SAN ANTONIO — Opening Day is upon us in the Alamo City as head baseball coach Jason Marshall and his Roadrunners team will open the 2017 season at Roadrunner Field with a four-game series against Quinnipiac beginning on Friday. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
The season-opening series continues on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader and will conclude at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Gates will open one-and-a-half hours prior to first pitch each day.
UTSA will be looking to bounce back from a 17-win season from one year ago. The Roadrunners return a veteran group, including four seniors who sat out last season.
Marshall returns the bulk of his lineup from 2016, including Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection Bryan Arias. The San Antonio product hit .321 with a team-high 61 hits, including 14 extra base hits, to go along with 27 runs scored, 20 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
Back in the lineup for UTSA is 2016 third-team All-American Jesse Baker.
The senior outfielder sat out the 2016 season but was named to this year's Preseason All-Conference USA Team. In 2015, Baker was force, as he led the Roadrunners in several offensive categories. He batted at a .330 clip with a team-best 71 hits, 21 doubles, 15 home runs and league bests of 137 total bases and .637 slugging percentage.
On the mound, right-hander Chance Kirby will get the season-opening nod for the second straight year. Kirby led the pitching staff with a 4.27 ERA and logged 78 innings while recording 48 strikeouts. The Austin native sits ninth all-time in career ERA with a 4.38.
Friday's matchup with Quinnipiac, which is located in Hamden, Conn., will be the first in program history.
Quinnipiac heads to the Lone Star State off a 21-31 season under third-year head coach John Delaney. The Bobcats were selected to finish seventh in the Metro American Athletic Conference (MAAC) Preseason Poll, which was released in late January.
The Bobcats saw senior shortstop Matthew Batten land on the Preseason All-MAAC Team. The middle infielder batted at a .344 clip last season with four home runs, 25 RBIs and 20 stolen bases en route to second-team All-MAAC honors.
The Bobcats also return their top arm from a year ago with Taylor Luciani. The right-hander posted a 3.13 ERA in 12 appearances, including 11 starts, and went 4-3 in 69 innings pitched.
Qunnipiac will open the campaign with a 22-game road trip, including its conference opener, before debuting at home with Rhode Island in late March.
