KINGSVILLE, Texas- On Wednesday, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team will visit Laredo, Texas, for nine nonleague innings against the Texas A&M International Dustdevils, before hosting the UT Tyler Patriots in a four-game Lone Star Conference series at Nolan Ryan Field, with game one set for Friday at 2 p.m. A Saturday doubleheader will feature games two and three on Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m., before the finale, Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
First, the Javelinas (5-3, 5-3 LSC) take on the Dustdevils 4-4, 4-4 LSC) in a 2 p.m. matchup at Jorge Haynes Field that won't count toward the teams' LSC record. 
 
TAMIU enters the matchup after dropping their series against UTT, earning a single win in Tyler, Texas. The Dustdevils pitching has looked solid early in the season, with three members of coach Philip Middleton's staff maintaining an ERA under 3.00. Among the quintet is Joseph Garza-Delapena, who allowed two hits in four innings of work against UTPB, and Ian Cabrera, who's 2-0 on the year, punching out 11 of the 40 batters he's faced.
 
At the plate, Antonio Buentello paces TAMIU hitting .455 and smashing two home runs in 11 plate appearances, while Matt Kissamis has posted eight RBIs. Additionally, Kissamis was crowned the first LSC Hitter of the Week after hitting .583 in the Dustdevils opening series against UTPB.
 
After taking three games against TAMIU, the Patriots (5-3, 5-3 LSC) enter a weekend series against TAMUK, with both teams looking to cement themselves as an early challenger for the conference title.
 
UTT's Ethan Bodgood has been dominant at the plate thus far, smashing two home runs and logging seven RBIs at a .739 slugging percentage. Additionally, the Patriots hold a 3.90 ERA as a staff, striking out 63 in 60.0 innings. The team leader in Ks is Hayden Collins, who's punched out 12 in a pair of starts while walking four. 
 
The Pack carries momentum into this week's matchups after earning their first series win of the 2022 campaign, besting the UTPB Falcons in three out of four contests. 
 
Last Friday, they claimed victory in a 22-13 slugfest with eight different Javelinas plating runs, including senior Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas), who kicked off the onslaught with a solo shot to left field in the top of the first. 
 
Game two against UTPB saw the Falcons only win of the weekend as they bested TAMUK 6-4, despite a four-run fifth inning in which sophomore Garrett Thompson (New Braunfels, Texas) classmate Nick Wolff (Klein, Texas) and sophomore Jake Chapman (Boerne, Texas) all plated runs. 
 
In the third game, the Javelina offense once again put on a clinic with a seven-run seventh powering TAMUK to a 20-4 victory. Additionally, the reigning LSC Newcomer of the Year, Logan Garza (Round Rock, Texas), made his season debut, as the sophomore picked up a win after striking out three and allowing three hits in five innings of action. 
 
The finale saw a three-run top of the ninth force extra innings in Odessa as a Wolff double scored Servin, Chapman, and freshman Ramsey Amador (Edinburg, Texas), knotting things up at three apiece. In the tenth, freshman Kyle Perales (Hildago, Texas) scored on a Servin single, handing the Blue and Gold their first lead of the day before Servin crossed the plate himself on a fielding error, allowing TAMUK to win 5-3.
 
The Javs hold a team ERA of 5.63 heading into this week's competition as sophomore Colton Taylor (Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada) and junior Matthew Sesler (Harlingen, Texas) have yet to allow any runs on the season, with Taylor tossing 12 strikeouts in eight innings, while only one hit has been recorded against Sesler in 4.2 innings. 
 
 
Be sure to check Javelinaathletics.com for updates throughout the weekend, including a recap at the conclusion of each day. Watch your Javelinas live on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy. Stay up-to-date with everything Javelina baseball at JavelinaAthletics.com, follow the program on Twitter @JavelinaBSB, and see recent news on Facebook at /JavelinaBSB.
 
 
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