HATTIESBURG, Miss. – UTSA will meet No.1 seed, host and 14th ranked Southern Miss in the second round of the Conference USA tournament on Friday, May 27 at Pete Taylor Park with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
After entering the tournament as the fifth seed, UTSA pulled away from FAU in its first round matchup, winning 6-4. The Roadrunners (36-19) rode the arm of ace Luke Malone, who worked nine innings of relief, to the Thursday victory. The win set up a rematch with league-leader Southern Miss. UTSA and USM met just two weeks ago in Hattiesburg, where the Golden Eagles took the series 2-1 after dropping the series opener.
This 2022 Roadrunner squad has an opportunity to make history within UTSA athletics as they continue to assert themselves as a potential NCAA Tournament at-large team, something no other UTSA team – in any sport with the same postseason structure – has ever accomplished. Following the second-best month of April record in school history (15-3), the Roadrunners continue to make their case throughout the month of May and currently own a 47 RPI. Southern Miss enters the tournament matchup boasting the 7th best RPI in the country. A win for UTSA would really help its at-large potential.
Weekend Pitching Matchups
UTSA has not yet announced a starting pitcher for Friday's matchup with Southern Miss. Among those who have started games include Luke Malone (9-3, 2.73 ERA), Daniel Garza (3-1, 4.41 ERA), Jacob Jimenez (2-1, 5.01 ERA), Braylon Owens (3-1, 5.40 ERA), Braden Davis (2-2, 5.77 ERA), Ulises Quiroga (2-4, 7.13 ERA), Ryan Beaird (2-3, 7.32 ERA), Grant Miller (1-0, 9.00 ERA) and Drake Smith (0-0, 11.37 ERA). Garza started two weeks ago on a Friday at Southern Miss, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks, striking out four on 74 pitches. On the year, he has worked in 12 games with five starts, working 34.2 innings with 40 hits and 21 walks allowed, striking out 37.
Southern Miss is set to start sophomore righty Hurston Waldrep (6-1, 2.85 ERA) in his 15th weekend start of the year. Waldrep has worked 72.2 innings, allowing only 53 hits and 25 walks, striking out 109, with opponents hitting a paltry .202. Waldrep has been the traditional Sunday starter for the Golden Eagles in 2022. In his start two weeks ago vs. UTSA in Hattiesburg, Waldrep worked three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with six strikeouts over 63 pitches. In his last start on Saturday in the regular-season finale vs. Middle Tennessee, Waldrep worked six shutout, two-hit innings, striking out 10 over just 53 pitches.
Leading the Roadrunners
UTSA (36-19) enters Friday morning's contest coming off of a first round win in the C-USA tournament over FAU. The Roadrunners and Owls didn't meet until Thursday morning, a change from the scheduled Wednesday night game, due to weather. Prior to their first win in the Conference USA tournament, the Roadrunners entered Hattiesburg coming off of a 2-1 series win over UAB. UTSA is hitting .304/.401/.480 with 441 runs in 55 games, ripping 116 doubles, 14 triples and 65 homers, stealing 30 bases. On the mound, UTSA has a collective 5.40 team ERA across 475.1 innings, allowing 470 hits and 267 walks, striking out 495 opponents with the opposition hitting .254. On the defensive side, UTSA is fielding at a .967 clip.
At the plate, junior second baseman Leyton Barry leads the team with a .342 batting average with 13 doubles, two triples, four homers and 37 RBI. Junior centerfielder Shane Sirdashney totes a .338 average, owning 10 doubles, five homers and 32 RBI, while junior catcher Sammy Diaz has hit .309 with four homers and 29 RBI, owning a 17-11 walk-strikeout ratio in 149 at-bats. Fifth-year senior Jonathan Tapia has hit .312 with 19 doubles, six homers and 46 RBI, while fellow senior rightfielder Chase Keng owns a .332 average with 17 doubles, two triples, nine homers and 57 RBI. Sixth-year graduate-senior leftfielder Ian Bailey has batted .306 with 15 doubles, three triples, 15 homers and 49 RBI. Senior first baseman Ryan Flores has hit .313 with 11 homers and 49 RBI, while sophomore Garrett Poston owns a .305 average with a homer and 21 RBI and freshman shortstop Matt King has hit .229 with 10 doubles and 25 RBI. Redshirt-sophomore catcher Josh Killeen has added a .318 average with three homers and 20 RBI.
In relief, Daniel Shafer (3-1, 3.29 ERA) owns the 12th-most saves in UTSA single season history (five) with 38 strikeouts and just 13 hits allowed in 27.1 innings. John Chomko (2-0, 3.92 ERA), Simon Miller (3-3, 3.24 ERA), Braylon Owens (3-1, 5.40 ERA), Ulises Quiroga (2-4, 7.13 ERA), Ryan Ward (1-0, 5.09 ERA), Ryan Beaird (2-3, 7.32 ERA) and Fischer Kingsbery (0-0, 4.95 ERA) have each appeared in double-digit games in relief. Simon Miller has struck out 46 in 33.1 innings.
Series history
The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with UTSA, 20-8, including a 9-2 mark in games played in Hattiesburg against the Roadrunners. USM took a series over UTSAS just two weeks ago in Hattiesburg after UTSA took the series opener. Southern Miss swept UTSA in the teams' 2021 meeting, outscoring the Roadrunners 33-15 over the three-game span.
Scouting Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles (42-14) have hit .283 as a team through 56 games, with 368 runs scored, 76 homers and a 249-383 walk-strikeout ratio, stealing 28 bases. On the mound, Southern Miss boasts a top-two in the country team ERA of 3.06 in 506 innings, allowing 419 hits and 141 walks, striking out 638 and holding foes to a .224 average. Defensively, the Golden Eagles have fielded .975 with 52 errors in 56 outings.
Last weekend, Southern Miss swept Middle Tennessee on the road in the final regular season weekend series where it outscored the Blue Raiders 36-4. Most recently, the Golden Eagles defeated UAB on Wednesday night 4-3 in the opening round of the Conference USA tournament. Southern Miss is riding a six-game win streak into Friday morning's contest, its second longest streak of the season. The six-game win streak is Southern Miss's third 5+ game win streak on the year.
Infielder Dustin Dickerson leads the Southern Miss with a .348 average, owning 22 doubles and 29 RBI, stealing six bases. Outfielder Reece Ewing has hit .298 with eight doubles, two triples, ten homers and 33 RBI, while utility player Christopher Sargent has hit .252 with 20 homers and 53 RBI, both leading the team. Infielder Will McGillis has hit .275 with 15 homers, 48 RBI and 12 doubles. In relief, Landon Harper (2-1, 2.09 ERA) has appeared in a team-leading 26 games with 11 saves in 38.2 innings, walking seven and striking out 45.
Schedule
Friday * No. 5 UTSA vs. No. 1 Southern Miss * 10 a.m. [ESPN +]
Projected Weekend Rotation
Friday
TBD vs. RHP, So. Hurston Waldrep (6-1, 2.87 ERA)
UP NEXT: UTSA will return to Pete Taylor Park tomorrow, May 27, where, if it loses, will play the winner of FAU/UAB on May 27 for a doubleheader and if it wins will play the winner of UAB/FAU vs. USM on Saturday. Start times will vary depending on how the Roadrunners do against USM. All games will be streamed on ESPN +.
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