| May 16, 2005
Contact: Matt Schabert (210) 458-4930 Roadrunners conclude regular season at McNeese State Complete Release | Live Stats (All three games)
SAN ANTONIO -Needing just one win to clinch a spot in next week's Southland Conference Tournament, the University of Texas at San Antonio baseball team will conclude its regular season this week at McNeese State. Game one of a three-game series is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 19 at the Cowboy Diamond in Lake Charles, La. UTSA Roadrunners (22-30, 13-11 SLC)
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McNeese State Cowboys (21-30, 10-14 SLC)
May 19-21
Thursday, May 19 - 7:00 p.m. • Cowboy Diamond
Friday, May 20 - 7:00 p.m. • Cowboy Diamond
Saturday, May 21 - 1:00 p.m. • Cowboy Diamond
First Pitch
• The Roadrunners look to close the regular season on a positive note this week at McNeese State.
• UTSA is 13-11 in the league and in fifth place as the final conference series commences.
• The Roadrunners have fashioned a 6-6 record in their last SLC series since 2001 under head coach Sherman Corbett.
• The Roadrunners lead the league in triples, while the Cowboys rank second in doubles.
Roadrunner Tidbits
UTSA looks to finish above .500 in the conference for the second time under head coach Sherman Corbett...This will be the second year in a row UTSA has concluded the regular season on the road...The Roadrunners are 5-5 in conference road games...Senior OF Stephen Holdren hit .364 in the Lamar series, while junior 2B J.R. Voyles hit .357...With a win in game one, Senior LHP Aaron Rodriguez can finish the conference regular season with an unblemished 6-0 record...UTSA’s offense has generated just 4.2 runs per game in the last 11 games...Voyles rides a five-game hitting streak into the weekend and is hitting .318 (7-for-22) in that span with three doubles...Sophomore LF Michael McKennon has a four-game streak on the line and is hitting .353 (7-for-16) during that stretch...Senior C Chris Lewis leads the team with nine home runs and has 44 RBIs...His career home run total of 25 and career RBI total of 88 is the highest ever for a two-year player...The Roadrunners are 12-3 when scoring 6-10 runs.
Playoff Implications
This week’s series at McNeese State is important for UTSA is it needs at least one win or at least a loss by Sam Houston and Southeastern Louisiana to clinch a spot in the upcoming SLC Tournament. However, the Roadrunners can only be eliminated if they lose all three games and Sam Houston and Southeastern Louisiana win their final three league contests. The Roadrunners have qualified for the league tournament twice under head coach Sherman Corbett and are 1-4 in those two appearances.
Scouting the Cowboys
McNeese State is 21-30 overall and 10-14 in the Southland Conference. The Cowboys can still make the Southland Conference Tournament field but would have to defeat UTSA three times this week. Right-hander Jacob Marceaux is 5-5 overall and ranks second in the conference in strikeouts/nine innings. Bryan Cartie leads the team at the plate, hitting .357 with a league-high 21 doubles. As a team, the Cowboys rank second in the league in doubles with 112.
Up Next
With one win the Roadrunners will clinch a spot in next week’s Southland Conference Tournament at Northwestern State, scheduled for May 25-28.
A Look at the Series
McNeese State holds a 23-15 advantage in the series with UTSA, which began in 1992. The Cowboys took two of three from the Roadrunners last year in San Antonio, with UTSA claiming the first game 11-6. The Cowboys have also won seven of the last 10 meetings with the Roadrunners. UTSA is 6-12 all-time in games at Lake Charles.
Lamar Rewind
The Roadrunners took one of three games from Lamar last weekend, notching a 7-4 Friday win before dropping 10-5 and 6-5 decisions on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Aaron Rodriguez picked up his fifth conference win, while Chris Lewis hit a three-run homer on Friday. The Cardinals scored six runs in the last two innings Saturday to take a five-run win, while on Sunday, Stephen Holdren hit a two-run homer in the ninth but it wasn’t enough as the Roadrunners left 10 men on base and had only four hits in the first six innings.
Our Version of A-Rod
Senior Aaron Rodriguez is making a strong case for all-conference honors this year and is also a nominee for Collegiate Baseball All-America honors. After beginning the year 0-3, the senior southpaw has won five of his last six conference starts and leads the team with a 3.68 ERA. In SLC games, Rodriguez is 5-0 with a team-best 3.45 ERA. He also has two complete games, including a 2-1 win at league-leading Northwestern State on April 29 when he returned after a 1:30 rain delay to hold the Demons hitless for the final four innings. Rodriguez will also conclude his career ranked highly on the career strikeout chart at UTSA, ranking fourth right now with 180 career Ks. He also needs just one more win to move into a tie for career wins with 15. In his last five appearances (27 innings), he has surrendered just five earned runs and struck out 23.
Motley Crew
Junior Ryan Crew, who was Baseball America's preseason pick for SLC Player of the Year, is again putting together a solid resume for all-conference accolades. Crew leads UTSA and ranks in the top 15 in the conference in hitting at .344 and also leads the team in hits, runs, and toughest to strikeout. In addition, he also continues to make an assault on the UTSA record books in just his third season. He now ranks fourth all-time with 207 career hits. He also has moved into a tie on the career doubles list with 40 and needs only two more to take sole possession of fourth. In RBIs, Crew now ranks 10th with 98 and needs just five 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. In the field, Crew has 342 career assists, which ranks fourth all-time.
Senior Salute
Seniors Eric Moreno, Aaron Rodriguez, Sean Danielson, Stephen Holdren and Chris Lewis played their final home games at Roadrunner Field last weekend against Lamar. The group had combined to play in 378 games and win 103 games during their careers ranging from Holdren and Danielson’s one year to Moreno and Rodriguez’s four-year career. The Roadrunners appear to be in good shape for the 2006 season as five of the top nine hitters return, while every pitcher except Rodriguez is an underclassman.
A Pair of Broken Records
The 2005 Roadrunners have already set two school records, including triples in a season and most hits in a game. UTSA has legged out 23 triples this year and ranks in the top 15 nationally in that category. The Roadrunners also smashed 26 hits in a 23-7 pounding at Texas-Pan American on April 20, breaking the previous record of 25 set against McNeese State in 2002.
There He Goes Again
Senior Sean Danielson has utilized his speed well in 2005. The transfer from Kansas State leads the team and ranks second in the conference in stolen bases with 19. Over the weekend against Lamar, Danielson stole six bases, including four in Saturday’s 10-5 loss. On the year, he is 19-for-28 and is nearing the top five list for stolen bases in a season at UTSA. The season record is 28 by Brette Parrish in 2000, but Danielson needs just five more to move onto the list at number five, passing Mickey Perez’s 23 in 1994. As a team, the Roadrunners have had success as well on the paths, going 56-for-71.
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