CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M baseball team returns to Lone Star Conference play this weekend with a key, three-game series at Wilder Park versus Angelo State.  The Buffs and Rams are set for a 7 p.m. first pitch Friday, followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Fans can access live stats and streaming links for the series by logging on to www.gobuffsgo.com and clicking on the baseball schedule page.
 
Entering the series, the Buffs lead ASU by one game in the conference standings for second place.  WT is two games behind league-leader Texas A&M-Kingsville with nine conference games remaining.  To win the Lone Star Conference regular season title outright and host the LSC Championship, the Buffs need to win three more games than TAMUK in the final nine conference games as the Javelinas won the season series with WT, 4-3. 
 
Following this weekend's action, the Buffs travel to Tarleton State next weekend and close out the regular season at home versus Cameron the first weekend in May.  Angelo State hosts Texas A&M-Kingsville and Eastern New Mexico following the WT series, while TAMUK is at Eastern New Mexico and Angelo State this week and next, while finishing the regular season at home against Tarleton State.
 
The Buffs and Rams split a four game series in San Angelo, Texas, earlier this season.  In the series, WT hit .240, while holding the high-powered ASU attack to just a .220 clip.  The Buffs tallied 30 hits in the series with six doubles, while driving in seven runs and scoring 11.  Conversely, ASU tallied 24 hits with three doubles, driving in nine runs and scoring 10.
 
On the mound, WT carried a 2.61 ERA in 31 innings, allowing 10 runs – nine earned, while walking seven and striking out 25.  ASU had a 1.91 ERA in 33 innings, allowing 11 runs with just seven earned, six walks and 30 strikeouts. 
 
Individually, junior Matt Cole led the way for the Buffs hitting .455 with one double and a run scored.  Senior Max Brennen went 4 of 13 with three RBI and two runs scored.  On the hill, senior Tyler Gibson went 7.2 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits, with three walks and five strikeouts earning the defeat in the opener against ASU's top pitcher Steve Naemark in a 1-0 loss.  That is the projected pitching matchup this Friday night, too.  Senior Paul Lujan earned a win and a save in the series, while senior Justin Disbro took the loss in the third game as the teams' alternated wins.
 
Angelo State leads the all-time series 34-16, but the Buffs have won 11 of the last 15 games dating back to Mar. 29, 2013.  Last season, WT went 6-2 against the Rams for the first season series win in WT history.  The Buffs also swept ASU in Canyon in four games for the first time in program history and WT ended the Rams' season with a 5-3 (10) victory in the conference tournament. 
 
WT head coach Matt Vanderburg is 15-18 against ASU and is 195-147 in his seventh season at WT.  Vanderburg is 294-214 in his 10^th season overall.
 
The Buffs won their ninth game on Tuesday by one run in a 6-5, come-from-behind victory over Lubbock Christian.  WT was down 5-0 and scored six runs over the final four innings for the win, including a walk-off RBI single from senior Justin Hargrove who was celebrating his birthday that day.  The Buffs improved to 9-9 on the year in one-run games.    It marked the first season series sweep of LCU in WT program history as the Buffs won 21-17 the previous Tuesday in Lubbock. 
 
WT junior Josh Day was named LSC Player of the Week and NCBWA Region Player of the Week for his efforts against LCU last week and at Eastern New Mexico.  The Albuquerque, N.M., native, had a career week has he went 11 of 20 from the plate with a team-high eight runs scored, two home runs and drove in 10 runs.  He hit .550, slugged .850 and reached base at a .571 clip.  Day tied the school-record for RBIs in a game with eight in the 21-17 victory at Lubbock Christian, while blasting two home runs in the contest. 
 
He became the third Buff to earn Player of the Week accolades this season and the fourth overall as Gibson has earned Pitcher of the Week honors twice.
 
Nationally speaking, and heading into the week (excluding game Tuesday versus LCU) the Buffs rank 10^th nationally in double plays with 38 and 22^nd in double plays per game at a 0.97 clip.  The Buffs have a 3.52 ERA ranking 23^rd nationally and are 33^rd nationally in hits allowed per nine innings at 8.76.  WT ranks 15^th in strikeout to walk ratio at 2.85, 24^th in triples (14), 18^th in WHIP (1.28) and 16^th in walks allowed per nine innings at 2.73.  Individually, Gibson ranks 56^th and second in the LSC in ERA at 2.10 to Naemark (0.65).  Gibson is 47^th in hits allowed per nine innings at 6.42), while ranking 41^st in strikeouts (4^th LSC) with 64.  Lujan ranks eighth nationally and first in the LSC in saves with nine.
 
For the season, Cole leads the team with a .331 average.  He is tied for the team-lead in hits with 46 and has nine doubles, (tied for team lead), two triples, one home run, 21 RBI and has scored 26 runs. March, who also leads the team in hits, is second in average at a .317 clip.  He has six doubles, three triples, while driving in 17 and scoring 27 runs.  Day leads the team with four triples, while senior Jacob Caples leads the team with four home runs.
 
As a team, WT is hitting .281 which is second in the LSC.  The Buffs have 357 hits which lead the LSC, including 67 doubles (3^rd LSC), 15 triples (1^st LSC), 14 home runs (4^th) and 203 RBI.  The Buffs have scored 222 runs on the year which leads the LSC.  The team is slugging .390 and reaching base at a .359 clip with 116 walks along with 47 hit batsmen.  WT has a .954 fielding percentage with 67 errors leading to 40 unearned runs.
 
On the mound, the Buffs are led by Lujan with a 0.43 ERA and a 3-1 record in 17 appearances.  He has pitched 21 innings, allowing 10 hits, with four runs allowed (one earned), five walks and 20 strikeouts.  Lujan leads the LSC with nine saves.  Gibson has a 2.10 ERA and is one of four pitchers leading the team with four wins.  He has pitched in a team-high 68.2 innings and leads the team with 64 strikeouts as teams are hitting .199 against him.  Junior Brooks Trujillo is second in innings pitched with 53 and is second in strikeouts with 39.
 
The team has a 3.48 ERA in 318.1 innings, allowing 312 hits, 163 runs – 123 earned, while walking 97 and fanning 276.  Teams are hitting .258 against the Buffs and the opposition has a 5.01 ERA.
 
For the Rams, they are hitting .297 for the season with 359 hits, including 72 doubles, four triples and 26 home runs.  ASU has driven in 184 and scored 215 runs.  Paxton DeLaGarza leads the team with a .375 average with a team-high 54 hits, 10 doubles, one triple and five home runs, while driving in 28 and scoring 26 runs.  J.C. Snyder is second in average at .360 with 49 hits, 16 doubles and five home runs along with 20 RBI.  Nehwon Norkaeh leads the team with 38 runs scored and six home runs.
 
Naemark leads the team on the bump with a 0.64 ERA and a 7-1 record in 12 appearances with 11 starts and one save.  He has pitched 70 innings, allowing 45 hits, 12 runs – five earned, walked 12 and fanned 86.  Bryce Zak is 4-5 with a 2.19 ERA in 11 appearances and nine starts, while Blake Bass is 7-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 11 starts and 64 innings.  Graylon Brown leads the team with eight saves, while Dillon Becker has five saves.
 
The team has a 2.93 ERA in 313 innings, allowing 282 hits (.239 opposing average), with 110 walks and 337 strikeouts, while allowing just 24 unearned runs for the year.
 
ASU was ranked in the top five earlier in the season, but went through a stretch of some losses during and after the WT series as the Rams began 16-2 entering the series with the Buffs, and have gone 11-10 since.  The Rams won 10-9 at No. 13 St. Mary's on Tuesday for a season sweep of the Rattlers after splitting a four game series at home with Tarleton State last weekend.