| Juniors J.P Holton (left) and Kris Ruepke will start on Tuesday for the Roadrunners. | |
SAN ANTONIO ? Proving there is no rest for the weary, the UTSA baseball team is back in action on Tuesday when it begins an eight-game home stand with a 2 p.m. doubleheader against Northern Illinois. It will mark the 14th and 15th games in the season's first 18 days for the Roadrunners.
UTSA (9-4) is coming off a high-scoring weekend series at the College of Charleston. The Roadrunners won Saturday's opener by a score of 20-12, but the Cougars rebounded for 20-16 and 9-4 victories to win the three-game set.
Head coach Sherman Corbett will start junior right-handers J.P Holton (0-0, 1.42 ERA) and Kris Ruepke (1-1, 12.38) in the twinbill. Holton, who has struck 15 hitters in 12.2 innings this year, will be making his second start and fifth appearance overall. Meanwhile, Ruepke, who tossed six scoreless frames in his last start (March 2 vs. Sacred Heart), will get the nod for the third time this season.
Sophomore Tim Palincsar leads a Roadrunners offense that is averaging 9.5 runs and 12.2 hits per game. The College Station native is pacing the club in nearly every offensive category through the season’s first 13 games: batting average (.438), runs (19), home runs (3), RBIs (22), total bases (34), walks (12), on-base percentage (.556) and slugging percentage (.708). Junior leadoff hitter James Keithley is hitting .415 and seven other Roadrunners are at .300 or better. After a slow start to the year. senior Trent Lockwood (.308, 5 2B, HR, 15 RBIs) brings a season-best seven-game hitting streak into Tuesday's action.
Northern Illinois (2-7) comes to the Alamo City on a five-game losing streak. The Huskies lost two games to both Texas State (3-1, 16-5) and Texas Tech (11-5, 8-5) last weekend in San Marcos. Right-hander Zach Oates (0-1, 4.91) will get the nod in the opener and NIU has yet to name a starter for the nightcap. The Huskies are hitting .263 as a team and have a collective 6.18 ERA in their nine games.
UTSA will open defense of its 2007 Southland Conference Championship this weekend when McNeese State comes to the Bird Bath for a three-game series.