UPDATE (7:40 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23): The series opener will be played at 8 p.m. Saturday at Wolff Stadium in San Antonio. Gates will open at 6:30 p.m.
SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA baseball team will welcome No. 3 Texas Tech to Roadrunner Field this weekend for a three-game series. The set is scheduled to open at 6 p.m. Friday. Saturday's game is slated to begin at 2 p.m. while first pitch of Sunday's finale is on the ledger for 1 p.m.
FOLLOWING THE SERIES
Live stats will be available for all three games at goutsa.com, while Friday's game also will be streamed live on CUSA.tv with Glynne Collenback providing the play-by-play.
A LOOK AT UTSA
The Roadrunners (2-1) are coming off a season-opening series victory over San Francisco last weekend at the Bird Bath. UTSA was scheduled to play Abilene Christian on Tuesday night, but a cold front moved through the Abilene area and forced a cancellation.
The Birds swept a doubleheader last Saturday to claim the three-game series with the Dons. UTSA, which dropped the season opener a day earlier, picked up an 11-1 win in the middle game of the set and rallied for a 13-5 victory in the finale.
UTSA tallied 24 of its 26 runs in the series during Saturday's doubleheader.
Junior outfielder Ryan Stacy led the offensive charge with a .500 batting average (4 for 8) with two doubles and a pair of RBIs. Freshman outfielder Chase Keng registered a team-best five hits during the weekend, including three on opening night. The Deer Park native had one double, a triple and three stolen bases.
The Roadrunners also hammered four home runs in the second game of the set. Bryan Arias, Trent Bowles, Ben Brookover and Jonathan Tapia all went deep.
UTSA's pitching staff limited San Francisco to a .219 batting average during the weekend. Senior left-hander Steven Dressler hurled 6.2 scoreless innings to pick up the win in game two, while junior righty Derek Craft worked 4.2 scoreless stanzas out of the bullpen in the finale to earn a victory.
SCOUTING TEXAS TECH
The Red Raiders are off to a 5-0 start, which includes a four-game sweep of Maine last weekend in Lubbock. Texas Tech also collected a 12-0 win against New Mexico State on Tuesday.
A consensus top-5 program, Texas Tech enters the series with a .358 batting average and .698 slugging percentage. The Red Raiders have posted 29 extra-base hits, including 11 home runs.
Meanwhile, the pitching staff has posted a 2.00 ERA in 45.0 innings of action, while also holding opponents to a .163 batting average.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, 6 p.m. – (UTSA) Chance Kirby, rhp vs. (TTU) Davis Martin, rhp
Saturday, 2 p.m. – (UTSA) Steven Dressler, rhp vs. (TTU) John McMillon, rhp
Sunday, 1 p.m. – (UTSA) TBA vs. (TTU) Erikson Lanning, lhp
INSIDE THE SERIES
UTSA and Texas Tech previously have met 11 times, and the Red Raiders own a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series. Texas Tech won two of three games last season in a series played in Lubbock. This weekend marks the first time the Red Raiders will play at Roadrunner Field. The two teams met only once in San Antonio, a game played on Feb. 25, 2008, at Wolff Stadium. Texas Tech won that contest, 16-6.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday, Feb. 23 – 'White Out'
All UTSA fans are encouraged to wear white, while the first 150 fans in the gates (which open one hour prior to first pitch) will receive special t-shirt for the promotion. Additionally, UTSA President Taylor Eighmy will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
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