PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico baseball is ready to begin the 2020 season as they open with a three-game series against the 2019 Lone Star Conference Regular Season Champions Angelo State.
 
First pitch for game one is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. at Foster Field inside 1^st Community Credit Union Stadium.
 
SCOUTING THE RAMS
 
Angelo State comes into the weekend series as the 12th-ranked team in the nation according to the Collegiate Baseball News Div. II Preseason Poll and have been predicted to repeat as the Lone Star Conference champions in the 2020 LSC Preseason Poll. The Rams finished 45-12 a season ago with a 22-2 mark in conference play. ASU fell 2-1 to Colorado Mesa in the NCAA Division II South Central Super Regional.
    
The Rams return seven of their nine starters including LSC Preseason Player of the Year Josh Elvir and All-Americans Nick Novak, Nick Seginowich and Jordan Williams. The potent Angelo State lineup led all of NCAA Div. II baseball in batting average (.350), walks (319), on-base percentage (.462) and runs (562) in 2019 and look to induce fear into opposing defenses again this season.
 
The ASU bats are led by Elvir, a senior outfielder from Kemah, Texas who led the nation with a .458/.584/.989 slash line to go along with 81 RBIs. Elvir is one of three Rams with the most home runs in the league in 2019 hitting 20 as he joins teammates Seginowich and Lachlan Mayo who hit 15 and nine round trippers respectively. The Rams top pitcher last year was Trent Baker, a 6-3 junior from Georgetown, Texas. Baker led the team with a 2.65 ERA and finished with an impressive 10-1 record in 85 innings pitched. He fanned 70 batters while walking 21 and held his opponents to a .263 batting average.

SHORT TERM MEMORY
 
First year Head Coach Riley Price will get to show his former boss how far he has come when he takes on mentor turned conference foe Kevin Brooks, the head coach of the Angelo State baseball team. Price worked under Brooks as a graduate assistant in 2017 and 2018, helping lead the Rams to a combined 76-33 overall record, an LSC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Div. II National Championship Series. ASU transfer Trevor Moses will also be making an awkward reunion as he squares off against his former team dawning the Green and Silver for the first time. The redshirt junior began his collegiate career as a Ram in 2017 before making his debut on the playing field the following year. Moses appeared in 34 games and tallied 29 hits, 18 RBIs, 15 runs and four home runs while hitting .299 in 97 at bats.
 
REVAMPED LINEUP
 
Eastern returns 21 players from the 2019 squad including nine seniors with the addition of eight transfers and 14 freshmen who will be joining the Greyhounds this spring. Amongst the fresh faces the Hounds boast a brand-new coaching staff. Joining Price will be Assistant Coach Jake Gaul and Graduate Assistant Chris Browning who will look to revitalize the team and usher in a new era.

SAME HOUNDS, NEW PLACES
 
Amongst the key returners are senior Joseph Zubia and redshirt sophomore Ethan Coombes who will look to carve out different roles entering the 2020 season. Zubia spent much of last season as the team's designated hitter where he finished with a .284 batting average with 23 hits, 16 runs and 11 RBIs. The El Paso, Texas native will compete for a starting job at third base this year. Coombes appeared in 14 games and made five starts on the mound a season ago, tossing 37.1 innings with 37 strike outs. Coombes was used more as a reliever in 2019 but will be transitioning to a starting pitcher role.