KINGSVILLE, Texas- The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team will conclude its regular season with a four-game Lone Star Conference series at Jorge Haynes Field in Laredo, Texas, as the Javelinas are set to face Texas A&M-International in the opener on Friday at 2 p.m. The squads will then battle it out in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, ahead of the finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
The Javelinas (24-22, 23-21 LSC) will face the Dustdevils (17-25, 16-24 LSC) as the 2023 LSC Baseball Tournament nears. TAMUK ranks sixth on the conference leaderboard, while TAMIU is looking to battle its way into the field, ranking ninth. 
 
The top eight squads make the postseason tournament with the four-highest seeds hosting a best-of-three opening round series, ahead of a double-elimination tournament at the site of the highest remaining team. 
 
Last time out, the Javelinas dropped a series against No. 2/1 Angelo State, picking up their lone victory in dramatic fashion as junior Michael Cervantes walked it off in the bottom of the ninth. 
 
Classmate Jacob Rosales paced the Pack at the plate, hitting .364 against the Rams with four RBIs, a home run, and two doubles en route to a 1.585 OPS. Additionally, sophomore Karson Shepard was unlucky not to receive a decision after throwing 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball in game one of the Saturday doubleheader.
 
The Dustdevils, meanwhile, had a week off, last playing ASU and having similar results with one victory over the top-ranked Rams. Jan Cabrera picked up his team-high sixth win of the season while tossing his third complete game of the year. Lalo Salinas joins him in going the distance three times, compiling a 3-4 record, with Cody Templeton rounding out the group of regular starters at 2-6. Danny Dial and Joseph Garza-Delapena could figure into the rotation, each taking the hill to start four contests. Additionally, Caleb Stmiska has shined out of the pen, with a 2.89 ERA and four saves over 12 appearances.
 
Matt Kissamis has led the way for TAMIU at the plate with a .340 batting average and four home runs, with Joseph Cruz not far behind, hitting .327.
 
The two teams met previously, splitting two nonconference contests. The Javelinas first took down the Dustdevils 8-7, with junior Cole Payne picking up the win and Adrian Talavera the loss. Redshirt junior Ivan Duarte abruptly halted the contest, using a bottom-of-the-ninth walk-off home run to secure the Blue and Gold victory.
 
TAMIU then claimed the second contest 7-6, despite Duarte and Cervantes posting a multi-hit game with five members of the squad plating runs.
 
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