| May 23, 2005
Contact: Matt Schabert (210) 458-4930 Roadrunners head to Natchitoches for BellSouth Southland Conference Tournament Complete Tournament Notes | Listen Live (all games)
Live Stats (www.southland.collegesports.com) SAN ANTONIO - The University of Texas at San Antonio baseball team travels to Natchitoches, La., for the 2005 BellSouth Southland Conference Tournament this week. The Roadrunners earned the fourth seed in the tournament and will take on third-seeded Texas State in the opening round on Wednesday, May 25 at 3 p.m. at Northwestern's Brown-Stroud Field. If UTSA wins, it will then play the winner of the #2 Lamar/#5 UTA game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 26. A loss would pit the Roadrunners against the winner of the #1 Northwestern State/#6 Southeastern Louisiana game at 3 p.m. on Thursday. #4 UTSA Roadrunners
at BellSouth Southland Conference Tournament
Brown-Stroud Field
Natchitoches, La.
May 25-28
Wednesday, May 25 - 3:00 p.m. • vs. #3 Texas State
All other games TBA Tournament Seeding
#1 Northwestern State Demons (40-16)
#2 Lamar Cardinals (35-21)
#3 Texas State Bobcats (32-24)
#4 UTSA Roadrunners (23-32)
#5 Texas-Arlington Mavericks (25-30)
#6 Southeastern Louisiana Lions (27-29) First Pitch
• The Roadrunners open tournament play against third-seeded Texas State on Wednesday, May 25 at 3 p.m.
• UTSA finished 14-13 in the Southland Conference regular season, its second highest number of league wins under head coach Sherman Corbett.
• The Roadrunners lead the league in triples and rank 11th nationally with a school-record 27 entering the week.
• UTSA went 2-1 against Texas State this year.
Roadrunner Tidbits
UTSA opens the tournament 23-32 overall and 14-13 in the conference...The Roadrunners finished above .500 in the league for the first time since 2001...Junior Ryan Crew has reached base 10 consecutive times...Crew hit .600 (6-for-10) during the McNeese State series...As a team, UTSA has hit .327 (33-for-101) against first round opponent Texas State this year...Stephen Holdren hit .625 in that series, which UTSA won 2-1, to be named Hitter of the Week on March 28...Sophomore Michael McKennon brings a seven-game hitting streak into the tournament...LHP Aaron Rodriguez went 5-1 in conference games this year...UTSA broke the school record for triples (20) on April 15 against fifth-seeded Texas-Arlington and continues to add on to it with 27...Senior Sean Danielson leads the team and ranks in the top five in the SLC in stolen bases with 19...Crew and J.R. Voyles have combined to go 17-for-17 in stolen bases...Sophomore RHP Steven Vasquez was this week’s SLC Pitcher of the Week.
UTSA Tournament History
The Roadrunners have qualified for the league tournament twice under head coach Sherman Corbett and six times in the history of the program (1992-). UTSA is 9-10 overall in its 19 tournament games, including going 3-0 in 1994 to be crowned tournament champions. The Roadrunners also won their first three games in 1997 before losing twice to then Southwest Texas. Last season, the Roadrunners went 0-2 at the tournament in Hammond, La.
A Glance At The Field
• #1 Northwestern State - The Demons are 40-16 overall and won the regular season championship with a 22-5 record. The Demons’ 21-2 home field record is the best in the nation.
• #2 Lamar - The Cardinals defeated Texas State, 7-6 on the last day of the regular seasaon to earn the second seed. They are 35-21 overall and are the defending tournament champions.
• #3 Texas State - The Bobcats are 32-24 overall and dropped four of their last six conference games. The Bobcats own wins over two top 20 teams this season, Baylor and Nebraska.
• #5 Texas-Arlington - The Mavericks enter the tournament 25-30 overall after getting swept at Northwestern State this past weekend. The Mavericks have also defeated two top 20 teams this season
• #1 SE Louisiana - The Lions earned the number six seed after hosting the tournament last year and not qualifying. SLU is 27-29 overall and boasts one of the hottest hitting teams in the Southland Conference.
Series Record Against The Field
The Roadrunners are 20-33 all-time against third-seeded Texas State. UTSA is 16-20 against top seed Northwestern State and 13-15 all-time versus second-seeded Lamar. The Roadrunners trail 29-19 in the all-time series with fifth-seeded Texas-Arlington and are tied 12-12 with sixth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana.
How UTSA Fared Against The Field
The Roadrunners won the three series against third-seeded Texas State, fifth-seeded Texas-Arlington and sixth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana. UTSA dropped two of three to top seed Northwestern State and Lamar. The Roadrunners won the first game of their series with every team in the field this year.
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 seven conference starts and leads the team with a 3.68 ERA. In SLC games, Rodriguez is 5-1 with a team-best 3.82 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 185 career Ks. He also needs just one more win to move into a tie for career wins with 15.
Motley Crew
Junior Ryan Crew is again putting together a solid resume for all-America accolades. Crew leads UTSA and ranks in the top 15 in the conference in hitting at .356 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 213 career hits. He also has moved into fourth place on the career doubles chart with 41. In RBIs, Crew now ranks 10th with 100 and needs just two 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 349 career assists, which ranks fourth all-time. He leads the team with 22 multi-hit games in 2005 and has posted 58 multi-hit games in his career.
Senior Salute
Seniors Eric Moreno, Aaron Rodriguez, Sean Danielson, Stephen Holdren and Chris Lewis are participating in thier final seasons at UTSA. The group has combined to play in 391 games and win 104 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.
Green Light
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. in the series with Lamar, Danielson stole six bases, including four on May 15. 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.
Speaking of Stealing
It hasn’t been just the Sean Danielson show on the base paths this year. Several other Roadrunners have been successful stealing bases, including J.R. Voyles (8-for-8) and Ryan Crew (9-for-9. As a team, UTSA is 58-of-73, and with the exception Danielson’s 19-of-28, the rest of the team is 39-of-44.
A Pair of Broken Records
The 2005 Roadrunners have already set two school hitting records, including triples in a season and most hits in a game. UTSA has legged out 27 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.
The Buzz About Vasquez
Sophomore Steven Vasquez, a right-handed pitcher from Beeville, Texas, who was critically injured in an auto accident in the Fall, has made an incredible return and now appears to be in the same form he had in 2004 when he went 5-5 and struck out 68 batters. Vasquez had perhaps the best outing of his career last Friday in a 4-0 win at McNeese. He struck out nine and picked up his first career complete game and was named SLC Pitcher of the Week. Vasquez made his return to the mound on April 5th against Angelo State and has since gone 3-1 with a 4.12 ERA to rank second on the team.
He’s Got The Power
Senior Catcher/outfielder Chris Lewis has proven to be one of the top power hitters in school history after walking on the team last year. After a two-year career at Temple Junior College, the product of baseball-rich Round Rock, Texas, just needed a place to keep his career going. He joined the Roadrunners and proceeded to lead the Southland Conference with 16 home runs. In less than two full years, Lewis has drilled 25 career homers at UTSA, which is the highest ever for a two-year player. He ranks fifth in career dingers at UTSA and needs just three more to move as high as third. Lewis also leads the team with 16 doubles in 2005 and has 26 two-baggers in his career. Out of 102 career hits, more than half (53) have been for extra bases. Lewis’ two-year RBI total of 100 also is the new standard for a two-year player.
Double Trouble
Sophomore Michael McKennon appears to be well on his way to making a run at the UTSA career record for doubles. With 13 this year and a team-high 18 as a true freshman in 2004, McKennon’s total of 31 already ranks 11th on the career doubles chart at UTSA. The record is 54 by Jeff Juarez. After batting just .231 last year, McKennon has raised that to .288 in 2005. He ranks second on the team with 10 multi-RBI games and posted a five-RBI day against Texas-Pan American on April 20.
Streaks and Peaks
Several players have put together impressive hitting streaks in 2005. Junior Ryan Crew and senior Sean Danielson lead the team with 12-gamers, while Ryan Saltzgaber had an 11-game streak earlier this year. Currently, sophomore Michael McKennon has safely in seven straight games to lead UTSA.
Thank Goodness It’s Friday
Friday’s have been the most successful day of the week for UTSA in 2005. The Roadrunners have gone 10-3 in Friday games this year. Unfortunately, Saturday’s and Sunday’s have not been as kind. UTSA is 2-9 on Sunday’s and 4-10 on Saturday’s.
Conference Honors
Three Roadrunners have garnered weekly awards from the Southland Conference office this year, senior DH Stephen Holdren and sophomore RHP Josh Ruffin. Holdren hit .625 in the series with Texas State and was named Hitter of the Week on Mar. 29. Ruffin got the win over Southeastern Louisiana on April 23 and was named the league’s co-Pitcher of the Week on April 26. Steven Vasquez was honored on Monday as the Pitcher of the Week.
Home Sweet Home
The Roadrunners have enjoyed unprecedented success at Roadrunner Field since the 2001 season. UTSA is 40-21 (.655) at the “Bird Bath” since 2001. UTSA had a 14-game winning streak there during the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Roadrunners Exceed Predictions
UTSA was tabbed for a sixth place finish in the Southland Conference in the preseason coaches’ and SIDs’ polls, but the Roadrunners made liars out of the prophets, coming in fourth place, including just a game out of third place and two games behind second place.
A Breakout Year
Junior J.R. Voyles has enjoyed his most productive season yet in 2005, ranking second on the team wiith a .312 average. A lifetime .253 hitter entering the year, Voyles has been on fire this year with 18 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBi games. He also ranks second on the squad with 12 doubles and has eight stolen bases. Voyles has been thown out only once in his career (his freshman season) and has successfully stolen 19 of his last 20 attempts.
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