STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Tarleton State Baseball (11-15) is set to play their first conference series of the season against Sacramento State (14-10) with a three-game stint in Stephenville.

The Texans will look to backpack off their historic 2024 season where they won the WAC championship during Coach Smith's first year at the helm of Tarleton Baseball.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Tarleton State leads Sacramento State in the all-time series, 5-3.
• The Texans are currently on a four-game win streak against the Hornets.
• This will be the first series between the two squads in Stephenville since 2021.
• The Purple and White took down the Hornets during their most recent matchup in the WAC playoffs, 12-6.
• Hunter Smith and Ike Shirey both tallied multiple hits in their last matchup against SSU. Smith also led the team in RBIs with three.

OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT:

• The Hornets just played their first WAC series against UT Arlington, winning the series 2-1.
• Sacramento State outscored the Mavericks 8-3 in the series opener, marking their third largest margin of victory this season.
• Luis Pimentel-Guerrero leads the team with a .351 batting average, followed by Jakob Poturnak with a .347.
• Evan Gibbons (probable starter for Friday) ranks second among the team in strikeouts with 28.
• The Hornets rank third among WAC teams with a 14-10 overall record.

TEAM COMPARISON:

• Sacramento State has only stolen 33 bases this season opposed to 58 from Tarleton State.
• The Texans post a .295 batting average while the Hornets hold a .266.
• SSU's bullpen has registered 205 strikeouts, 25 more than the Texans' 180.
• Each team has three batters with a .300 average or better (minimum 2 PA/G).
• Each team is 2-1 during their last three outings.

RAYNER CONTINUES HIS REIGN:

• The defending WAC Player of the Week notched a lead-off double against Texas Tech on Tuesday, marking his fourth consecutive game with a lead-off hit.
• The freshman has achieved multiple hits in each of his last five appearances.
• Heinrich has registered five RBIs and four doubles in his last three games.
• Heinrich ranks second on the team with a .354 batting average.
• He also leads the team in doubles with 12 and is the only Texan to have double-digit doubles this season.

IKE SHIREY PERFORMING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL:

• Senior shortstop Ike Shirey leads the Texans with 71 assists.
• Shirey is also responsible for 13 double plays on the defensive side of the ball.
• The senior ranks fourth among the team with a .295 batting average and has posted a hit in each of his last three games.
• Shirey has six runs in his last three games, including a two-hit, three-run performance on Saturday against SFA.
• Shirey has 24 runs this season for Tarleton State, the second most among the squad.

NEXT UP:

• Following their series against Sacramento State, the Texans will remain at home for a midweek matchup against Lamar on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Get tickets here.