RV UT Tyler vs. Texas A&M International
UTT: 10-6, 10-6 LSC | TAMIU: 6-12, 6-12 LSC
Friday Mar. 3 - Sunday Mar. 5
Laredo, Texas | Jorge Haynes Field |
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SCHEDULE |
ROSTER |
STATS |
LAST TIME OUT
The Patriots held a critical home series last weekend as #2 Angelo State came to town for a four game series. UT Tyler came away with a bigtime series split as they held the Rams offense at bay for three of the four games. In game number one, the two teams battled it out for 13 innings before
Austin Ochoa called game with a walk off home run to left field as the leadoff hitter in that 13
th inning. The Rams bounced back in game two, but in game three,
Miles Clack in his first start as a Patriot delivered a one run complete game to allow UT Tyler to get the win. The Rams offense would finally arrive in game four, and they pulled away late to get the split.
NATIONAL ATTENTION
On Tuesday, the week three NCBWA Top 25 poll released, and UT Tyler was officially in the receiving votes category for only the second time of the Division II era and the first time this season. The Patriots were one of four South Central Region teams who were associated with the poll, including Angelo State, MSU Denver, St. Edward's, and Colorado Mesa.
The Patriots also vaulted their way up to fourth in the latest edition of the NCBWA South Central Region Rankings, sitting behind Angelo State, MSU Denver, and St. Edward's.
WHAT COACH PORCHE IS SAYING
On the 2-2 split with Angelo State:
"In hindsight looking back it was a good weekend. Anytime you can win two games against one of the best teams in the country that's a good thing. Two guys stepped up from our starting pitching and really did a great job."
On proving that they can hang with the best teams in the country: "I think our guys had a lot of confidence going into the weekend. I thought they did a really good job and they never felt like they were out of the ballgame. We've got a mature group of guys that have confidence in what we do as a team. I think we have the formula for what it takes to win at a high level in this conference."
On the early season success at home: "We love playing at home. The guy's love sleeping in their own beds. The crowds were great this weekend at the ballpark and we got plenty of support. Anytime we play here we feel pretty good about our chances."
THE SCOUTING REPORT
The Dustdevils roll into this weekend's action with a 6-12 record but are winners of five of their last nine games. They most recently took a tight 7-6 victory over Texas A&M Kingsville in a midweek non-conference game.
As a team, the Dustdevils are the ninth ranked offense in the LSC, coming in hitting .278 as a team. Their pitching staff is 12
th in the LSC, with an ERA of 8.56 through their first 18 games.
Individually, the Dustdevils are led on offense by Joseph Cruz, who is hitting .356 in his 59 at-bats with a pair of doubles and nine RBI. Cruz has drawn 15 walks and has struck out just six times.
On the mound, Jan Cabrera leads the way with a 4.03 ERA in his four starts this season. He has a record of 2-1 over 22.1 innings pitched and has allowed 10 earned runs while striking out 26 and issuing just two walks.
Philip Middleton runs the program for Texas A&M International and is in the midst of his third season. Prior to his time with the Dustdevils, Middleton served as an assistant coach for Texas A&M-Kingsville.
NEXT UP
Following this weekend's action, the Patriots will head back to Tyler to host Texas A&M-Kingsville in a four game set at Irwin Field. That series will begin on March 10 with a. 7 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's doubleheader will start at 3 p.m., and the series finale on March 12 will start at 1 p.m.
