PORTALES, N.M. – Coming off a four-game sweep, Eastern New Mexico Baseball heads to San Antonio, Texas for an important four-game series with St. Mary's University. The two programs are next to each other in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) standings, with just eight games remaining in the LSC schedule. The series will feature a pair of doubleheaders, which will have a seven-inning game, followed by a nine-inning matchup on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22.

LAST TIME OUT

ENMU enter the weekend with a four-game win streak after taking four games from Oklahoma Christian University. In game one, the Greyhounds set half-dozen season records in a 22-21 walk-off win over the Eagles. Jonatan Clough accounted for nine RBIs in the win, tying a school with nine RBIs, and Nick Schifftner led the team with five hits (including the walk-off). In game two, ENMU won in walk-off fashion again, 7-6 (8 Inn.), with Demetrio Archuleta providing the game winning single. Camden Matthews posted five hits in the game, while Ruger Bravo tossed a complete game on the mound.
 
The success continued in game three, winning 18-14, with Clough providing five RBIs and finishing 3-3. In the series finale, the Hounds held off the Eagles 6-4 with Anthony Gonzalez tossing 4.2 shutout relief innings. At the plate, Clough crushed two home runs and drove home five runs.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION

After a sensational weekend in the batter's box, Clough earned a trio of weekly awards. The first-year outfielder was named LSC Hitter of the Week (4/18), National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) South-Central Hitter of the Week (4/19), and NCBWA National Hitter of the Week. Clough is the first Greyhound to ever win a national weekly honor from the NCBWA. Additionally, Clough finished the weekend 9-15 at the plate (2B, 3B, 4 HRs, and 19 RBIs) and broke the ENMU single season home run record, previously held by Steve Marquez (12, 1995 and 1996).

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS 

Eastern stands at 21-20, and 19-20 in conference play, exceeding their win total from last season. The team sports a collective batting average of .317, registering 413 hits, and scoring 295 runs. On the hill, ENMU have a 8.35 ERA, surrendering 338 runs, on 438 hits, while striking out 231 batters.
 
After a high scoring weekend, Camden Matthews leads the program with 57 hits and 41 runs scored. Demetrio Archuleta paces the team in batting average, .393, with Cooper Hamilton holding a .358 batting average and a team best 10 stolen bases. Clough is the program leader in doubles (10), home runs (14), and RBIs (56), posting an .738 slugging percentage.
 
Ruger Bravo holds six wins on the mound this season with five complete games this season. Bravo leads the starting rotation in ERA (6.58), and the whole pitching staff in strikeouts with 54. Julian Lopez started this season in the bullpen, but has transitioned into a starting role, holding a record of 3-2. Both Javier Luna and William McBride have been impressive from the bullpen, each recording a pair of saves this season.

SCOUTING THE RATTLERS

St. Mary's enter their final home series of the season after taking a pair of games away from West Texas A&M. The Rattlers lost a tight game one contest, 16-10, but bounced back to beat the Buffs 4-3 (10 Inn.). In game three, the Buffs came away with a 7-3 win, while St.MU ended the series with a 9-5 victory.
 
Sitting one place behind ENMU in the LSC standings, St. Mary's currently have a 19-23 overall record, while sitting at 17-23 in conference standings. As an offense, the Rattlers have a .299 batting average scoring 265 runs, on 382 hits. The St. Mary's pitching staff has a collective ERA of 7.07, while giving up 365 hits, 322 runs, striking out 217 batters, and an opposing batting average of .289.
 
Clay Braford leads the Rattlers in several hitting statistics: batting average (.395), hits (62), home runs (10), and RBIs (42). Jakes Mares is also having a standout season, scoring 38 runs (team high), with a .354 batting average and a team best 28 walks.
 
Last week, John Curtis of the Rattlers pitching staff earned LSC Pitcher of the Week after throwing 10 innings in St. Mary's 4-3 win. Curtis leads the starting rotation with a 4.03 ERA with a team high 40 strikeouts. Conor Schmidt leads the team with a 4-2 record this season, making five starts in 12 appearances. Andrew Girod is the Rattler's closer, recording five saves this season, along with a record of 2-1.

TUNE IN 

Each contest will be streamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network and are pay-per-view. Live stats will also be provided during the games.