SAN ANTONIO – Coming off a three-game sweep last weekend at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UTSA baseball will open its Conference USA schedule with a four-game series at Rice, starting on Friday at 6 p.m. The series will resume with a pair of seven-inning games on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. and conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m., with all four games broadcast live on CUSA TV.
UTSA (8-7) will face off with Rice (11-9) in the league lidlifter for both teams. The Roadrunners are coming off a trio of dominating wins on the road last weekend, posting an 11-5 win in the opener, a 7-4 win in the middle game and a 10-1 rout in the finale.
The series matchup marks UTSA Coach Pat Hallmark's first return to Rice with the Roadrunners. Hallmark, a product of Houston's Westbury High School, and a former star catcher for the Owls, led Rice to the NCAA Tournament in every season he suited up for the Owls, including his time as an assistant from 2006-16, where Rice made three College World Series appearances. He earned all-conference honors for legendary coach Wayne Graham in 1995. The Rice ties run deep in the family as Hallmark's wife, the former Jada Sanders, is a 2001 graduate of Rice and a four-year letterwinner for the Owls swim team.
The Roadrunners enter league play as the conference leader in batting average (.294) and on-base percentage (.389), ranking second in slugging (.464). UTSA has scored 124 runs in 15 games, with 33 doubles, 19 homers and 11 steals. Defensively, UTSA has fielded at a .978 clip, throwing out 50-percent of would-be base-stealers. On the mound, UTSA has a 4.29 ERA in 134.1 innings, allowing 127 hits and 63 walks, striking out 123 and holding foes to a .250 average.
UTSA has been led at the plate by senior infielder Griffin Paxton, who has hit .383 – second in the league – with five doubles, four homers and 16 RBI. Catcher Nick Thornquist, the reigning C-USA Player of the Week, has hit .351 with four doubles, one triple, three homers and 15 RBI. Junior infielder Joshua Lamb owns seven doubles, one homer and 13 RBI to go with his .333 average. Outfielder Dylan Rock has three homers and 12 RBI, hitting .290, while Ian Bailey has hit .273 with four homers and 12 RBI. Freshman infielder Austin Ochoa has hit .260 with two homers and 11 RBI.
In relief, UTSA has seen Hunter Mason (2-2, 3.60 ERA), Daniel Garza (1-0, 2.45 ERA) and Jay Ward (0-0, 6.75 ERA) each work in five games.
UTSA has won three of the last four games with Rice, including a series win in 2019, claiming the first two meetings in the three-game set in Houston. It marked UTSA's first all-time series with over the Owls. Rice owns a 16-4 advantage in the series in Houston and a 23-8 overall mark in the series.
The Owls are coached by Kentucky-graduate Matt Bragga, who went 26-33 in his first season and 2-14 in his second year at Rice. The Owls are coming off a 2-1 win at Texas A&M on Tuesday. Rice has hit .265/.367/.391 with 112 runs scored in 20 games, owning 23 doubles, four triples and 17 homers, stealing 18 bases. On the mound, Rice has a 4.97 team ERA with 78 walks and 164 strikeouts in 172 innings. Defensively, Rice has turned 16 double plays, thrown out 15 of 40 base stealers and fielded .982.
Branden Comeaux has hit .365 with 11 RBI to lead the team, with Bradley Gneiting hitting .329 with four homers and 16 RBI. Guy Garlbay has hit .311 with three homers and 11 RBI, with Justin Dunlap and Connor Walsh each belting three homers.
In relief, Rice has seen Drake Greenwood (0-1, 3.60 ERA) appear in a team-leading seven games, with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings. Garlbay has three of Rice's four saves, striking out two in 3.2 innings over four outings.
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