ABILENE, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team opens Lone Star Conference play this weekend with a four game series at Abilene Christian.  The teams play one game on Friday at 7 p.m., two on Saturday at 2 p.m. and one more on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The #24 Cardinals (14-4) are coming off a 21-5 win over Texas A&M-International on Tuesday night.  It was the most runs the team has scored this year.  The Cardinals and Wildcats (11-9) matched up earlier in the year at the Astros D-II Invitational at Minute Maid Park in Houston and ACU came away with a 12-5 victory.

The Cardinals are hitting .335 as a team this year and lead the LSC with 8.4 runs scored per game.  The pitching staff has also been solid with a 3.80 ERA and over a strikeout per inning.

The UIW offense boasts six regulars hitting at least .350 on the season.  Seniors Jordan Littlefield (Marion/Marion HS) and John Zule (San Antonio/Stevens HS) lead the way.  Littlefield is hitting .463 with 11 runs batted in while Zule boasts a .449 batting average and 11 RBI's.  Derrick Walls (San Antonio/Reagan HS) leads the conference with 27 runs scored and 17 stolen bases.

The Cardinals pitching staff hopes to get ace Alexis Garza (McAllen/McAllen HS) back on the mound soon after he sustained an injury two weeks ago.  He is 3-0 on the season with a 0.93 ERA and 29 strikeouts in only 19.1 innings.  Freshman Geno Encina (San Antonio/Brandeis HS) is 3-0 with a 3.46 ERA while sophomore Dylan Boss (Boerne/Boerne HS) sports a 2.08 ERA and a 2-2 record.

The Wildcats are hitting .301 as a team and have a 4.75 ERA.  Travis Schuetze leads the offense with a .462 batting average, nine doubles and 14 RBI's.  Jordan Herrera is the top starting pitcher on the team with a 5-1 record and a 3.22 ERA.
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