THIS WEEK IN RATTLERS BASEBALL
Oklahoma Christian at St. Mary's
February 6-8 // Games 4-6 // San Antonio // Dickson Stadium
Broadcast: FloCollege // Play-by-Play: Rob Shadow
By The Numbers
9 St. Mary's hit by a pitch nine times in game two of the three-game series at Sul Ross State, establishing a new school record. The previous mark of seven had been done three times, including twice in 2022.
9 In 4.0 innings, junior hurler Matthew Janecek struck out nine hitters against Sul Ross State, the most for a Rattler in 2026 and the second-highest total in the Lone Star Conference this season.
4 Senior Garrett Brooks hit four home runs and dove in 12 runs in being named both the Lone Star Conference and NCBWA South Central Region Hitter of the Week. Brooks hit .444Â with eight hits and scored eight times in the three games.
STORYLINES
Home Opener: St. Mary's Baseball starts the home portion of its season on Friday for a three-game series against Oklahoma Christian. The Eagles started the season 1-2 against league newcomer UT Dallas, played on Sunday and Monday due to inclement weather in Oklahoma.
What An Honor: 1B/RF Garrett Brooks was named both the Lone Star Conference and NCBWA South Central Region Hitter of the Week in week one. Brooks hit .444 for the three-game series at Sul Ross State, going 8-for-18 at the plate with four home runs, scoring eight times and collecting 12 RBIs. The senior also walked once and had 13 chances in the field without making an error. It is his second weekly award for both and the first since Feb. 2024.
Batting Around: In the third inning of game three at Sul Ross State, the Rattlers exploded for 14 runs on 12 hits. Shockingly, the 14 runs in one inning is not a school record as the 2007 team put up 15 runs in the second inning at Oklahoma Panhandle State on March 2 in a 39-8 victory.
Law of Attraction: Junior Ashton Beaird may need to have his jersey checked for magnets. The second baseman was hit by a pitch six times in the series at Sul Ross State and leads the nation in that category. St. Mary's was hit 17 times in three games, and currently leads the LSC and ranks second in the nation.
Triple Play: St. Mary's is one of two teams in the nation to have turned a triple play this season. In the eighth inning of game two and runners on first and second base, Raithen Malone snagged a line drive, threw to Blake Allen at second, and he tossed the ball to Garrett Brooks at first, catching both runners off the bags.
Fit For a King: Senior Jacob King posted the 100th hit of his career in the series finale at Sul Ross State on Sunday and now has 102. King also has 65 RBI, 23 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR and 11 SB in 115 games played.
Tie Goes to the Runner: In addition to getting plunked six times, Ashton Beaird also tied the school record for stolen bases in a game, swiping three in the second game. He becomes the 10th different Rattler to steal three bases, and the first since Tristan Moreno did so last season. Beaird and Moreno have four of the team's five stolen bases this year.
Regionally Ranked: The Rattlers are ranked 9th in the initial NCBWA South Central Region poll. The Rattlers received 18 points, while UT Tyler leads the region with 77 points. Colorado Mesa is second, while Angelo State is third. The Patriots received five of the first-place votes, while the Mavs collected two and the Rams got the other one.
Selected Sixth: Entering its seventh year in the Lone Star Conference, St. Mary's has been selected sixth, its second-highest ever in the preseason poll, the league announced. The 2021 team was predicted to finish fifth, coming off the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The Rattlers received 404 points in the 2026 preseason poll. UT Tyler and Angelo State each gathered 20 first-place votes, but the Patriots edged the Rams in the title of preseason favorite by four points, 603 to 599. Lubbock Christian (510), St. Edward's (501), and West Texas A&M (474) round out the top five.
Season Openers: St. Mary's is 43-34 all-time in known season openers, and 2-1 since Frank Kellner became head coach. Last season, the Rattlers defeated Sul Ross State, 3-1 in the opener, while this season contained a lot more offense at 17-6.
What We're Made Of: The Rattlers have 21 players returning from last season, 11 transfers and six freshman on the roster for 2026. A total of 34 of the student-athletes hail from Texas, while there is also one player each from Alabama, Illinois, and South Carolina.
They're Smart Too: The LSC recently released the Commissioner's Honor Roll for the fall semester, and 22 baseball student-athletes were honored, including Daniel Vogt who posted a perfect 4.00 GPA in the fall semester. The other players who were a 3.30 or better were Ryan Alaniz, Blake Allen, Chase Bright, Garrett Brooks, Braeden Brown, Miguel Bustamante, Kieffer Doxey, Brandon Ermis, Kaleb Gauna, Rob Gonzalez, Matthew Janecek, Jacob King, Dillon Lopez, Derek Maples, Matt Mendez, Edward Mendoza, Christian Molinar, Tristan Moreno, Jimmy Mowles, Brant Stringer, and Brandon Vasquez.
Going Bananas: Recent graduate Easton Parrish was drafted in the seventh round of the inaugural BBCL draft by the Savannah Bananas. Parrish will wear No. 17 with the Bananas, the same number both he and his brother, Colton, wore with the Rattlers. He was a three-time LSC All-Academic team and was named to the LSC All-Conference Third-Team as a senior.
Family Ties: The Rattlers have a set of brothers on the team for the 2026 season in senior Brody Ticer and freshman Garrett Ticer. The two are nephews of current men's basketball coach Bubba Meyer. Sophomore Brandon Ermis is the son of former head coach and long-time assistant coach Chris Ermis, who also played for the Rattlers.
