| May 15, 2006
Contact: Carlos Valdez III. UTSA seeks season sweep against Texas-Pan American Game Notes | GameTracker
SAN ANTONIO - UTSA jump out of conference play as they look for the season sweep against Texas-Pan American this Tuesday, May 16, at 6 p.m. in Edinburg, Texas. UTSA Roadrunners (35-16)
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Texas-Pan American Broncs (23-29) Tuesday, May 16 • 6 p.m.
Edinburg Baseball Stadium • Edinburg, Texas All-Time Series
The Roadrunners leads the all-time series, 42-25, over the Broncs. UTSA won the first two games against UTPA this season and have won the last five meetings.
Last Outing
Caleb Barton went seven innings en route to recording his first win of the year as UTSA completed its third sweep of the season with a 7-1 victory over Southland Conference foe Sam Houston State. Barton scattered four hits over seven innings, allowed one run, three walks and punched out two batters. Josh Blakley and Noah Tritz made relief appearances for the Runners. Blakley tossed a scoreless eighth inning, while Tritz got out of a bases loaded jam to end the game. UTSA dominated the series with 28 runs scored, hammering 36 hits. J.R. Voyles and Lee Todesco and James Keithley (left) went 2-for-4 on day. Keithley drove in a game-high three runs and scored twice. Voyles and Todesco each scored once. Freshman Michael Rockett went deep for the fourth time this season, with a two-run homer.
Scouting Texas-Pan American
Texas-Pan American had its three-game winning streak snapped on May 12 with a 4-0 lost to TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs rallied to beat the Broncs, 5-4, on May 14 to complete the sweep. UTPA is 3-3 in its last six games. Senior Louie Alamia leads the team with a .351 batting average and 68 hits, while junior Patrick Brooks ranks first with six home runs and 36 RBI. The Texas-Pan American pitching staff has an overall 5.52 earned run average. Sophomore Tim Haines has a team-best 2.16 ERA and is second with four wins. Senior Dane Mason leads the team with seven victories.
Tight Title Race
With the sweep over Sam Houston State, UTSA kept pace with first-place McNeese State over the weekend. The Roadrunners remain one game out of first place with three SLC games to go. Lamar and Texas State are within sight of the Cowboys, as they trail McNeese by two games.
New Mark Set For UTSA
The Roadrunners set a new school record with most wins in conference play. Saturday’s win over the Bearkats gave the Runners their 18th SLC victory, which surpassed the previous mark of 17 wins set twice in both the 1996 and 1999 seasons.
Shutdown Mode
Josh Ruffin and Blake Brannon threw complete-game shutouts back-to-back against SHSU on Friday and Saturday. It was the third time the Roadrunners had two consecutive shutouts in a season. The last time this was accomplished was during the 1994 season when UTSA blanked Prairie View A&M on Feb. 26 and Texas Southern on Feb. 27, 1994.
Power Dominance
The Runners offense pounded Sam Houston pitching over the weekend. The Roadrunners scored 28 runs on 36 hits, batted .375 and slugged .500. Meanwhile, UTSA’s pitching staff clamped down on the Bearkats allowing one run in 23 innings, including 16 scoreless frames and combining for a 0.36 ERA. Ruffin, Brannon and Barton held Sam Houston to a .156 batting average.
Another Stellar Performance
Blake Brannon has pitched his way back into the rotation Since returning to the rotation, he is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA and an .186 opponent batting average. He has allowed five runs in 24-plus innings and on May 13, Brannon collected his first complete-game shutout.
No Place Like Home
UTSA is an impressive 23-4 at home, including an 8-2 mark at Wolff Stadium this season.
How They Rank In The SLC
Lee Todesco and Michael Rockett are tied for seventh with a .366 batting average, while Michael McKennon is ninth with a .356 average and is third with 73 hits. Todesco stands in sixth with 46 run batted in. Josh Ruffin leads the SLC with 103.0 innings pitched, five complete games and four shutouts. His seven wins rank fourth in the league. Noah Tritz tops the conference with eight saves and is second with eight wins.
30-Something Accomplished
The Roadrunners secured its fourth ever 30-win season with a sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on May 2. The last time UTSA accomplished this fate was during the 2001 season, when the Runners finished 30-29. Coach Corbett is the second coach in UTSA’s baseball history to have two 30-win seasons.
Looking For The Best Finish
This year’s team is on pace of having its best season ever in both wins and winning percentage. With five regular season games remaining, the Roadrunners are on pace for their first ever 40-win season. The 1994 squad fell one win shy of 40, however, they managed to finish the season 39-18 (.684).
Birds Add A Couple Of Games
UTSA has added single games with Texas-Pan American and Dallas Baptist to the schedule as make-ups for games lost earlier this season. UTSA will travel to Edinburg, Texas, for a game at Texas-Pan American on Tuesday, May 16, at 6 p.m. The Roadrunners end their regular season against Dallas Baptist on Monday, May 22, at 3 p.m. at Roadrunner Field.
Todesco’s Belts Islanders
Senior Lee Todesco smacked two home runs against TAMUCC. His first homer was a solo in the fifth inning. Todesco’s hammered a three-run shot over the left wall in the sixth inning. He also collected a career-high six RBI.
Plunk Record
Junior Michael McKennon became the hit-by-pitch leader with 32 beams. He is two shy of the tying the school record of 19, set by Matt McIntyre in 2001. He also ranks 17th in the nation averaging 0.37 hit by pitch per game.
Offensive Explosion
Against Stephen F. Austin, the Roadrunners punished SFA’s pitching staff with 14 runs off a season-high 18 hits. Junior Ryan Saltzgaber paced the Runners offense with four hits, including a solo blast and drove in three Runners. Also going yard was freshman Michael Rockett.
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