No. 20 A&M-Victoria baseball picked 2nd in RRAC Preseason Poll, opening season at Texas Wesleyan

The No. 20-ranked Texas A&M University-Victoria baseball team is ready to get the season going.

On Tuesday, the Red River Athletic Conference announced its preseason coaches' poll and the Jaguars were picked to finish second behind the defending national champions and No. 1-ranked LSU Shreveport.

The preseason pick is the program's highest in the preseason conference poll and comes after the team finished second in the conference last year – the highest regular season finish since joining the RRAC in 2015. The Jaguars went 38-17 a year ago, setting the program's single-season wins record and reaching the NAIA Tournament for the second time in the last three years.

Now, A&M-Victoria has its sights set on the season-opening series at Texas Wesleyan this Thursday and Friday.

The Jaguars and Rams (27-24) have had close encounters each of the last three seasons with the two splitting a doubleheader in Fort Worth last February. Their first meeting with Jonathan Stavinoha as head coach came in an elimination game during the 2023 NAIA Opening Round in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A&M-Victoria walked away victorious with a 9-3 decision.

"Bobby Garza has done a really good job with the Rams," said Stavinoha, entering his fourth season. "Everything they stand for and the way they play the game, it's always a tough test because they get top end talent and then they play the game the right way. So, when you go to Fort Worth, it's always a test."

Stavinoha wants his pitching staff to set the tone on opening weekend.

Last year, the Jaguars ranked sixth nationally with a 3.93 ERA and posted nine shutouts.

2025 All-RRAC pitcher Jonathan Jones headlines the pitching staff after hurling a program-record 113 strikeouts with a 4.20 ERA over 94.1 innings pitched last season. Junior Jacob Baker, who was tied for the second-most saves (5) in the RRAC last year, is looking to replicate his successful summer where he was named the Texas Collegiate League Co-Pitcher of the Year after hurling a sub-1.00 ERA with the Acadiana Cane Cutters.

Veterans like Justin Mireles and Matthew Mejia and newcomer Constendinos Demetriou add strength and depth to the bullpen which gives Stavinoha confidence in all of his hurlers.

"It's nice when you can hand the ball to your pitchers and just say, 'Go do your thing,'" Stavinoha said. "They've proven it time and time again. I'm really excited to finally see them in action against someone other than ourselves."

Offensively, A&M-Victoria hit .309 as a team last season and the Jaguars want to replicate or better that mark in 2026.

Jackson Purcell returns after hitting .300 last season with three home runs – two of which were go-ahead bombs. The Jaguars added strong bats in Antonio Benitez (.367 career avg. at Peru State College) and Garrett Smith (.313 last year at Hill College).

The key offensively, in Stavinoha's eyes, is to continue to be detail-oriented at the plate.

"I want them to get comfortable in the box and really start being able to execute and do the little things right," Stavinoha said. "In the end, that's what's going to win baseball games – not striking out, putting the ball in play, never giving in and making it tough on the pitcher. If we can do that, we're set up for success offensively."

Thursday's doubleheader starts at 12 p.m. with the series concluding at 11 a.m. Friday (the game time was moved up an hour due to inclement weather).