KINGSVILLE, Texas – The No. 16 Texas A&M University-Kingsville baseball program will pay a visit to Lawton, Okla., starting on Friday for a non-conference series against Cameron University at McCord Field.
The Javelinas are 16-3 on the year following a 13-3 win over Houston-Victoria the other night at Riverside Stadium, punctuated by a pinch-hit grand slam from sophomore
Dax McCleary (Sweeny, Texas).
Prior to the one-game affair at UHV, the Hogs took on then-No. 5 West Texas A&M at Nolan Ryan Field over the weekend and came away with a win in three of the four contests.
For the year, senior
Levi Zents (Fort Worth, Texas) leads the way with a .383 average on 18 hits, two doubles, eight RBI, 12 walks and a pair of stolen bases.
Right behind Zents is senior
Austin Ingraham (Fort Worth, Texas) who is hitting .317 with a team-leading .540 slugging percentage on 20 hits, five doubles and three home runs, along with 19 RBI, 10 walks and 11 stolen bases.
As a team, the Javelinas are hitting .268 to opponent's .226.
On the mound, the Hogs have gotten a handful of quality starts across the board as senior
Kyle Craft (Victoria, Texas) has posted a 3-0 record on four starts with a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched. Craft has sat down 15 opponents on strikes throughout the year while limiting opposing batters to a .229 average.
Junior
Preston Plovanich (Santa Fe, Texas), redshirt-senior
Lee May Gonzalez (Corpus Christi, Texas) and senior
Isaiah Lybarger (Corpus Christi, Texas) have started a combined 14 games for the Blue and Gold, and have come away with a 7-2 record on the year so far.
Plovanich owns a 2.76 ERA on 29.1 innings pitched and 23 strikeouts, Gonzalez sits at a 3.80 ERA on 23.2 innings pitched with 14 punchouts, while Lybarger leads the team with 24 strikeouts to go with a 3.91 ERA on 23 innings pitched.
Senior
Seth Hubert (Riviera, Texas) will likely be the first out of the bullpen as he owns a 3-1 record and one save on six relief appearances while striking out 11 in 13.2 innings of work.
The Aggies sit at 9-10 on the year with two wins in the past nine contests. Cameron dropped three of four at Tarleton State over the weekend before rebounding with a 14-5 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday.
CU is led by Luke Hughes who is hitting .348 on the year through 19 games to go with a .507 slugging and .465 on-base percentage. In total, three Aggies are hitting over .300 as Hughes is joined by Trey Bigford at .324, and Cole Williams at .314 with a team-leading .577 slugging percentage.
The pitching staff for Cameron will feature Ried Garrett who has made five starts and owns a 3-1 record on a 5.10 ERA through 30 innings pichted and 25 strikeouts.
Andrew Garza will be the strikeout specialist as he owns a team-leading 31 punchouts through 34.1 innings pitched behind a 3.15 ERA and a 1-2 record on five appearances.
Out of the bullpen first will be Skyler Henderson as he owns a 2-2 record on eight relief appearances and a 3.15 ERA on 20.0 innings pitched.
As a team, the Aggies are hitting .262 while opponents sit at .291.
Game one of the four-game series is scheduled for Friday, March 16, with first pitch at 3 p.m. CT.
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