CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M baseball team continues at home this week as it hosts Adams State for four games, beginning Friday at 3 p.m. at Wilder Park.  The teams then will play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m., and conclude the series Sunday at 12 p.m.
 
Fans can access live stats and audio/video streaming for all of the games at www.gobuffsgo.com on the baseball schedule page.

The Buffs enter the week with a 5-1 record after a sweep of New Mexico Highlands last weekend in the 2018 home-opening series.  Adams State is 0-2 on the year and has had three games cancelled this season due to inclement weather, including one against WT the first weekend of the season.
 
WT dominated the Cowboys in two of the three games last week, outscoring New Mexico Highlands 27-7 for the series as it hit .366 on 37 of 101.  WT recorded eight extra-base hits with six doubles, one triple and one home run, while driving in 20.  The Buffs drew 17 walks, but struck out 23 times, while slugging .475 and reaching base at a .471 clip.  WT went 5 of 6 in stolen bases and committed three errors leading to three unearned runs. 
 
Junior Blake Weaver went 5 for 8 with two runs scored and one RBI, while going 2 for 2 in stolen bases and a .625 average.  Four Buffs had four hits each in the series as senior Luis Amaro scored four times, while junior Henry Hausman tallied a team-high three RBI. 
 
On the mound, the Buffs held NMHU to just .110 from the dish on 9 of 82, while allowing two doubles and five RBI.  The Cowboys slugged just .134 and reached base at a .291 clip with 19 walks and two hit batsmen, but WT fanned NMHU 33 times.  NMHU committed seven errors leading to six unearned runs for the Buffs. 
 
Junior Joe Corbett pitched a gem as he went 7.2 innings of one-hit baseball, allowing one earned run, walking one and fanning ten for a 1.17 ERA.  Junior Darin Cook earned the win in relief of the opener, pitching three innings, not allowing a hit, walking three and striking out three.  The Buffs scored four runs over the final three innings and plated the winning run in walk-off fashion on a wild pitch in the eighth inning.  Along with Corbett and Cook, junior Braden Baker also earned a win in relief, going 4.2 innings, allowing two hits and fanning eight. 
 
The staff carded a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings, allowing nine hits, seven runs – four earned, walked 19 and fanned 33.  NMHU went 1 for 1 in stolen bases for the series.  WT improved to 29-14 all-time against NMHU and now has won ten-straight in the series. 
 
WT faced Adams State the first week of the season in Pueblo, Colo., defeating the Grizzlies 7-4, on Feb. 3.  In the game, the Buffs tallied seven runs on 13 hits and now errors, while Adams State had four runs on nine hits and five errors. Corbett earned the win as he went six innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs, walked one and fanned seven.  Junior Christian Loya went 3 for 5 with two runs scored in the game, while senior Nick Canas went 2 for 3 with three RBI.  Loya had two doubles and a triple, while Canas belted a double in the game.  Senior Brandon Marrero went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and a RBI on his first home run at WT.  Junior Dominic Yearego picked up the save for the Buffs. 
 
For the Grizzlies, Tyson Zanski went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Dustin Kachel went 3 for 4 with a run scored.  Starter Adam Molina took the loss in 3.1 innings, allowing six hits, four earned runs, walked four and fanned three.  WT plated three runs in the first two innings and added two in the seventh and one in the eighth for the 7-4 win.  The game marked the first meeting between the two teams on the diamond.
 
This season, Canas leads the team with 10 hits in 21 at bats, while scoring three runs with three doubles and one triple.  He has driven in a team-high six and is slugging .714, while reaching base at a .552 clip.  He, along with junior Justice Nakagawa, have had at least one hit in every game, while Canas has four games with two hits to lead the team.
 
Nakagawa is second in hits with seven in 16 at bats, for a .438 average, while scoring four runs with two doubles, and a home run.  He has five RBI on the year and is second on the team in walks with seven.  Freshman Tommy Williams has had an impressive start to the season as he is 7 for 18 (.389) with three runs scored and two doubles, while driving in two.  In all, nine batters are hitting .300 or better on the year.
 
As a team, the Buffs are hitting .330 with 67 hits in 203 at bats, scoring 48 runs with 13 doubles, four triples, three home runs, while driving in 40.  The team is slugging .478 and reaching base at a .452 pace with 37 walks, 10 hit batsmen and fanned 41 times.  The Buffs have six errors on the year (.971) leading to 10 unearned runs.  WT has stranded 60 base runners this season (40 opp.) and has hit into ten double plays, while forcing four twin killings.  WT is 12 of 16 in stolen bases this season, while the opposition is 1 for 2.
 
Corbett leads the team with a 2-0 record in 13.2 innings of work as he has a 1.98 ERA, allowing six hits, three earned runs, walked two and fanned a team-high 17 as teams are hitting just .130 against him.   Senior Ryan Larison is 1-0 in two starts with a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings, allowing nine hits, four runs – one earned, walked five and fanned 11.  Cook is 1-1 on the year with a 4.50 ERA in eight innings of work.  He has allowed six hits, five runs – four earned, walked four and fanned seven.
 
As a staff, the Buffs have a 2.82 ERA in 51 innings, allowing 38 hits, 26 runs – 16 earned, walked 30 and fanned 58.  Teams are hitting just .202 against the Buffs this season.
 
The Buffs were picked second in the preseason Lone Star Conference Poll, released Tuesday by the league office.  The Buffs garnered four first-place votes and 122 points behind league-favorite Angelo State with 12, first-place nods and 133 points.  Texas A&M-Kingsville was picked third with  two first-place votes and 107 points.  Tarleton State was fourth with the remaining three top votes and 94 points, while Eastern New Mexico was fifth with 57 points, followed by Cameron (51) and UT Permian Basin was seventh with 24 points.
 
Wilder Park has been home to the Buffs since 2011 and WT is 3-0 there this season.  The Buffs are 136-52 (.723) in the friendly confines and went 18-8 at home last season en route to the team's fourth-straight NCAA South Central Regional appearance. 
 
Head coach Matt Vanderburg is in his tenth season at the helm of the Buffs.  He guided WT to its second-straight Lone Star Conference Tournament title last season and is 282-192 (.595) and 381-259 (.595) overall in 13 seasons of coaching.  He is 1-0 against Adams State.
 
The Grizzlies are hitting .329 on the year with 25 hits in 76 at bats, scoring ten runs with four doubles and three home runs, while driving in ten.  The team is slugging .500, while reaching base at a .373 clip with four walks and 19 strikeouts.  The Grizzlies have committed eight errors (.906) leading to six unearned runs this season.
 
Nick Nintze leads the team with four hits in ten at bats with one run scored and one double, while driving in a team-high four.  He is slugging .444 and reaching base at a .333 clip.  Four other Grizzlies have three hits each as Zanski leads the team with three runs scored and two home runs.
 
On the mound, Devon Pilgrim is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA in two appearances for 3.2 innings, allowing seven hits, eight runs – three earned, walked one and fanned three, while Molina also is 0-1 in the loss to the Buffs.  Andrew Shaw started against Augustana (S.D.) in the home-opener last week for Adams State, going four innings, allowing two hits, walked three and fanned two not factoring into the decision.  The Vikings hit just .143 against him. 
 
The staff has a 7.00 ERA in 18 innings, allowing 27 hits, 20 runs – 14 earned, walked 10 and fanned 14 as teams are hitting .346 against it. 
 
Head coach Jim Capra is in his sixth season at the helm of the Grizzlies as he is 80-168.  Adams State was picked ninth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason poll and was 13-33 last season and 7-25 in the RMAC.  The Grizzlies have ten seniors for 2018 and return sophomore Erik Hildebrandt who finished eighth in the RMAC in batting average last season and was second in fewest strikeouts. 
 
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