EDINBURG — The UTRGV baseball team went from cold to hot in a week’s time by shaking off a five-game losing streak to now riding a three-game winning streak. The Vaqueros look to stay in a groove as they travel to face Sam Houston for a three-game Western Athletic Conference series beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Don Sanders Stadium in Huntsville.
The Vaqueros (14-10, 4-5 WAC) claimed last weekend’s WAC series with a 2-1 win over Lamar, then turned around and rallied past Houston Baptist 8-7 winning in walk-off fashion thanks to a wild pitch with the bases loaded on Tuesday.
UTRGV junior right fielder Freddy Rojas Jr. said the Vaqueros know what they’re capable of, it just comes down to showing it every night.
“We’re better than what we are. We just got to execute and focus,” Rojas Jr. said. “When we don’t focus, then we’re just all over the place. We look like a little league team when we’re not playing our best, but when we’re focused, nobody can beat us, honestly.”
Meanwhile, the Sam Houston Bearkats (15-10, 6-3 WAC) are riding a three-game winning streak of their own, including a 12-9 victory over #20 Texas State in nonconference play Tuesday.
Game 2 of the three-game series is slated for 3 p.m. Saturday, with the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.
“It’s going to be tough on the road at Sam Houston, so we got to be ready to play every week. It’s going to be tough every game,” UTRGV head coach Derek Matlock said.
All three games between the Vaqueros and Bearkats can be viewed online through ESPN’s streaming platform ESPN+.
1B
Matlock feels the Vaqueros’ starting pitching has been a solid unit all year. No. 1 Kevin Stevens, the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year, spearheads UTRGV’s weekend rotation, followed by Colten Davis and Jesus Aldaz at No. 2 and 3, respectively.
Davis, a 6’2 inch right-handed junior from Corsicana, has posted a 4-0 record in six starts this season with a 2.02 ERA and .98 WHIP. He’s allowed 29 hits, eight earned runs and six walks while striking out 30 in 35.2 innings pitched.
LOOKING AHEAD
After this weekend’s three-game series against Sam Houston, the Vaqueros will shift their focus towards a nonconference game against No. 8 Texas at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin. The Longhorns are also on the road this weekend playing a three-game series against Big 12 rival Oklahoma.
Three weeks from Tuesday, Texas will make its first trip to the Rio Grande Valley in 51 years for another nonconference meeting against the Vaqueros on April 26 at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg. Tickets for the Vaqueros’ home game versus Texas sold out on March 6.
