Jags set to host Wayland Baptist in season-opening series

The UHV baseball team will begin its Red River Athletic Conference Tournament championship defense this weekend.

The Jaguars host Wayland Baptist in a four-game series starting with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 27. The series is also Free Ticket Weekend presented by Crossroads Bank.

Second-year head coach Jonathan Stavinoha is excited for the test the Pioneers (29-22 in 2023) pose right out of the gate. Wayland Baptist reached the semifinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament last year.

"The team is ready to go," Stavinoha said. "We're very excited to play against someone else. The past two weeks, we've been kind of beating up on each other, and we're ready to face somebody with a different jersey. Wayland is a very good team. They're well-coached and they have a lot of talent. They've got some guys who can swing and some guys who can run. We're gonna play our game and control their run game, and hopefully do everything right to come out with a series win."

The two teams met to open the season last year, splitting the four-game series. As the Jaguars (28-27 in 2023) begin year two under Stavinoha, the expectations are higher to open this season compared to 2023.

UHV returns 21 players from last season, including All-RRAC selections Hal Perez (1^st team), Hayden Leopold (2^nd team), Kaden Fikac (2^nd team) and Raul Lopez (Gold Glove).

"Last year when we split with Wayland, we dropped two one-run ballgames," Stavinoha said. "I think not being on the same page last year made the difference in those games. Coming together and being where we are to start the season, I think we can overcome that a little better. That can account for a run or two and be the difference between winning and losing."

Junior right-hander Mason Longoria is the probable starter for the season opener on Saturday. The Victoria native highlights a returning pitching staff which includes starters Julian Garcia and Brady Parker, as well as relievers Justin Mireles, Carson McKenna and Wyatt Lambert.

Last season, Longoria logged 92.2 innings and picked up six wins. He led the starters in ERA at 4.95 while he and Garcia each posted 79 strikeouts, a mark which ranked third in the RRAC.

"(Pitching) is going to be very important," Stavinoha said. "Obviously, they know what to do and what's expected of them. Now they've just got to go and perform. We've got a good defense behind them. If they fill up the strike zone, execute their pitches and we don't give up free stuff, we're going to be fine and we can win a lot of ballgames behind that."

UHV recorded 369 hits last season, the third-most in program history. The team returns its three top hitters from last year, as well, in Leopold, Lopez and Perez.

Leopold and Lopez held batting averages of .349 and .330, respectively, to help the Jaguars reach the semifinals of Hattiesburg Bracket in the NAIA Opening Round. Perez's nine home runs led the team.

"All the way up and down our lineup, I see some big sticks in there," Stavinoha said. "We've got a lot of guys who were here last year and guys who have plenty of experience from their previous schools, junior colleges, etc. One through nine, I like our chances."