KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball program will travel to Canyon, Texas, this week to compete in the 2018 NCAA South Central Regional Tournament hosted by Lone Star Conference foe West Texas A&M to open the Division-II Baseball Championships.

 The Javelinas enter the NCAA tournament with a 37-14 record after earning the third seed at the LSC Championships, also in Canyon, and fell in the semifinal to Tarleton State in a wild affair at 21-20.

TAMUK drew the fifth seed for the South Central Regional and will face second-seeded Colorado Mesa to start the double-elimination bracket. Top-seeded West Texas A&M will host sixth-seeded Tarleton State in a rematch of the LSC Championship game, while third-seeded St. Edward's and fourth-seeded Colorado School of Mines square off in the other day one matchup.

At the LSC Championships, the Javelinas put on a hitting clinic in both games, first taking an 18-8 decision over UT-Permian Basin after stringing together 22 hits, while the 21-20 loss to the Texans was courtesy of 18 hits.

As a result, the team batting average took a climb to .303 with four Hogs now hitting over .320 as senior Levi Zents (Fort Worth, Texas) leads the way with a .376 mark behind 59 hits and a .498 on-base percentage. Classmate Dallas Stefano (Cypress, Texas) raised his average to .338 after drilling three home runs in the loss to TSU to tie for the team lead at six alongside junior Manny Loredo (McAllen, Texas) who hit one in the same game.

Redshirt-sophomore Kohl Ullman (Houston, Texas) is the final Javelina to reach the .320 mark, currently at .321 with 52 hits, second behind Zents.

Due to the hitting clinic from both teams on Friday's semifinal, the Javelina pitching staff ERA took a bump up to 4.21 with junior Joshua Valdez (Kyle, Texas), senior Jarred Taylor (Vidor, Texas) and redshirt-sophomore Alex Canul (Edinburg, Texas) as the remaining trio below the 3.00-ERA mark at 2.33, 2.39 and 2.79, respectively.

Following the LSC Championships, Stefano and senior Christian Caudle (Klein, Texas) were both named to the All-Tournament team after Stefano's three home runs in the loss to TSU, while Caudle hit .700 in the tourney to raise his average to .290.

SCOUTING COLORADO MESA | 40-14 (26-9 RMAC) | ALL-TIME vs TAMUK: 1-3

The Javelinas and the Mavericks are no stranger to one another as the Hogs ended the 2016 CMU postseason run in Grand Junction, Colo., in walk-off fashion at Suplizio Field with a 7-6 win courtesy of Hayden Vesely's single into right that was misplayed and allowed Dalton Perry to score.

Before that, the Mavericks handed the Javelinas a 7-6 loss in the 2014 South Central Regional final that sent Colorado Mesa to the Division-II College World Series after TAMUK forced the decisive game with a 9-8 win earlier in the same day. The Blue and Gold also took a 6-2 win over CMU in the 2013 South Central Regional in the elimination bracket.

In 2018, the Mavs feature a dominant offensive look with a .344 team batting average, led by Hunter Douglas' .422 on 68 hits and 32 RBI, and John Ballard's .414 on 41 hits and 21 RBI. Tanner Rempel and Jordan Stubbings also provided a potent bat, at .417 and .414, respectively, as 13 different CMU members are currently hitting over .300 on the year.

On the mound for the Mavericks includes Reagan Todd, Chris Ramirez and Kyle Leahy as the starting rotation, combining for 20 wins in 38 appearances, while AJ Landis pulls primary closer duties with four saves on a 3.07 ERA. Todd and Leahy both lead CMU with 80 strikeouts apiece, while Ramirez is close behind at 76.

A team ERA of 4.72 defines the Maverick pitching staff while opponents are limited to a .258 batting average.

In total, Colorado Mesa had 12 student-athletes make the All-RMAC teams with Stubbings named Freshman Position Player of the Year and head coach Chris Hanks, now in his 20th season with the Mavs, taking home his 10th RMAC Coach of the Year nod en route to his fifth-straight RMAC Tournament Championship.

SCOUTING ST. EDWARD'S | 33-19 (18-10 Heartland) | ALL-TIME vs TAMUK: 35-35

A common foe for the Javelinas, the Hilltoppers earned an automatic berth in the regional after winning the Heartland Conference Championships over Lubbock Christian. The Hogs last faced St. Edward's four times in 2016, first in Kingsville where the 'Toppers won 14-1 before TAMUK returned the favor with a 9-6 win in Austin, Texas later in the regular season.

The two met twice again in the South Central Regional with the Hilltoppers sending the Hogs into the elimination bracket with an 8-4 win in the first meeting before the Blue and Gold fell out of the tournament with a 7-5 loss in the second contest.

In 2018, the 'Toppers are hitting .312 as a team with William Hairston, Blake Alexander, Robbie Lammons, Derek Ramos and TJ Giselbach all hitting over .300. Hairston leads the way at .373 with 72 hits and 32 RBI, followed by Alexander's .364 on 51 hits as the duo have played a majority of the game to reach the .350 mark.

Blake Holub took home the 2018 Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year award for SEU, hitting .398 in 25 games with 37 hits to close out the year.

On the mound, 2018 Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year Tanner Lawson will anchor the rotation for St. Edward's with a 2.24 ERA mark in 14 starts, compiling an 11-2 record with 83 strikeouts. Alongside Lawson will be strikeout leader Juan Cortina, recording 107 punchouts in 15 appearances, one in relief, with a 4.48 ERA and a 5-6 mark.

As a team, the Hilltopper pitching staff owns a 4.30 ERA with 377 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .245 batting average.

SCOUTING COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES | 35-16 (25-11 RMAC) | ALL-TIME vs TAMUK: 0-1 (2018: 0-1)

The Hogs and the Orediggers faced each other earlier in the season with the Javelinas taking a 3-0 at the Houston Winter Invitational behind a two-run fifth courtesy of an RBI single from junior Alex Gonzalez (Corpus Christi, Texas) and a bases-loaded walk from junior Dylan Hutcheson (Wichita Falls, Texas) and a solo shot from Loredo in the eighth.

CSM is hitting .323 on the year after Trevor Kehe, Jace Selsor, Mikey Gangwish and Joe Popp all hit over .370. Gangwish took home the 2018 RMAC Player of the Year honor after hitting .378 with 73 hits and 22 home runs to go with 76 RBI, while Kehe and Selsor both reached the .390 mark as Kehe hit .397 and Selsor hit .391.

Popp, meanwhile, hit .373 with 72 hits and 11 round-trippers alongside 56 RBI to round out the quartet.

On the mound, Tyler Blomster owns an 8-0 mark in eight starts to go with a 2.41 ERA and 61 strikeouts to anchor the rotation. The Orediggers have a 5.73 team ERA with only two relievers coming in under the 4.00 ERA mark in Gabe Garvens (2.66) and Owen Starr (3.75).

Colorado Mines fell in the RMAC Tournament Championship to Colorado Mesa in the eighth meeting in 2018 between the schools. CSM hosted CMU six times during the regular season to split the series 3-3 before the Mavericks won in the RMAC Championship game, 6-5 and 9-6.

SCOUTING WEST TEXAS A&M | 39-12 (20-4 LSC) | ALL-TIME vs TAMUK: 62-80 (2018: 4-4)

TAMUK and WT split the season series, each taking three of four in the respective home parks, before the Buffs fell in the LSC Championship to Tarleton State.

West Texas A&M had four members named to the LSC All-Tournament team in Justice Nakagawa, Jimmy Cubillos, Joe Corbett and Tag Baxter after earning the top seed and hosting rights during the regular season. Baxter and Cubillos are both hitting over .350 following the championships, at .388 and .358, respectively, while Nakagawa raised his average to .285.

Corbett threw seven innings of two-run ball in the win against Eastern N.M. to lead the Buffs to the championship game, striking out eight along the way. Corbett owns a 10-2 record on the year alongside a 3.26 ERA with 91 strikeouts.

As a team, WT is hitting .324 following the LSC Championships, with seven members above the .300 mark, while the team ERA sits at 4.70 despite a 15-7 loss at the hands of the Texans to close out the run.

SCOUTING TARLETON STATE | 35-15 (18-6 LSC) | ALL-TIME vs TAMUK: 63-70 (2018: 4-1)

The Hogs fell to Tarleton State in the LSC Semifinals in a 41-run, 43-hit affair that came down to the bottom of the ninth as the Texans walked off on a bloop single following nine combined home runs in the game.

TSU would go on to defeat West Texas A&M in the championship game, 15-7, and had six members named to the LSC All-Tournament team with Blake Adams taking home the MVP. Adams was joined byJake Hasbrouck, Ruben Rodriguez, Tyler Fowler, Jared McCarver and Nathan Hickey on the team.

Adams raised his average to .393 as Tarleton State has eight student-athletes hitting over .300 on the year now. Rodriguez raised his average to .342, Hasbrouck sits at .329, McCarvver at .313 and Fowler at .338 while Hickey improved to 10-2 with a 3.54 ERA and 89 strikeouts.

As a team, the Texans are currently hitting .319 while opponents are hitting .270.

The South Central Regional is scheduled to take place from May 17-20 as the Hogs face the Mavericks at 3 p.m. CT at Wilder Park. For the NCAA South Central Regional page, click here.

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