KINGSVILLE, Texas – By the time the dust had settled in Canyon, Texas, back in May 2018, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball program stood along atop the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament as champions for the first time in program history.

While the trip to Cary, N.C., for the Division-II College World Series ended in disappoint, the Hogs still had plenty to celebrate while looking forward to the 2019 campaign.

Now, with the season opener at the Houston Winter Invitational just 24 hours away, head coach Jason Gonzales looks to guide the Javelinas in their first regional title defense with a matchup against No. RV/39 St. Cloud State serving as the first test for the Blue and Gold going into the season.

The Hogs will be missing key pieces from the 2018 D-II CWS team as Christian Caudle, Levi Zents and a handful of starting pitchers make the transition to their post-collegiate careers. Caudle was a Lone Star Conference All-Defensive team selection alongside Zents, while Zents took home a First Team All-LSC nod to go with three separate First Team All-South Central Region honors from the ABCA, NCBWA and D2CCA.

On the mound, key contributors who moved on include Kyle Craft, Isaiah Lybarger, Jarred Taylor and Lee May Gonzalez, all of whom played important roles in TAMUK's run at the regional tourney.

Despite the absence of several clubhouse leaders, the Javelinas have plenty of depth to go around across all parts of the diamond, including a pair of LSC Freshman of the Year winners in sophomore Tyler Flores (San Antonio, Texas) and senior Preston Plovanich (Santa Fe, Texas) who will serve as the lynchpin in Gonzales' schemes in the starting rotation.

Flores took home the 2018 LSC Freshman of the Year award as he went 7-1 by the end of his first campaign on the hill for the Blue and Gold. The San Antonio native struck out 79 in 65 innings of work and compiled a 2.91 ERA while holding his opponents to a .228 average at the plate.

Plovanich was the 2016 LSC Freshman of the Year and closed his junior year with a 6-2 mark to push his career record to 19-9. The Santa Fe, Texas, native struck out 58 in 2018 and finished with a 6.08 ERA while allowing a .286 clip at the plate from opposing batters.

Not to be outdone, the relief corps features the return of senior Joshua Valdez (Kyle, Texas) who established himself as one of the premier finishers in the LSC with six saves and a 3.24 ERA after 33 and 1/3 innings pitched while striking out 53 in the process.

Joining him will be redshirt junior Alex Canul (Edinburg, Texas) and redshirt senior Garrett Alexander (Spring, Texas), both of whom gained valuable experience over the summer as members of the Victoria Generals and each played a key part in the Generals' Texas Collegiate League Championship by bookending game three of the series against Acadiana Cane Cutters.

Other members of the Generals include sophomore Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas) and senior Dylan Hutcheson (Wichita Falls, Texas) as the duo will join other returners from the 2018 squad to guide the Javelinas at the plate.

Servin finished his first year as a true freshman with a .295 batting average on 26 hits in 88 at bats across 41 appearances. The Edinburg, Texas, native showcased a glimpse of his power with five doubles and two home runs for a .420 slugging percentage, and added a .431 on-base percentage while driving in 15 runs.

Hutcheson, meanwhile, hit .259 in 52 games for the Hogs, adding four doubles and one triple along side 24 RBI and 16 stolen bases.

The Javelinas will also feature plenty of depth in the field as redshirt senior Manny Loredo (McAllen, Texas), redshirt junior Kohl Ullman (Houston, Texas), and redshirt seniors Alex Gonzalez (Corpus Christi, Texas) and Pablo Hernandez (Havana, Cuba) all return as key pieces for the 2019 season.

Loredo was one of three Hogs on the All-LSC honorable mention team, joined by Ullman and Valdez, as he finished second on the team with a .352 average on 58 hits across 165 at bats in 52 appearances. The McAllen Memorial H.S. product slugged .533 with 10 doubles, one triple and six home runs, drove in 39 runs and drew 24 walks for a .440 OBP.

Ullman earned his honorable mention status with a .328 average after leading the team with 64 hits through 57 games. The St. Pius H.S. prospect tallied 14 doubles, one triple and one home run for a .426 slugging percentage as he compiled 43 RBI, stole 16 bases and drew 31 walks for a .427 OBP.

Gonzalez teamed up with Ullman on the numerous double plays the Javelinas turned in 2018 and finished his junior year with a .286 average through 56 games, adding a .351 slugging percentage and a .377 on-base mark.

Hernandez, to round out the quartet, provided the punch at the plate as he slugged .448 with 15 doubles, three triples and six home runs in 2018, looking to replace Dallas Stefano as the premier slugger on the 2019 team.

Beyond the returning members, a slew of fresh faces grace the Javelinas this year to reinforce what was lost from the year before.

Out in the field, the junior trio of Austin De Leon (Frisco, Texas), Seth Spinn (Holland, Texas) and Cameron Melcher (Kerrville, Texas) look for their roles as assigned by Gonzales and the crew. De Leon hit .308 last year in 32 games for Panola College to go with a .430 on-base mark and a .462 slugging clip.

Spinn compiled a .331 batting average with 55 hits in 166 at bats and added seven doubles, one triple and five home runs in his second year playing for Temple College.

Melcher, meanwhile, played two years at Midland College and came away with a .223 clip on 21 hits in 35 games while adding a .375 OBP and .404 slugging percentage.

For the pitching corps, senior Eric Sandoz (Austin, Texas), redshirt junior Caleb Hanks (Lufkin, Texas), redshirt sophomore Slade Schwenke (Cypress, Texas), redshirt junior Braden Shields (Dripping Springs, Texas) and junior Noel Solis (Brownsville, Texas) will all be tabbed to replace the quartet of seniors who departed the team.

Sandoz will finish his collegiate career for the Hogs after transferring from Nebraska-Kearney where he was Honorable Mention All-MIAA for the Lopes with nine saves and a 2.97 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 2018.

Hanks makes the short trek from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as he finished 4-1 over two years for the Islanders in 20 appearances as he struck out 16 during that span.

Schwenke made eight appearances for Wharton County JC last year, compiling a 6.59 ERA in 13 and 2/3 innings pitched with four punchouts, while Shields continues his career from Coastal Bend.

Solis ended his time with Midland with a 5-0 record in 2018 across 16 appearances and seven starts while he struck out 43 in the process.

The Javelinas were tabbed second in the 2019 LSC Preseason Poll with six first-place votes, falling in just behind West Texas A&M with 10 first-place votes. TAMUK and WT are no strangers as both split the regular-season series at 3-1 favoring the home squad before the Hogs played spoiler on the Buffs' home turf in walk-off fashion at the regional tournament.

First pitch for the Blue and Gold's contest against the Huskies is set for 1:30 p.m. CT on Friday, February 1 at Minute Maid Park.

To keep up-to-date with Javelina baseball, follow the program on Facebook at /JavelinaBSB or on Twitter @JavelinaBSB

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