Baseball Opens 2018 Season At UT-Arlington

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The 2018 season has finally arrived, as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi readies for the first pitch of the regular season in Arlington this Friday. The Islanders face a UT Arlington side that collected 30 wins in 2017, while reaching the conference tournament for a sixth consecutive year.

The coming campaign looks bright for the Islanders with a heightened mix of experience and talented newcomers both at the plate and on the mound. The Blue and Green look to return to the Southland Conference tournament after a two-year hiatus, coming off a 22-32 regular season record the previous year.

Corpus Christi is led by Head Coach Scott Malone, who prepares for his 11th season at the helm of the Islanders program. Malone has led his squad to six Southland Conference appearances, including a pair of SLC semifinals competitions. 

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: UT-Arlington
When: Friday at 2PM/Saturday at 2 PM/Sunday at 1 PM
Where: Clay Gould Ballpark | Arlington, Texas
Watch: Mavericks All-Access
 
IN THE INFIELD (6 RETURNERS, 8 NEWCOMERS)
>> Senior Jackson Owens will be Coach Malone's regular starter at the hot corner this year, after leading his side with a .511 slugging percentage the previous season
>> After recording 12 starts for the Islanders in 2017, sophomore Drake Osborn looks to return as the Blue and Green starting backstop this year
>> The remainder of the infield will rely primarily on newcomers, with transfer Andriud Martinez and freshman Steven Rivera-Chijin expected to see the bulk of the time up the middle
>> Junior transfer Thomas Jeffries IV is the Islanders projected starter at first base, batting .345 with 13 stolen bases his sophomore year at Paris JUCO
 
IN THE OUTFIELD (4 RETURNERS, 2 NEWCOMERS)
>> The Islanders return most experience in the field in the outfield, with starters Dalton Stark and Nick Anderson trotting back out in the Blue and Green starting lineup
>> Stark is coming off a season in which he earned All-Southland Conference honorable mentions, leading his team with a .325 batting average
>> With a .458 slugging average and 10 RBI, sophomore Luke Marbach will join Stark and Anderson in the outfield of Chapman field this 2018

STARTING ON THE MOUND (4 RETURNERS, 1 NEWCOMER)
>> After a one-year hiatus, Islander ace Aaron Hernandez returns to the Blue and Green lineup, with a fastball averaging in the mid-90s
>> Freshman lefty A.G. Ayala is expected to insert himself into the regular Islander rotation, graduating from Roy Miller High School the previous year
>> Right-hander Tate Gillespie rounds out Coach Malone's weekend rotation, posting a perfect 3-0 record during his sophomore year at Navarro College
>> Sophomore Dustin Lacaze and senior Cole Carter are expected to receive some midweek starts, with the former striking out 47 batters over 58.2 innings the previous campaign

IN THE PEN (6 RETURNERS, 9 NEWCOMERS)
>> As the Islanders primary closer in 2017, rightie Chris Cooper returns for his senior season after claiming a team-high seven saves the previous year and a 3.78 ERA
>> David Worrell finished last season with a 4.47 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 27 appearances
>> Freshman Leonel Perez will get some time on the mound this season, projected as Corpus Christi's starting designated hitter for 2018 as well
>> Newcomer John Gaddis and senior Jackson Owens will both take the bump this year, with Owens making four appearances for the Blue and Green in 2017

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
>> UTA returns a lineup of 13 seniors this season, with Omar Salinas leading his side in batting average (.333), doubles (11), home runs (11) and RBI (44)
>> Returning ace Trae Patterson posted a team-best 2.98 ERA over 98.1 innings pitched last season, tallying a 7-4 record on the year
>> The Mavericks were knocked out of the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament last year, finishing the regular season at the top of the conference's West Division with a record of 20-10 in Sun Belt-play

COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders face UTRGV in the South Texas Showdown, presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union on Tuesday, dropping the Vaqueros in seven of the two's last nine meetings.

The Blue and Green continue on to the Kleberg Baseball College Classic to be held at Whataburger Field, facing off with Nicholls, UC-Santa Barbara and No. 12 Mississippi State. 

All TAMUCC Students with a valid Sand Dollar ID can purchase Kleberg Baseball College Classic tickets for five dollars apiece, while non-student tickets are available at 10 dollars for a single day pass and 24 for a full weekend.

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Islanders Baseball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersBSB), Instagram (@islandersbsb) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Baseball).