BILOXI, Miss. – Eighth-seeded UTSA will open The First, A National Banking Association, Conference USA Tournament with league champion and 11th-ranked Southern Miss at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at MGM Park.
UTSA (28-26) makes its return to the conference tournament after missing the 2016 edition. The Roadrunners clinched their berth with the help of a Marshall loss last Thursday.
After concluding the regular season with the Golden Eagles, the teams will meet for the fourth time in the past seven days on Wednesday.
The Roadrunners head into postseason play with the fifth-best offense in the circuit, batting .299, and ranking in the top five in 12 total offensive categories.
Ben Brookover continues to claim his spot at the top of the season stat sheet with his C-USA ninth-best .355 average. Meanwhile, Bryan Arias, now with the team's second-best batting average, is hitting .336. Arias tacked on three extra-base hits in the final week of regular season play and that brought his overall total to 32 this spring (20 doubles/one triple/11 home runs).
UTSA also had two pitchers recognized as second team all-conference selections in Karl Craigie Tyler Giovanoni.
Craigie owns a 2.86 ERA out of the bullpen with a 7-1 record, while Giovanoni and sports a 3.41 ERA in 14 appearances and 68.2 innings of work.
League champion Southern Miss (44-12) closed out the regular season with a 14-game win streak and and it set a program record for regular season wins.
The Golden Eagles have played four games this season on neutral grounds and posted a 3-1 mark, while Wednesday's contest will be the first for UTSA at a neutral site.
Offensively, Southern Miss is hitting a league-best .316 with eight players batting .300 or better. C-USA Player of the Year Dylan Burdeaux (.372) is three hits away from reaching the century mark with 33 of those going for extra bases. Burdeaux also is slugging .582, drawn 27 walks and stolen 19 bases.
On the hill, first-teamer Kirk McCarty owns a 2.99 ERA with a 9-2 record in 14 starts. He's struck out 90 batters in his 84.1 innings of work.
All tournament games will be streamed on ESPN3 with the championship game airing on CBS Sports Network.
