UTSA to travel to Nicholls for three-game series

SAN ANTONIO — UTSA will return to the road this weekend when it takes on Nicholls at Ray E. Didier Field in Thibodaux, La. The three-game series begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 3 p.m. tilt the next afternoon and Sunday's finale is slated for 1 p.m.

The Roadrunners (19-23, 11-10 SLC) are coming off Tuesday's 5-1 loss to Baylor. However, UTSA has been one of the hottest teams in the Southland Conference, winning four consecutive series and 10 of its last 12 after starting league play 1-8.

UTSA, currently in sixth place in the league standings and one game out of third, boasts one of the top offensive clubs in the Southland.

The Birds are hitting .297 overall (third SLC) and .309 in league games (second SLC). Freshman Riley Good leads the way with a .374 batting average. The Godley native is tied for sixth in the nation with 68 hits (t-No. 1 among freshmen) and also is tied for the conference lead. Meanwhile, sophomore Daniel Rockett is riding a nine-game hitting streak, in which he has led the Roadrunners with a .450 batting average and 15 runs scored.

For the fourth consecutive weekend, UTSA will run the same trio to the mound — junior Casey Selsor, senior Taylor Walton and junior Jordan Langley.

Selsor has won his last three starts with a 2.11 ERA and 14 strikeouts. He is 4-3 overall in 60.2 innings of work while posting a rotation-best five quality starts and 4.01 ERA. The San Antonio native has started 10 games and struck out a team-high 43 batters.

Walton and Langley, both right-handers, will start the final two games of the set.

Walton, who also has started 10 contests, is 4-4 overall with a 4.43 ERA and 26 strikeouts, while Langley is 3-3 with a 6.66 ERA and has fanned 26 batters.

The Roadrunners bullpen has been anchored by a pair of right-handers this season, senior Kevin Clarke and junior Cody Scott.

Clarke, a native of Huntsville, is 1-1 with a bullpen-best 2.79 ERA in the last 11 contests. Overall, he is 1-4 with a 4.45 ERA and two saves. Clarke also ranks second on the club with 41 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched.

Scott leads the squad with three saves and is 2-4 overall with a 4.26 ERA. The Amarillo native has appeared in 16 games this season and recorded 26 strikeouts in 31.2 innings of work.

Nicholls enters the series with a 20-21 overall record and is 9-12 in Southland play. The Colonels, who are tied for seventh in the league standings, have won four of their last six contests. Nicholls dropped a 12-3 decision at LSU on Tuesday night.

Chase Jaramillo leads the offense with a .353 batting average, while Blake Bergeron is the team's top power threat with eight doubles, four triples, four home runs and 37 RBIs.

Right-hander Seth Webster (3-2, 2.45 ERA) will get the start on Friday night. Righty Brian Arceneaux (2-6, 5.16 ERA) will take the mound the following day and southpaw Mike Wisecarver (4-2, 3.36 ERA) will start Sunday's finale.

The two clubs have met 57 times previously with UTSA holding a 37-20 advantage in the all-time series. The Roadrunners have won 14 of the last 15 meetings, including 11 in a row. The Birds are 17-10 all-time in Thibodaux and have won four consecutive series at Didier Field.