KINGSVILLE, Texas – After starting the season by taking eight wins in 10 non-conference games, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team begins its Lone Star Conference schedule with a trip to Odessa, Texas for four games with the UT Permian Basin Falcons. The series begins with a 2 p.m. affair on Friday followed by a doubleheader beginning at noon on Saturday and a 1 p.m. finale on Sunday.
The Javelinas will be attempting to bounce back after suffering their first two losses of the season in their previous series against St. Mary's. Their lone victory over the Rattlers came in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion, as TAMUK twice erased deficits in the final two frames to come away with a walk-off win that was secured when Travis Geiser's single drove home Kohl Ullman with the winning run.
While this will not be the first road trip of the season for Jason Gonzales's club, it will be their first true road series, as their opening three games in Houston were all neutral site contests. It is also their second visit to UT Permian Basin, a program that joined the LSC just last season. The first meeting between these programs came last season in Kingsville in the form of a in a truncated series that was shortened from four games to two due to weather and the Javs won both competitions. The Javs then traveled to Odessa for four in April, outscoring their hosts 49-9 in a four-game sweep.
The Falcons will be trying to solve a group or hurlers that rank second in the LSC in ERA. Five Kingsville pitchers still have not allowed an earned run and only one has an ERA over 3.00 and the team's total of 24 walks are the conference's fewest.
Trying to break through against this staff is a UTPB offense that's posted a .217 batting average through 10 games and their on-base percentage of .294, as well as the 23 walks they've drawn, place them at the bottom of the league. Despite that standing, there is still talent in coach Brian Reinke's lineup, including first baseman Mike Fernandez, a .314 hitter so far this season whose 11 hits are the most on the roster. Outfielder Dalton Drury has established himself as the most versatile hitter on the squad, leading UTPB with six extra-base hits including three triples. He's also stolen four bases. Infielder Lance Wilson has only accumulated 20 at-bats in seven games but has also totaled seven hits for a .350 BA.
TAMUK's offense has also been searching for consistency in 2018, as their team average is identical to that of the Falcons, but the Javs have maintained their patience with an on-base percentage that's 102 points higher than their BA. Alex Gonzalez, who's hitting a team-high .296, has also put together a .429 OBP. Austin Ingraham's on-base average stands at .405 and he's also taken advantage of his opportunities on the basepaths to the tune of six stolen bases.
This offense will go up against a group of pitchers with a combined ERA of 5.38. Their best arm to this point has been junior Alex Rivera, a transfer from Cedar Valley College who's thrown a team-high 17.2 innings and owns a 1.53 earned run average. He started the season with five scoreless frames against Fort Hays State and also threw five frames in relief against Southern Nazarene, striking out 12 without issuing a walk or giving up an earned run. Rivera's 29 Ks have him tied for second in the LSC. One of four student-athletes who's started multiple games for UTPB this season is Matt Szymczak, who fired 5.2 innings against TAMUK in 2017, allowing only one earned run.
After the final out on each day in Odessa, visit Javelinaathletics.com for a complete recap. To keep up with all things Javelina athletics and to follow the program all season long, be sure to log onto javelinaathletics.com, follow the team on Twitter @JavelinaBSB, like /JavelinaSports on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina athletics YouTube channel.
