SAN ANTONIO -- Coming off a 32-win season last year, UTSA baseball will open its 2019 schedule with a three-game series vs. McNeese State, starting on Friday at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field. The series will resume on Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Friday and Sunday games will be streamed live on goUTSA.com and CUSA.tv.
UTSA will turn to the starting weekend rotation of senior right-hander Karan Patel (3-3, 3.96 ERA in 2018) on Friday and senior southpaw Bradley Griggs (0-1, 2.18 ERA) to open the year, with Sunday's starter yet to be determined. McNeese State has yet to announce their opening-weekend rotation.
A native of Sugar Land, Texas, Patel will be appearing in his 50th career game and making his 29th start. He sports a 7-11 record with a 5.24 ERA in his career, tossing 158 innings, allowing 147 hits and walking 105, striking out 146. In 2018, Patel emerged as a weekend pitching weapon, posting a 3-3 mark and a 3.96 ERA in 16 games and 11 starts, tossing 63.2 innings with just 53 hits allowed, walking 29 and fanning 56.
Griggs, a native of Castroville, Texas, will be making his second career start in his 43rd career outing. The southpaw has posted a 1-3 record and a 6.85 ERA in his career, earning a save in 46 innings, walking 46 and striking out 36. He had a breakout season in 2018 as UTSA's go-to southpaw reliever, appearing in 19 games with one start and posting a 2.81 ERA in 25.2 innings, walking 15 and fanning 25.
The Roadrunners, under the direction of seventh-year head coach Jason Marshall – are coming off a 32-25 season in 2018, with UTSA posting a 16-13 mark in Conference USA action and sporting an 18-13 record at Roadrunner Field.
McNeese is coming into 2019 – under the direction of former LSU standout Justin Hill – after posting a 25-33 season and a 15-15 mark in the Southland last year. Senior infielder Carson Maxwell is the returning leader at the plate, hitting .295 with six homers and 37 RBI in 2018. Senior right-hander Aidan Anderson paces the pitching staff after earning a 5-6 record with a 3.30 ERA in 62.2 innings in 2018, allowing just 48 hits, walking 30 and striking out 72 with six saves in 28 appearances and four starts. Senior righty Cayne Ueckert made eight starts and appeared in eight games in relief in 2018 with a 4-3 record and a 4.43 ERA.
While a school-record four players were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, UTSA still returns several standout talents, including two-time 2019 preseason All-America honoree Bryan Arias. A senior infielder out of San Antonio's Marshall High School, Arias hit .335 last year with 16 doubles, eight homers and 35 RBI. He is a career .327 hitter with 20 homers, 98 RBI, 26 steals and 209 hits in 163 games.
In addition, the Roadrunners return positional starters in shortstop Joshua Lamb, Dylan Rock, Ryan Stacy and Chase Keng. Lamb hit .289 with five doubles, five triples and 23 RBI in 2018, with Rock batting .287 with six homers and 25 RBI. Stacy added a .274 average with 15 doubles, six homers and 32 RBI, and Keng blasted two homers and hit .250. On the pitching staff, UTSA returns several standouts, including weekend starter Patel, a senior righty, and veteran southpaw reliever Bradley Griggs. Senior righty Palmer Wenzel went 6-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 44 innings in 2018, fanning 41 and walking just 18. He and Kyrell Miller (4-1, 4.94 ERA in 2018) will help anchor the bullpen.
The Roadrunners hold a 38-33 all-time record vs. McNeese State, including an 18-13 record in games played in San Antonio. The Roadrunners have won five straight games in the series after sweeping the first weekend of March in 2018 at McNeese State. UTSA posted a 1-0 win in the opener, a 5-2 result on Saturday and swept behind a 14-3 win on Sunday. Patel starred in the series opener vs. McNeese, working six shutout, three-hit innings, walking one and striking out two on 82 pitches. Derek Craft earned the three-inning save without allowing a hit. Aidan Anderson took the hard-luck loss, allowing one run in 7.2 innings with three hits and one walk allowed, fanning eight. Steven Dressler pitched UTSA to the series opener on Saturday, tossing 8.2 innings with two runs surrendered, with Andrew Shewcraft picking up the final out for the save. Tony Beam belted a homer with five RBI and Bryan Arias went 4-for-5 with three driven in to lead UTSA to the sweep over McNeese in 2018 in the finale. Bradley Griggs worked three innings in his lone start of 2018, allowing a run, before Palmer Wenzel came on in relief to earn a two-inning win.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 15 * vs. McNeese State * 6 p.m. [CUSA.tv]
Saturday, Feb. 16 * vs. McNeese State * 2 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 17 * vs. McNeese State * 1 p.m. [CUSA.tv]
Records
UTSA: 0-0 in 2019 (32-24 in 2018)
McNeese State: 0-0 in 2019 (25-33 in 2018)
Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday vs. McNeese State
Sr., RHP Karan Patel (3-3, 3.96 ERA in 2018) vs. TBD
Saturday vs. McNeese State
Sr., LHP Bradley Griggs (0-1, 2.18 ERA in 2018) vs. TBD
Sunday vs. McNeese State
TBD vs. TBD
- UTSA -
