Jags set for first road trip with conference series at OLLU
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 6 | 12 | 0 |
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 1 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
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1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 5 | 9 | 1 |
The UHV baseball team has fond memories of its last two road trips.
The Jaguars swept the Red River Athletic Conference tournament in Sterlington, Louisiana, and advanced to the NAIA Opening Round semifinals in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the last times they were on the road.
Now, UHV (8-3, 1-2) will head to Our Lady of the Lake University for a three-game Red River Athletic Conference series starting at 6 p.m. Friday night at Missions Baseball Academy in San Antonio. The series wraps up Saturday with a 12 p.m. doubleheader.
"Experience is always a good thing, especially when it's good experience and you've got guys in the right spot to lead," said head coach Jonathan Stavinoha. "That experience in and of itself – not just our guys from last year, but also guys with that experience from their JUCOs – is big. They've been on road trips and been around the game a while, and know how things work."
The Jaguars will look to bounce back after a series loss to Texas A&M-Texarkana.
UHV had an opportunity to win the final game of the series on Sunday, but fell 4-3 in 12 innings.
The Jaguars committed uncharacteristic errors against the Eagles over the weekend. TAMUT scored eight unearned runs on six errors in the three games. In the previous eight games, UHV committed 10 errors.
After plating nine runs on 10 hits in a 9-8 win in Game 1, UHV scored three runs on nine hits over the next two games.
"For the first time all year, I think that we started pushing a little bit too hard and got us out of our game a little bit," Stavinoha said. "We didn't relax and allow the game to come to us. We've got to have good at-bats, work counts and do different things that have put us in a position to win every series so far.
"That's going to happen sometimes. So we move on and we're looking forward to playing OLLU."
Despite the losses to A&M-Texarkana, the Jaguars' have gotten steady production throughout their lineup.
Senior Hayden Leopold currently leads the team with a .395 batting average. The Columbus native had a pair of doubles over the weekend to move him to 40 in his career, one off John Longoria's record (2010-12).
"That's just a testament to his longevity and the work he puts in every single day to be at his best and help the team in any way possible," Stavinoha said. "Whatever it is, he's always going to be there. He's one of our captains and leaders. You can't say enough good things about him."
Five UHV players are hitting .300 or better with Richard Gill Jr., Kyle Barosh, Hal Perez and Juan Martin joining Leopold.
Perez leads the team in home runs (2) and on-base percentage (.472).
Jean Michael Gonzalez, the Jaguars' leadoff hitter, is currently on a four-game hitting streak, as well.
Against OLLU (7-7, 1-2), the Jaguars will need that continued production.
"They're always going to be good," Stavinoha said. "They're gonna pitch it, play good defense and execute. They're gonna do the little things right. They're never gonna go away. That's what makes it fun when you have a conference foe and somewhat of a rivalry from years past. I think we're up for the challenge and ready to get our there and play some baseball again."