Baseball 5/1/2014 2:05:00 PM

Texan Baseball Preview: Texas A&M-Kingsville

Christopher Patton will be one of 12 seniors honored during Senior Day on Saturday.

- LIVE STATS – Friday | Saturday Game 1 | Saturday Game 2

STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton State Texans will close out the 2014 regular-season campaign at home against No. 15-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville this Friday and Saturday, May 2-3, at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex in Stephenville.

The Texans enter Friday's contest with an overall mark of 24-21 and currently in third place in the Lone Star Conference standings with a record of 14-17. Tarleton is a half-game ahead of Angelo State (14-18) and one and a half games ahead of Eastern New Mexico (14-18). Meanwhile, the Javelinas come into the weekend with an overall record of 33-14 and 23-9 in league play.

A win over TAMUK this weekend would assure the Texans a spot in next week's LSC Baseball Championship, while just one win on the Javelinas side guarantees TAMUK hosting the event.

The Texans went 2-1 against then No. 16-ranked West Texas A&M, falling 11-5 to the Buffs in game one and then picking up wins in the final two games, 7-4 and 16-4.

TAMUK comes into the series having won four straight games, which includes a three-game sweep over ASU in Kingsville last weekend.

The first set of NCAA Division II South Central Regional rankings were released on Wednesday, with the Javelinas coming in at No. 3 and the Texans a few spots behind at No. 7. The top six teams in the region will earn a trip to the South Central Regional Tournament, which is scheduled to be played at a site yet determined, Thursday thru Sunday, May 15-18.

The Texans are currently third in the LSC in hitting with a team batting average of .296. TAMUK is right behind them in fourth at .295, but the Javelinas have the league's best earned run average at 2.90. Tarleton is third in pitching as well with a combined 3.92 ERA heading into the season's final series.

Jared Musgrove, who has tallied 39 hits on the season, is second in the league with a .394 batting average. The fifth-year senior has recorded six doubles, a pair of triples and scored 25 runs on the year. Alvaro Moreno is second on the team in hitting with a .355 batting average, which ranks eighth in the LSC. Moreno has 60 hits on the season, which have gone for nine doubles and three home runs. Moreno also leads the team with 30 runs batted in, while Rustin Thomas leads all players with seven dingers on the season.

Of the Texan starters, Colton Burleson leads the squad with a 2.97 ERA. Burleson is 4-5 on the season with 34 K's in 69 2/3 innings of work. Robert Baker and Jacob French are tied for the team lead with five wins on the year, while Baker's 46 strikeouts leads the team.

TAMUK's Derrick Walls – a transfer from Incarnate Word – leads the Javelinas at the plate with 60 hits and a .366 batting average. He tops the squad with a pair of triples and 41 runs scored as well. Taylor Taska is TAMUK's long ball threat and leads the team with seven homers on the year. He also leads TAMUK with 35 RBI on the year.

Hayden James leads the Javelinas with a 1.46 ERA in 14 appearances this season. Meanwhile, Denver Diefenbach's ERA of 2.76 ranks first among the Javelina starters. Dallas Ponder, who heads into the weekend 7-1 on the year, has a team-high 73 K's in 73.0 innings of work.

The Texans and Javelinas will play a single game at 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon and will then closeout the series with a doubleheader beginning at noon on Saturday. The game times for each day were altered earlier this week to accommodate for Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame Weekend.

Prior to game one on Saturday, the Texan coaching staff will honor 12 seniors from the squad as part of Texan Baseball Senior Day. The 12 seniors to be honored include: Musgrove, Christopher Patton, Luke Slentz, Thomas, Moreno, Garrett Kilgore, Jake Klauck, Robert Baker, Cameron Hooper, Garrett Kelly, Ross Wagliardo and Colten Boothe.

The players will be honored in a pregame ceremony prior to first pitch of game one on Saturday. Prior to game two on Saturday, Tommy Keeling, who will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday evening, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex.

Keeling is a former four-year letterwinner for the Texan Baseball program, where he played under the direction of legendary head coach Jack Allen from 1994-97. Keeling was a two-time team MVP selection, a three-time All-LSC First Team honoree and a two-time All-American while playing for the Texans.

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