Closing Our Midweek Schedule

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi preps for its second runaround with UTSA this Tuesday, before participating in just their second Wednesday matchup of the season against Texas Southern.

The Islanders enter the weekend coming off a series loss to Central Arkansas, while the Roadrunners host Corpus Christi following a 2-1 series win against Middle Tennessee State. The Blue and Green will be attempting to take some revenge on UTSA after taking a 6-1 loss at home to the Roadrunners, as the visiting side has claimed a win in each of the Islanders' last five matchups against their San Antonio rival.

Corpus Christi heads home the following day for a contest against visiting Texas Southern inside the Chap. The Islanders hold an impressive 26-3-1 record against the Tigers all-time, last beating TSU 20-3 in 2010. The Islanders will attempting to improve on their current 5-4 record when playing in the midweek, facing a Texas Southern squad that has beaten three Southland Conference members in 2018. 

WHAT TO KNOW
Who: UTSA
When: Tuesday, 6 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: C. Lecompte (1-1) v UTSA: TBD (0-0)
Where: Roadrunner Field | San Antonio, Texas
Watch: Facebook Live

Who: Texas Southern
When: Wednesday, 6 PM
Pitching Matchup: AMCC: T. Gillespie (1-2) v TSU: TBD (0-0)
Where: Chapman Field | Corpus Christi, Texas
Watch: Islander Digital Network

PROMOTIONS>> The first 150 fans in attendance at this Wednesday's game against Texas Southern will receive a free Islanders Teck Wallet, courtesy of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Athletics

AT THE PLATE
>> Drake Osborn tallied a pair of homers in this weekend's series opener at Central Arkansas, finishing the series with a .500/.539/1.000 slashline and seven RBI
>> Itchy Burts and Harrison DiNicola both extended their hitting streaks against the Bears, at 10 and 11 respectively. Dinicola's run is his second double-digit streak of the year, trailing only Andriud Martinez (14) for the team's longest this season
>> The Islanders' 15 triples this season currently rank 18th in all of D-I baseball. Jackson Owens' seven trail only Arizona State's Gage Canning (9) and UNCG's Andrew Moritz for the highest total in the country
>> After recording 23 home runs the previous season, the Islanders already have 22 in 2018, with 11 games remaining. Dinicola and Osborn are tied for a team lead with five bombs apiece
 
ON THE HILL
>> Cody LeCompte will be getting the first start of his Islander career against UTSA, and is on a streak of five straight appearances without an earned run against. His season-ERA sits at a team-low 1.93, while his ERA for the month of April is just 1.00
>> Tate Gillespie returns to the midweek rotation on Wednesday against Texas Southern, he's given up a single earned run over his last four appearances (6.2 IP)
>> With 83 strikeouts on the year, Aaron Hernandez currently ranks 39th in Division I baseball and third in the conference
>> Four Blue and Green relief pitchers have a BAA of under .200 this year, left hander Jesse Philp leads his side, allowing just three hits in 28 at bats (.107)

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
>> UTSA starter Derek Craft holds a team-best 1.87 ERA among starters, while his 0.90 WHIP is 23rd in the country
>> The Roadrunners are coming off back-to-back series wins and are 7-2 in their last nine games. They've outscored opponents an average of 7.11 to 3.67 during that span
>> First baseman Ben Brookover has driven in a team-high 43 runs over the course of the year, he ranks third in Conference USA

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
>> In terms of batting average and on base percentage, Texas Southern has one of the best hitting teams in the country, ranking 17th (.301) and 21st (.397) in those respective categories
>> With 91 stolen bases the Tigers are one of the most aggressive base running teams in D-1, sitting fifth overall in that category
>> TSU is 3-7 against Southland Conference teams this season, and was twice run-ruled against Oklahoma in mid-March

For those hoping to catch this week's matchup with UTSA but are unable to attend the contest, Blue and Green fans can watch the live stream via Facebook Live, provided by UTSA Athletics. 

The Islanders home contest with Texas Southern will be broadcast, as it is every week, on the Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.

COMING UP NEXT
Getting into the final three weeks of the season, the Islanders begin to face some 'must-win' scenarios in the coming weeks of Southland-play. The Blue and Green matchup at home against McNeese this Friday through Sunday, coming into the weekend sporting a 13-13 record all-time against the Cowboys. Corpus Christi won its most recent series with McNeese 2-1, with current Islander arm Chris Cooper collecting both a win and a save over the course of that weekend.

STAY SOCIAL
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