PUEBLO, Colo. - Two months after winning the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship national title in the high jump with a mark of 2.24m (7'4-1/4") , Texas A&M-Kingsville sophomore Jeron Robinson duplicated the feat winning the high jump title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship with the same mark on Friday night.

In a final that went much the same as indoor finals, Robinson again knocked off Lake Erie's Edward Dudley in a two-person duel. Both Robinson and Dudley, who was the reigning outdoor champion, cleared their first attempts at 2.21m (7'3").

After missing his first try at 2.24m, Robinson cleared in his second attempt. Meanwhile, Dudley missed all three attempts. Robinson attempted to match the championship record at 2.29m (7'6") but did not clear the bar.

In the Javelinas other action of the day, Michal Idziak ran in the 800-meter preliminaries. He finished sixth in the second of three heats with a time of 1:53.29 and did not advance. The freshman's time was 16th overall.

On Saturday, three Kingsville athletes will look to add to Robinson's success. Jordan Yamoah will look to pull the indoor-outdoor double in the pole vault, while C. J. Griggs will look to repeat in the triple jump. Amanda Haven will compete in the women's high jump.

 

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas - Whether it was multiple wins over top 10 teams, a Top 10 ranking, a fifth Lone Star Conference Tournament title, or a school-record 42 wins, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team took another step forward as an elite program in 2013.

That elite season fell short of the Javelinas' ultimate goal of advancing to the NCAA Division II College World Series on Sunday when the Javelinas fell 7-1 to St. Edward's in the NCAA South Central Region Finals at Nolan Ryan Field in Kingsville.

Kingsville ended the season with a 42-17 record bettering the previous high of 38. St. Edward's improved to 42-18.

The game featured a matchup of two of the region's top pitchers coming back on short rest. The Javelinas sent 10-game winner Dallas Ponder to the mound versus Brannon Easterling, who earned his 13th win in the game.

Unfortunately for the Hoggies, it was the Hilltoppers who figured out the other team's ace first as they scored three runs in the first off Ponder and four in a 1-1/3 innings.

Taylor Johnson started things on the fight foot for the Toppers with a solo home run to lead-off the game. Ponder then hit a pair of batters later in the frame who scored on a single Nate Bobrowski for a 3-0 lead.

St. Edward's added single runs in the second and third innings including a solo home run in the third by Dylan Watts off Cody Williams. The home run made it a 5-0 game.

Ryan Guedry put the Javelinas on the board in the bottom of the fifth. With two away, Matt Perez singled and went to second a hit by Travis Laird. Guedry followed with a single to left to drive in Perez.

Easterling would not allow the Javelinas to mount much of a threat the remainder of the game. Kingsville would get just two more runners as far as second base, while the Hilltoppers added their final two runs in the eighth including their third home run of the game a solo shot by Ryan Dolezal.

For the game, Easterling allowed eight hits in nine innings of work. He walked one and struck out five.

Williams would pitch 5-2/3 innings for Kingsville allowing two runs on six hits. He fanned three and walked one. Jeremy Flores, who shattered the single-season and career records for saves finishing the year with 14 and 23 in his career, tossed the final two innings.

 

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas - It was like déjà vu all over again as Matt Rhodes followed Zach Pettiford's lead in Saturday's first game by tossing a complete against St. Edward's as the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team advanced to the region championship with a 6-2 win.

 

The Javelinas, who were in a must-win situation after losing on Friday to Angelo State, won twice on Saturday to improve to 42-17. Kingsville will face the winner of St. Edward's and St. Mary's who meet at 1 p.m. The final game is slated to being at 4 p.m.

 

Rhodes improved to 8-3 by keeping the Hilltoppers at bay. He allowed two runs - one in the third and one in the eighth - on nine hits. The junior gave up nine hits, but walked just one. He struck out four.

 

Much like the first game of the day, Kingsville put a run on the board in the top of the second. James Black and Matt Perez were walked by Paul Smith, while Travis Laird pushed a bunt perfectly towards third base which he beat out for a single to load the bases. With no outs, Ryan Guedry lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield plating Black.

 

In the third, Kingsville added a three runs in the third to take a 4-0. With one away, Taylor Taska walked and advanced to third on a single by Chris Ballou. Black lined a single up the middle to plate Taska. A shot off the glove of the Hilltopper pitcher by Perez allowed Kingsville to load the bases. With two away, Guedry lined a two-run single to right field plating Black and Ballou.

 

After the Hilltoppers scored in the bottom of the third, Kingsville pushed its advantage to 6-1 with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

 

In the fifth, Ballou reached on an infield hit. He raced to third as Black singled to right and advanced to second on an error. Ballou scampered home on a sacrifice fly to center by Perez.

 

Wallace led off the sixth with a single to left and advanced to second as Joe Tallerine was hit by a pitch. Both Wallace and Tallerine advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Ben Villafuerte. Wallace came home on a sacrifice fly by Taska.

 

St. Edward's would get a run in the bottom of the eighth as Ransom LaLonde doubled in Cutter Runte. Rhodes would thwart any serious comeback attempts.

 

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas - Senior Zachary Pettiford threw his second complete game of the season on Saturday in a must-win contest in the NCAA South Central Regional at Nolan Ryan Field as the Texas A&M-Kingsville advanced with a 3-0 win over nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa.

With the win, Javelinas (41-17) avoid elimination and advance to a 7 p.m. meeting Saturday night with St. Edward's. Colorado Mesa is eliminated and finishes the season 45-11.

Pettiford scattered eight hits and allowed just two runners to advance into scoring position in the contest. He struck out six hitters and walked none as he improved to 5-3 on an efficient 99 pitches. It was a Javelina record tenth shutout of the season.

Kingsville struck for two runs in the bottom of the second as the bottom portion of the order provided all the offense.

With one away, James Black hit a single to right followed by a hard grounder off the bat of Matt Perez toward short that took a Javelina bounce past Nate Robertson for a hit. Travis Laird rifled a shot to right-center field for a double driving in Black. Perez raced home on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Guedry.

Kingsville rallied for a run with two outs in the fourth. Perez's double to the wall in left-center field. After Laird walked, Guedry looped a single to right field driving in Perez for the 3-0 advantage.

Kyle Davis suffered the loss for the Mavericks following to 8-1 on the season. He allowed three runs on five hits in six innings of work. Cody Lehman pitched two innings of 1-hit relief.

 

 

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KINGSVILLE - Dallas Ponder picked up his 10th win of the season and Taylor Taska drove in a pair of runs as the Texas A&M-Kingsville knocked off Colorado State-Pueblo 6-3 for the Javelinas first regional win in seven tries on Thursday in the final game on the opening day of the NCAA South Central Region at Nolan Ryan Field.

With the win, Kingsville moves to 40-16 on the season marking the program's first 40-win season, while the Thunderwolves fall to 32-21. The Hoggies had been winless in three prior regional appearances going 0-6.

Kingsville will face Lone Star Conference rival Angelo State on Friday at 3 p.m. Angelo St., which lost 5-4 to St. Edward's in the opening game, and the Javelinas met in last week's LSC Championship in Canyon. The Javelinas claimed the title in the second game of the Championship and are 4-2 versus the Rams.

In the bottom of the first, Taska and Chris Ballou each plated a run. Taska doubled down the line in left to plate Tallerine and scored on Ballou's double to left.

The score remained 2-0 until the Thunderwolves picked up their first two hits off Ponder in the fifth. The second was a double by Wade Beauvais past a diving Ballou in right that led to Curtis Cowell scoring.

The Hoggies answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Tallerine was hit by a pitch to start the inning, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ben Villafuerte, and stole third. The Kingsville lead-off hitter scored on single by Taska.

The Javelinas added two in the sixth to extend their lead to 5-1. James Black led off with a single and raced home on a 1-out hit by Travis Laird. Matt Perez, who reached on a walk, crossed the plate on a Clint Wallace single to left for a 4-run lead.

Pueblo added a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Back-to-back singles off Ponder, who had sent the visitors down on strikes in the six, began the frame. The second single went off the shin of Ponder, who was not hurt. The next batter - pinch hitter Evan Kenebrew - doubled to the wall in center scoring both runs. He was the last to face Ponder.

Ponder's official line in six innings of work was three earned runs on five hits. He fanned eight Pueblo hitters and walked just one.

In the bottom of the seventh, Kingsville pushed the lead back to three, 6-3. Ryan Guedry drove in Black, who picked up his third of the day with a double to left.

Offensively, the Javelinas had ten hits off Thunderwolves starter Mike Fabrizio, who fell to 7-2. Black led the way with three hits, while Taska added two. Tallerine and Black each scored twice.

 

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas - The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team has been selected to host the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Thursday through next Sunday the selection committee for the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship announced on Sunday.

The Javelinas, who last Monday won the Lone Star Conference Championship in Canyon with a 10-7 win over Angelo State, are the top seed in the region. Joining Kingsville in the 6-team field is No. 2 seed Colorado Mesa and No. 6-seed Colorado State-Pueblo out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and third-seed St. Edward's and No. 5-seed St. Mary's out of the Heartland Conference. Fellow LSC member Angelo State - the fourth seed - rounds out the field.

The tournament begins on Thursday with three games and continues through Sunday when the champion will be decided. The winner of the South Central Region will join the other seven regional champs in Cary, N.C. for the Division II Baseball World series.

Tickets for the for regional are available by calling the Javelina Ticket Office at ( 361) 593-4030 or (361) 593-4787 or visiting the office in McCulley Hall. Visit www.javelinaathletics.com for all the latest on tickets and other game information.

An all-session pass will be available in advance for $40 by credit card only. The all-session pass will be on the opening day only at the main gate as well. Single-day passes will be $15, while students with a valid ID and children 3-and-above will admitted for $10 a day. Children 2-and-under will be admitted free. There will be no pass list available. The gates will open an hour before the opening game each day. No outside food or drinks will be permitted.

 

 

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas - Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball coach Pete Peterson has announced the addition of junior college transfer Julius Brazzel for the 2013-14 season.

Brazzel is a 6'7", 230-pound forward who played for Modesto Junior College. In 2011-12, Brazzel was amongst the team's leaders in scoring and rebounding. He nearly averaged a double-double with just over 15 points a game and nine rebounds a game. He was selected second-team, all-conference honors.

He joins Frank Phillips College teammates Ta'Quan McDew and Ronald Scott, and University of Evansville transfer Jordan Jahr as new additions to the Javelinas this spring.

 

 

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CANYON, Texas - The Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team regrouped from a 7-5 loss to Angelo State in the opening game of the Lone Star Conference Championship to win the second game, 10-7, for the program's fifth LSC title and first under head coach Jason Gonzales.

The Javelinas pounded out 14 hits in the decisive game with eight different players getting a hit. Taylor Taska led the way with three hits and pitched four innings of relief to get his second win of the tournament and ninth of the season. He was named the tournament MVP.

With the win, the Javelinas clinch an automatic spot in the NCAA South Central Regional. Ranked No. 1 in the region entering the weekend the Javelinas moved to 39-16 with win setting a new school record for wins. ASU dropped to 36-19.

After losing a 5-1 lead in the first game, the Hoggies jumped out to an early in game two scoring four runs in the top of the first inning in a light rain off Michael Lange.

In the four-run first, the Javelinas had back-to-back singles by Ben Villafuerte and Taska to get things started. Chris Ballou sliced a single through the right side of the infield driving in Villafuerte, while Taska came home as James Black reached on a fielder's choice. After Travis Laird doubled to put runners at second and third, Clint Wallace lined a single to right-center field to bring in both Laird and Black.

Christian Summers doubled in a run off Miles Holcomb, who went 3-1/3 innings in just his second start of the season, in the bottom of the first to make it a 4-1 game. Holcomb allowed just two runs on three hits in before leaving after 60 pitches.

The score remained 4-1 until the top of the third inning when Black led off the inning with a solo home run to left. Black's home run off Mike Weatherly was his fifth of the season.

A sacrifice fly by Quaid McKinnon in the bottom of the third kept the Kingsville advantage at three runs, 5-2.

ASU threatened in the bottom of the fifth. Tres Tyler, who relieved Holcomb in the bottom of the fourth, hit the first two batters he faced in the fifth. Taska then took over on the mound and forced Ryan Greer into a crucial 5-3 double play. Taska ended the inning by getting Neumann to groundout to short.

The Javelinas continued to add to their lead with two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings.

In the sixth, Matt Perez doubled to start the inning and scored on a James Wallace single. The elder Wallace moved to second a sacrifice bunt and raced home on single to left by Taska for a 7-2 lead.

The Hoggies took advantage of an error in the top of the seventh to push the lead to 9-2.

The runs would prove to be much needed as ASU plated five runs in the bottom of the seventh off Taska. McKinnon started the scoring with an RBI single to right to plate Hunter Choate. After Neumann walked, Summers struck again with a triple into the corner in right. Summers then scored the fifth run of the inning by stealing home.

In the top of the eighth, the Javelinas added a single run off Bryce Zak. Zak hit Villafuerte to open the inning. After moving to third on a single by Taska, Villafuerte scored on a single by Ballou.

After Taska tossed a scoreless eighth, Jeremy Flores picked up his fourth save of the tournament with zero runs in the ninth. It was his 13th save of the season.

In the first game of the day, Kingsville struck first in the bottom of the second. Ballou led off with a single as his grounder took a high hop over the shortstop and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cash Barker. Black singled up the middle to plate Ballou. Black scored on a 2-out single by Laird.

Angelo State nearly added a run in the top of the third when Ryan Greer singled to left with two away. The relay throw from Julian Duran to left to Black to Barker was in time to get David Goggin at the plate to save a run. Barker would leave with a leg injury after the play.

ASU broke through in the fourth with a run on back-to-back doubles down the left-field line. Neumann lined the first double and scored on double by Summers.

Kingsville responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning as Laird again had a clutch hit with two away. Clint Wallace drew a walk with one out from Mason Leavitt, while Perez reached on an infield error with two away. Laird hit a shot off the wall in center field to the deepest part of the field for a triple to clear the bases for a 4-1 lead.

The Javelinas seemingly added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth for a 5-1 lead as Taska doubled off the wall in right-center field to drive in Joe Tallerine.

Pettiford, who was rested the final weekend of the regular season, kept Angelo State at bay for much of the first six innings.

In the seventh, the Rams offense warmed up loading the bases with one away. Kingsville appeared to have worked out of the jam as Pettiford induced a tailor-made, double-play groundball to second. After getting the out at second, Perez was unable to cleanly get rid of the ball allowing Goggin to score. Quaid McKinnon followed and belted a 3-run home run to right field to deadlock game at five.

After recording the final out of the seventh, Dallas Ponder stayed on the mound in the eighth and struggled allowing a 2-run single to Hunter Choate. Ponder, who would suffer his first loss of the season had walked the lead-off hitter and Reggie Rodriguez singled who each scored on the hit for a 7-5.

Jake Feckley earned the win by tossing three innings of 1-hit relief for the Rams to move to 10-4.

 

 

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CANYON, Texas - With a six-run sixth inning, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team surged into the lead and then held off a late charge by Tarleton State to advance to the Lone Star Championship with a 10-9 win on Sunday night at Wilder Park.

The Javelinas, who tied the program's record for wins in a season with their 38th, will meet Angelo State 1 p.m. in the title game. Kingsville would need to just one win to claim the title. If the Rams win the first game, the teams would play again at 5 p.m.

Down 5-4 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Javelinas sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth en route to six runs on six hits. Taylor Taska started the scoring with a triple past a diving Rustin Thomas in right field and scored on a single by Chris Ballou to center.

After Cash Barker was walked by Kody Thiebaud, Ballou raced home on a single by James Black. An infield single by Matt Perez loaded the bases for Travis Laird. Laird capped the scoring with a 2-run single to right for a 10-5 advantage.

With two away in the top of the eighth, the Texans made things interesting. Noah Ringenber tripled to start the rally. Robinson and Nico Moran followed with back-to-back walks from Cody Williams to load the bases. Rustin Thomas promptly made it a 1-run game with a home run to left.

Jeremy Flores entered in the ninth and sent the Texans down in order for his third save of the weekend.

For the third time in the series, Kingsville fell behind early but rallied for the win finding themselves in an early hole as Tarleton scored three times in the top of the first inning. The Texans opened with three straight singles off Matt Rhodes. The third by Ryan Small drove in Nico Moran for the game's first run. With one gone, Fola Lajide hit a 2-run single to left for a 3-0 lead.

Kingsville was able to get two of the runs back in the bottom of the first. With one away, Ben Villafuerte doubled to left and raced home on a single by Taska. Taska made it a 3-2 game when scored on a single by Barker after going to second on a wild pitch.

Kingsville took the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third off Garrett Kelly. Villafuerte led the inning off with a single and advanced to second on a single through the left side of the infield by Taska. Barker drove in his second run with an infield hit as Villafuerte scampered home to tie the game. Taska tagged and handed the Hoggies the lead as he scored on a sacrifice by James Black to center.

TSU retook the lead, 5-4, with two outs in the top of the fifth with a pair of unearned runs with two away. Rustin Thomas started the rally with a double and Small reached on an error by Perez at short. After a wild pitch, Colten Boothe drove in two with a single off the glove of a diving Perez.

Rhodes earned the win to improve to 7-3 on the season as he scattered eight hits over six innings. He permitted five runs with three earned. Williams went 1-2/3 innings recording five straight outs before the Texans rallied. Diefenbach retired the final batter of the eighth.

 

 

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CANYON, Texas - Sophomore high jumper Jeron Robinson led the Javelina track & field team once again on the final day of the Lone Star Conference Outdoor Championships.

The men's team placed seventh overall with a total score of 57. The women's team places sixth overall with 54.83 points. Angelo State took home the conference title in both men's and women's.

Robinson set a meet record and a stadium record with a height of 2.24m (7'-4.25") in the men's high jump. Robinson entered the competition with one other competitor remaining at 2.07m. The sophomore continued with three more heights. He fouled out at 2.29m (7'-6"), a qualifying height at the international level. Robinson's current personal record of 2.26m (7'-5") is ranked 13th in the world.

C.J. Griggs also led the Javelinas in the men's long jump. He leaped 7.58m (24'-10.5") in his last attempt during prelims. He passed through finals and ended second in the competition. His mark was an auto qualifier and is tied for fifth in the nation.

Amber Perry won her second consecutive conference title in the 400-meter dash with a personal best time of 54.58. That time is a provisional qualifier for nationals.

Teammate Kathy Trevino placed fifth in the 400 with a time of 55.87, tying her season high.

Senior Amanda Haven had a great day scoring points in both the high jump and long jump. She placed third overall in the long jump with a mark of 1.67m (5'-5.75"). She also leaped a season high 5.66m (18'-7") in the long jump, placing sixth.

Competing in two events at the same time, Samantha Alvarez earned top 10 finishes in both the javelin and high jump. She threw 37.58m (123'-3") in the javelin and jumped 1.55m (5'-1") in the high jump.

On the men's side, Nick Brown placed sixth in the javelin with a personal record throw of 50.23m (164'-9").

In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Britny Biles earned fourth place after throwing herself across the finish line at a time of 14.23.

In an odd race to the finish, Michal Idziak placed sixth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.59. He was squeezed to the back of the pack during the lap. Teammate Josh Prado finished with a time of 2:01.87, placing eighth.

The women's 400-meter relay (Richardson, Perry, Trevino, Deck) placed fourth with a time of 46.91, beating their previous time by one-hundredth of a second. The men's relay team (Soza, Whalum, Cardinal, Griggs) placed seventh with a time of 42.07.

Both 1600-meter relay teams earned fifth place finishes. The women's team (Perry, Stafford, Nelson, Trevino) crossed the line at 3:51.55. The men's team (Galvan, Garibay, Prado, Idziak) finished with a time of 3:15.41.

The teams will find out who will attend the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championship in Pueblo, Colo., in the coming weeks.

 

 

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CANYON, Texas - Ben Villafuerte lined a 2-run double in the sixth as the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team came from a run down to knock off tournament host West Texas A&M 6-5 in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams Saturday night in the LSC Championship at Wilder Park.

The Javelinas (37-15) will play Sunday at 7 p.m. against either West Texas A&M or Tarleton State who meet at noon.

Trailing 4-3, Kingsville regained the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth and a single run in the seventh.

In the sixth, Perez led off the winning by reaching on an infield single and went to second as Travis Laird walked. With one away, Villafuerte lined a double off the wall in left to drive in Laird and Perez.

Kingsville added an insurance run in the seventh. Chris Ballou was hit by a pitch and lifted for a pinch runner. Justin Lee moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cash Barker and to third on a James Black single, Perez ripped a double off the wall in left. Lee easily scored on the play while Black was out at the plate.

Trailing 6-4 entering the bottom of the ninth, the hosts threatened to rally. Jarvis Smith and Tyler McKnight started the inning with a pair of singles off Zach Pettiford.

A sacrifice bunt by Patrick Ramirez off Javelina closer Jeremy Flores moved the runners up a base. Smith scored on a groundout for the second out of the inning to make it a 6-5 contest. Flores ended the game by striking out Parker Wood for his 11th save to set a new single-season mark.

Ballou put the Javelinas on the board in the first inning with an RBI single when he just beat out the throw to first. Joe Tallerine, who singled to start the game, scored on the play.

After a run in the second to tie the game at one, the Buffaloes scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-1 lead. Justin Henderson lined a 2-run double off Taylor Taska to break the tie.

The Hoggies plated single runs in each of the fourth and fifth inning tying the game at three. Julian Duran drove in Black in the fourth with a sacrifice fly, while Villafuerte scored on a groundout by Barker to second in the fifth.

A wild pitch by Taska in the bottom of the fifth allowed Wood to score breaking the deadlock.

Taska earned the win to move to 8-2 on the season. He tossed 6-2/3 innings giving up four runs with three earned. He gave way to Pettiford, who went 1-1/3 innings allowing an earned run on two hits with a pair of strikeouts.

The Javelinas finished with 11 hits led by Black with three. Villafuerte, Ballou and Perez each had two hits. They left 10 runners on base.

 

 

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RICHARDSON, Texas - Led by the junior duo of Dallas Ponder and Taylor Taska who were named the Pitcher of the Year and co-Player of the Year, respectively, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team placed six players on the Lone Star Conference All-Conference teams announced on Wednesday by the league office.

Five Hoggies were named to the All-LSC first team with one second-team selection. Aside from Ponder at pitcher and Taska as the utility player, outfielder Chris Ballou, catcher Cash Barker, and closer Jeremy Flores were named to the first team. Joe Tallerine was named to the second team.

Ponder finished the regular season with a LSC best nine wins going a perfect 9-0 with a 2.32 ERA. He has struck out 76 batters in just under 78 innings and limited hitters to a .211 average at the plate. Ponder has three shutouts and three complete game performances.

Taska finished first in the conference with seven home runs and was amongst the leaders in RBI (42) and total bases (106). He was second on the team with 44 runs scored and fourth on the Javelinas with a .344 batting average. A standout on the mound as well, the junior was 7-2 with a team best 2.19 ERA.

Ballou ended the regular season with a team-best .382 finishing amongst the top 10 in the league with 29 RBI and 26 runs scored. Barker hit .367 and led the team with 18 steals. Defensively, he threw out 15 runners. Flores had an LSC-best nine saves in the regular setting the career mark in the process. Tallerine missed 10 games during the regular, but still finished with .373 average and 13 steals for Kingsville.

The Javelinas are the second seed in this weekend's LSC Championship hosted by West Texas A&M in Canyon. They face Abilene Christian on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

2013 LSC BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS

FIRST TEAM

Player School Pos. Year Hometown
Miguel Ramirez Tarleton State SP Sr. Gallup, NM
Dallas Ponder Texas A&M-Kingsville SP Jr. Flatonia, Texas
Dylan James West Texas A&M SP Jr. Las Cruses, NM
Jake Feckley Angelo State SP Jr. Wylie, Texas
Pete Perez Tarleton State SP Sr. Hagatna, Guam
Jeremy Flores Texas A&M-Kingsville RP Sr. Victoria, Texas
Brady Rodriguez Abilene Christian RP Jr. Plymouth, Mich.
Britt Robertshaw Tarleton State RP Sr. Cedar Park, Texas
Andrew LaCombe Angelo State C Sr. Southlake, Texas
Cash Barker Texas A&M-Kingsville C Sr. Houston, Texas
Colten Boothe Tarleton State 1B Jr. Buda, Texas
John Zule Incarnate Word 2B Sr. San Antonio, Texas
Derrick Walls Incarnate Word SS Jr. San Antonio, Texas
Alvaro Moreno Tarleton State 3B Jr. McAllen, Texas
Lee Neumann Angelo State OF Sr. Brenham, Texas
Luis Quinones Eastern New Mexico OF Sr. Las Cruces, NM
Chris Ballou Texas A&M-Kingsville OF Sr. Houston, Texas
Nico Moran Tarleton State OF Jr. Longview, Texas
Peter Creamer Eastern New Mexico DH Sr. Boston, Mass.
Taylor Taska Texas A&M-Kingsville UT Jr. Houston, Texas
Kyle Giusti Abilene Christian UT Jr. Sante Fe, Texas

SECOND TEAM

Matt Buckmaster Tarleton State SP Sr. Holliday, Texas
Aaron Lambrix Abilene Christian SP Sr. Los Angeles, Calif.
Carter Hahn Abilene Christian SP Sr. San Antonio, Texas
Alex Garza Incarnate Word SP Jr. Mc Allen Texas
Mike Weatherly Angelo State SP Sr. Mesquite, Texas
Patrick Ramirez West Texas A&M C Sr. San Antonio, Texas
Jared Musgrove Tarleton State C Jr. Houston, Texas
Quaid McKinnon Angelo State 1B Sr. Phoenix, Ariz.
Ryan Small Tarleton State 2B Sr. Longview, Texas
Christian Summers Angelo State SS Jr. San Angelo, Texas
Matt Redfearn West Texas A&M SS Jr. Upland, Calif.
David Hebert West Texas A&M 3B Jr. Colleyville, Texas
Reggie Rodriguez Angelo State OF Jr. Canovanas, Puerto Rico
Justin Henderson West Texas A&M OF Sr. Irving, Texas
Travis Schuetze Abilene Christian OF Sr. Corpus Christi, Texas
Joe Tallerine Texas A&M-Kingsville OF Sr. Bellview, Texas
Kyle Conwell Abilene Christian OF Sr. Seattle, Wash.
Nick smith Cameron OF Sr. Bellevue, Wash.
Mitch Tybroski West Texas A&M DH Sr. Carlsbad, Calif.
Colton Sims Eastern New Mexico UT Jr. Reno, Nev.
Tyler Coughenour Angelo State UT Jr. Wichita, Kan.

HONORABLE MENTION

Drew Reidt Cameron SP Jr. St. Louis, Mo.
Rodge Macy Abilene Christian C Sr. Fort Worth, Texas
Jacob Rogers Eastern New Mexico C Jr. Temecula, Calif.
Tyler Eager Abilene Christian 1B So. Fort Worth, Texas
Seth Spivey Abilene Christian 2B Jr. Brenham, Texas
Tyler McKnight West Texas A&M OF Jr. Durango, Colo.
Ryan Greer Angelo State OF Sr. Glendale, Ariz.
Derek Crenshaw Eastern New Mexico OF Sr. Pinole Valley, Calif.

SPECIAL AWARDS

Player of the Year: Lee Neumann, Angelo State and Taylor Taska, Texas A&M-Kingsville

Pitcher of the Year: Dallas Ponder, Texas A&M-Kingsville

Freshman of the Year: David Goggin, Angelo State

Coach of the Year: Bryan Conger, Tarleton State

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas - Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball coach Tanya Allen announced on Tuesday the signings of five incoming freshmen players - Olivia Boutch, Alexia Bustamante, Mariah Carlin, Brittany Gutierrez, and Shae Smith - for the 2013 campaign.

The 5-person class well rounded between setter, defensive specialist and net players. The group joins a trio of early period signees in Kalani Giddens, Kayla McGlathery and Michelle Trotter.

Boutch is 6'0" outside hitter/defensive specialist from Conroe, who prepped at The Woodlands High School. She played both volleyball and softball. She plays club volleyball for the Houston Skyline Juniors program.

"Olivia excels at ball control, both as a passer and an attacker," said Allen. "She is a dynamic athlete and offers our roster some much needed versatility. I am excited to see how she adjusts to the speed and competitiveness of our conference."

Bustamante is a 5'2" setter from Helotes who played in high school at Sandra Day O'Connor for Yamilet Garcia. She was a 3-year starter at setter helping her team to district and bi-district championships all three seasons. Academically, she is on the A&B Honor Roll.

"Lex has the kind of volleyball personality you can't teach," said Allen. "Not only is she talented, both as a setter and as a defender, but she is also extremely competitive and has an incredible work ethic."

From Pflugerville, Carlin is a 5'5" libero from Hendrickson High School. She was 1st-team all-district as a junior and 2nd-team all-district as a senior. After earning MVP honors as a freshman, Carlin was named the team's defensive MVP each of her final three seasons. She helped team to the state playoffs her final two seasons after tying for district titles each year. The team reached the fourth round her junior season. Off the court, Carlin was twice named academic all-district and is a member of the National Honor Society.

"Mariah has a ton of untapped talent," said Allen. "She is quick and aggressive as a defender, and is a very solid serve-receive passer."

 

Gutierrez is a 5'3" combination player. From Helotes, she current plays setter for her club team, but the plan is to convert her to a defensive specialist. She finished with 304 digs as a junior and senior for Brandeis High School and was tops in assists as a senior with 696. She added 33 aces and 234 digs in her final season. As a team, Brandeis and Gutierrez reached won the bi-district championship and advanced to the area finals her sophomore season. As a junior the team was the District 27-5A Tri-Champs, bi-district playoff title, and advanced to the area finals.

 

In club volleyball, Gutierrez has been a part of two teams that qualified for the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics and on three teams that qualified for the Tour of Texas Power League. She has been team captain in five seasons of junior play splitting time as a libero, defensive specialist and setter.

 

"Brittany is currently setting for a very competitive club team, but we plan to develop her as a DS," said the Javelina mentor. "Changing positions can be difficult, but I am confident that she can make the transition."

 

Along with Boutch, Smith will add much needed size to the Javelina offense and to the team's block defense at middle blocker. As a senior at Cypress Falls High School, 5'11" Smith was named her team's best hitter and also lettered in basketball.

"Shae is extremely athletic." said Allen. "She has a great vertical and is already a very polished blocker. I look forward to seeing how fast she can improve."

 

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas - Senior shortstop Rose Stubbs earned a spot on the Lone Star Conference Softball All-Conference team.

Stubbs was named second team All-Conference shortstop for the 2013 season. Previously, she earned second team LSC south division honors at shortstop during her first season with the Javelinas. Last year, She earned third team all-conference honors as well.

She led the team this year with a .396 batting average, the eighth highest in the Lone Star Conference. Stubbs appeared in all 51 games, had 72 hits, eight doubles and four triples. She also had 21 RBIs and crossed the plate 31 times. She also only struck out eight times the entire season. On the bases, Stubbs stole 14 times out of 15 attempts.

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas - With a pair of dominating pitching performances and late home run by Taylor Taska, the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team completed its series sweep of Incarnate Word on Saturday winning the opening game 12-1 in eight innings and the finale 2-1 in eight innings.

The Javelinas finish the regular season with a 35-15 overall record and an 18-10 mark in the Lone Star Conference. With eight straight conference wins the Javelinas clinched the second seed in the upcoming LSC Championship next week at West Texas A&M in Canyon.

Incarnate Word finishes 26-24 overall and 12-16 in the LSC and are sixth in the LSC.

In the opening game, the Hoggies scored in six of eight innings. With four runs in the eighth, Kingsville built a 12-0 lead and didn't allow a run until the bottom of the eighth.

Kingsville finished the opener with 14 hits led by Ben VIllafuerte with four hits and four runs scored. Taska had a 2-run triple in the eighth and lead the team with three RBI, while Chris Ballou, Cash Barker and James Black, who launched his fourth home run of the season, each had a two runs batted in.

The opening game starter, Taska moved to 7-2 with the complete-game performance. He went eight innings scattering five hits and walking one he struck out four. Taska tossed just 91 pitches.

In game two, Matt Rhodes had the complete game win to move to 6-3 on the season. He allowed one run on three hits. He threw just 80 pitches and the Javelina offense had to rally in the top of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

Trailing 1-0 entering the final inning of the 7-inning affair, Trent Wagner tripled to right-center field. He raced home on a sacrifice fly by David Massey.

Taska then won the game in the top of the eighth with a solo home run to left field for his team-leading seventh of the season.

Neither team managed to get a run across the plate until the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Blake Woosley walked to start the inning and scored from second on a double down the line in left by Jason Stone.

 

 

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PORTALES, N.M. - In his third start in eight days, Matt Rhodes gutted out a 9-inning, complete-game performance, and the Javelina offense continued to pound the Greyhounds as the Texas A&M-Kingsville baseball team finished a sweep of Eastern New Mexico with an 11-5 win Sunday afternoon.

The Javelinas improved to 31-15 overall and are now 14-10 in the Lone Star Conference. They remain in a three-way tie for the second seed in the LSC. The Greyhounds, who have lost eight straight to the Javelinas, are now 19-25 overall and 6-18 in the LSC.

With the game tied at three heading into the fifth inning, the Javelinas erupted for five runs to seize control of the game 8-3. After a Joe Tallerine single started the inning, Ben Villafuerte blasted a 2-run home run to left off Ryan Boydstun, who dropped to 1-3, breaking the tie and giving the Hoggies the lead for good.

Taylor Taska and Chris Ballou kept the inning going with back-to-back singles. Taska would score thanks an ENMU error on a sacrifice bunt by Cash Barker. After Barker stole his second base of the game, Ryan Guedry ripped a two-run single up the middle for an 8-3 lead before an out was recorded.

The Greyhounds responded with two runs off Rhodes in the bottom of the sixth to make it 8-5.

Rhodes, who had started last Sunday in the finale with West Texas A&M and on Tuesday in the non-conference tilt with St. Edwards, allowed just one runner into scoring position the remainder of the way.

Kingsville added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth frames. In the seventh Guedry led off the inning with a single and scored on a 2-out single by Travis Laird. Julian Duran drove in the final two runs with a double in the top of the eighth plating Villafuerte and Taska.

Rhodes moved to 5-3 as he scattered 13 hits in his complete-game performance. He allowed five runs all earned and striking out three. He did not walk a batter and threw 121 pitches. The complete game was needed after the Javelinas used seven pitchers in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader in a game that saw 34 runs scored combined.

Kingsville finished with 14 hits in the finale. Taska led the way with three hits, while Ballou, Guedry, and James Black, who drove in the game's first two runs, each had two.

For the series Kingsville hit .377 as a team and outscored its hosts 48-33. James Black led the way with a .625 mark and led the team along with Laird with eight runs batted in the series. Taska and Villafuerte each scored six runs for the Javelinas. Cash Barker had a team-best four steals and Taska three as the Javelinas finished 15-of-17.

Kingsville finishes the regular season next weekend with a trip to Incarnate Word in the final LSC series between the two teams.

 

 

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PORTALES, N.M. - It took 27 runs on Saturday, but the Texas A&M-Kingsville outscored Eastern New Mexico 27-22 combined in a Lone Star Conference doubleheader to climb into a three-way tie for second in the league.

The Javelinas won a low-score opener 9-6, before outlasting the Greyhounds 18-16 in the second game of the twinbill.

With the doubleheader sweep, the Javelinas move to 30-15 on the season and are 13-10 in the Lone Star Conference. The Greyhounds are now 6-17 in the LSC and 19-24 overall.

In the second game, 10 different Hoggies crossed the plate with seven crossing the plate on twice. Javelina pitchers retired the Greyhounds in order just once - but at the best possible time - In the bottom of the decisive ninth inning when Jeremy Flores sent the hosts down 1-2-3.

Tied at 16 entering the ninth inning, Kingsville loaded the bases with no outs. Taylor Taska walked, Trent Wagner was hit by a pitch, and Cash Barker reached on a bunt single to start the inning. Matt Perez reached on a fielder's choice to knock in Taska to break the tie. James Black singled through the left side of the infield to knock in Wagner.

Flores, who went three innings in his second-longest outing of the year, induced a pair of fly balls to the outfield and a grounder to Black at third to end the game. Flores (1-2) picked up his first win of the season. He was the seventh pitcher used by the Javelinas and the only to go longer than 1-2/3 innings.

Kyle Kesmarki suffered the loss tossing 1-2/3 innings dropping to 2-1.

After being sent down 1-2-3 in the first inning, Kingsville scored in every inning but the eighth thereafter. ENMU scored in every inning but three including the eighth and ninth.

The Javelina and Greyhounds each have 18 hits. Chris Ballou, Barker, and Travis Laird each had three hits apiece for Kingsville. Ryan Guedry and Laird each had three RBIs in the contest. Ballou belted his third home run of the season and Laird his second for Kingsville.

Luis Quinones and Jacob Rogers homered for the hosts, who were led by Andres Enriguez with four hits. Pete Creamer added three hits.

Kingsville trailed by as much 10-5 after three innings, but scored 11 runs in the next four innings to take a 16-15 going into the bottom of the seventh. Eastern scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

In the opening game of the doubleheader, the Javelinas trailed 2-1 before taking control with seven runs in the top of the fifth.

Kingsville had five singles in the inning and took advantage of four free bases - two on walks and two on hit batters. James Black, who added a solo home run in the seventh, and Taylor Taska each had two-run singles.

Taska earned the win pitching into the seventh inning. He allowed just two runs in the first six innings, but was charged with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Tres Tyler came out of the bullpen to end the game with three straight outs.

The Hoggies had 12 hits in the opener led by Black with three. Joe Tallerine, Ben Villafuerte and Julian Duran all had two hits.

Brett Humphries suffered the loss falling to 4-4. Rogers knocked in four runs.

The series finale is at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday.

 

 

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WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Adela Gomez homered twice for the third time this season tying the single-season mark with her 11th home run of 2013 and Bailey Offill hit her first long ball of the seaso nbut it was not enough to overcome a 6-run sixth inning by No.-19 Midwestern State as Texas A&M-Kingsville dropped an 8-4 decision on Saturday.

The three home runs in a game were a season-high for the Javelinas.

Offill handed Kingsville (12-34, 2-21) a 1-0 lead in the top of the second as she belted a solo home run to left field.

Midwestern State (38-12, 15-7) took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second with a pair of unearned runs off Katrisha Arocha. With two away, Katelyn Vinson reached on a Javelina infield error. Christina Roosmalen made Kingsville pay as she belted left field.

The Hoggies quickly regained the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third. With one away, Jaeleen Castro singled. Gomez, who posted back-to-back two homers outings against Abilene Christian, made it a 3-2 contest with a 2-run shot to left-center field.

With two outs in the fifth, Gomez struck again. This time the junior homered with the bases empty with a blast to left field.

The Javelinas maintained the lead until the costly sixth inning. After recording the first out of the season, Denise Arnold struckout Vinson for the apparent second out of the inning. The pitch on strike three got past catcher Kodie Garner for a passed ball. After Roosmalen singled up the middle, Chelsey Wall homered to straightaway center field to make it a 5-4 lead.

The Mustangs went on to add three more unearned runs in the inning with two away. Courtney Bingham drove in a run with single, while Kelsey Schaefer lined a two-run single to center.

Arocha and Arnold split the pitching duties with each tossing three innings. Arocha allowed a pair of unearned runs on three hits. Arnold was the hard-luck loser allowing six runs on six hits, but just two of the runs were earned. Each walked and fanned a batter.

The Javelina finished with 10 hits. Rose Stubbs and Gomez each had two hits. The Mustangs had nine hits with Jerrick, Roosmalen and Wall each had two hits.

Kingsville returns home to host Incarnate Word in a doubleheader on Tuesday at 5 p.m.. The first game will be a Lone Star Conference meeting, while the second game will be considered a non-conference game.

 

 

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KINGSVILLE, Texas- Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball head coach Pete Peterson announced the signing of Jordan Jahr and Ronald Scott to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday as the spring signing period opened.

 

Jahr, a 6-7 wing, is an NCAA Division I transfer from the University of Evansville who comes to Kingsville with two years of eligibility remaining. As a freshman in 2010-11, Jahr averaged 3.8 points a game with a career-high 16 versus Indiana State. In 2011-12, Jahr opened the season with 15 points against Butler and had 12 in the game with Illinois-Chicago but after eight games redshirted the remainder of the season. This past season he saw limited action playing in 20 games twice scoring in double figures.

 

Prior to heading to Evansville, Jahr, who was a first-team all-state player at Lake Travis High School, spent a year at the Air Force Prep School in Colorado. He averaged 15 points and six rebounds at the prep school.

 

Scott, who prepped at John Carroll School in Baltimore, Md., spent the past two seasons at Frank Phillips College. As a sophomore, the 5-10 guard, average 15.8 points, 6.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds. He had at lead 20 points seven different games and had season-high in assists with 15 and rebounds with 11.

 

The Javelinas are coming off a 13-13 season including a 9-9 Lone Star Conference mark.

 

 

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