| April 6, 2005
Contact: Matt Schabert (210) 458-4930 Roadrunners travel to Nicholls State for three-game series this weekend Complete Release | Live Stats SAN ANTONIO - The University of Texas at San Antonio baseball team will look to end a three-game losing streak this weekend when it travels to Thibodaux, La., to take on the Nicholls State Colonels in a three-game Southland Conference series. UTSA Roadrunners (11-20, 5-4 SLC)
at
Nicholls State Colonels (14-16, 2-7 SLC)
April 8-10
Friday, April 8 - 6:30 p.m. • Didier Field
Saturday, April 9 - 4 p.m. • Didier Field
Sunday, April 10 - 1 p.m. • Didier Field
First Pitch
• The Roadrunners make their longest road trip of the year this weekend as they take on Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La.
• UTSA has dropped three straight games after winning seven of eight.
• The Roadrunners are 2-5 on the road this year and 1-2 on the road in the Southland Conference.
• The Roadrunners took all three games in this series last year.
• Friday’s game is the second of four night games UTSA plays against Southland Conference opponents in 2005.
Roadrunner Tidbits
UTSA comes into the weekend looking to snap a three-game losing skid...The Roadrunners are 10-7 since beginning the year 1-13...Sophomore Blake Brannon made his first start of the year against Angelo State on Tuesday and tossed eight innings with a career high seven strikeouts...Sophomore Steven Vasquez, who suffered neck injuries in an auto accident in the fall, made his return on Tuesday after missing the first 30 games. Vasquez was 5-5 in 2004...Freshman Joel Doucet got his first career start in right field on Tuesday and responded by going 2-for-4 at the plate and making a diving catch in the field to save a sure double by the Rams...Sophomore Michael McKennon has started all 31 games in left field, while junior J.R. Voyles has started all 31 at second base...Voyles has a six-game hitting streak to lead UTSA, while junior Lee Todesco has a five-game streak...Sophomore Ryan Saltzgaber’s leadoff home run Tuesday was the first leadoff homer for UTSA since 1999.
1-3 Punch
According to this week’s Southland Conference report, UTSA juniors J.R. Voyles and Lee Todesco rank first and third, respectively, in batting against SLC foes. Voyles is hitting .483 in the league, while Todesco is hitting .455. As a matter of fact, this weekend’s matchup will feature the top four hitters in the league as NSU’s Anthony Hatch and Bubba Bell rank two and four, respectively, in hitting against league opponents.
Scouting the Colonels
Nicholls State enters the series with a 14-16 overall record and a 2-7 league mark. The Colonels offense is led by the one-two punch of Bubba Bell and Anthony Hatch. Bell is hitting .400 with 11 stolen bases, while Hatch is at .393 with a team-high six home runs. As a team, Nicholls State hits .298, while the pitching staff has a 5.70 ERA. Head coach B.D. Parker is in his sixth year as head mentor for the Colonels and has a 137-162 record during that span.
Up Next
The Roadrunners travel to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a doubleheader against the Islanders on Wednesday, April 13. Game one begins at noon.
A Look at the Series
UTSA has a 21-18 advantage in the all-time series with Nicholls State, and the teams have played every year since the Roadrunners’ first varsity team in 1992. UTSA has won seven of the last eight meetings, including the last four. In 2004, UTSA defeated the Colonels three times in San Antonio, 2-1, 9-8 and 9-4.
Last Time on the Field
UTSA dropped an 8-5 decision to visiting Angelo State on Tuesday. The Roadrunners, behind the strong pitching of sophomore Blake Brannon, took a 5-3 lead into the ninth, but the Rams struck for five runs to push ahead 8-5. Dustin Thibodeaux took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the year. Brannon struck out a career high seven in eight innings. Ryan Saltzgaber and freshman Joel Doucet each had two hits, while Saltzgaber and Lee Todesco had home runs.
Touch ‘Em All
Sophomore Ryan Saltzgaber and junior Lee Todesco each homered in the first inning against Angelo State, bringing the Roadrunners’ season total to 20. Saltzgaber’s leadoff round-tripper was the first since Johnny Johnston in 1999. Last year, the Roadrunners paced the Southland Conference with 55 home runs, including a league high 16 from senior catcher Chris Lewis.
Streaks and Peaks
Several Roadrunner regulars have strung together impressive hitting streaks so far in 2005. Currently, junior J.R. Voyles has a six-game streak to lead UTSA. while junior first baseman Lee Todesco is riding a five-game streak. Three Roadrunners - sophomore third baseman Ryan Saltzgaber (11), junior shortstop Ryan Crew (10) and senior centerfielder Sean Danielson (10) have double digit streaks in 2005.
Multi-Dimensional
The Roadrunners have gotten multi-hit and multi-RBI games from several players this year. As a team, UTSA has recorded 79 instances of multi-hit games and 35 multi-RBI performances. Sophomore Ryan Saltzgaber and junior J.R. Voyles lead the way with 11 each, while sophomore Michael McKennon has seven multi-RBI games.
Motley Crew
Junior Ryan Crew is climbing up the UTSA stat charts in just his third season. Crew now ranks eighth all-time with 177 career hits. He also ranks tied for 9th now on the career doubles list with 33 and needs only four more to move as high as fifth. In RBIs, Crew now ranks 10th with 99 and needs just three to move to ninth. In home runs, his total of 17 ranks him tied for eighth all-time, while his total of seven triples puts him fourth on that stat chart.
Triple Threats
UTSA has 17 triples in 2005 and needs just three more to tie the single season record of 20, set in 1994 and 1996. Sophomore Ryan Saltzgaber leads the way with four, which places him fourth on the UTSA single season chart for triples.
And, They’re Off
UTSA has been successful on the base paths this season with 28 stolen bases in 31 games. The Roadrunners are 28-of-39 overall. Senior Sean Danielson leads the way with nine, while junior J.R. Voyles and Ryan Crew have five each. In fact, Voyles has been thrown out only once in his career during his freshman year. In 2002, he was 3-for-4. In 2004, he went 8-for-8, and he is 5-for-5 this season, making him 16-for-17 in his three-year
Roadrunner career.
Sit ‘Em Down, A-Rod
Senior pitcher Aaron Rodriguez is nearing the top five list for career strikeouts. With 156 career punchouts, he needs just 18 more to climb onto the top five list all-time. Justin Burgess (1994-97) tops the K list with 267.
Homegrown 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.
The Workhorse
With 42 career appearances, Sophomore pitcher Blake Brannon is already more than halfway toward the UTSA career record (81 - Eric Montoya, 1997-00). Brannon leads the Southland Conference with 19 appearances this year and made his first start of the season against Angelo State Tuesday. He also leads UTSA with 37 strikeouts in 2005.
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.
Bird Bath Success
UTSA is 35-17 (.686) at Roadrunner Field since 2001, including a 14-game winning streak in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. This year, the Roadrunners are off to another fast start at the “Bird Bath” at 6-3.
Roadrunner Rankings
A look at where UTSA players and team rank in this week’s conference stats: Team batting (6th); Team pitching (9th); Team fielding (8th); Individuals: Batting, J.R. Voyles (7th); Triples, Ryan Crew (4th); Stolen bases, Sean Danielson (T-5th); Doubles, Chris Lewis (T-2nd); On-Base Percentage, J.R. Voyles (5th), Slugging Percentage, J.R. Voyles (8th); Saves, Jason Vecchio (T-4th); Innings, Aaron Rodriguez (3rd); Appearances, Blake Brannon (T-1st).
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. -UTSA-
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