St. Mary's (0-0, 0-0) at UT Permian Basin (0-0, 0-0)
Feb. 2-4 // Games 1-4 // Odessa, Texas // Roden Field
The Series
Overall: 44-23
In San Antonio: 25-7
In Odessa: 19-16
Neutral Site: 0-0
Extra Innings: 2-0
Current Streak: L1
First Pitch
•   St. Mary's begins a new era on Friday as the 74th season kicks off under the direction of Frank Kellner, the eighth head coach in school history.
•   Senior Andrew Girod returns for his fifth season of eligibility after being one of the league's best closers in 2023. Girod led the Lone Star Conference and ranked seventh nationally with nine saves. He also ended 2023 ranked fifth on the St. Mary's single-season record list with those nine saves and the 10 saves in his career are ranked fifth all-time.Â
•   The Rattlers signed Jaxon Mungia to a letter of intent through Team IMPACT. Mungia is a 10-year-old who is battling a rare form of cancer. His advice heading into the season: "Keep your eye on the ball."
•   The Rattlers hold a 44-23 advantage in the all-time series with UT Permian Basin and won three of the four games to kick off the 2023 season a year ago. StMU holds a slight 19-16 edge in games played in Odessa.
•   The Rattlers return 19 letterwinners off last season's 25-27 team that reached the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, including projected position starters Jorge Cuevas, Jacob Elizondo, Jacob King, Easton Parrish and Rudy Solis. On the hill, only Kaleb Gauna is returning in the projected starting rotation, though the team returns several relievers.
•   St. Mary's is 40-30 in season openers (three seasons are unknown). The Rattlers have won four of the last five game one's - including a 6-3 victory over UT Permian Basin to kick off the 2023 season.
•   Senior Andrew Girod and sophomore transfer Garrett Brooks were named Players to Watch by the Lone Star Conference. Girod is a returning All-Region selection, while Brooks is a transfer from UTSA.
