SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA baseball team returns home for the first time in 12 days, hosting Middle Tennessee for a three-game conference series on April 14-16 at Roadrunner Field. The series opener on Friday is set for 6 p.m., while Saturday is set for 2 p.m. and Sunday is set for 12 p.m. All three games will be available to watch on CUSA.tv with a subscription.
QUICK HITS
Since the last time the Roadrunners were home on April 2, they have gone an even 2-2 with wins over Charlotte and Texas A&M. UTSA defeated Texas A&M by 5-1 on the road on Tuesday night. This was the Roadrunners first win over the Aggies since they joined SEC (last win: May 3, 2011).
The Roadrunners is at the top of the conference in the top hitting and pitching categories, including first in earned run average (3.60) and batting average (.315). Simon Miller leads the nation in ERA (0.50) and is sixth 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 0.70 ERA and is sixth in the nation with six wins. Miller is also second in the conference with a 0.97 WHIP.
LEADING THE ROADRUNNERS
Antonio Valdez leads the team with a batting average of .409, notching a conference-high 44 RBI and six triples, team-high 52 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 0.40 ERA and sixth in the nation with six wins, along with a team-high 54 strikeouts. Other key performers include Ulises Quiroga (5-1, 36 K's), Luke Malone (2.28 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), Ruger Riojas (3-0, 1.00 WHIP) and Daniel Shafer (.90 WHIP, 5 saves).
The Roadrunners lead the conference in multiple categories – batting average (.315), ERA (3.60), hits (358), on-base percentage (.414), runs (249), scoring (7.5), slugging percentage (.505), triples (18), triples per game (0.55), WHIP (1.29), win-loss percentage (.758) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.14).
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 (22nd in the nation) and six triples (third in the nation). Sammy Diaz is the eighth-toughest batter to strike out in the nation (17.0).
Taylor Smith is currently on a reached base streak of 26 games, while Matt King is on a 10-game reached base streak.
LAST WEEK FOR THE ROADRUNNERS
The Roadrunners hold an 25-8 overall record, after a huge 5-1 win over Texas A&M on Tuesday. On the mound, UTSA dominated the game as five pitchers kept the Aggies to just one run on four hits. Five Roadrunners had two-hit games, while freshman Tye Odom led the team with two RBI and Isaiah Walker notched two runs.
This past weekend, UTSA split 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 against the 49ers, 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.
SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS
Middle Tennessee holds a 17-14 record (8-4 in Conference USA action), after falling to Georgia State on Tuesday and sweeping WKU last weekend. The Blue Raiders have swept their past two weekend conference series against FIU and WKU, who are currently eighth and 10th (last) in the conference standings.
The Blue Raiders are currently third in the conference standings, after being picked to finish sixth in the C-USA Preseason Coaches' Poll. Sophomore utility player Jared Vetetoe and junior starter Jaden Hamm were both named to the preseason all-conference team.
Middle Tennessee's closer James Sells was named the C-USA Pitcher of the Week this week, after picking up three saves against conference foe WKU last weekend. JT Mabry leads the Blue Raiders with a .375 batting average, 48 hits and 31 runs. Jeremiah Boyd leads the team with eight home runs and 29 RBI.
SERIES HISTORY VS MIDDLE TENNESSEE
The Roadrunners lead the all-time series over the Blue Raiders by 18-8. The teams last played each other on April 29-May 1, 2022, when UTSA took two of three games in the series. The Roadrunners lost the series finale against the Blue Raiders last season, but before that UTSA was on a four-game winning streak over Middle Tennessee. Since the first time the two teams faced each other in 2014, the Roadrunners have won seven of the eight series.
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 host Texas State on April 18 for the second Battle of I-35 matchup of the season. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on CUSA.tv at Roadrunner Field.
-UTSA-
