KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball program will start a two-week road trip this Friday with a four-game series against St. Mary's at Dickson Stadium in San Antonio.

The Javelinas split their last series at home against St. Edwards with the Hilltoppers taking games one and three while the Hogs took games two and four. TAMUK held a 5-1 edge in the bottom of the second in the series opener on February 28 before SEU tacked on six runs by the top of the fifth.

The bottom of the eighth saw the Javelinas load the bases with one out before a ground ball double play ended the frame en route to the 8-6 final.

Junior John Mike Rodriguez (Corpus Christi, Texas) threw a complete game on the front end of the doubleheader on February 29 but still needed a walk-off, two-run single from sophomore Steven Bonuz (Port Lavaca, Texas) in the bottom of the seventh to take the 3-2 victory. The Hilltoppers ended up with their second win of the series on the backend of the twin bill at 8-3 despite the Javelinas loading up the bases with nobody out in the stanza.

The finale on March 1 was all about the Blue and Gold as TAMUK built up an 8-1 cushion and endured an eighth-inning rally from SEU before taking the decision at 10-6.

Through 18 games, senior Austin De Leon (Frisco, Texas) remains the team's leading hitter with a .327 average on 17 hits in 52 at-bats. Six of his hits have gone for extra bases, with four doubles and two triples, and he also owns seven RBI and 17 runs scored to his name.

Bonuz is the other batter in the lineup hitting at a .300 clip, doing so with exactly 12 hits in 40 trips to the plate with two four doubles and two roundtrippers to his total. His team-high .550 slugging percentage has led to 10 runs driven in with another 11 scored as he splits duties behind the plate and in the box as the designated hitter.

The pitching staff features junior Amado Almanzar (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) anchoring the starting rotation with a 3.52 ERA through 23 innings on the hill. His 31 strikeouts lead the team as he has held opponents to a .227 average.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, features a 2-1 record and a 3.65 ERA through 24.2 innings pitched along with 21 strikeouts, while junior Tyler Flores (San Antonio, Texas) has taken over game one duties with a 4.08 ERA and 12 punchouts across 17.2 innings thrown.

The Rattlers took three out of four from UT Permian Basin last week on the road after getting swept by SEU the week before at Dickson Stadium. Steven Wynn leads the team with a .471 average behind 24 hits in 51 at-bats alongside five doubles and one home run. Jake Mares is right behind with a .400 clip on 22 hits, while Ryan McGowen rounds out the trio with a .378 average on 17 hits in 45 trips to the box.

The StMU pitching staff will roll out Dylan Bells and Zach De La Garza as the primary hurlers. Bells has made four starts for a 2-2 record with 4.15 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 21.2 innings pitched, while De La Garza is 1-2 through five starts with a 4.91 ERA and 22 strikeouts through 22 innings on the hill.

Jacob Koehler has been the go-to out of the bullpen for the Rattlers as he leads the team with 33 strikeouts through 16.1 innings pitched while owning a 4.86 ERA.

Game one is slated for Friday, March 6, with first pitch at 6 p.m. CT at Dickson Stadium. The doubleheader on Saturday, March 7, will begin at 1 p.m. CT, while the Sunday finale on March 8 will start at 1 p.m. CT.

Watch your Javelinas live on the Javelina Sports Network presented by Mendoza's Pharmacy. Stay up-to-date with everything Javelina baseball at JavelinaAthletics.com, follow the program live on Twitter @JavelinaBSB and see recent news on Facebook at /JavelinaBSB

-JAVELINAS-