PORTALES, N.M. – After earning its first victory of the year against Texas A&M International last week, Eastern New Mexico baseball will try to string some wins together in hopes of securing its first series victory as it travels to UT Tyler this weekend.
 
The four-game series is scheduled to begin on Friday with first pitch slated for 6 p.m.
 
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
 
UT Tyler enters the weekend 5-1 after winning the first two series of the year for the team against Tarleton State and UAFS. The Patriots have put forth the league's strongest pitching staff so far this season, leading the LSC with a team ERA of 2.35.
 
Freshman Garrett Arredondo has been the ace so far for the Patriots, going 5.0 innings and picking up the win in each of his first two starts this season. Arrendondo has failed to surrender a single earned run so far this season and will lead a strong trio of starters that includes Austin Schneider and Reagan MacDonald into this weekend's series with the Greyhounds.
 
Sophomore Jordan Gochenour ranks first in the LSC with 12 hits and 11 RBI's through the first two series of the year. The Patriots lineup produced eight or more runs in all three games last week against UAFS, including an 11-0 shutout of the Lions in the final game of the series.
 
THE FIRST ONE IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST
 
Sunday afternoon's 9-6 win over Texas A&M-International finally got Eastern New Mexico over the hump for their first win of the season. After facing the well-oiled machine that is no. 11 Angelo State in the season opening series, the Hounds responded well at home and were in all three ball games this last weekend, finally coming through in game three.
 
The Hounds struck for seven runs in the opening frame and pieced together a quality start from junior Josh Lewis and a strong final three innings from reliever Lane Saunders to secure the win. The Hounds hit .345 as a team and totaled 10 hits to take down the Dustdevils.
 
LEADING OFF RIGHT
 
Senior Malcolm Smith has shown to be the lead-off hitter that coach Price expected him to be entering the season and leads the Hounds in multiple offensive categories. Smith is tied for the lead in the LSC with five stolen bases and has batted .316 in 19 at bats so far this year.
 
Smith and redshirt junior Daniel Hunt have provided a quality one-two punch to get the Hound lineup started this season, with Hunt batting .263 on the year. Hunt has proven to be a defensive star from his short stop position so far this season, and went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the Hound's win on Sunday afternoon.
 
WEAKNESS BECOMING STRENGTHS
 
It was no secret entering this year that the two major areas of struggle for the Hounds last season were the inability to consistently field the baseball and a lack of reliable arms in the bullpen. This year those two facets of the game have drastically improved and could even be considered to be a strength for Eastern New Mexico thus far. The Hounds rank in the top half of the league in team fielding percentage (.955) and have committed just nine errors through the first six games of the season, a drastic change from last season
 
A bullpen by committee has held it together so far this season, and has been led by the combination of juniors Liam Sabiston and Lane Saunders, who have each failed to allow an earned run yet this season. Senior Blake Frye also showed last weekend that he could be another option out of the pen, throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless ball.