UTSA to host McNeese State this weekend

SAN ANTONIO — UTSA will look to build on the momentum of last weekend's sweep of Nicholls this weekend when it hosts McNeese State in three-game Southland Conference series at Roadrunner Field. First pitch in Friday's opener is slated for 6 p.m., while the final two contests are scheduled for 2 and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Roadrunners (17-27, 8-19 SLC) have posted three consecutive victories and that is their best stretch since opening the season with a program-record five wins in a row. UTSA will enter the series in 11th place in the Southland standings, but it is just three games out of the eighth and final spot in this month's conference tournament, which will be played from May 26-29 at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi.

Nicholls (11-16) holds a tenuous game-and-a-half lead over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9-17-1), two over Sam Houston State (9-18) and three over the Roadrunners. The Colonels host league-leading No. 29 Texas State this weekend, while the Islanders travel to Northwestern State and the Bearkats welcome last-place Central Arkansas to Don Sanders Stadium.

McNeese State (27-20, 15-12) dropped two of three games against Texas State last weekend at home and it stands sixth in the league standings with two conference series remaining on the ledger. The Cowboys, however, have won seven of their last nine outings.

It will be a battle of the top two home-run hitting teams in the circuit, as UTSA has left the park 56 times this spring and it holds a one homer edge on McNeese. Roadrunners freshman third baseman Ryan Dalton and Cowboys right fielder Lee Orr are tied for second in the league with 14 long balls apiece, while UTSA junior second baseman Ryan Hutson is fifth with 11. Dalton's total also ranks second nationally among freshmen and he leads the Birds with 42 RBIs.

UTSA will have its hands full when McNeese State reaches base this weekend, as it is second in the conference with 82 stolen bases. Leading the way is shortstop Jace Peterson, who owns a Southland-best 28 thefts, while Orr stands third with his 19. However, the Roadrunners have the great equalizer behind the plate in senior catcher Jeff Taliaferro. The Grapevine native, who has started all but one contest behind the dish this season, has thrown out 27 of 59 runners attempting to steal, which translates to a remarkable 45.7 percent (second SLC/Southeastern Louisiana's Chad Gough-Fortenberry has thrown out 13-of-28/46.4%).

The Birds, who hold a slim 27-26 edge in the all-time series, have won nine games in a row against the Cowboys dating back to the 2007 season and 11 of the last dozen meetings overall.

UTSA's season-long eight-game home stand will conclude on Tuesday night when No. 4 TCU (37-10) comes to the Alamo City for the second end of this year's home-and-home series. The Horned Frogs defeated the Roadrunners, 17-12, on March 2 in Fort Worth.