| Sherman Corbett begins his 10th season at UTSA this weekend. |
SAN ANTONIO — UTSA finds itself in an unusual position with the 2010 season set to start on Saturday afternoon against Houston Baptist and that would be in the role of an underdog.
The Roadrunners, the consensus preseason selection to win the Southland Conference the last two years, were tabbed fifth in this year’s polls and, at first glance, that doesn’t seem that far off when you factor in the losses the program has sustained over the last nine months.
All-American Michael Rockett, arguably the top player in league history, and Jose Hernandez both graduated last May and their departures have left a big hole in the middle of UTSA’s lineup. Also gone are starting pitchers Red Patterson (transferred), Clay Schrader (transferred), Kris Ruepke (graduated) and Ryan Proudfoot (redshirtng this spring) and, to top things off, 2009 preseason All-America closer Zach Calhoon, the Southland’s all-time saves leader (25), will not pitch this season following Tommy John surgery last June.
Although it seems the cupboard is bare, nothing could be further from the truth with what returns to the diamond this spring.
| Senior Lance Brown (left) and junior Brett Aguilar (right) enter the springs as first-team All-Southland Conference selections and junior Ryan Hutson was a second teamer. | |
Senior Lance Brown is back following a year that saw him earn first-team All-Southland honors at third base, but the Richland Hills native will shift over to shortstop this year. Brown hit .372 with 17 doubles, six triples, four home runs and 40 RBIs in 54 starts last season in addition to scoring 50 runs and stealing nine bases.
Also back is junior second baseman Ryan Hutson, who is the circuit’s top returning power hitter. The Round Rock native slugged 17 homers in 2009, 12 of which came in his final 13 contests, and he registered a .719 slugging percentage en route to third-team all-conference accolades. Hutson, a preseason second-team selection, also hit .343 with a dozen doubles and 43 RBIs a year ago.
The other Roadrunner to make an appearance on the league’s preseason squads is junior designated hitter Brett Aguilar, who is coming off a breakout second season that saw him hit .304 with 11 two-baggers, five long balls and 29 RBIs in just 39 games (30 starts). A local product, Aguilar joined Brown on the first team and the 1-2-3 punch of he, Brown and Hutson should give the Birds a formidable middle of the batting order this spring.
Also returning this season is junior Tyler Carpenter, who split time between right field and catcher last season (30 starts in RF/20 at C). However, Carpenter is slated to see a majority of his time in right this year after hitting .311 with 43 runs, 14 doubles, seven round-trippers, 28 RBIs and 15 steals in 2009.
| Sophomore Casey Selsor will see time in both left field and as a member of the starting rotation this year. |
Two-way threat Casey Selsor is back for his second season in navy blue and orange, but he will make the move from first base to left field in addition to serving as a member of the team's weekend rotation. Selsor showed great promise at the plate during his freshman campaign despite playing first for the first time since his Little League days. Arguably the team’s top athlete, he hit .287 with three two-baggers, three homers and 16 RBIs in his 27 contests (22 starts).
Senior Ryan Rummel and sophomores Matthew James and Jason Mohn will battle for playing time in left when Selsor starts on the bump.
Senior Jeff Taliaferro will be the Roadrunners’ new catcher and he made his way to the Alamo City after Northern Iowa disbanded its program at the end of last season. A native of Grapevine, he hit .316 with 22 doubles, one home run and 35 RBIs for the Panthers last spring and was just as strong behind the dish, throwing out 35.6 percent of base runners attempting to steal.
Manning the corners and patrolling center field for the Birds will be a trio of true freshmen.
Jake Wood (first base) and Ryan Dalton (third base) bring impressive resumes with them from the prep ranks, as both were all-state performers as seniors.
Wood earned honorable mention honors in his native Indiana after hitting .494 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs, while Dalton collected third-team accolades and was tabbed the District 23-5A Most Valuable Player at Fort Bend Austin High School following his .494-9-43 line produced a year ago.
The third frosh has a last name that many Roadrunners fans will recognize, but he hopes to move out of the shadow that was cast by his older brother the last four seasons. That would be Daniel Rockett, who was one of the top multi-sport athletes in the Houston area the last two years. A first-team all-district performer in both baseball and football (quarterback), Rockett hit .390 with four triples, three homers and 30 stolen bases last spring as Dalton's teammate at Austin High.
| Junior Matt Crocker will make the move from reliever to starter this spring. |
Junior southpaw Matt Crocker, who developed into one of the Southland's top relievers last spring, will move to the top of the rotation following a sophomore season that saw him post a team-leading six wins to go along with a 3.46 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 41.2 innings of work (22 appearances).
Following Crocker will be junior transfer Mike Pierce, a right-hander who came to UTSA by way of South Mountain (Ariz.) Community College. Pierce, who began his collegiate career at Kansas State, was 6-2 with a 3.32 ERA in his 13 contests last season and he fanned 51 in 59.2 frames.
Selsor is slated to get the nod on Sundays. He appeared in 16 games as a freshman, making five starts, and was 4-2 with 27 punchouts in 45 panels.
Proudfoot's injury leaves a void in the midweek rotation but head coach Sherman Corbett plans on using a combination of redshirt sophomore Jason Walls, junior transfers D.D. Towler, Justin Martinez and Taylor Walton as well as freshman RJ Perucki.
Junior righty Kevin Clarke excelled in his middle-inning relief role a year ago and he is on track to open the spring as Calhoon's replacement at closer. Clarke posted a 3-2 ledger and 4.76 ERA in his 19 appearances last season and fanned 34 in 39.2 innings.
Brown also is expected to see work late in games and he possesses a strong arm that will be well-suited for that role.
One would think that Corbett, the winningest coach in UTSA Athletics history (282 wins), would be concerned heading into his 10th season, but nothing could be further from the truth.
"We're a young team with several holes to fill, especially on the mound, but this group should be able to be successful based on its confidence and hard work. We have a solid nucleus of returning players who should lead and our newcomers have a lot of potential. Hitting should be the strength of this squad, but I think we have a chance to do some good things on the mound, as well, despite having so many new faces on the staff."
A two-time Southland Coach of the Year honoree (2007-08), he has led UTSA to 32 or more wins and at least 20 conference victories in each of the last four seasons and UTSA has won 144 contests, an average of 36 per year, during that stretch.
This year’s 52-game schedule features six teams that played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament (Baylor, Sam Houston State, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Texas State), a full slate of 33 Southland games and 26 home tilts, including two at Wolff Stadium (Iowa, March 16-17).
“This will be yet another challenging schedule for our program,” Corbett said. “Not only do we play six clubs that played in the postseason last year, but we also have several tough road contests that will prepare us for the 33-game Southland Conference season. I'm looking forward to seeing how this year’s group handles this schedule and performs as the year progresses.”
First pitch Saturday is slated for 2 p.m. at the Bird Bath and Sunday's finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. in what will be the first two tilts of a season-opening six-game home stand.