KINGSVILLE, Texas- The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team is set to face UT Tyler in a best-of-three opening-round series at Irwin Field at the UT Tyler Ballpark in Tyler, Texas, with the victor advancing to the next portion of the 2023 LSC Baseball Championships. Game one will start at 7 p.m. on Friday, with game two slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday. If necessary, a rubber-match finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday. 
 
The No. 6 Seed Javelinas (26-24, 25-23 LSC) will take on the No. 3 Seed Patriots (35-15, 34-14 LSC) in a matchup that figures to have implications on the NCAA postseason with UTT slotted fourth in the most recent set of South Central Regional Rankings and TAMUK eighth. The Patriots are also among the top programs in the nation, with the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association ranking them 23rd and the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper slotting them 26th.
 
The squads previously met in March, with UTT winning thrice at their home ballpark in a series that saw junior Nick Wolff maintain a .583 batting average with a home run and four RBIs. Additionally, senior Steven Bonuz and junior Shelby Becker drove in multiple runs against UTT, while freshman Marco Martinez and junior Kobe Jaramillo turned in solid performances on the bump. 
 
Martinez threw 7. 2 innings out of the bullpen, keeping a 3.52 ERA and fanning six, with Jaramillo logging a quality start that featured four hitless frames and 11 strikeouts. 
 
The Javelinas are coming off an idle week, last splitting a road series against Texas A&M-International, while UTT hosted UAFS, picking up three wins and outscoring the Lions 38-25. 
 
The Patriots bring plenty of firepower to the plate as they hold the league's best batting average of .348, a figure that sits third nationally. They also top the conference in walks with 254, in doubles with 120, and in runs, averaging 9.7 per game. 
 
 Ethan Bedgood paces the squad with a .401 batting average and 130 total bases, while Austin Ochoa has logged 59 RBIs on the year. Kaston Martinez ties Ochoa for the team lead in home runs, each boasting 13, with Bedgood not far behind at 10. 
 
On the bump, the Patriot pitching staff holds a 6.53 ERA, with Miles Clack, Nolan Cox, Dylan Bloomquist, and Brayden Freeman making up the regular-season rotation. Clack tops the team with a 6-1 record over 14 appearances and 10 starts, as Nolan Cox and Dylan Bloomquist have each picked up five wins. 
 
Garrett Arredondo and Logan Henderson figure to play a significant role in the series, with Arredondo boasting a stellar 0.83 ERA across 21 appearances and 32.2 IP, while Henderson holds a 2.60 ERA with two wins and two saves. 
 
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