SAN ANTONIO — UTSA returns to the friendly confines of Roadrunner Field this weekend and it will put a 10-game home winning streak on the line against Stephen F. Austin when the two teams meet in the opener of a three-game Southland Conference series at 6 p.m. on Friday.
The Birds (12-15, 3-9 SLC), winners of three of their last five outings, are coming off Tuesday's 14-5 setback at No. 23 Texas A&M. UTSA has owned the Lumberjacks at the Bird Bath, having not lost to SFA on its on-campus facility since an 8-6 setback all the way back on April 17, 1993. The Roadrunners hold an 18-8 advantage in the all-time series that goes back to the program's inaugural campaign of 1992.
Senior Ryan Rummel, who currently is riding a nine-game hitting streak, continues to lead the Birds on offense. The Uvalde native owns a Southland-best .429 batting average (30-for-70) and he ranks second in the circuit with his .500 on-base and .743 slugging percentages. He also leads the team with eight doubles to go along with four home runs and 19 RBIs.
Meanwhile, junior Tyler Carpenter is hitting .318 this spring and that mark has been boosted by 16-for-33 (.485) stretch since entering the lead-off spot on Saturday, March 27, against Sam Houston State. The Missouri City native has hit in eight straight, his second such streak of the year, and recorded a half dozen multi-hit contests, including a trio of three-hit performances, in his last seven contests.
Junior Ryan Hutson and freshman Ryan Dalton both lead UTSA with seven homers and the pair stands fourth in the conference. They also are 1-2 on the squad with 28 and 24 RBIs, respectively.
Stephen F. Austin (19-9, 7-4 SLC), which has won three in a row and five of seven overall, currently sit in a fourth-place tie with Northwestern State in the league standings, just a game-and-a-half behind defending regular season champion Texas State. The Jacks are tied with McNeese State atop the league leaderboard with a .329 batting average and their 4.46 ERA ranks third.
Saturday's contest is slated for 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale will begin at 1 p.m.
Games 28-30
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