FRISCO, Texas – The UTSA baseball team will return to action with a three-game series at No. 18 LSU, starting on Friday at 7 p.m. at Alex Box Stadium live on SEC Network+. The series will resume on Saturday at 7 p.m., live on the SEC Network, and conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+.
UTSA (5-3) enters the matchup with the Tigers having won five of eight games to open the year and coming off a midweek loss vs. No. 9 TCU on Wednesday. UTSA has posted consecutive weekend series wins to open its season, including claiming two of three at Sam Houston and three of four vs. UT Arlington. In Wednesday's matchup with TCU, the Horned Frogs struck for three in the first and were able to work around homers from Nick Thornquist and Kyle Bergeron to post the 6-3 win.
Junior Joshua Lamb leads the team with a .400 average, owning six doubles, one homer and nine RBI, stealing two bases. Senior infielder Griffin Paxton has hit .367 with two doubles, a homer and nine RBI, with Thornquist hitting .345 with two homers and seven RBI. Graduate transfer Ian Bailey has hit .333 with two homers and nine RBI.
Infielder Jonathan Tapia has hit .318 with two RBI, outfielder Dylan Rock has a .303 average with a homer and four RBI and freshman third baseman Austin Ochoa has batted .231 with a bomb and five RBI.
UTSA has used six different pitchers to start its eight games to open 2021, with Luke Malone (1-1, 3.38 ERA) making both Friday starts with nine strikeouts in 10.2 innings. Reece Easterling (1-0, 1.74 ERA) has worked 10.1 innings in a pair of series-finale starts. Shane Daughety (2-0, 0.75 ERA) – the reigning C-USA Pitcher of the Week – has 12 strikeouts in 12 innings. John Chomko (0-0, 1.59 ERA) and Grant Miller (0-0, 5.68 ERA) have each made weekend starts. In relief, Daniel Garza (0-0, 0.00 ERA), Jay Ward (0-0, 6.75 ERA) and Hunter Mason (1-1, 3.52 ERA) have each worked in three games out of the bullpen.
As a team, UTSA has hit .320/.401/.489 with 66 runs scored in eight games, ripping 16 doubles, 10 homers and stealing seven bases. On the mound, UTSA has a 2.74 team ERA, striking out 72 in 69 innings, walking 29 and holding foes to a .230 average.
LSU (11-3) comes into the weekend having won a pair of midweek tilts, posting a 10-4 win on Tuesday vs. Texas Southern, and a 5-0 win at New Orleans at Maestri Field. The Tigers have hit .289/.387/.487 as a team with 119 runs scored in 14 games, with 23 doubles, five triples, 22 homers and 16 stolen bases. LSU has a 3.50 team ERA, walking 45 and striking out 154 in 126 innings. LSU is ranked as high as No. 18 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association top-30 poll, also checking in No. 21 in the D1baseball rankings.
Dylan Crews has helped pace the lineup for LSU, belting five homers in just 54 at-bats, hitting .389. Tre' Morgan has hit .423 with a homer and 17 RBI, stealing six bases. Cade Doughty has hit .314 with three homers and 13 RBI, Gavin Dugas owns a .314 average with two homers and 15 RBI and Zach Arnold has hit .286 with three homers and 10 RBI.
Landon Marceaux (2-0, 0.00 ERA), Will Hellmers (3-1, 1.23 ERA), A.J. Labas (0-0, 3.14 ERA), Javen Coleman (1-0, 4.91 ERA) and preseason All-American Jaden Hill (2-1, 6.97 ERA) have each made multiple starts. Devin Fontenot (1-0, 3.86 ERA) has appeared in a team-leading eight games in relief.
This marks the first all-time meeting between UTSA and LSU.
- UTSA -
