It was a tremendous start to open the 2024 season for head coach Matt Vanderburg and his West Texas A&M baseball team.

The Buffs used big bats and solid pitching to nab a four-game sweep of Lone Star Conference foe Texas A&M-International on Friday through Sunday at Wilder Park in Canyon.

WTAMU opened the year on Friday with a 14-10 victory, then picked up both wins of a doubleheader on Saturday, 17-5 and 8-4, followed by a 5-4 series sweep on Sunday.

The Buffs are now 4-0 on this very young season and 4-0 in the league. WTAMU continues conference play traveling to Texas A&M Kingsville with the first of a four-game series starting on Friday.

Series recap 

In Friday’s season opener the Buffs already found themselves making a flair for the dramatics by scoring eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 10-4 deficit and take a 12-10 lead.

First baseman Kory Schmidt was 2-for-3 with four RBIs including a double and a homer. Tai Phetluangsy picked up the win (1-0) on the mound for the Buffs, allowing one earned run on one hit with a walk and three strikeouts in his two innings of relief, Reese Miller registered a save as he struck out a pair in the final 1.1 innings.

On Saturday, the Buff bats exploded in the opening game of a doubleheader. During the 17-5 blowout win, WTAMU center fielder Paul Wittman went 2-for-5 delivering a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth that put the Buffs up 13-4. In the fifth, it was teammate Rodric Black joining Wittman with a grand slam of his own as WTAMU to make it 17-4.

Douglas Rojas picked up the win (1-0) for the Buffs, allowing no runs on two hits with one walk and a strikeout during his 2.1 innings of relief.

The nightcap saw the Buffs jump out to an early lead as Wittmann and Kyle Micklus scored on wild pitches followed by a Dylan Fesperman RBI single to right, giving WTAMU a 5-0 first inning lead.

The Buffs added to their lead in the fourth as Micklus and Ryan Camcho drove in runs with RBI singles to make it 8-3.

Matt Milner picked up the win (1-0) on the mound, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in his 4.2 innings of work.

It was Sunday where the Buffs left the best for last as Micklus delivered a clutch walk off RBI single in the ninth inning gave the Buffs a 5-4 win at Wilder Park in Canyon.

Micklus went 2-for-4 on the afternoon against the Dustdevils including that game-winning RBI. Teammate Seth Ochoa was 1-for-3 with a double and Reese Miller picked up the win (1-0) for the Buffs, allowing no runs on one hit with no walks and a strikeout in his one inning of relief.