SAN ANTONIO ? Fresh off a convincing 7-1 win at Texas on Wednesday night, the UTSA baseball team returns home to host Sam Houston State in a pivotal, three-game Southland Conference series this weekend at Roadrunner Field. Game one is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday followed by a 2 p.m. Saturday contest and a 1 p.m. matchup on Sunday.
Internet audio for games one and three will be available to Rowdy Zone subscribers, while live stats will be provided for all three contests, both at goUTSA.com. Fans coming to Friday’s game will have a chance to win T-shirts for any UTSA home run and prizes from Rudy’s Bar-B-Q and L&M Bookstore.
The series will play a key role in positioning for the conference tournament, as UTSA is in first place in the West Division with a 14-4 record, while the Bearkats are in third place in the West at 12-6, just behind Texas State’s 13-5 mark.
UTSA leads the all-time series with Sam Houston, 29-27, and has won six of the last eight meetings, including a regular season sweep in Huntsville last season. The Roadrunners are 16-8 against the Bearkats in San Antonio
Winners of their last four and eight of their last nine contests, the Roadrunners are riding a huge wave of momentum into the series. UTSA swept Stephen F. Austin last weekend at home and then pounded Texas, 7-1, on Wednesday night in Austin, marking the program’s first win against the Longhorns since April 18, 2006, and the first victory at Disch-Falk Field since Feb. 9, 1999. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Proudfoot (6-2) struck out six and allowed just one run on eight hits in tossing his second consecutive complete game, while seniors Zach Etheredge and Trent Lockwood and junior Michael Rockett all homered to lead an 11-hit output by the offense.
Sam Houston is coming off an 8-7 win over Centenary on Wednesday night and has won nine of its past 11 games, including conference sweeps of Lamar and McNeese State the last two weekends. Keith Stein’s .387 batting average leads a potent offense that is hitting .340 as a team. Ryan Trevino (.376), Todd Sebek (.362), Seth Hammock (.360), Jaime Rohlmeier (.350), Bobby Verbick (.344), Mark Wyatt (.337) and Ryan Weber (.336) all are batting above .330 for the season. Right-hander Ryan Tepera has seen the most work on a balanced pitching staff, as he owns a 3-2 record, 4.31 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 48.0 innings of work.
UTSA boasts a potent lineup of its own, as the Roadrunners are hitting .320 as a squad. Rockett leads the way with a .385 average, 21 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 54 RBIs, while junior James Keithley, who saw his school-record 27-game hitting streak come to an end Wednesday, is hitting .371 with 10 two-baggers. Lockwood is the top power bat with 10 home runs and 54 RBIs to go along with his .318 batting average, while sophomore Tim Palinscar (.357), freshman Tyler Carpenter (.353), junior Jose Hernandez (.327) and junior Aaron Powell (.333) all are hitting above .300.
Senior right-handers Steven Vasquez (7-2, 3.58 ERA) and Bradley Chovanec (6-2, 4.68) and junior lefty Kris Ruepke (4-2, 5.11) combine with Proudfoot (6-2, 3.18) to give UTSA a solid starting rotation. Sophomore righty Zach Calhoon (1-1, 1.96) is one of the top closers in the league with nine saves this year and a school-record 15 for his career.
UTSA has been tough to beat in San Antonio this year with a 19-6 home record, including a 12-2 mark at Roadrunner Field. The Roadrunners are outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 10-4 at the Bird Bath and are hitting .345 as a team, including a team-high .464 by Rockett. Additionally, Vasquez is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 23 strikeouts in three starts on campus.
