The WTAMU Buffalo baseball team wrapped up their regular season schedule with a four game series against the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds on April 27-29 in Canyon. WT split the series with ENMU, but were able to clinch a spot in the Lone Star Conference tournament.

The Buffs opened the series on April 27 with an 8-1 win. Senior Justin Kuks (9-0) tied the single-season school record for wins by giving up only one run in eight innings. The victory also earned WT a chance to compete in the LSC tournament for the first time since 2006.

“We expected to make the tournament, but we’ve got to keep getting better,” Head Coach Matt Vanderburg said.The Buffs started strong in the first game of the doubleheader on April 28 by jumping out to a 6-0 after the third. The Greyhounds responded by scoring two in the fifth, three in the sixth and two more in the seventh to rally for the 7-6 win. The defeat ended any hope the Buffs had of being the one seed in the LSC tournament.

WT won the second game of the day by pitching six consecutive scoreless innings in a 3-2 win. ENMU scored two in the first and failed to push anything else across as WT scored two in second and one in the third.

The Buff’s bats were quieted on Senior Day, April 29, the final game of the year. While trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth senior Nick Marquez hit a solo home run and sophomore Patrick Ramirez got an RBI single for WT’s only two runs on the day. The Greyhounds would add two more runs to their total and pick up a 5-2 win to close the season.

The Buffs finished the season 29-17 overall and 16-12 in the LSC. WT will be the number four seed in the tournament, which begins May 5 in San Angelo, Texas.

“It doesn’t matter who we play, if we don’t get out of the funk we’re in offensively it will be a short tournament,” Vanderburg said.