COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The UTSA baseball team heads to Aggieland to face Texas A&M on Tuesday night in College Station, Texas. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+ at Blue Bell Park.
QUICK HITS
The Roadrunners is at the top of the conference in the top hitting and pitching categories, including first in earned run average (3.69) and batting average (.314). Simon Miller leads the nation in ERA (0.50) and is tied for fourth in the nation in wins (6). Antonio Valdez leads the conference in RBI (44) and triples (6).
D1Baseball released its midseason position rankings during the week of March 27 as a slew of Roadrunners made the lists at their respective positions. Simon Miller checked in at No. 9 in the top 50 relievers list, while Luke Malone is No. 53 in the top 100 starting pitchers list. Antonio Valdez earned No. 18 in the top 50 third basemen list, while Matt King landed at No. 29 in the top 50 shortstops and Leyton Barry sits at No. 40 in the top 50 second basemen list. Uli Quiroga earned a feature at No. 33 in the top strike-throwers list.
Simon Miller was also named to the D1Baseball Midseason All-American Second Team. He leads the nation with a phenomenal 0.50 ERA and is tied for fourth in the nation with six wins. Miller is also second in the conference with a 0.94 WHIP.
LEADING THE ROADRUNNERS
Antonio Valdez leads the team with a batting average of .411, notching a conference-high 44 RBI and nine triples, team-high 51 hits and 12 stolen bases, along with 36 runs. Shane Sirdashney leads the Roadrunners with 37 runs, while Taylor Smith has a team-high nine home runs and Leyton Barry leads the team with 10 doubles.
On the mound, Simon Miller leads the nation with a 0.55 ERA and fourth in the nation with six wins, along with a team-high 51 strikeouts. Other key performers include Ulises Quiroga (4-1, 34 K's), Luke Malone (2.32 ERA, 1.15 WHIP), Ruger Riojas (3-0, 1.04 WHIP) and Daniel Shafer (.95 WHIP, 5 saves).
The Roadrunners lead the conference in multiple categories – batting average (.312), ERA (3.32), hits (345), on-base percentage (.413), runs (244), scoring (7.6), slugging percentage (.505), triples (18), triples per game (0.56), win-loss percentage (.750) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.17).
Miller is first in the nation with a 0.50 ERA and tied for fourth in the nation with six wins. Valdez leads the conference with 44 RBI (18th in the nation) and six triples (third in the nation). Sammy Diaz is the eighth-toughest batter to strike out in the nation (16.4).
Taylor Smith is currently on a reached base streak of 25 games, while Caleb Hill extended his reached base streak to 19 games.
LAST WEEK FOR THE ROADRUNNERS
The Roadrunners hold an 24-8 overall record, after splitting a doubleheader against Charlotte on April 6. The Roadrunners took the first game of the series by 5-3, before falling in the second game by 12-10. UTSA and Charlotte were unable to play the series finale due to consistent rain and storms in the area.
Antonio Valdez had a fantastic game one, going 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a triple. In game two, Taylor Smith led the team as he showed off his power with two home runs in the game.
UTSA started the week off with a midweek matchup against crosstown rival UIW on April 4. Five Roadrunners notched a pair of hits each, including Caleb Hill, Taylor Smith, Shane Sirdashney, Antonio Valdez and Isaiah Walker. Unfortunately, a late rally by the Cardinals, topped with a walk-off home run, lifted UIW over UTSA by 9-6.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
A little over halfway through the season, Texas A&M holds a 20-12 record (5-7 in conference action), after a series win over Auburn this past weekend. The Aggies took two of three games against the Tigers to take the series. Texas A&M is 6-2 in midweek matchups, including a loss to Lamar on Feb. 21 and a loss to No. 21 Texas on March 28.
The Aggies were picked to finish second in west division of the the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll with one first-place vote. First baseman Jack Moss was named to the All-SEC First Team, while second baseman Ryan Targac, third baseman Trevor Werner and designated hitter/utility player Austin Bost were named to the second team.
Freshman outfielder Jace LaViolette was just named the SEC Freshman of the Week this week, recording 10 RBI. Hunter Haas leads the Aggies with a .383 batting average, 49 hits, 32 runs and nine doubles. The Aggies' Tuesday starter Troy Wansing holds a 5.55 ERA in seven starts, striking out 41 batters in 24.1 innings pitched.
SERIES HISTORY VS TEXAS A&M
The Aggies lead the all-time series over the Roadrunners by 23-9. The teams have not played each other in eight years. They last faced one another on March 24, 2015, when UTSA fell to Texas A&M by 11-1. The Roadrunners are currently on a four-game losing streak against the Aggies, dating back to 2012.
FUEL TO THE FIVE
The Roadrunners were picked to finish fifth in the Conference USA, after a phenomenal season in 2022 in which UTSA broke multiple program records and advanced to the C-USA Championship game. Defending champion Louisiana Tech was voted to finish first. C-USA newcomer Dallas Baptist was picked to finish second, followed by Florida Atlantic at third and Charlotte at fourth.
ON DECK
The Roadrunners return home for the first time in 12 days, hosting a three-game conference series against Middle Tennessee this Friday-Sunday. All three games will be streamed on CUSA.tv with first pitch times of 6 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
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