Roadrunners host Lumberjacks in a midweek meetingRoadrunners host Lumberjacks in a midweek meeting
DJ Shafer/UTSA Athletics
Baseball

Roadrunners host Lumberjacks in a midweek meeting

SAN ANTONIO – UTSA is set to host the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks this Wednesday, April 6, in a midweek game at 6 p.m.
 
UTSA (18-10, 5-4 C-USA) will have the next eight games on the road following its matchup with SFA. The meeting will be UTSA's seventh midweek game of the year as the Roadrunners are 5-1 in the previous six with the lone loss coming at Baylor, 3-2.
 
The Roadrunners are riding a five-game win streak entering the midweek tilt, with four of the five wins coming over ranked opponents. The past four games included a weekday win over No. 11 TCU and a sweep of No. 23 Charlotte. UTSA's hot streak has resulted in the Roadrunners receiving votes as well as being ranked 55 in the RPI.
 
The Lumberjacks (8-19, 4-8 WAC) enter Wednesday's contest having won three of the last five, all three wins coming in a sweep of Tarleton State. The Texans are one of two common opponents between the two teams on the year.
 
SFA swept its weekend series over Tarleton 3-0 and outscored the Texans 22-14 across the three games. UTSA won its weekend series over Tarleton 2-1, dropping game three but outscoring TSU 34-25. The two squads also both traveled to face TCU in a midweek game earlier in the year. SFA fell to the Horned Frogs 1-11 while UTSA defeated No. 11 TCU 12-8 last week.
 
This will be the 42nd game between the two schools with the Roadrunners holding the head-to-head advantage over the Lumberjacks 25-16. The Roadrunners are 16-4 against Stephen F. Austin in games played in San Antonio.
 
Miscellaneous Notes

  • UTSA enters the weekend series having the third-highest batting average (.298) in all of Conference USA and ranks 40th nationally.
  • Pitcher Luke Malone owns the lowest ERA in all of Conference USA with a 1.17. That ERA ranks 14th nationally.
    • Opposing batters are hitting .211 against Malone. That's the seventh-lowest opponent batting average in the conference.
    • Malone is one of three C-USA pitchers with four wins and no losses on the year.
    • Malone has allowed the fifth-fewest hits on the year (30) and second-fewest runs (9) in Conference USA. Malone has only allowed five earned runs, the fewest in C-USA.
  • Infielder Leyton Barry (.352 -10th) and catcher Sammy Diaz (.359 – 6th) both rank in the top-10 batting average in Conference USA
    • Diaz owns the fifth-best on-base percentage in the conference
      • As part, Diaz has been hit by a pitch nine times – third-most in C-USA
    • Barry has the seventh-most hits in the conference with 37
  • Senior Jonathan Tapia has scored the fourth-most runs in the conference with 31. Tapia has cranked out the fifth most doubles in C-USA with 11.
  • Pitcher Daniel Shafer is tied for the fourth-most saves in C-USA with four.
  • Senior outfielder Ian Bailey is tied for fifth among CUSA players with eight homers on the year.
  • Infielder Ryan Flores and outfielder Chase Keng are both top-five Conference USA leaders in sac flies. Both have four on the season.

 
Weekday Information
Wednesday, April 6 at 6 p.m.
So. RHP, Ryan Ward vs. Jr. RHP, Patrick Kudelka
 
The game will take place at Roadrunner Field and will be broadcast on CUSA TV.
 
UP NEXT: UTSA will be back on the road this weekend as it begins an eight-game road streak. The Roadrunners will travel to Norfolk, Va. to face the No. 29 Old Dominion Monarchs. ODU is ranked in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, the oldest baseball poll in the country. All games will take place at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex and the games will be streamed on CUSA TV.