SAN ANTONIO – Since last hitting the road, the UTSA softball team (3-8) have gone 3-3 in the confines of Roadrunner Field, including hosting the I-35 Tournament last weekend. Coming off a 6-5 walk-off victory over cross-town UIW, the Roadrunners head northeast to San Marcos to matchup with the field at the TXST Classic, taking on hosting Texas State, as well as Kansas, UT Arlington and Colorado state in games on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
UTSA will open the weekend with an early afternoon tilt against the Texas State Bobcats at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23 in a non-conference meeting broadcasted on ESPN+. In the nightcap, UTSA will square off with UT Arlington with an expected 7:00 p.m. first pitch.
About UTSA
Passing the second week of action in the 2023 season, the starting lineup has started to take a more solid form and several hitters have emerged for the Roadrunners, who rank among the best highest-scoring teams in the conference.
Highlighting the early season for UTSA, preseason All-Conference USA first-team shortstop Kat Ibarra leads the Roadrunners and ranks 10th in C-USA with a .410 average. Previously a 2022 All-CUSA first-teamer, Ibarra ties for the league doubles lead with five two-baggers and hits with 16. The junior has three RBI and 10 runs, going 4-for-4 at collecting steals. Ibarra has reached base in the last 17 consecutive games, dating back to last season.
SouthWestern Florida State College transfer Taylor Jensen has split time between catcher and first base, and also has a .370 average with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI and five runs. One of those dingers went deep to left center with two outs to lift UTSA past UIW in Tuesday's walk-off win. Jensen has reached base in six consecutive games, matching her hit streak.
Freshman right fielder Lilly Hood made a hot-hitting debut and carried it into the home tournament – currently sitting at .324 average with four doubles and a home run, racking up a team-high 11 runs and eight RBI.
In the circle, UTSA has used four primary pitchers. Junior Jamie Gilbert leads the Roadrunners with a team-best 10 appearances, striking out a UTSA-high 19 – with a 4.61 ERA and 1-2 record. Top ERA goes to freshman Reagan Smith at 3.44 through six appearances. Preseason All-Conference USA utility player Marena Estell has a 2-1 record and 5.00 ERA, striking out seven in four appearances.
UTSA has wrapped its month at home, and will play all of its games on the road until the Conference USA-opening series at Roadrunner Field on March 10-12.
UTSA in the rankings
The Roadrunners lead Conference USA in scoring at 5.73 runs per game (57th in the NCAA) and also doubles with 22 (fourth in NCAA). UTSA has C-USA's best on-base percentage (.398), helped along by the second-most drawn walks in the nation (62) – only surpassed by third-ranked Florida.
The Roadrunners also rank third in C-USA with .55 double plays per game (28th NCAA), third with a .433 slugging percentage anddd fourth in home runs per game (.82).
Individually, Ibarra ranks eight in the nation in doubles and ties for 12th in hits. Hood is fourth in C-USA and 79th in the NCAA with a 1.00 run per game average. Kylie Forney is second in the league and 54th in the NCAA with an average of .90 walks per game.
About the weekend's opponents
Host Texas State was 38-19 a year ago, finishing third in the regular season Sun Belt Conference standings and runner-up to Louisiana in the title game. This season, the Bobcats are off to a 6-4 start with several quality wins. Sophomore outfielder Ciara Trahan paces the squad with a .387 average, putting up a team-high 12 hits with five runs and five RBI. Senior infielder Sarah Vanderford hits .360 and has five doubles out of nine hits, leading with eight runs on top of six RBI. As a team, TXST bats .280 with 4.5 runs per game and has a 1.97 team ERA with a 26th-ranked (NCAA) .982 fielding percentage. Head coach Ricci Woodard is in her 23rd season at Texas State with a 768-466-1 (.622) record. These teams are separated by less than 55 miles and are meeting for the 89th time, with Texas State leading 45-43 and claiming the last seven.
UT Arlington went 22-27 in 2022 to finish fifth in the Sun Belt. The Mavs are 5-4 this season after commanding their hosted Maverick Invitational on wins over Texas Tech and Tulsa. They also picked up a neutral win over Kentucky. Fifth-year catcher Sophie Wideman is batting .400 with eight hits, six RBI and two runs. Senior outfielder Reagan Hukill is hitting .333 with four runs and three RBI. As a team, UTA hits .254 with 3.67 runs per outing and have a 4.68 ERA on the pitching side. Their defense holds a 50th-ranked .976 fielding percentage. Head coach Kara Dill is in her first career season at UTA, following six years as Texas A&M's pitching coach. UTSA leads the series 45-34 in the 69th meeting.
Kansas is off to a solid start at 6-4 bouncing from Arizona to Mexico in the first two weeks, following up a 20-36 finish last year for seventh in the Big XII. The Jayhawks appeared in the NISC Postseason Tournament last year, winning 3-of-5 games in Fort Collins, Colo. Junior catcher Lyric Moore leads the Jayhawks at the plate with a .364 average, putting up four doubles, three home runs and a triple to account for team highs of 11 RBI and eight runs. Senior infielder Ashlyn Anderson is hitting .321 with three home runs out of nine hits, adding eight RBI and seven runs. As a team, KU is batting .262 with 5.4 runs on average. The Hawks hold a 4.44 ERA and a .965 fielding percentage. Head coach Jennifer McFalls is 76-115 (.398) in five seasons at KU. This is the seventh meeting between these teams, with KU ahead 5-2.
Colorado State has bounced back from an 18-28 record in 2022 with a 7-3 start to the new campaign across trips to New Mexico and California. The Rams were sixth in the Mountain West last year. So far, junior outfielder Molly Gates is putting up a piping-hot, MW-leading .500 average to rank 48th in the nation. Gates has 17 hits, two home runs and a double to bring in six runs and score eight. Junior Hailey Smith and senior Danielle Serna are both hitting .355, with Smith logging 11 hits (3 HR, 1 3B, 1 2B) for eight RBI and nine runs, while Serna has 11 hits (2 HR, 1 2B) for 11 RBI and four runs. The trio is leading eight total players on the roster batting over .300 and pacing the Rams to an NCAA 48th-best .312 team average, scoring 5.8 runs each game (58th NCAA). In the circle, CSU has a 3.86 ERA and a .955 fielding percentage, allowing just 3.7 runs per game. Head coach Jen Fisher is 289-279 (.509) in her 13th season at CSU. These teams will meet for a surprising 14th time, with CSU holding a slight 7-6 edge.
Tournament Information
Fans can visit learn more information about the tournament on Texas State's website.
Ticket Information
Ticket information for each UTSA matchup of the tournament is listed in the UTSA schedule and on the Texas State website.
TXST Classic Tournament UTSA Schedule (Bobcat Softball Stadium)
Thursday, Feb. 23
2:00 p.m. – UTSA at Texas State
Stream: ESPN+ (with subscription)
Live Stats: TXST
7:00 p.m. – UTSA vs. UT Arlington
Stream: None
Live Stats: TXST
Saturday, Feb. 25
11:00 a.m. – UTSA vs. Kansas
Stream: None
Live Stats: TXST
4:00 p.m. – Colorado State vs. UTSA
Stream: None
Live Stats: TXST
Sunday, Feb. 26
10:00 a.m. – Colorado State vs. UTSA
Stream: None
Live Stats: TXST
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