CANYON, Texas – The No. 16 West Texas A&M baseball team returns to conference play this week as it travels to Cameron for a four game series beginning Thursday at 3 p.m. in Lawton, Okla.  The teams are scheduled for a doubleheader Friday at 3 p.m. and a single game Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Buffs are 26-8 on the year and lead the Lone Star Conference at 7-1 while Cameron is 23-14 overall and 4-6 in league play.    The Buffs are coming off a disappointing 1-3 week with a 2-1 loss at Lubbock Christian and dropped the first three-game series of the season at home to Arkansas-Fort Smith as the Lions won two of three.  Cameron won three of four at UT Permian Basin last week.

Fans can access live stats and audio/video streaming of the games on www.gobuffsgo.com on the baseball schedule page.

WT dropped in the rankings this week as the Buffs are 16^th in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25 (NCBWA), while ranking 18^th in D2Baseball.com, 18^th in the Perfect Game Top 25 rankings and 20^th in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.  WT is third this week in the NCBWA South Central Region Top 10 garnering three first place votes and 73 points.  Lubbock Christian is the top-ranked team in the poll this week with 79 points and three first place nods, while Angelo State is second with 74 points and one first place vote.  Cameron is receiving votes in the NCBWA South Central Region Top 10 this week.

Against LCU, the Buffs dropped their second one-run game to the Chaps this season as LCU scored an early run for a 1-0 lead.  WT evened the game in the top of the eighth with a RBI single from senior Chad Brown, but LCU used a two out single and a RBI single putting across the go ahead run.  WT had the game-tying run thrown out at home to end the game in the ninth as it marked the second inning in a row WT had a runner thrown out at home. 

The Buffs then returned home to host a non-conference series against Arkansas-Fort Smith.  WT downed the Lions 5-1 in the opener as senior Marshall Kasowski threw another gem of a game, going all seven innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, walked one and fanned 15.  The 15 K's gives him 111 for the season to lead the nation.  It was his seventh game of throwing double-digit strikeouts and third-straight, as he earned LSC Pitcher of the Week honors for the fourth time this season.  UAFS scored five runs in the middle three innings of the nightcap erasing a 2-0 lead by WT en route to a 5-4 win as the Buffs stranded ten base runners in the game in the loss.  UAFS then won 11-4 in the finale as the Buffs stranded 26 on base for the series, while hitting .333 and holding UAFS to .239 hitting.  For the week, WT stranded 30 and hit .299, while the opposition hit just .236.   Junior Nick Canas led the team for the week going 7 of 14 from the dish with two doubles, four runs scored and two RBI against the Lions. 

For the season, the Buffs are hitting .331 on the year, ranking 13^th nationally and second in the Lone Star Conference.  WT has scored 259 runs ranking 45^th nationally and third in the league, while recording 361 hits (2^nd LSC, 51^st nationally).  The Buffs are fourth nationally in doubles with 91, while ranking third in the LSC and 32^nd nationally in triples with 12.  WT has hit 24 home runs on the year, which is third in the LSC, while driving in 234.  The team is slugging .502, ranking 23^rd nationally and second in the league and reaching base at a .411 clip, which is 23^rd nationally and third in the league.  The Buffs are 29 of 43 in stolen bases and have 34 errors on the year leading to a .969 fielding percentage, which ranks first in the LSC and 32^nd nationally. 

Individually, Canas leads the team with a .407 average ranking fourth in the LSC.  He is a team-best 48 of 118 from the dish with 29 runs scored, 11 doubles, four triples, two home runs and drove in 24.  His four triples ranks 22^nd nationally and second in the league.  Second on the team in average is junior Jimmy Cubilllos at a .390 clip.  He is 41 of 105 with a team-high 37 runs scored (4^th LSC), seven doubles, two triples, one home run and 16 RBI. Cubillos ranks 15^th nationally in toughest to strikeout as he has fanned just five times on the year to lead the LSC.  Junior Luis Amaro is third in average at .349 on 38 of 109 with 14 runs scored, 11 doubles, two home runs and a team-high 38 RBI ranking second in the LSC.  Senior Troy LaBrie ranks third nationally in doubles with 17 and leads the team with four home runs as he is hitting .322 on the year with 38 hits, 21 runs scored and 27 RBI. 

On the mound, the Buffs boast a 2.90 ERA raking seventh nationally and first in the league.  WT has 10 saves on the year with six shutouts ranking fifth nationally.  The Buffs have pitched 270 innings, allowing 225 hits, 108 runs – 87 earned, walked 102 and fanned 361 as the team leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (12.0) and fourth in strikeout to walk ratio (3.50).  WT is second in the LSC in walks allowed per nine innings at a 3.43 clip. While ranking 11^th nationally in WHIP (1.21) and seventh nationally in hits allowed at just 7.47 per game.

Kasowski leads the team with a 1.63 ERA, which is first in the LSC and 22^nd nationally.  He is 7-2 on the year in 11 appearances with nine starts.  Kasowski leads the team with three complete games ranking first in the LSC and 36^th nationally, along with two shutouts and one save.  He has pitched a team-high 55.1 innings, allowing 24 hits, 12 runs – 10 earned, walked 30 and fanned 111.  Teams are hitting .128 against him.  He is averaging 18.05 strikeouts per nine innings to lead the nation along with his 111 K's, which also lead the nation.  He is 13^th nationally in wins to lead the LSC and leads the LSC in WHIP at a 0.98 clip ranking 25^th nationally.  Senior Joshua Payne is second on the team in wins at 6-2.  He has a 2.14 ERA ranking 49^th nationally and second in the LSC.  He has started eight games with one complete game, two shutouts and pitched 46.1 innings.  Payne has allowed 33 hits, 15 runs – 11 earned, walked 13 and fanned 67 as his 67 K's ranks second in the LSC and 27^th nationally.  He is 45^th nationally and second in the LSC in strikeout to walk ratio at a 5.15 clip.  Payne ranks third in the LSC and 16^th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings at a 13.01 average.  Sophomore Dominic Yearego is 5-0 in 11 appearances, while senior Justin McAllister leads the team with seven saves ranking second in the LSC and 14^th nationally.  McAllister is 1-2 with a 3.55 ERA in 14 appearances with one start.  He is third on the team in strikeouts and innings pitched with 41 and 33, respectively. 

The Aggies return home after the 3-1 week at UTPB last week and are 14-6 at McCord Field this season.  Cameron is hitting .313 on the year with 352 hits in 1126 at bats, while scoring 250 runs.  The Aggies have 70 doubles ranking third in the LSC, along with 14 triples (second in LSC and 18^th nationally) and 20 home runs, while driving in 220.  Cameron is 36 of 53 in stolen bases on the year. 

Individually, Micah Kaaukai leads the team hitting .412 on the year ranking 55^th nationally and third in the LSC.  He is 47 of 114 from the dish with 34 runs scored, five doubles, two triples and two home runs, while driving in 26.  Kaaukai is 13^th nationally in on-base percentage and second in the league at a .535 clip.  He is a team-high 12 of 16 in stolen bases as his 12 thefts ranks third in the league.  Cody Brewer is second in average at a .378 clip on a team-high 51 of 135.  He has scored 32 runs with a team-high nine doubles, five triples, five home runs, while driving in a team-best 38.  Brewer ranks second in the league in hits with 51, second in RBI (38) and second in total bases with 85.  He leads the LSC and eighth nationally in triples with five. 

On the bump, the Aggies have a 5.96 ERA in 37 games with three complete games, one shutout and seven saves in 284 innings.  The Aggies have allowed 316 hits, 219 runs – 188 earned, walked 144 and fanned 225.  Teams are hitting .285 against the Aggies.  Tyler Abrego leads the team with a 4.21 ERA as does Gaige Vines.  Abrego is 3-0 in 16 appearances with two saves and one start.  He is tied for fourth on the team in innings pitched at 36.1, while ranking fourth in strikeouts with 28.  Vines is 3-4 overall in eight appearances with six starts in 36.1 innings.  Andrew Garza leads the team with 38.2 innings pitched, while Oswaldo Godina has team-high 32 strikeouts on the year.  Javarias Banks leads the team with three saves.

WT head coach Matt Vanderburg is in his ninth year at the helm of the Buffs.  He is 267-181 at WT and 150-129 in Lone Star Conference play, while going 366-248 overall in 12 years of coaching.  Vanderburg is 25-16 against Cameron during his time at WT.  Cameron head coach Brady Huston is in his second season at the helm of the Aggies and third overall as he was the team's top assistant coach in 2015.  Huston is 54-35 there and 2-6 against WT.

The Buffs lead the all-time series with Cameron 38-33, and have won 11 of the last 13 games in the series dating back to 2015.  WT is 11-16 all-time in Lawton as it won three of four games there last season. WT won the last meeting in the series in the LSC Baseball Championship in San Angelo, Texas, last May 8-7 in 10 innings and has won four of five.