SAN ANTONIO – Following its monster midweek game win over No. 7 Texas State, UTSA will head to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders for a three-game C-USA series.
The Roadrunners (28-13, 12-6 C-USA) are looking to win their fifth straight weekend series, as the Roadrunners are a combined 10-2 over their last four conference weekend series. The MTSU series will take place over the April 29 – May 1 weekend with all games being streamed on CUSA TV.
The Roadrunners are riding a four-game win streak, which includes an FIU sweep and an upset of No. 7 Texas State, into the Middle Tennessee weekend. UTSA is 15-3 in its last 18 contests and is 12-3 in the month of April. The Roadrunners currently rank 53 in the RPI, while MTSU ranks 48.
The Blue Raiders (21-17, 11-7 C-USA) enter the weekend matchup having won five of their six Conference USA weekend series with the lone loss coming in a 1-2 series loss to ODU. MTSU is 11-4 in its last 15 contests and is coming off of a weekend where it defeated Louisiana Tech 2-1. Middle Tennessee will be playing for the first time in a week as they welcome UTSA, as the Blue Raiders had their midweek game against UT Martin canceled.
This will be the eighth all-time series meeting between the two C-USA programs. UTSA is 6-1 in series against MTSU, dropping its lone series back in 2019. The Roadrunners own a 16-7 advantage over the Blue Raiders. UTSA is 6-2 against MTSU in games played in Murfreesboro.
Miscellaneous Notes
- UTSA enters the weekend series having the second-highest batting average (.309) in all of Conference USA and ranks 17th nationally.
- UTSA possesses the ninth-most hits in college baseball with 448. Ranking first in C-USA.
- UTSA is fourth in the nation with 30 sac flies on the season and number one in C-USA.
- UTSA has 13 triples on the year, tops in C-USA and 30th in the nation.
- UTSA has the second-most RBI in the conference with 320.
- The Roadrunners are averaging 8.5 runs a game the second-most in C-USA and 16th overall.
- UTSA's 349 runs rank 15th in college baseball and second in conference.
- The Roadrunners have hit 93 doubles, the 14th most in baseball ranking first in C-USA.
- UTSA ranks second in C-USA with 200 walks drawn.
- Pitcher Luke Malone owns the third-lowest ERA in all of Conference USA with a 1.75. That ERA ranks 17th nationally.
- Opposing batters are hitting .222 against Malone. That's the seventh-lowest opponent batting average in the conference.
- Malone has allowed the fifth-fewest runs (18) in Conference USA. He has only allowed 11 earned runs, the third-fewest in C-USA.
- Malone has allowed just two home runs, the second-fewest in C-USA, and 10 walks, sixth lowest in C-USA, in his 56.2 IP (which ranks top 10 in conference).
- Malone is tied for the second-most wins in C-USA with six to his name.
- Pitcher Daniel Shafer is tied for the fifth-most saves in C-USA with five.
- Sammy Diaz has been hit by a pitch 11 times – third-most in C-USA.
- Jonathan Tapia has hit the second-most doubles in C-USA (15) and has also been hit by a pitch 12 times on the year, placing him third in C-USA in that category and two HBP away from breaking the school record.
- Being on base has helped him score 46 runs on the year. Third most in C-USA.
- Ian Bailey has logged the fourth-most at-bats in the conference. In those at-bats he:
- Has the third-most triples of any C-USA player (3).
- Scored the fourth most runs with 45
- Has the ninth-most RBI of any C-USA player with 40
- Ryan Flores has drawn 29 walks on the season which ranks as the fifth most in C-USA.
- Flores, Tapia and teammate Chase Keng all three in the top 10 of most sac flies by C-USA players. Flores is second in conference with six while Keng has five and Tapia has four.
- Chase Keng also ranks fifth in the conference for most RBI, having earned 44.
- Outfielder Shane Sirdashney owns the eighth-best batting average in C-USA, posting a .357.
- Sirdashney also owns the fifth-best on-base percentage with a .479.
- Sirdashney has been hit by a pitch the eighth-most times in C-USA, nine times.
- Garrett Poston is also top-ten in the conference for OBP. Poston owns a .471, which places him sixth amongst C-USA players.
- Infielder Leyton Barry has the sixth most at-bats in C-USA and has produced the second-most hits in Conference USA, totaling 59.
- Barry is also batting .355 on the year, ranking ninth in the conference.
Weekend Information
Friday, April 29 at 6 p.m.
RHP Daniel Garza (1-0, 4.41 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Keenan (4-3, 4.70 ERA)
Saturday, April 30 at 3 p.m.
RHP Luke Malone (6-1, 1.75 ERA) vs. LHP Peyton Wigginton (5-3, 3.56 ERA)
Sunday, May 1 at 11 a.m.
UTSA TBD vs. MTSU TBD
All games will take place at Reese Smith Jr. Field and will be streamed on CUSA TV.
UP NEXT: UTSA will return home to host the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley in a midweek game on Tuesday, May 3 at 6 p.m. First pitch for Tuesday's game is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on CUSA TV.
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