Waxahachie, Texas – January 26, 2017 – Even though late-January is still in the throes of winter, the Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) baseball team has been hard at work preparing for their first game of the 2017 season January 27-28. This weekend will mark the start of the 50-game regular season schedule for the Lions.
Last year’s young SAGU squad went 15 and 40. Head coach Sam Blackmon will be relying on a few upperclassman to bring maturity to another team filled with underclassmen. The Lions will be led by four upperclassmen; Raul Castro (INF/P), Josh Terry (OF), Spenser Hart (UTL) and Griffin Glenn (C).
Castro will be returning as the Lions leading hitter. In 2016, he had 51 RBI’s and a 0.393 batting average. He also had eight home runs for the season. Terry also boasts an impressive batting average from 2016, hitting 0.355 and scoring 27 times.
Sophomore’s AJ Munoz and Jake Payonk will also be players to watch this season. Payonk returns to SAGU after a strong freshman season where he will once again see time behind the plate. In 16 games, Munoz saw time behind the mound for the Lions.
“I’m really excited about this group. They have great chemistry,” says Blackmon, “Recruiting was just adding to a solid group already in place.”
Blackmon has added freshman, left-handed pitcher Augie Martinez . Martinez comes from Galveston Junior College and before that he attended Austin High School in Sugar Land, Texas. CJ Bills is a junior-transfer from North Lake Community College . Bills will be a new player to watch in the Lions outfield.
The first homestand begins on Friday, January 27 at 4pm against Randall University. The doubleheader will be played at the Waxahachie Sports Complex . On Saturday, January 28, 2017, the Lions will play a doubleheader on SAGU’s campus beginning at noon. Randall University was formally known as Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College .
SAGU will have a little over a month before they begin Sooner Athletic Conference play on March 3, 2017 against St. Gregory’s University . In the SAC, three teams have received pre-season NAIA votes. University of Science & Arts-Oklahoma is ranked no. seven, Wayland Baptist is ranked no. 20 and OCU is currently receiving votes.
Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.
Contact: Natalie Tristan, SAGU SID, [email protected]
