RUSTON, La. –UTSA baseball ventures outside the Lone Star State into Bayou country for a critical Conference USA matchup with Louisiana Tech.
Nearing the midway point of the 30-game C-USA slate, the Roadrunners (13-16, 5-4) and Bulldogs (18-10, 5-4) enter the weekend tied for fifth in the 12-team league. Currently, both teams are two games behind league leader, Florida Atlantic and hold a 1.5 game over ninth-place Charlotte, with only the top eight squads qualifying for the C-USA tournament in late May.
The Roadrunners won back-to-back conference series after opening league play by dropping 2 of 3 to Middle Tennessee, claiming two of three from both Rice and Southern Miss. LA Tech was swept by Southern Miss the opening weekend but rebounded by taking 2 of 3 over Middle Tennessee, before sweeping UAB last weekend.
Roadrunners at Bulldogs
Fri. April 5, 6 p.m. • Sat. April 6, 2 p.m. • Sun. April 7, 1 p.m.
J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park • Ruston, La.
C-USA.TV• Live Stats
Series History: 21 Meetings
UTSA leads 13-8
Home: 5-4 • Road: 8-4 • Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: L, 0-13 April 8, 2018 (Roadrunner Field)
Last Win: 4-3 (11 inns.) (April 7, 2018)
Last Win in Ruston: 8-4 (April 1, 2017)
Streak: Lost 1 • Last 10: 4-6 • Last 5: 2-3
Probable Starters:
UTSA - Sr. RHP, Karan Patel (2-3, 1.80) • Jr. RHP, Slater Foust (4-1, 1.82) • TBA
LA Tech – R-Sr. RHP, Matt Miller (3-0, 4.21) • R-Sr. LHP, Logan Robbins (2-2, 6.89) • Sr. LHP, Logan Bailey (3-3, 7.12)
Scouting UTSA:
• The pitching staff allows the fourth fewest hits per nine innings in C-USA at 8.83.
• Only UAB and Marshall have stolen more bases in the conference than UTSA, which has swiped 37 on the season.
• The Roadrunners are second in the league and 16thin the country with 12 triples.
• As a team, the Roadrunners have belted 61 doubles, good for second most in the league and 19thnationally.
• On 40 occasions, a Roadrunner batter reached base after being hit by a pitch, which is fourth most in the league.
• Dylan Rock leads the team with a .364 batting average, placing eighth in C-USA, while his nine doubles are fifth most, tied with teammate Bryan Sturges.
• Slater Foust holds the third-lowest ERA and Karan Patel is not far behind in fourth.
Scouting LA Tech:
• As a team, the Bulldogs hit .286, with 55 doubles, 28 home runs and six triples.
• Mason Mallard leads the team in batting average at .387, while Mason Robinson (.330) and Taylor Young (.314) are both over .300 as well.
• Mallard has swiped 12 bases and been caught just four times to lead the team
• The pitching staff allows 4.77 earned runs per game and have fanned 237 batters in 253.0 innings tossed.
• Opponents are hitting .276 against the staff, with Bryce Fagan posting the only sub-.200 opposing batting average of all qualified hurlers.
• As a staff, they have allowed 25 home runs in 28 games.
- UTSA -
