SAN ANGELO, TX — The No. 3 Angelo State Rams arrived home from their road trip in Odessa over the weekend with an even split against the University of Permian Basin. The Rams opened up the weekend with a win in extra innings over the Falcons on Friday, February 16. On Saturday, Angelo State won Game 2 24-7 before they dropped the final two games of the 4-game series by one run each (3-4 and 5-6).
At his weekly press conference held on Monday, February 19, at the Junell Center, Rams’ head coach, Kevin Brooks, talked about the split series and what seems to be holding Angelo State back early in the season. Watch the full press conference below:
“We have two guys that were a part of that national championship team on the field right now, and we expected to have five or six,” Brooks said on Monday. “It’s a pretty big difference. I think the new guys are still having to learn how to win and learn how to make plays.”
Despite the 4-4 road record, the Rams are far from doom and gloom. Nationally, ASU still ranks in the top 5 (No. 3) and should figure out several of the on-field issues quickly. Coach Brooks said that while he’s not thrilled that the Rams dropped two games over the weekend, he’s confident that they will be fine.
“One game (this year) we got beat,” Brooks said. “The other three are all one-run losses. Which, I think, was us. We must continue to work, battle, and compete because when we get all of our pieces together, we have a chance to be a good team.”
There is a palpable sense of urgency in the program after this weekend. Angelo State went 11-1 through this exact same stretch of the schedule a year ago and needs to grab the wins when they can and not lose close contests due to mistakes.
“I always say in February and March, you can’t play yourself in (to the playoffs), but you can play yourself out,” Brooks continued. “That’s a possibility here if we don’t find a way to get some wins against some stiff competition.”
The Rams return home this weekend to host UT Tyler for a 4-game Lone Star Conference series at Foster Field in San Angelo. Game 1 is on Friday, February 23. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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