? Diamond notes (.pdf)
20th Annual Southland Conference Tournament
May 23-26 ? Brown-Stroud Stadium ? Natchitoches, La.
Game 55 ? 11 a.m. ? Stephen F. Austin (30-26)
Roadrunners To Go After Third SLC Tournament Crown This Week: Fresh off its first Southland Conference Regular Season Championship in school history, UTSA (34-20, league-record 24-6) turns its attention to the postseason this week when it travels to Natchitoches, La., for the 20th annual SLC Tournament. The Roadrunners have won two tournament crowns in school history (1994, 2005) and both those have come at the site of this year’s classic. UTSA has a 14-12 all-time record in SLC Tournament contests and is a perfect 7-0 in Natchitoches. The Roadrunners open at 11 a.m. on Wednesday against No. 6 seed Stephen F. Austin (30-26). UTSA is coming off an emotional three-game set against I-35 rival Texas State, a series that saw it win the final two contests in dramatic fashion (7-6, 10 innings/5-3).
Scouting The Lumberjacks: Stephen F. Austin, in its second season after suspending its program following the 1995 campaign, enters Wednesday’s opening game as the No. 6 seed after posting a 17-13 record in league games. The Lumberjacks, who are playing in their first SLC Tournament, have a 30-26 overall mark after taking two of three games against Sam Houston State last weekend. The two teams have split a quartet of contests this season. The Roadrunners picked up a 6-5 victory on March 2 at the Al Ogletree Classic in Edinburg and a 7-6 series-opening win in 10 innings on April 20 in Nacogdoches before SFA won the final two contests by scores of 6-5 (11 innings) and 1-0. UTSA leads the all-time series that dates back to 1992, 13-6, and has won eight of the last 10 meetings dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Roadrunners In SLC Tournament Play: UTSA, playing in a school-record fourth consecutive conference tournament, has posted an all-time record of 14-12 in eight previous appearances (1994, ’96, ’97, ’99, 2001, ’04, ’05, ’06). The Roadrunners, playing as the No. 1 seed for the first time in school annals, won championships in 1994 and 2005 and are looking for their second title in the last three years this week. Both of the previous crowns have come at the site of this year’s classic, Natchitoches, La. In fact, UTSA has a perfect 7-0 mark at Brown-Stroud Stadium in SLC Tournament contests.
Nine Players Named To All-SLC Teams, Three Earn Yearly Awards: After a season that saw UTSA win a Southland Conference-record 24 games, nine Roadrunners were named to the All-SLC teams and three earned yearly honors, the league office announced on Monday. Despite getting not one player named to the first team, UTSA was well represented, as Sherman Corbett was named the Clay Gould Coach of the Year, junior Trent Lockwood the Newcomer of the Year and Tim Palincsar the Freshman of the Year. The Roadrunners had a league-high four second-teamers (Josh Blakley, Zach Etheredge, James Keithley, Michael Rockett), three third-teamers (Lockwood, Palincsar, Ryan Saltzgaber) and a pair of honorable mention choices (Mitch Ponza, Josh Ruffin).
UTSA Clinches First Regular Season Crown: The Roadrunners’ dramatic come-from-behind 7-6 victory in 10 innings on Friday night against Texas State gave them the outright Southland Conference Regular Season Championship, their first in school history. Trailing 5-4 entering the ninth, junior Trent Lockwood launched a one-out homer to right center to tie the game up. After the Bobcats put the go-ahead run on the board in the 10th, redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar delivered a bloop, two-out single to knot the game at five. A passed ball two pitches later brought home sophomore James Keithley with the championship-clinching tally.
A New Standard: UTSA’s SLC-record 24 conference victories this year mark the first time in school annals that the program has posted back-to-back seasons with 20 league wins. The Roadrunners were 20-10 a year ago.
Back-To-Back, Jack: UTSA’s 15-10 victory against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on May 6 pushed the Roadrunners’ overall record to 30-18, giving them 30 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in 12 years (1994, 39-18/1995, 31-23) and just the second time in school annals. UTSA now has posted at least 30 wins five times in the program’s 16-year history, three of which have come under the direction of seventh-year skipper Sherman Corbett. The Roadrunners were 37-22 a year ago and 30-29 in 2001.
Getting Off On The Right Foot: UTSA’s success this season can be directly attributed to its solid 11-3 record in series openers. After dropping their first lid-lifter of the year to Louisiana-Lafayette (10-2, Feb. 16), the Roadrunners reeled off 11 consecutive series-opening victories, including eight in a row in SLC play, before losing 4-1 at Nicholls State (May 11) and 7-2 at Texas State last Thursday (May 17). UTSA has outscored the opposition by 50 runs (84-34) in its 11 opening wins.
Bring Out The Brooms: The Roadrunners opened the SLC campaign with consecutive sweeps of McNeese State, Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana and continued that trend in consecutive weekends at Sam Houston State (April 27-29) and against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (May 4-6). The season-opening sweeps marked the first time the program’s 16-year history that UTSA swept back-to-back-to-back three-game series against league opponents. The Roadrunners now have swept SLC foes 18 times in school annals, 12 (66.7 percent) of which have come under the direction of head coach Sherman Corbett.
UTSA Dominates SLC Series Finales: The Roadrunners, who posted a SLC-record 24-6 mark in conference play this season (previous: 22-5, Northwestern State, 2005/22-8, McNeese State, 2006), built that impressive record on the strength of nine victories in 10 series finales this season. UTSA ? which scored in double figures in 12 of its 30 league games (including five in a row from March 17-25), outscored the opposition by 110 runs (245-135) and averaged 8.2 runs per contest ? had three run-rule triumphs in series finales this year. The Roadrunners defeated McNeese State, 16-2 (eight innings), on March 18; Central Arkansas, 14-1 (seven), on March 25; and Texas-Arlington, 12-1 (seven), on April 7.
Perfect Start Best Ever: UTSA began the 2007 Southland Conference season a perfect 10-0, which was its best SLC start in school history and tied for the second-best in league history. Lamar started 14-0 in 1984, while Texas-Arlington was 10-0 a year ago. UTSA’s previous best start was 4-0 in both 1994 and ’96.
Offense Tops In SLC: UTSA’s offense was nothing short of spectacular during the Southland Conference campaign this year. The Roadrunners led the league in nearly every offensive category: batting average (.319), runs (245), hits (341), doubles (77), triples (17), home runs (41), RBIs (225), total bases (575) and slugging percentage (.537).
UTSA Among NCAA Leaders: Through games of May 20, the Roadrunners rank among the national leaders in several categories: triples per game (18th/0.41), slugging percentage (25th/.480), home runs per contest (30th/1.07), doubles per game (43rd/2.13), win-loss percentage (53rd/.630), strikeouts per nine innings (63rd/7.3), batting average (64th/.305), scoring per contest (64th/6.9) and earned run average (84th/4.49). In the individual rankings, junior Trent Lockwood stands 11th in doubles per game (0.43), 25th in slugging percentage (.704), 50th in home runs (13/T-No. 4 on UTSA’s single-season chart), 72nd in batting average (.385) and 96th in RBIs per contest (1.02). Meanwhile, senior Josh Blakley ranks 75th with his team-leading 2.73 ERA.
You Dropped A Bomb On Me: Fifty-three of UTSA’s Sherman Corbett era-record 58 home runs (91.4 pct.) this season have been hit during the past 37 contests. Leading the long ball parade is junior Trent Lockwood, who has slugged 10 homers during that time. Next on the list are senior Ryan Saltzgaber and junior Zach Etheredge, both of whom have hit all nine of their long balls this year. Right behind that trio is sophomore Michael Rockett, who has left the yard eight times. Lockwood, Rockett and Saltzgaber have grand slams among their homers. Also on the board are sophomore James Keithley (seven), senior Mitch Ponza (five), redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar (four) and junior Josh Wilson, who hit a pinch-hit home run against Texas-Pan American (April 17).
Season Tater Total Second-Best In School Annals: With 58 home runs this season, UTSA has surpassed its season total from a year ago (37/it did so on April 17) and it is the highest total of the seven-year Sherman Corbett era (55, 2004). The 58 long balls rank as the second-most in school history, as the UTSA record is 66 set in 1999.
UTSA Leaves Yard Four Times: The Roadrunners launched four home runs in their 11-3 victory against Northwestern State on April 13 and it was the first time in more than two years that the program had done so. The last time UTSA hit four long balls in a contest was a 14-3 victory against Texas-Pan American on March 30, 2005.
Record-Setting Weekend: The sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (May 4-6) was record setting in more ways than one. The 51 runs scored by the Roadrunners shattered the school’s previous mark for a three-game series (41; vs. Texas State, April 1-2, 1995/vs. McNeese State, March 2-3, 1996). Friday’s 12-0 victory was highlighted by three home runs in the fifth inning, which tied a school mark for long balls in one frame. In Saturday’s 24-11 rout, UTSA tied the school record with 22 RBIs, while senior Ryan Saltzgaber tied the school mark with five hits and five runs scored. Meanwhile, junior Phillip Allen tied the single-game record with seven RBIs (Jeff Juarez, vs. Yale, March 16, 1999).
Ten-Run Third A First Since 2005: In their 12-0 victory at Texas-Arlington on April 7, the Roadrunners scored 10 runs in the third inning, which was the first time since April 20, 2005, that UTSA crossed the plate 10 times in a frame. The Roadrunners sent 15 batters to the dish and had seven hits, including a school-record-tying two by both junior Trent Lockwood and sophomore Michael Rockett.
Lineup Change Does The Trick: Stuck with a 4-9 record and averaging just 4.2 runs per game, head coach Sherman Corbett decided to shuffle his lineup on March 9. The seventh-year skipper moved sophomore James Keithley into the leadoff spot and since that switch, the Roadrunners have posted a 30-11 (.732) record, hit .316 as a team and averaged 11.2 hits and 7.7 runs per game.
Red Hot Offense: After starting the year slowly, the UTSA offense has exploded the past 37 games, 27 of which have resulted in victories (.730). The Roadrunners have scored 297 times (8.0 pg) and outscored the opposition by 118 runs during that time. UTSA has posted a .321 batting average on the strength of 423 hits (11.4 pg), slugged .539 (710 total bases) and reached base at .387 clip. More than 38 percent of the squad’s 423 hits (162) have gone for extra bases, including 90 doubles, 19 triples and 53 home runs. The Roadrunners also have stolen 40 bases in the last 37 contests.
Tough Schedule: The Roadrunners’ 54-game regular season schedule was highlighted by six opponents that qualified for the 2006 NCAA Tournament ? Baylor, College of Charleston, Houston, Rice, Texas and Texas-Arlington. UTSA posted a 5-7 record against those squads this season.
Close Games: In addition to scoring runs in bunches this year, the Roadrunners have shown the knack of playing close games. Twenty-nine of the club’s 54 contests (53.7%) this year have been decided by three runs or less and it has an 18-11 mark in those games. UTSA has a 7-5 record in one-run tilts, a 7-3 mark in two-run contests and a 4-3 ledger in games decided by three runs.
Ruffin On The Career Charts: Senior Josh Ruffin’s name can be found all over the Roadrunners’ career record book. The Humble native is UTSA’s all-time record holder with five career shutouts and he also ranks second in appearances (80), and victories (20); third in innings pitched (328.1); fourth in games started (42), complete games (nine) and strikeouts (206); and sixth in earned run average (4.55).
Blakley Throwing Strikes: Senior Josh Blakley has been as good as it gets coming out of the UTSA bullpen this season. The Lorena native has a perfect 6-0 record with one save and leads the staff with a 2.73 ERA (fourth SLC). Blakley has appeared in a team-high 26 contests and has a sterling 54/12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 62.2 innings. His 1.95 ERA in Southland Conference games ranked third in the league. He had a 17.1 scoreless innings streak (10 games) snapped at Texas State (May 17). The right-hander picked up his sixth win of the year with 3.2 scoreless frames at Nicholls State (May 13). His fourth victory of the season came on March 31 against Southeastern Louisiana after he tossed a career-high 5.2 scoreless innings. The right-hander collected his first win of the campaign when he struck out a career-high six over 4.1 innings against St. Mary’s (Feb. 26). He has gone at least four innings in eight of his appearances and at least three in two others.
Home Cooking: Roadrunner Field and Wolff Stadium were tough places for the opposition to play in 2006, as UTSA registered a school-record 24 home victories. That broke the previous mark of 23 home wins set in 1994. This year was no different, as the Roadrunners went 20-6 at home this season, including eight wins in a row to close out the slate and in 15 of their last 16 games played at the Bird Bath (dating back to March 23). It marked the first time in 12 years that UTSA posted back-to-back 20-win home campaigns (1994-95). The Roadrunners have recorded a 263-176 (.599) all-time home mark in the program’s 16-year history.
Hit The Lights: For the first time in school history, UTSA played night games at Roadrunner Field this season. Eight of the team’s 21 contests at the facility were played under the lights. The Feb. 16 home opener against Louisiana-Lafayette kicked off the night-time action at the “Bird Bath” and UTSA had a 7-1 record under the lights at Roadrunner Field this year. The Roadrunners posted seven night victories in a row after dropping the home opener to the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Roadrunners Collect 400th All-Time Victory: UTSA won its 400th game in school history when it defeated St. Mary’s, 8-5, on Feb. 26. In 16 years of action, the Roadrunners have compiled 432 all-time wins, an average of 27 per season.
2007 Captains: Senior starting pitcher Josh Ruffin, junior catcher Zach Etheredge and junior shortstop Marshal Davis are serving as team captains this season.
Preseason Polls: UTSA was picked to finish second in the West Division by the sports information directors and third by the league’s coaches in the Preseason SLC Polls. The Roadrunners received five first-place votes in the SID rankings and three in the coaches poll. They were six points (51) behind co-favorites Texas-Arlington and Texas State in the coaches poll and only three (58) behind UTA in the SID poll. Defending regular season champion McNeese State was the consensus choice to defend its regular season title in the East.
What’s Back In 2007: UTSA is coming off a season that saw it finish with a 37-22 record (20-10 SLC). The team welcomed back 17 letterwinners ? including five position starters and six pitchers ? in addition to 19 newcomers this season. Topping the list of returnees were 2006 first-team All-SLC starting pitcher Josh Ruffin, a senior, and Freshman All-America center fielder Michael Rockett. Also back are sophomore second baseman James Keithley and senior third baseman Ryan Saltzgaber, both of whom earned honorable mention accolades a year ago.
Player Updates
C ? Zach Etheredge, Jr. - Second-team All-Southland Conference selection ... true iron man who has started all 54 games behind the plate (caught all but one inning) ... leads the squad with 13 multi-RBI performances ... ranks second with 17 doubles, nine home runs and a .545 slugging percentage ... stands third with 45 RBIs ... hitting .327 with a .372 on-base percentage ... registered a career-high four hits, including a pair of solo homers, against Northwestern State (April 15) ... had a seven-game hitting streak from March 17-27 in which he posted a .452 average (14-31) with three doubles, a triple, five home runs (1.097 SLG) and 16 RBIs ... registered a .462 batting average (6-13) with three runs scored in the three-game set at Stephen F. Austin (April 20-22) ... hit .500 (5-10) with three doubles and five RBIs in the weekend sweep of Southeastern Louisiana (March 31-April 1) ... claimed SLC Hitter of the Week honors on March 26 after hitting .450 (9-20) with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 11 RBIs ... hit .339 with 13 doubles, a triple, seven homers, 28 RBIs, 78 total bases, a .629 slugging percentage and .381 on-base percentage in SLC games ... named to Southwest Diamond Classic All-Tournament Team (4-10, 4 R, 4 RBIs).
1B/DH ? Trent Lockwood, Jr. - Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year and third-team All-SLC choice ... has started 52 games (49 1B/3 DH) ... has reached base by hit or walk in all but four contests ... leads the club in batting average (.385), hits (82), multi-hit games (28), doubles (SLC-best 23/UTSA single-season record), home runs (13/T-No. 4 on UTSA single-season chart/50th NCAA), RBIs (54/T-No. 5 on UTSA’s single-season ledger), multi-RBI contests (13), total bases (150), slugging percentage (.704/25th NCAA) and on-base percentage (.441) ... also ranks second in triples (three) and third in runs scored (46) ... tied the school’s single-game record for hits when he went 5-for-5 with a double and home run at Nicholls State (May 12) ... has hit safely in 35 of his last 39 contests (.424 BA, 35 XBH, 42 RBIs, .791 SLG, .477 OBP) ... has 24 multi-hit performances during that stretch ... posted a .400 (4-10) batting average with three doubles, a game-tying homer and two RBIs in three-game series with I-35 rival Texas State (May 17-19) ... recorded a .462 (6-13) batting average with a pair of doubles, a homer and an .846 slugging percentage in the Nicholls State series (May 11-13) ... hit .571 (8-14) with eight runs scored, a pair of doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs in three-game sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (May 4-6) and was named SLC Hitter of the Week ... had an 11-game hitting streak from April 3-20 (.391, 5 XBH, 8 RBI, .630 SLG), his third stretch of at least eight contests this season ... had a 12-game hitting streak from March 11-31 in which he posted a .510 batting average (25-49) with eight doubles, a triple, three homers (.898 SLG) and 17 RBIs ... hit safely in his first eight games as a Roadrunner ... tied a school record with two hits in the third inning on April 7 at Texas-Arlington ... had a career-high six RBIs on March 17 at McNeese State ... earned SLC Hitter of the Week honors on April 16 after hitting .438 (7-16) with a double, one triple, a home run and five RBIs ... hit .413 with a league-leading 17 doubles, two triples, nine homers, 37 RBIs, 98 total bases, a .810 slugging percentage and .467 on-base percentage in SLC games ... named to Southwest Diamond Classic All-Tournament Team (5-14, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, SB).
2B/LF ? James Keithley, So. - Second-team All-Southland Conference selection ... has started 45 games at second base and nine in left field ... ranks second on the club with 49 runs, three triples and nine stolen bases ... owns a .310 batting average with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 33 RBIs ... had a career-best 19-game hitting streak snapped on April 7 at Texas-Arlington ... hit .400 (36-90) with four doubles, three triples, five home runs (.678 SLG) and 13 RBIs during that stretch ... squad is 30-11 (.732) since he moved into the leadoff spot on March 9 against the College of Charleston ... has scored a run in 26 of the past 38 games ... hitting .332 (69-208) with nine doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 31 RBIs since starting the season 2-for-21 (.095) ... hit .528 (7-13) with two doubles, a pair of homers and seven RBIs in three-game sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (May 4-6) ... was 7-for-15 (.467) with eight runs scored, a double, one triple, a pair of home runs and three RBIs vs. Central Arkansas (March 23-25) ... went 7-14 (.500) with four runs scored, a triple, his first homer of the year and four RBIs vs. the College of Charleston (March 9-11) ... had a .321 batting average with 33 runs, six doubles, a triple, five homers, 20 RBIs, a .511 slugging percentage and .395 on-base percentage in conference play.
3B ? Ryan Saltzgaber, Sr. - Third-team All-Southland Conference choice ... starter in all 54 contests ... ranks second on the club with a .345 batting average, 77 hits, 25 multi-hit games, nine long balls and 119 total bases ... stands third with a .534 slugging percentage ... also has 11 doubles, a pair of triples, 40 RBIs and seven stolen bases ... has recorded at least two hits in 19 of his last 33 tilts ... had a career-high 10-game hitting streak from March 11-27 ... hit at a .364 clip (16-44) with two doubles, a pair of triples, three homers (.705 SLG) and 14 RBIs during that stretch ... has six three-hit performances and school-record-tying five-hit contest (vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, May 5) this year ... also tied the UTSA mark with five runs scored vs. the Islanders (May 5) and finished the three-game sweep with a .615 (8-13) batting average and nine runs ... hit .500 (6-12) with a double and two RBIs in series at Nicholls State (May 11-13) ... owned a .346 batting average, seven doubles, a triple, six long balls, 23 RBIs and a .559 slugging percentage in league action.
SS ? Marshal Davis, Jr. - Starter in all 54 games ... has reached base by hit, walk or hit by pitch in 53 of his last 59 games dating back May 22, 2006 ... leads team with 36 walks ... also has scored 30 runs, stroked six doubles and two triples, driven in 21 runs and stolen four bases (in four attempts) ... has eight two-hit games and a pair of career-high-tying three-hit performances (March 17 at McNeese State/April 1 vs. SE Louisiana).
LF ? Phillip Allen, Jr. - Seen action in 44 contests, including 37 starts (30 LF/7 RF) ... has started 29 of the last 32 games in left field ... ranks second on the squad with nine stolen bases ... hitting .272 with six doubles, two triples, 22 RBIs, 20 walks and a .378 on-base percentage ... has a .333 (16-48) batting average with four doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs in last 15 starts ... tied UTSA’s single-game record with seven RBIs on May 5 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ... added a four-RBIs effort on May 12 at Nicholls State ... all of his RBIs have come in SLC play ... has five two-hit games and a quintet of career-high-tying three-hit performances this season.
CF ? Michael Rockett, So. - Second-team All-Southland Conference selection ... stands second on the club with 51 RBIs and third with a .328 batting average, 75 hits, 23 multi-hit games, 15 doubles, multi-RBI efforts (12) and total bases (116) ... also has a triple, eight home runs, 45 runs, six stolen bases and a team-best seven outfield assists ... had a 13-game hitting streak from April 1-21 (.304, 4 XBH, 16 RBI) ... has recorded 14 two-hit games, eight three-hit performances and a career-high-tying four-hit effort vs. Central Arkansas (March 24) ... tied a school record with two hits in the third inning on April 7 at Texas-Arlington ... had his first career grand slam and a career-high five RBIs at No. 6 Texas (April 3) ... also has a pair of four-RBI efforts (Feb. 27, vs. Houston/March 25, vs. Central Arkansas) ... registered a .417 (5-12) batting average with a double, homer and three RBIs in series victory against I-35 rival Texas State (May 17-19) ... hit .533 (8-15) with two doubles, three homers and nine RBIs in sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (May 4-6) ... was 10-for-13 (.769) with two doubles, a triple, his first homer of the season and six RBIs in the three-game sweep of Central Arkansas (March 23-25) ... hit .351 with nine doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 32 RBIs, a .595 slugging percentage and 34 runs scored in SLC play ... 2006 Freshman All-America and second-team All-SLC selection.
RF ? Mitch Ponza, Sr. - Honorable mention All-Southland Conference choice ... has seen action in 49 contests this season, including 42 starts (all in right field) ... has started the past 32 games, hitting safely in 21 (.289, 17 XBH, 27 RBIs, .544 SLG) ... leads squad with four triples and stands third with 26 walks ... has 22 extra-base hits (13 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR) ... also hitting .284 with 32 RBIs (27 in SLC play), a .516 slugging percentage and five stolen bases ... has nine two-hit games and a pair of three-hit efforts (at Stephen F. Austin, April 20/at Sam Houston State, April 28) ... his two-out, two-run home run in the 10th inning gave Roadrunners a thrilling 7-6 victory at Stephen F. Austin (April 20) ... added a second game-winning two-run home run in the regular season finale against Texas State (May 19) ... registered a career-best four RBIs against Northwestern State (April 15).
LF/DH ? Tim Palincsar, Fr. - Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and third-team All-SLC pick ... starter in 51 games (7 LF/44 DH)... leads club with a UTSA freshman-record 54 runs scored and 12 stolen bases (in 12 attempts) ... ranks second with a .404 on-base percentage and 27 walks ... hitting .307 with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 34 RBIs ... had a career-high 13-game hitting streak from March 21-April 10 in which he had a .415 (22-53) batting average with seven doubles, one triple, three home runs (.755 SLG) and 18 RBIs ... also reached base at a .492 clip and stole five bases during that stretch ... had a career-high four hits against Texas-Pan American (April 17) ... had a career-best four RBIs vs. Southeastern Louisiana (April 1) and matched that performance six days later at Texas-Arlington (April 7) ... hit first career homer vs. the College of Charleston on March 10 ... had seven-game hitting streak from Feb. 23-March 4 (.385/10-26) ... named to the Al Ogletree Classic All-Tournament Team (5-11, 2 R, 2B, SB).
SP ? Josh Ruffin, Sr. - Honorable mention All-Southland Conference selection is one of the top pitchers in school history ... Wednesday’s start will give him a school-record-tying 81 appearances ... owns a 6-4 record with a 4.66 ERA in his 15 starting assignments ... Roadrunners are 11-4 when he starts this season ... leads team with 67 strikeouts in a staff-best 92.2 innings ... also has team-high seven quality starts, three complete games and one shutout ... is 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA and 32 punchouts in last seven starts (46.2 IP) ... tossed a five-hit shutout with six strikeouts against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (May 4) to extend his career school record to five ... tied career-high with nine punchouts at Nicholls State (May 11) ... collected fifth win of season on April 27 at Sam Houston State (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 K) ... allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and fanned four in complete game win against Northwestern State (April 13) ... went 7.2 innings, allowing three runs, in earning win at Texas Arlington (April 5) ... tossed a four-hitter for first complete game of year and struck out seven, as UTSA won its SLC opener at McNeese State (March 16) ... allowed just one run on five hits and fanned six in seven innings vs. the College of Charleston (March 9) ... struck out career-high nine and picked up first victory of year vs. Gonzaga (Feb. 23) after allowing just three runs on six hits in eight-plus innings ... posted a 5-2 mark with a 3.92 ERA, three complete games and a shutout in 10 Southland Conference starts.
SP ? Bradley Chovanec, Jr. - Second on the squad with 59 strikeouts in 87.2 innings ... has appeared in 18 games, including 14 starts, and has a 3-4 record ... won first game since March 31 when he gave up four runs and struck out career-high seven in 6.1 innings at Nicholls State (May 12) ... followed that effort by allowing four runs on just four hits, while fanning six in seven innings against Texas State (May 18) ... tossed a complete-game five-hitter (one run) and struck out five against Southeastern Louisiana (March 31) ... gave up two runs and fanned six in seven innings vs. Central Arkansas (March 24) to collect first UTSA victory ... allowed three runs in 6.1 innings, while striking out five vs. Sam Houston State (March 3) ... made first career start on Feb. 17 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 K) ... has allowed just one run and punched out six in four relief outings (9 IP).
SP ? Ryan Proudfoot, Fr. - Has a 4-2 record, 3.02 ERA and four quality starts in 13 games (10 starts) ... has allowed just 43 hits (.210 BAA) and struck out 47 in 56.2 innings of work ... team is 8-2 when he starts ... allowed three runs on just five hits and fanned four in regular season finale against Texas State (May 19) ... gave up just one run and fanned four in 5.1 frames at Nicholls State (May 13) ... collected fourth win of year against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (May 6) after allowing three runs on five hits and striking out three in six innings ... defeated Texas-Pan American (April 17) in his first start since April 1 ... gave up just one run on four hits and struck out three in seven innings in that contest ... picked up a pair of wins during the week of March 19-25 ... tossed five hitless innings with four strikeouts vs. Lamar (March 20) and then allowed just one run on four hits and punched out a career-high 11 in six innings vs. Central Arkansas four days later (March 25) ... has a 2-0 mark with 2.08 ERA in 21.2 innings (five games/four starts) in SLC action ... has allowed just 15 hits (.188 BAA) and struck out 22.
RP ? Josh Blakley, Sr. - Second-team All-Southland Conference choice ... has appeared in team-high 26 games and owns perfect 6-0 record with one save and a team-best 2.73 ERA (fourth SLC) ... owns a sterling 54/12 strikeout-to-walk ratio (nearly 5-to-1) in 62.2 innings of work ... had a string of 17.1 scoreless innings (10 games) snapped at Texas State (May 17) ... gave up just 10 hits (.181 BAA) and fanned 18 during that streak ... collected sixth win of year after fanning five (including four of final five hitters) in 3.2 scoreless frames at Nicholls State (May 13) ... went the final 4.1 innings at Sam Houston State (April 29) for fifth win of season ... tossed 5.2 scoreless innings, a career high, against Southeastern Louisiana (March 31) ... fanned a career-high six in a victory against St. Mary’s (Feb. 26) ... has gone at least four innings in eight contests and three in two others ... was 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA and 32/10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 37 innings of work (15 appearances) in Southland Conference games.
RP ? J.T. Mackey, Jr. - Sports 6-2 mark with four saves and 4.65 ERA in team-high 26 games (one start) ... has struck out 30 in 40.2 innings of work ... made first career start on April 10 at No. 13 Texas A&M ... induced game-ending double play at Nicholls State (May 12) to earn fourth save of year ... picked up sixth victory of season with three scoreless frames at Sam Houston State (April 28) ... fifth win came after 2.2 scoreless frames against Northwestern State (April 15) ... collected fourth victory with a career-high five scoreless innings at McNeese State (March 17) ... got out of a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the eighth to keep Roadrunners within one run in that contest ... earned both of team’s victories vs. the College of Charleston ... first UTSA victory came after two scoreless innings against Stephen F. Austin (March 2) ... earned first save against St. Mary’s (Feb. 26) ... saved the Roadrunners’ 6-3 victories at Texas-Arlington (April 5) and against Southeastern Louisiana (March 31).
RP ? Zach Calhoon, Fr. - Has posted a 4-2 record with a UTSA freshman record six saves in 22 appearances ... has a 2.54 ERA and allowed just 19 hits (.190 BAA), while striking out 43 in 28.1 innings ... collected fourth win of year in SLC Championship-clinching win against Texas State (May 18) ... struck out a career-high six and picked up his team-leading sixth save on May 6 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ... named SLC Pitcher of the Week on March 5 after posting a win (vs. Houston) and a save (vs. Stephen F. Austin) ... struck out a then-career-high five in 4.2 innings vs. Cougars (Feb. 27) ... picked up a win and a loss in three-game series at Stephen F. Austin (April 20-22) ... collected his second victory of the season vs. Southeastern Louisiana (April 1) ... fanned final two batters against Gonzaga (Feb. 23) to earn first collegiate save ... had a 3-1 mark, four saves and 1.93 ERA, while fanning 21 in 14 innings (12 games) in SLC play.
Head Coach Sherman Corbett: With more than 20 years of playing and coaching experience, Sherman Corbett ? this year’s Southland Conference Clay Gould Coach of the Year ? is in his seventh season at UTSA. The winningest coach in school history (209 victories), Corbett led the Roadrunners to 37 victories a year ago, the second-most in school history. In his first seven seasons, he has coached three of the five 30-win squads in school annals and the only two clubs to post 20 or more Southland Conference victories, including this year’s SLC-record 24-win squad. Corbett also has mentored 33 All-SLC players, including seven first-teamers and six yearly award winners , in addition to a pair of Freshman All-Americans ? Ryan Crew (2003) and Michael Rockett (2006). Twelve of his Roadrunners have gone on to professional careers, including eight being selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.
