CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M baseball team returns home for the first time since Feb. 1 to host rival Eastern New Mexico this weekend at Wilder Park. The Buffs enter with a 9-7 record overall and a 1-3 mark in Lone Star Conference play. ENMU is 4-7 overall and 0-0 in conference play as its series with Tarleton State was cancelled last weekend due to inclement weather.
The series a part of White Out Cancer Weekend for both the Buffs and the Lady Buff softball team. T-shirts will be sold for $10 and there will be a tailgate Friday afternoon from 4-7 p.m. sponsored by Rabern Rentals.
Friday's game is set for a 7 p.m. first pitch, followed by a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 4 p.m. and a single game Sunday at 1 p.m. Links to live stats and streaming can be found at www.gobuffsgo.com on the baseball schedule page.
The Buffs are coming off of a 1-3 weekend at Texas A&M-Kingsville where WT really struggled offensively, hitting just .204 as a team for the weekend with 23 hits and just four extra-base hits. Despite the poor hitting, WT had a 2.79 ERA allowing just 12 runs for the weekend. WT fanned 22 and walked just eight. Junior Josh Day hit a team-best .455 with five hits, six runs scored, one double and one triple. Senior Ryan March also hit over .400 with a .417 clip with five hits and one RBI.
Senior Tyler Gibson (2-1) earned LSC Pitcher of the Week and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association South Central Region Pitcher of the Week honors as he went six innings allowing two hits, one earned run, with four walks and six strikeouts in the Buffs' 3-1 victory last Friday evening.
TAMUK won the opener 6-3, with WT winning the nightcap Friday 3-1. The Javelinas won both games on Saturday both by one run as WT fell to 3-5 on the year in one run games.
For the season, the Buffs are led by junior Matt Cole with a .347 average. He is tied for the team-lead with 17 hits, with four doubles, one triple and one home run. Cole has driven in nine and scored nine runs. Junior Jace Reese also has 17 hits on the year. He is second on the team in runs scored with 10 and has nine RBI. Junior Mason Shifflett leads the team with 12 RBI, while Day leads the team with 12 runs scored.
As a team, WT is hitting .261 for the season with 131 hits, 25 doubles, four triples and five home runs. The Buffs have driven in 78 and scored 84 runs. Conversely, the opposition is hitting .258 with 120 hits, 25 doubles, five triples and one home run. The opponents have 47 RBI and scored 57 runs.
On the bump, the Buffs are led by senior Justin Disbro and Gibson who each have 2-1 records. Gibson has pitched in a season-high 24.2 innings, with a team-best 25 strikeouts and a 4.01 ERA. Disbro has pitched 22.1 innings with five strikeouts and a 2.42 ERA, while junior Brooks Trujillo has pitched 24.1 innings with a 1.85 ERA and a 1-2 record.
As a staff, the Buffs have a 3.47 ERA in 16 games with five saves. WT has pitched 124.1 innings allowing 57 runs – 48 earned with 44 walks and 111 strikeouts. The opposition has a 4.15 ERA in 128 innings, allowing 84 runs – 59 earned, with 38 walks and fanned the Buffs 80 times.
Nationally speaking, the Buffs rank fourth in double plays with 19 to lead the LSC. They average 1.19 double plays per game which is 19th nationally. The 3.47 ERA is 48th nationally, while the 84 runs rank 56th. Individually, WT closer, Sean Michel ranks 29th in saves with four on the season.
ENMU enters with a 4-7 record and hasn't played since Feb. 21 where it dropped two of three to Lubbock Christian. The Greyhounds opened the season taking two of three from Adams State, before going 1-3 at New Mexico Highlands. University of the Southwest handed ENMU an 8-1 setback in Portales before the Lubbock Christian series.
The Greyhounds are led by Charles Sandberg, Jr., who leads the team with .413 average in 11 games. He has a team-high 19 hits with seven doubles, one triple and two home runs while driving in eight and scoring a team-high 15 runs. Blake Cooper is second in average at a .375 clip with 15 hits and a team-high three home runs. Justin Paul leads the team with 11 RBI.
As a team, the Greyhounds are hitting .306 with 114 hits. ENMU has scored 84 runs with 29 doubles, seven triples and 12 home runs. The Greyhounds are slugging .517 and reaching base at a .377 clip.
On the mound, Cody Pope leads the team with a 2-1 record and a 2.33 ERA in three starts. He has pitched a team-high 19.1 innings, allowing 10 runs – five earned, with five walks and he has fanned 24. No other Greyhound has pitched more than 10 innings. Zach Shank has a 2.35 ERA in three appearances and 7.2 innings. He has allowed two earned runs with three walks and fanned 10.
As a staff, ENMU has a 7.07 ERA in 85.1 innings. The Greyhounds have allowed 106 hits, 80 runs – 67 earned with 48 walks and 98 strikeouts as teams are hitting .299 against them.
ENMU leads the all-time series 50-45. WT went 5-3 against the Greyhounds last season, but went 1-2 in Canyon. The Buffs have won 6 of 8 in the series and 15 of 21 dating back to 2010. WT head coach Matt Vanderburg is 16-10 all-time against ENMU.
