DATES: Mar. 5 | Mar. 6 | Mar. 7
TIMES: 7:00 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m.
OPPONENTS: #17 West Texas A&M
LOCATION: Tyler, Texas | Irwin Field
PATRIOT'S RECORD: 7-2 (7-2 LSC)
BUFF'S RECORD 10-2 (7-1 LSC)
LIVE VIDEO LINK (PPV): https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/utt/
LIVE STATS LINK: https://uttylerpatriots.com/sidearmstats/baseball /summary
TYLER, TEXAS – #11 UT Tyler will look to extend their six-game win streak with their second series against a ranked opponent at Irwin Field of the 2021 season.
That opponent will be #17 West Texas A&M, who enters the weekend atop the Lone Star Conference standings with a league record of 7-2 up to this point. The Patriots have swept their last two series against Texas A&M International and St. Edward's, and will welcome a second consecutive nationally-ranked foe to Irwin Field after picking up a win against #1 Angelo State on opening weekend back on Feb. 5-7.
Jordan Gochenour was named the South Central Region Hitter of the Week after homering three times against St. Edward's last weekend, and will lead a Patriot offense that is clicking on all cylinders after totaling 32 runs in the three wins over St. Edward's.
The three-game series will get started tomorrow night at 7 p.m. and will finish with a 6 p.m. game on Saturday night and a 1 p.m. series finale on Sunday.
CLIMBING TO THE TOP
UT Tyler has looked every bit the part of a national contender in each of the last two series, stringing together six straight wins to rise to no. 11 in the latest NCBWA Division II Top 25 National Poll. The Patriots defeated St. Edward's by 11-10, 13-12 and 8-2 final tallies in their most recent action, and will look to get a few more wins over a nationally-ranked foe in West Texas A&M this weekend.
The Patriots hit .293 over the course of the three games against St. Edwards, hitting seven home runs as a team and posting 28 RBI. Gochenour led the way with three of those homers while
Riley Jepson continues to hit runners in at the heart of the Patriot lineup with eight RBI in the three games.
HISTORY WITH AND SCOUTING THE BUFFS
UT Tyler and West Texas A&M met in the final game of the 2020 season prior to the season being shutdown by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Patriots dominated that game back on Mar. 12 with a 7-0 victory at Irwin Field as Jepson and
Kyle McShaffry both homered in the game and
Austin Schneider through 6.0 shutout innings in the effort.
West Texas A&M has played all three of their conference series up to this point in the comfort of their home ballpark after their series against Eastern New Mexico was moved to Wilder Park in Canyon, Texas as New Mexico state health orders prohibited the Greyhounds from playing the series at their home field. The three conference opponents for the Buffs have combined for a 5-15 record up to this point in the season, marking this weekend as the first serious test for West Texas A&M.
The Buffs pitching staff ranks atop the Lone Star Conference with a staff ERA of 3.79. Projected Friday night starter Mathieu Gauthier has posted a record of 3-1 so far in 2021 to lead a Buff starting rotation that is 6-2 on the year.
Keone Givens will hit in the heart of the Buff batting order and posts a .395 batting average on the year. Cade Engle has been as reliable as they come in the leadoff spot for the Buffs, batting .333 and stealing a conference-high 10 bases for the year.
A DYNAMIC ONE-TWO PUNCH
A.J. Irvin and
Matthew McMillan have continued to serve as a strong backend lineup to the Patriots bullpen, giving up just three earned runs combined in their 8.1 innings of work as the setup and closer combination for the Patriots. Irvin has yet to give up a single earned run in 2021 in his three appearances while McMillan has showcased his traditional strong arm in his five appearances out of the bullpen.
QUALITY AT THE PLATE AND IN THE FIELD
Edward Ortiz has paired nicely with fellow middle infielder
Tanner Roach at second base this season, and has found ways to produce at the top of the lineup to go along with his reliable glove at second base. Ortiz ranks second on the team with a batting average of .333 and is tied for second on the team with three doubles.
THE LONG BALL
UT Tyler ranks second in the Lone Star Conference with 10 home runs after hitting seven as a unit in last week's series against St. Edward's. Gochenour and Jepson have each hit three on the year as Jepson has recorded a homerun in each of the first three series for UT Tyler in 2021.
