(RV)/#11 Baseball returns to RRAC play with three-game set vs. Xavier (La.)

After a historic 6-4 win over NCAA Division I Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday, the UHV baseball team is ready to reset its focus.

The Jaguars (16-2, 6-0) welcome Xavier (La.) to Victoria for a three-game Red River Athletic Conference series, starting with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Friday and a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.

The Gold Rush (4-7, 3-3) swept Jarvis Christian last weekend before dropping a midweek contest with Loyola (La.), 17-7, on Tuesday.

"It was a big for us and probably up there a little bit for us in the history books," said head coach Jonathan Stavinoha. "Now we just turn the page to focus on the next pitch, the next inning and the next game, and what we're doing right now. That's been our mindset all year, to come back and shake off a win or a loss and prepare for what's happening right now. That's what we've got to do this weekend against a good Xavier team coming over."

In Wednesday's win, UHV's Cristian Garcia tied the single-game hits record, going 5-for-5 at the plate with a home run – his third of the season – and three runs scored.

The Houston native upped his average to an RRAC-leading .537. He's one of eight Jaguars hitting over .300 this season, helping UHV to a .341 average as a team which ranks second in the RRAC. Garcia has now hit safely in the last six games while Hal Perez, who delivered a two-run double Wednesday, sits on a five-game hitting streak.

He and Jackson Purcell each homered on Wednesday, and Jose Montanez hit a ball over the fence in fair territory for what looked to be his fifth home run of the year, but was called out on a bizarre play where he passed the lead runner on the base path after rounding first base.

UHV has six different batters in double-digits for RBIs and 15 different guys have driven in runs heading into this weekend's series.

"Balance is everything," Stavinoha said. "Great at-bats up and down the lineup consistently is an element for success and a way to score a lot of runs. If you look at our RBI numbers, there's not one guy with a million; everybody's got RBIs. That's a good thing to see because it means you're getting production from a lot of different guys. If one guy doesn't get it, the next one will and that's the JagBall belief."

Mason Longoria turned in a gem on Wednesday, striking out six over five innings while allowing just one run on three hits. It followed a trend of dominant pitching from UHV starters.

The Jaguars' probable starters this weekend of Brady Parker, Jonathan Jones and Julian Garcia have a combined ERA of 0.87 with Jones leading the way with a conference-leading 0.93 mark. UHV's staff ERA of 2.84 is second in the RRAC and 14^th nationally.

"They've gone out and performed every time," Stavinoha said. "to see that every single week from your guys is reassuring and instills that confidence to put them back out there. We've finally gotten to use more of our bullpen. I knew they could pitch and do different stuff, but to see them in action as well has been a good thing. Hopefully, we can get some more performances out of all our guys again this weekend."

The Jaguars own an 8-1 series edge on Xavier after sweeping the last two series against the Gold Rush in the young all-time series which began in 2022.

Friday night will be UHV baseball's Black History Night, recognizing the contributions of the Victoria Aces and Monarchs to the city's rich baseball history.

Saturday is the UHV Baseball BBQ Fundraiser and Silent Auction presented by La Lechonera Products. BBQ plate tickets are on sale for $20 and can be purchased at the UHV Athletic Offices until the end of Friday, or at the stadium on Saturday while supplies last.

During the Saturday doubleheader, fans will have the opportunity to bid on a number of items such as signed UHV baseball bats, autographed memorabilia from Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan, tickets to Astros and Rangers games, and more.