KINGSVILLE, Texas - The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball program is back at home this week after picking up its third Lone Star Conference series win to begin the season with yet another league matchup in the form of three games against St. Mary's.
Game one is set for Friday, March 12, with first pitch at 6 p.m. CT, while the doubleheader on Saturday, March 13, gets underway at 1 p.m. CT at Nolan Ryan Field.
The Javelinas took two of the three games against Oklahoma Christian on the road last week. Senior Aldo Buendia (Laredo, Texas) led the way with a .500 average at the plate and collected a win on the hill in the 14-13 barnburner on Saturday en route to his first career LSC Hitter of the Week honor. His performance on Saturday included a 4-for-4 day at the plate with three runs and three RBI which raised his average to .313 through nine games.
The Eagles took game one at 7-2 before the Hogs came back with a win on Saturday and ended the series with a 14-4 rout in eight innings in Sunday's finale that featured four home runs from the Blue and Gold.
Buendia is one of seven hogs hitting .300 or better on the year. Classmate Seth Spinn (Holland, Texas) paces the pack with a .436 clip and team-best 17 hits in 39 at bats along with four doubles, two triples and two home runs.
Freshman Damian Rodriguez (McAllen, Texas) comes next with a .343 average, totaling 12 hits and one double, triple and home run, followed by junior Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas) with a .333 average behind 11 hits and three home runs.
Redshirt senior Kohl Ullman (Houston, Texas) and sophomore Steven Bonuz (Port Lavaca, Texas) round out the group with a .325 and .300 batting average, respectively.
The Javelina pitching staff features junior Kolby Lunsford (Helotes, Texas) as the team leader in ERA out of the starting rotation as he sports a 2.87 ERA through 15.2 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts and five earned runs allowed. Junior Logan Garza (Round Rock, Texas) has Lunsford beat in the strikeout category as he owns 24 on the year with a 4.11 ERA in 15.1 innings pitched.
St. Mary's is 9-6 on the year after taking two of three from Texas A&M International last week at home. Rattlers dropped three straight to top-ranked Angelo State before that, swept Lubbock Christian in three games in their LSC home opener, and took two of three from Oklahoma Christian to start league play.
Zach De La Garza was recently tabbed the LSC and NCBWA Pitcher of the Week after he pitched his first career nine-inning complete-game shutout on Saturday against TAMIU. His season line sits at a 2-1 record with a 5.324 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched.
Mason Minister and Connor Schmidt have borne the brunt of the work on the mound as well with Schmidt sitting at a 3-2 mark and 4.91 ERA in 25.2 innings thrown, while Minister has yet to record a decision in three starts but leads the starting rotation with a 4.32 ERA in 16.2 innings on the hill with 19 strikeouts.
StMU has six batters hitting over .300 on the year, led by Jake Mares with a .375 average and 21 hits to go with two doubles, one triple and one home run. Right behind him is Mitchell Caskey with a .351 mark and 20 hits behind four doubles and a round-tripper, with Mauro Bustamente rounding out the top three with a .345 clip on 19 hits, three doubles, one triple and one home run.
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