HATTIESBURG, Miss. – UTSA is set for a rematch with 14th ranked and top seed Southern Miss on Saturday, May 28, as the two teams will meet in the Conference USA tournament semifinals. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 and the game will be streamed on ESPN +.
After both teams partook in a thrilling, back and forth contest on Friday, the two Conference USA schools will do it again with a spot in the championship on the line. UTSA took Friday's game 7-6 after a go-ahead, game-winning Ryan Flores solo shot in the top of the ninth gave UTSA breathing room and the distance it needed to pull away.
After suffering its first loss of the tournament Friday morning, Southern Miss had to play again on Friday night against fourth seeded FAU to advance to the semifinals. USM and FAU were knotted at nothing into the seventh, but the Golden Eagles were able to separate late and win the game 5-0. With UTSA (2-0) and USM (2-1) meeting in the semis, UTSA will have to lose twice to be eliminated and only need to win one of two potential games to make it to Sunday's championship game.
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 44 RPI. Southern Miss enters the matchup boasting the 12th best RPI in the country.
Saturday's Pitching Matchup
UTSA will turn to sophomore righty Ryan Ward (1-0, 5.09 ERA) on Saturday for the start vs. Southern Miss sophomore right-hander Matthew Adams (2-1, 5.21 ERA). Ward and Adams have been traditional midweek starters in 2022 but both worked in the series meeting two weeks ago in Hattiesburg. Ward worked 1.2 innings in the middle game of the series as the surprise starter after scheduled starter Luke Malone was used to close the game on Friday night. Ward allowed two runs on three walks and a strikeout in 1.2 innings. Ward last worked in the regular-season finale vs. UAB, starting and tossing the first inning without allowing a run, striking out two on 22 pitches.
Adams worked 1.1 shutout innings in relief in the series final vs. UTSA, serving as the first man out of the bullpen for Hurston Waldrep. Ward, who has not allowed a hit over his last 5.2 innings pitched, has appeared in 13 games with six starts in 2022, tossing 1.2 innings, allowing 12 hits and 19 walks, striking out 15. Adams has appeared in seven games with three starts, working 19 innings with 16 hits, three walks and 24 strikeouts. Adams' best outing came with 6.2 innings vs. South Alabama in midweek action, allowing three runs on four hits with nine strikeouts. Adams also started vs. Ole Miss, allowing three runs in 3.2 innings.
Leading the Roadrunners
UTSA (37-19) enters Friday morning's contest coming off of a 2-0 start in the C-USA tournament. Its first-round win in the C-USA tournament came over FAU. The Roadrunners and Owls didn't meet until Thursday morning, a change from the scheduled Wednesday night game, due to weather. Thursday morning UTSA took care of business, downing FAU 6-4. The following day UTSA met tournament host Southern Miss on Friday at 10 a.m. UTSA and USM exchanged blows in a game that featured three ties and three lead changes.
UTSA is hitting .304/.400/.479 with 448 runs in 56 games, ripping 119 doubles, 14 triples and 66 homers, stealing 30 bases. On the mound, UTSA has a collective 5.41 team ERA across 484.1 innings, allowing 480 hits and 269 walks, striking out 505 opponents with the opposition hitting .255. On the defensive side, UTSA is fielding at a .968 clip.
At the plate, junior second baseman Leyton Barry leads the team with a .344 batting average with 13 doubles, two triples, four homers and 38 RBI. Junior centerfielder Shane Sirdashney totes a .327 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 .314 with 20 doubles, six homers and 47 RBI, while fellow senior rightfielder Chase Keng owns a .329 average with 17 doubles, two triples, nine homers and 57 RBI. Sixth-year graduate-senior leftfielder Ian Bailey has batted .301 with 15 doubles, three triples, 15 homers and 49 RBI. Senior first baseman Ryan Flores has hit .316 with 12 homers and 51 RBI, while sophomore Garrett Poston owns a .303 average with a homer and 22 RBI and freshman shortstop Matt King has hit .236 with 11 doubles and 25 RBI. Redshirt-sophomore catcher Josh Killeen has added a .325 average with three homers and 22 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 (4-3, 3.25 ERA), Braylon Owens (3-1, 5.40 ERA), Ulises Quiroga (2-4, 7.45 ERA), Ryan Ward (1-0, 5.09 ERA), Ryan Beaird (2-3, 7.32 ERA) and Fischer Kingsbery (0-0, 4.71 ERA) have each appeared in double-digit games in relief. Simon Miller has struck out 47 in 36 innings.
Series history
The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with UTSA, 20-9, including a 9-3 mark in games played in Hattiesburg against the Roadrunners. The two teams met earlier today, May 27, in the C-USA tournament quarterfinals where UTSA won 7-6. USM took a series over UTSA 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 (43-15) have hit .283 as a team through 58 games, with 379 runs scored, 77 homers and a 256-395 walk-strikeout ratio, stealing 29 bases. On the mound, Southern Miss boasts a top-two in the country team ERA of 3.04 in 524 innings, allowing 436 hits and 147 walks, striking out 659 and holding foes to a .225 average. Defensively, the Golden Eagles have fielded .976 with 53 errors in 58 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 was riding a six-game win streak into Friday morning's contest, its second longest streak of the season before it was snapped at the hands of UTSA.
Infielder Dustin Dickerson leads the Southern Miss with a .346 average, owning 23 doubles and 30 RBI, stealing six bases. Outfielder Reece Ewing has hit .291 with nine doubles, two triples, ten homers and 34 RBI, while utility player Christopher Sargent has hit .251 with 20 homers and 54 RBI, both leading the team. Infielder Will McGillis has hit .276 with 15 homers, 49 RBI and 12 doubles. In relief, Landon Harper (2-2, 2.27 ERA) has appeared in a team-leading 27 games with 11 saves in 39.2 innings, walking seven and striking out 45.
Schedule
Saturday * UTSA vs. Southern Miss * 12:30 p.m. [ESPN +]
Saturday * UTSA vs. Southern Miss * 7 p.m. [ESPN +] (If Necessary)
Pitching Matchup
Saturday
So. RHP, Ryan Ward (1-0, 5.09 ERA) vs. So. RHP, Matt Adams (2-1, 5.21 ERA)
UP NEXT: Depending on how things turn out in Saturday afternoon's contest, UTSA has two possibilities for its next game. If UTSA loses to USM, the two squads will meet again Saturday night (to fulfill the double elimination bracket requirement) at 7:30 p.m. (if La Tech/ODU need two games, if not UTSA/USM game two would play at ~5) with the winner advancing to Sunday's championship game. If UTSA wins game one, it will advance straight to Sunday's championship game at 1 p.m. The other side of the bracket has La Tech (2-0) against Old Dominion (2-1).
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