SAN ANTONIO — UTSA will open its 24th season of play this weekend with five games at the Hotel Encanto Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M.
The Roadrunners throw the first pitch of their 2015 season at 10:30 a.m. (CT) on Friday when they take on Montana before a 12:30 p.m. (CT) contest against Texas Tech. On Saturday, UTSA will face tournament host New Mexico State at 5 p.m. (CT) and close the day against Colorado State at 7 p.m. (CT). The Birds will wrap up play at the event with a 10:30 a.m. (CT) contest against No. 18 Nebraska on Sunday.
The squad returns 13 letterwinners from last year’s squad that went 24-30 overall and 10-14 in its first season as a member of Conference USA. UTSA, which also returns about 64 percent of its run production, welcomes back its entire starting infield, including C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Megan Low.
The Spring native put together one of the best seasons in program history in 2014 and earned first-team all-conference and second-team NFCA All-South Region honors. Low hit .388 (5th C-USA) with 34 runs, 12 doubles, 22 home runs (1st C-USA/3rd NCAA), 47 RBIs (3rd C-USA), 137 total bases (1st C-USA), a .901 slugging percentage (1st C-USA/4th NCAA) and a .513 on-base percentage (2nd C-USA) and was the NCAA statistical champion with 0.44 homers per game.
UTSA, which ranked ninth in the nation with 1.31 homers per contest, also returns senior Vivian Tijerina, who slugged 12 long balls a year ago. She closed the 2014 campaign on a tear with five home runs in her final seven games and will look to carry that momentum into her senior season.
All three pitchers return and the group is led by junior Kacy Freeze and sophomore Nicole Merrill. Freeze tossed 173 innings a season ago and went 11-11 with a 3.92 ERA and a team-leading 140 strikeouts. She went 5-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 19 appearances during C-USA play. Meanwhile, Merrill paced the staff with a 3.10 ERA and went 10-12 with 123 strikeouts.
In addition to its 13 returners, UTSA welcomes nine newcomers to the fold this season. The group consists of a pair of Division I transfers in Lindsie Knowles (Memphis) and Kelsi Ott (Idaho State) along with six former prep standouts and Kaley Pyles, who spent the last two seasons at Highland [Kan.] CC.