No. 20 A&M-Victoria baseball travels to OLLU to open RRAC play
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 0 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 1 |
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
|
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 8 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final (9) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 0 |
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
The Texas A&M University-Victoria baseball team opens its push for a Red River Athletic Conference title this week.
The No. 20-ranked Jaguars (9-6) travel to San Antonio to square off with Our Lady of the Lake University at Mission Baseball Academy this Friday and Saturday. Friday's series opener is at 6 p.m. while Saturday will feature a 12 p.m. doubleheader.
A&M-Victoria is looking to bounce back after an 11-6 loss to NCAA Division I Prairie View A&M on Tuesday. The Jaguars scored four runs in the eighth inning to pull within two in a late comeback bid.
The Jaguars were picked to finish second in the RRAC in the preseason coaches' poll.
Hot bats
A&M-Victoria ranks third in the RRAC with a .306 team batting average thanks to seven guys hitting over .300.
Despite Tuesday's loss, Roberto Olguin continued his red-hot start to his senior season on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. The Robstown native has now hit safely in each of the last four games, boasting a .600 average with three RBIs over that time.
Antonio Benitez ranks fourth in the RRAC among qualifying hitters with a .442 average and third with 11 stolen bases through 15 games. The Carolina, Puerto Rico, native has had nine multi-hit games this season.
Freshmen Ty Boozer and Beck Zimmerman are having phenomenal starts to their collegiate careers, hitting .400 and .395, respectively.
Boozer made his mark in his first career start last week, delivering a go-ahead, two-run double in the fourth inning against Huston-Tillotson on Saturday.
Zimmerman has been consistent at the plate, reaching base in each of his first 14 games played. His .542 on-base percentage is second on the team.
Pitching setting the tone
A&M-Victoria's weekend rotation of Jonathan Jones, Blane Zeplin and Jacob Baker have been strong to start the season, helping the Jaguars rank third in the RRAC in strikeouts with 112.
Jones leads the league with 27 after a season-high nine in a 5-4 win over Huston-Tillotson on Saturday. The Manvel native has won each of his last three starts. He and Zeplin are tied for the league-lead in wins with three.
Baker threw a career-high eight strikeouts to seal a series sweep against HT in a 12-2 run-rule win on Sunday. The Cuero native didn't allow an earned run and walked just three of the 33 batters he faced.
Scouting OLLU
The Saints (8-5) are coming off an 8-4 loss to NCAA Division III Texas Lutheran on Tuesday and have lost four of their last five.
But OLLU owns a 30-20 edge in the all-time series after the two teams split last year's four-game season series. A&M-Victoria won the three-game conference series with wins of 14-1 and 12-2.
Follow along
Can't make it to San Antonio? Support the Jaguars by watching the LiveStream from OLLU or by following the live stats on the A&M-Victoria Athletics website.