| Feb. 14, 2005
Contact: Matt Schabert (210) 458-4930 Roadrunners travel to Austin to take on top-ranked Texas Tuesday Complete Release
Listen Live | Live Stats (www.texassports.com) SAN ANTONIO - The UTSA baseball team will make the short trip up I-35 to take on the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns on Tuesday, Feb. 15. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. at Disch-Falk Field. UTSA Roadrunners (0-3)
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No. 1 Texas Longhorns (7-0) Tuesday, Feb. 15 - 2:30 p.m.
Disch-Falk Field - Austin, Texas First Pitch
After beginning the 2005 season with three losses at home to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the UTSA Roadrunners venture up I-35 to Austin to face no. 1 Texas today...The Longhorns have won the last 11 meetings in this series, but last year’s series was close with the Roadunners falling 4-2 in Austin and 5-0 at Wolff Stadium in San Antonio...Junior second baseman J.R. Voyles is hitting .500 after the season-opening three-game series, while sophomore centerfielder Michael McKennon is batting .462 with a double, triple and a home run already...In the last nine meetings with the Longhorns, the Roadrunners have been held to just eight runs combined.
Streaks and Such
Three players, including two returnees, are off to good starts in 2005. Senior centerfielder Sean Danielson, junior second baseman J.R. Voyles and junior first baseman Lee Todesco all come into today’s game with three-game hitting streaks.
The Bats Came Alive
After registering just five hits and one run in last Friday’s 1-0 loss to the Islanders, UTSA exploded for 13 hits on both Saturday and Sunday. After three games, the Roadrunners have 31 hits and boast six starters with a .300 or higher batting average.
It Could Be, It Might Be, It Is
The Roadrunners led the Southland Conference in 2004, smashing 55 home runs. It’s the first time in school history the Roadrunners led the league in round-trippers.
Nearly a Cycle
Sophomore leftfielder Michael McKennon almost hit for the cycle last Sunday in the 8-4 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He ended the game 4-for-5 with a double, triple and two singles.
A Look at the Longhorns
Texas enters the game ranked first nationally by Collegiate Baseball. The Longhorns, coached by college baseball’s all-time winningest head coach, Augie Garrido, are 7-0 in 2005. The Longhorns boast a .306 team batting average with Seth Johnston’s .448 leading the way. Taylor Teagarden hits at a .421 clip. Today’s starter, freshman RHP Kenn Kasparek, is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He’s made one start and recorded four strikeouts. Garrido, who came to Austin in 1997, has won 1,493 career games, including 929 in 21 years at Cal-State Fullerton.
What a Crew
Junior shortstop Ryan Crew enters his junior campaign with some lofty preseason expectations. He has been named preseason first-team all-Southland Conference and is also Baseball America’s selection for Southland Player of the Year. Crew is also slated to see more time on the mound on this year. In 2004, he was named first-team all-Southland Conference after batting .310 with nine home runs and leading the team with four saves.
Newbies
Several Roadrunner newcomers made their UTSA debuts last weekend. Senior Sean Danielson and sophomore Ryan Saltzgaber earned spots in the starting lineup, while junior college transfer pitcher Caleb Barton saw relief action on Saturday and Sunday. Southern Mississippi transfer pitcher Noah Tritz made an appearance on Saturday, while freshman catcher Tyler Johnson pinch hit and caught on Saturday and Sunday. Freshmen Marshal Davis and Joel Doucet each had their first collegiate at-bats on Sunday, and freshmen Brian Pope and Mark Ruffin made their collegiate mound debuts on Sunday as well.
We’re not in Kansas Anymore
The 2005 Roadrunner roster reflects several junior college and Division I transfers, including two newcomers who came to San Antonio from Kansas State. Centerfielder Sean Danielson, from Irving, Texas, and third baseman Ryan Saltzgaber, from Pearland, Texas, both played collegiately at Kansas State before transferring to UTSA this season. Both are starters for the Roadrunners as well. In addition, UTSA has four other players who transferred this season. Senior Stephen Holdren (Texas A&M) and junior Noah Tritz (Southern Mississippi) are D-I newcomers, while juniors Art Gonzales (Vernon Junior College) and Caleb Barton (Panola Junior College) hail from the JUCO ranks.
We’ve got Speed
The Roadrunners stole 44 bases in 2004, and 27 of those were accomplished by players who return in 2005. Junior J.R. Voyles leads the returnees in stolen bases as he swiped 8-of-8 last year, while junior Ryan Crew was a close second with a 7-for-13 performnace on the bases paths. The Roadrunners are already 4-for-5 on the base paths this season as senior transfer Sean Danielson swiped two against the Islanders last weekend.
Missed Opportunities
The Roadrunners left 14 men on base Sunday in an 8-4 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, including leaving the bases loaded in the first and ninth innings.
Roadrunners Picked Sixth
UTSA has been tabbed for a sixth place finish in the Southland Conference this year, according the coaches and SID polls taken before the year began. Defending champion Lamar is again picked to finish number one.
Tournament Time
UTSA will participate in three in-season tournaments this season after playig in just one in 2004. The Roadrunners take part in the Midland Rockhounds College Classic on Feb. 24-26 against Southland foe Lamar, New Mexico State and the host school, Texas Tech. The Roadrunners then travel to the Rio Grande Valley for the Al Ogletree Classic at Texas-Pan American on Mar. 4-6. The Roadrunners play the hosts, Illinois and Birmingham Southern. UTSA then concludes its tournament schedule with the annual Alamo City Classic at Wolff Stadium on Mar. 9-12, with Notre Dame, Oral Roberts and Southwest Missouri State participating.
Two to One
Senior starting pitcher Aaron Rodriguez, the only senior on the pitching staff in 2005, posted a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2004. Rodriguez recorded 70 K’s, which ranked second on the team behind Klae Boehme, and walked only 34 on the year. This season, Rodriguez started the season opener and had three strikeouts and three walks but only allowed one run over 6.1 innings.
Triple Option
The Roadrunners enter the 2005 campaign with two experienced options behind the plate. Junior Robbie Johns is the starter as the year begins, and he started 41 of the 43 games he appeared in last year and gunned down nine would-be base stealers. Meanwhile, sophomore Zach Etheredge returns this year after seeing action in 36 games last year and throwing out five runners. The Roadrunners also have a third option in freshman Tyler Johnson, who has made two pinch-hit appearances in 2005.
Texas Talent
Head coach Sherman Corbett doesn’t have to go far to find the talent to fill the Roadrunners’ roster. Thirty-one (31) of the 33 players on the roster hail from right here in Texas. Only redshirt freshman Drew Rogers (Bradenton, Fla.) and senior transfer Stephen Holdren (Overland Park, Kan.) don’t call Texas home.
Next on the Ledger
The Roadrunners return home to host the Dallas Baptist Patriots at Wolff Stadium. A three-game series is set for Thursday, Feb. 17-Saturday, Feb. 19. Game time for Thursday and Friday is 6 p.m., while Saturday’s finale is set for 2 p.m.
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