while opponents hold a .297 batting average.
Blake Empkey leads the team with a .390 batting average, collecting 13 RBIs with four home runs. Naut Kragt leads the Eagles in wins with a 3-1 record, holding a 3.12 ERA through 26 innings.
LEADING THE REGION:
The Rams came in at No. 1 in the latest NCBWA South-Central Regional Poll, earning all eight first-place votes. Behind ASU are MSU Denver and St. Edward's to round out the top three.
ATOP THE LONE STAR CONFERENCE:
The Rams hold the top record in the Lone Star, at 17-3 in conference play. In second in St. Edward's at 10-5 followed by Lubbock Christian and UT Tyler at 13-7.
QUICK HITS:
-The Rams lead the LSC in both batting average (.361) and ERA (3.32).
-ASU's pitching staff ranks seventh in Division II in hits allowed per nine innings and is sixth in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.3.
-The Rams rank ninth in the country in stolen bases with 53 on the season.
-
Austin Beck is third in Division II in walks with 20.
-
Kade Bragg holds the ninth-best ERA in the country at 0.31.
-Beck has scored 31 runs which is the second most in Division II.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
LSC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
- Feb. 14 –
Braxton Pearson, Angelo State (Pitcher)
- Feb. 21 –
Jordan Williams, Angelo State (Hitter)
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.
