CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi prepares to host the Kleberg Bank College Classic at Whataburger Field for the 13th consecutive year this weekend, bringing in nationally ranked talent from across the country. The Islanders host a field that includes Southland Conference rival Nicholls, west coast powerhouse UC-Santa Barbara and 15th-ranked Mississippi State.
The Islanders face a familiar foe in Nicholls, going 21-10 against the Colonels all-time, while facing UC-Santa Barbara for the first time in their program history. Corpus Christi is 1-1 against Mississippi State in their two games with the Bulldogs, after splitting a doubleheader against State in Head Coach
Scott Malone's third year on the Island (2010).
The Blue and Green ride into this weekend's festivities winning three of their four opening contests to start 2018, including a 2-1 series win over in-state foe UT-Arlington. The Corpus Christi side will be the only team heading into the Kleberg College Classic with a winning record, with the Colonels, Gauchos and Bulldogs all holding 1-3 records through their first week of competition.
TICKETS>>> 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.
All tickets for this weekend's events can be purchased through the Corpus Christi Hooks
online and at the Whataburger Field Box Office. For phone orders, call 361-561-HOOK (4665).
WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Nicholls
When: Friday, 6 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: D. Lacaze (0-0) v Nich: A. Ernestine (0-0)
Where: Whataburger Field | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas
Who: UC-Santa Barbara
When: Saturday, 6 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: A. Hernandez (0-1) v UCSB: J. Dashwood (0-0)
Where: Whataburger Field | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas
Who: No. 15 Mississippi State
When: Sunday, 3 PM
Pitching Matchup: Pitching Matchup: AMCC: J. Owens (1-0) v State: J. Billingsley (0-0)
Where: Whataburger Field | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas
AT THE PLATE
>> Corpus Christi is 2-1 when going deep this season, hitting a home run in its opener at UT-Arlington and its midweek contest with UTRGV
>>
Nick Anderson has hit in each of the Islanders' four games to start the season. He currently leads the Blue and Green with a .556 on-base percentage, while slugging a team-high .692
>>
Andriud Martinez recorded the first long ball of his Islander career this past Tuesday, going yard against the Vaqueros in a pinch-hit AB
>> Tallying 10 or more hits in three of their four games this season, the Islanders are averaging 9.25 knocks per contest in 2018
>>
Harrison DiNicola recorded the first home run of his career in the Blue and Green's season opener at UTA, hitting a go ahead grand slam over the right field wall. He leads his side with five RBI this season
ON THE HILL
>>
Tate Gillespie recorded a quality start in his first start on the mound for the Islanders, allowing seven hits and three runs over six innings of work. He currently leads his team with seven strikeouts this season
>>
Jackson Owens tossed six frames of shutout baseball in his first start for Corpus Christi, holding UTA to just three hits in a 2-1 win this Sunday
>> Six Islanders currently hold an ERA of 0.00 when coming out of the pen. Blue and Green relievers are averaging a 3.45 ERA for the season thus far
>>
Chris Cooper picked up his first save of the year against UTRGV, leading all active Islander arms with nine in his career
IN THE FIELD
>> The Islanders have recorded just a single error through their first four games, fielding at .993 for 2018
>> The Blue and Green's fielding percentage currently ranks first in the Southland Conference, while the team's six double plays are just one off Northwestern State's SLC-high and sit ninth in all of Division I baseball
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
>> Nicholls won't be afraid to play small ball this weekend, sitting fourth in the country with five sacrifice hits on the season
>> Infielder Ethan Valdez is slashing .571/.647/.643 on the year, leading all of the Colonels' regular starters in all three categories
>> The Islanders are slated to face off with senior lefty Alex Ernestine on Friday, after the starter lasted just three innings in his first appearance against Stony Brook to open the season
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
>> The UC Santa Barbara pitching staff is currently striking out 7.4 batters per game, tallying eight apiece in the team's opening two games against a San Diego State squad that received votes in the latest NCBWA Top-30 Poll
>> UCSB accounted for just 16 hits in their opening three-game series against San Diego State, with catcher Thomas Rowan posting a team-high .429 in the Gauchos' first four games
>> Going up against Saturday starter Jack Dashwood, the Islanders are set to face another left-hander, holding an ERA of 6.23
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
>> The Bulldogs made a super regionals appearance in last year's NCAA College Baseball Tournament before falling to eventual CWS runner-up LSU
>> Mississippi State's Jake Mangum and Konnor Pilkington were both named to this year's Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, with the former also garnering First Team Preseason All-SEC honors
>> Sunday's scheduled starter Jacob Billingsley was pulled after four innings in his start against Southern Mississippi at the start of the season, giving up a pair of runs to a Golden Eagles side that was ranked as high as 15th in the latest round of national rankings
COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders remain in Corpus Christi with a midweek matchup against UH-Victoria this Wednesday, followed by a four-game weekend series against Utah Valley at Chapman Field.
STAY SOCIAL
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@IslandersBSB), Instagram (
@islandersbsb) and like their Facebook page (
Islanders Baseball).
- Go Islanders -
