HOBBS, N.M. – University of the Southwest baseball returns to the diamond with four games on the schedule.
 
The Mustangs host NCAA Division II University of Texas of the Permian Basin Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Jake Williams Field. USW returns to RRAC play this weekend with a three-game series at Houston-Victoria.
 
USW earned a pair of wins at UTPB last month by scores of 6-4 (11 innings) and 5-2.
 
Last season the Mustangs got the best of UHV and swept a three-game series 11-4, 16-15 and 13-6.
 
Throughout 2018 Senior Ean Smith has been the Mustangs' most effective offensive weapon. The Las Cruces, N.M. product is batting .368 with a team-high 24 runs batted in. Junior Ben Tingen, also a Las Cruces native, is batting .340 with 10 RBI and a team-high nine stolen bases.
 
Senior Axel Arrieta has been efficient from the mound. The El Paso, Texas native is 3-1 with a 3.43 earned run average and 50 strikeouts.
 
Beyond Arrieta, the Mustangs have a deep pitching corps.
 
Senior David Flores is 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA, senior Alex Goodman sports a 1-1 mark and a 3.07 ERA, freshman JJ Kruzel is 3-2 with one save and an ERA of 4.41 and junior Kevin Whitaker is 2-4 with a 6.48 ERA.