TYLER, TEXAS - #25 UT Tyler will look to use consecutive games of scoring 15 and 16 runs to build in a positive direction in this weekend's make-up series with Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
The Patriots and Javelinas were originally scheduled to meet at Irwin Field back on Feb. 19-21, but the series was pushed back to this weekend's Easter weekend due to the winter storm that blanketed the state of Texas in ice and snow throughout that week. UT Tyler and the Javelinas will now meet sitting in third and fourth place in the Lone Star Conference, both clubs which will enter the weekend on a positive note as the Patriots defeated UT Permian Basin by 15-5 and 16-11 final scores in their most recent outings and the Javelinas defeating no. 1 ranked Angelo State, 6-2, in their last outing.
 
This weekend's series is set for night games on Thursday and Friday night at 7 p.m. and 6 p.m. followed by a Saturday series finale at 1 p.m.
 
COMING IN HOT
 
UT Tyler responded to an ugly 15-5 loss in the series opener to UT Permian Basin on Friday night with 15-5 and 16-11 wins over the Falcons on Saturday and Sunday to claim the club's fifth Lone Star Conference series win of the season. The Patriots flexed their muscles at the plate in the final two wins to secure the series victory, totaling seven doubles and four homers while hitting .333 as a team in Saturday and Sunday's games alone.
 
Ethan Bedgood drove in seven runs to lead the way for the Patriots while Kyle McShaffry went 5-for-10 from the plate with five RBI himself. UT Tyler drove in a total of 27 runs in the final two wins of the series, and will look to continue that success into this weekend's Easter series against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
GOTTA HAVE 'EM
 
UT Tyler and Texas A&M-Kingsville have steadily held firm in their third and fourth place positioning in the Lone Star Conference standings throughout the 2021 season up to this point. UT Tyler enters the weekend with a 15-6 record in league play, three games clear of the Javelinas, who sport a 12-6 record.
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville has played one less conference series than the Patriots, but three wins this weekend in favor of UT Tyler would pad a significant gap between UT Tyler and the fourth-place team in the conference standings. The Patriots still trail Angelo State and West Texas A&M in the league standings, but with the Rams and Buffs scheduled to meet in a series between the LSC's top two teams in the standings next weekend, a series win for UT Tyler this weekend would put head coach Brent Porche's team in potential position to catch either Angelo State or West Texas A&M barring the results of that series.
 
A TRIO AT THE HEART OF IT ALL
 
Riley Jepson, Jordan Gochenour and Kyle McShaffry have stood strong throughout the 2021 season in the heart of the Patriot lineup, and have emerged as three of the most feared hitters in the Lone Star Conference. The three enter the weekend as the only three Patriots with batting averages north of .300 for the year.
 
Jepson (.349) and Gochenour (.341) are tied for the team lead with five homers on the year and rank first and second on the team with 26 and 20 RBI. McShaffry (.333) has risen to the occasion mostly with runners in scoring position and late in ball games, and has recorded four homers himself.
 
The talented trio has received support at various times throughout the year from both Ethan Bedgood and Lukas Polanco, who have provided complimentary power and timely hitting in support of the Jepson, Gochenour and McShaffry trio. Polanco has hit four homers, including three in the past two weekends, while Bedgood has shown flashes of being the next standout Patriot power hitter in his first season of collegiate baseball, totaling 16 RBI on the year.
 
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
 
UT Tyler and Texas A&M-Kingsville will meet for the first time in both program's histories this weekend as last season's series in the Patriot's first season competing in a Lone Star Conference schedule was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Javelinas won 30 or more games in four consecutive seasons prior to last year's shortened season, and have qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament five times under the direction of head coach Jason Gonzales.
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville has historically put together a balanced club at the plate and on the mound, and this year's version of the Javelinas is no different. The Javelinas rank sixth in the LSC with an average of .276 and fourth in the LSC with an ERA of 4.74 on the year.
 
Seth Spinn has returned in 2021 as one of the league's most effective top of the lineup guys and enters the weekend ranked 10^th in the LSC with a batting average of .368. Kolby Lunsford is the club's best starting option, producing a 2.78 ERA through his five starts on the year.