KINGSVILLE, Texas – The No. 19 Texas A&M University-Kingsville baseball program returns to Nolan Ryan Field this weekend for a four-game series against UT-Permian Basin starting on Friday, April 20.

The Javelinas are fresh off a series win over Eastern New Mexico to improve to 28-9 overall, 7-5 in LSC play, and checked in at No. 19 in the Division-II Collegiate Baseball poll released on Monday, April 16.

Senior Levi Zents (Fort Worth, Texas) leads the Blue and Gold with a .350 average on 36 hits and 26 RBI alongside 26 walks for a .485 on-base percentage.

Junior Manny Loredo (McAllen, Texas) built off a busy weekend as he recorded seven hits in eight at bats to go with three walks to increase his average to .319 and his on-base percentage to .417.

Freshman Tyler Flores (San Antonio, Texas) picked up his fourth win after he went 6.1 innings in game one with four strikeouts while giving up five hits, while senior Jarred Taylor (Vidor, Texas) made three appearances over the week with five innings pitched and picked up the win against UH-Victoria on Tuesday, April 10.

The Falcons are currently 6-31 on the year with a 2-10 mark in Lone Star play after suffering a sweep at the hands of Tarleton State in Odessa, Texas, over the weekend.

Sophomore Alexander Wixson is the lone UTPB member hitting over .300 through 27 games and 21 starts, while the remaining lineup is hitting under.290 for a .242 team average.

Senior Dalton Drury is the lone Falcon to start every game in the field and has returned a .236 average alongside a .449 slugging percentage and a .371 on-base percentage.

On the mound, UTPB will feature an 8.01 staff ERA on the season with freshman Ivan Thomas and junior Alex Rivera seeing the majority of action with 23 appearances and 12 starts, combined.

Thomas owns a 1-3 record on the year with a 5.36 ERA on 40.1 innings pitched and has struck out 30 batters while issuing 24 walks. Rivera is 2-4 in 2018 on the bump with a 6.69 ERA on 39 innings pitched and 51 strikeouts to 36 walks.

The Hogs and Falcons faced each other in a four-game non-conference series earlier in the year, which ended up as a sweep in TAMUK's favor. The Javelinas hit .305 as a team in Odessa, thanks to redshirt-sophomore Kohl Ullman's (Houston, Texas) .500 mark, while the Blue and Gold hurlers held UTPB to a .196 mark at the plate and compiled a 3.90 ERA with 25 strikeouts.

Game one of the series is set for Friday, April 20, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

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