No. 10 A&M-Victoria baseball back home for bouts with St. Thomas, Texas College
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
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2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | X | 12 | 10 | 0 |
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
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3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 10 | 16 | 1 |
The Texas A&M University-Victoria baseball team wanted to be in this position when the season started.
The No. 10-ranked Jaguars (28-11, 17-4) enter the final two weeks of the regular season in the driver's seat of the Red River Athletic Conference title race. A&M-Victoria and No. 4 LSU Shreveport are currently tied for first place with the Jaguars holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
A&M-Victoria can take one step closer to its first-ever baseball regular season championship this week.
The Jaguars open a four-game homestand with a Tuesday non-conference showdown against NCAA Division III University of St. Thomas (TX) at 6:30 p.m. before returning to conference play against Texas College Friday (4:30 p.m. doubleheader) and Saturday (12 p.m.).
Pitching dominance
A&M-Victoria continues to boast one of the nation's best pitching staffs, ranking 18th in the NAIA in ERA (4.21).
Blane Zeplin has led the charge from the Jaguars' starting rotation, hurling 83 strikeouts this season – a mark which is one strikeout from the NAIA leader.
Zeplin and Jonathan Jones share the NAIA lead in wins with eight. Among the nine players across the country tied with eight wins, Zeplin boasts the lowest ERA at 2.53.
Ready to bounce back
A&M-Victoria is ready to bounce back from its first series loss of the season after dropping two games to LSU Alexandria on the road last week.
Despite the losses, the Jaguars showcased their fight by having the tying or go-ahead runs reach base in the final inning of the two losses.
A&M-Victoria scattered 28 hits across the three games with the Generals. Meanwhile, the Jaguars' pitching staff combined to strike out 17 batters in the three-game series.
The Jaguars' 11 runs in the 11-3 win in Game 2 marked the 11th time this season the team has scored double-digit runs.
A&M-Victoria saw Zion Hankins and Xavier Ortega pick up home runs in that game, including a grand slam from Hankins. The Jaguars had six players record an RBI during the series.
Senior Day
After Saturday's game with Texas College, A&M-Victoria will recognize its 11 seniors.
The Senior Day ceremony will recognize Jones, Zeplin, Josiah Taylor, Connor Kaiser, Justin Mireles, Matthew Mejia, Roberto Olguin, Jose Montanez, Brayton Cardwell, Camden Farmer and Quinn Garcia.
Scouting the opponents
St. Thomas comes into Tuesday's midweek matchup with a 12-19 mark overall and an 11-13 record in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Celts have won four of their last six games after earning a series win against LeTourneau University.
A&M-Victoria owns a 4-2 edge in the all-time series after winning the last meeting, 8-0, a year ago.
Texas College comes into the week with a 2-21 record and 2-19 mark in the RRAC. The Steers are vying for the eighth and final RRAC Tournament spot heading into the final two weeks of the season.
The Jaguars own a 32-10 edge all-time against Texas College.
Follow along
Fans who can't make it to the games this week can either watch the games live on the A&M-Victoria Athletics YouTube channel or follow along with the live stats on TAMUVAthletics.com.