SUGAR LAND, Texas – The UTSA Baseball team is set for a busy weekend at the Sugar Land Classic, playing at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.
The Roadrunners will open up the tournament against Stephen F. Austin on Friday at 3 p.m., before facing Creighton on Saturday at 11 a.m. and closing out the weekend against Lamar on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The games will not be streamed, but live stats can be found at goutsa.com/bsbstats.
QUICK HITS
James Taussig is on a five-game hitting streak to start the season. He has collected a couple of multi-hit games and multi-RBI games in that time.
On Tuesday against Tarleton, UTSA picked up its most at-bats (39), runs (10) and hits (14) so far this season.
A couple more Roadrunners have shown out early. Matt King is coming off an impressive 4-for-5 game with a double and two runs. Senior transfer Alexander Olivo is starting to heat up, collecting two hits with two RBI and two runs on Tuesday.
SCOUTING THE JACKS
Stephen F. Austin (3-3) has played all six games against two teams - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Central Michigan. The Jacks took both matchups against the Islanders, but SFA went 1-3 against the Chippewas. The Jacks were picked to finish 10th out of 11 teams in the WAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. SFA ended its 2023 season with a 22-28 record.
The Jacks have two players with a batting average over .400 and 11 hits: Colton Griffin (.478) and Cole Hill (.407). Sophomore LHP Jack James will start on Friday. He has an 0-1 record and 22.50 ERA from his first start.
SERIES HISTORY VS SFA
The Roadrunners hold a 28-15 lead in the all-time series over the Jacks, including a 2-1 record in neutral site games.
UTSA has won the last two matchups against SFA, including a 9-3 win in Nacogdoches last season (March 14). Matt King and Caleb Hill led the team with three hits, while Ryan Beaird earned the win in last season’s face-off.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ROADRUNNERS
UTSA is coming off a heartbreaking 14-10 loss to Tarleton on the road in Stephenville, Texas, on Feb. 20. The Roadrunners battled back from a six-run deficit to tie the game up twice, but a walk-off grand slam by the Texans was the difference maker.
UTSA split a four-game Opening Weekend series, 2-2, with UT Arlington. Three of the games were decided by one run.
The Mavericks took game one on Feb. 16, 10-9, despite the Roadrunners battling back from a 9-1 deficit after the fourth inning.
The Roadrunners took both games of Saturday’s doubleheader on Feb. 17, 7-2 and 2-1. In the 2-1 win, Aiden Baumann came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth, hitting a walk-off single to cap the Saturday sweep.
On Feb. 18, UT Arlington took the 5-4 series finale, despite a late UTSA rally.
SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS
Creighton holds a 2-0 record after a pair of wins over Coppin State on Opening Weekend. The Bluejays were picked to finish fourth out of eight teams in the Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Creighton ended its 2023 season with a 25-24 record.
Two Bluejays - designated hitter Jack Grace and starting pitcher Dominic Cancellieri - were named to the Big East Preseason All-Conference Team. Centerfielder Tate Gillen leads the Bluejays with five hits, four runs and five RBI, along with a .714 batting average. He was named the Big East Player of the Week for his Opening Weekend performance.
Saturday’s game will be the first time the Roadrunners and Bluejays face off.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Lamar holds a 2-2 record to start the season, after a 11-5 loss to Baylor on Tuesday. The Cardinals picked up a pair of wins at the Mobile Baseball Tournament on Opening Weekend, one against Southern. The Cardinals were picked to finish second out of nine teams in the Southland Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Lamar ended its 2023 season with a 32-23 record, falling in the SLC Tournament.
Jack Schell leads the Cardinals with a .385 batting average and five hits, while Kanin Dodge holds a .333 average with five hits, two runs, two RBI, a double and a home run. Hunter Hesseltine started last Sunday’s game against North Alabama, earning the win in a scoreless five-inning outing while striking out five‑.
SERIES HISTORY VS LAMAR
The Roadrunners hold a slight 29-28 advantage over the Cardinals, including a 3-2 record in neutral site games.
UTSA has won the last two games against Lamar, although the two team have not played each other since 2020. Neither team has a player on their squad that played in that game five seasons ago.
THREE’S A LUCKY NUMBER
The Roadrunners were picked to finish third in their first season in the American Athletic Conference.
Ahead of UTSA in this year’s AAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, powerhouse East Carolina took the top spot. Charlotte, who made the move to the AAC with UTSA this year and won last year’s C-USA Tournament, earned second place.
Following UTSA is Florida Atlantic, South Florida, Memphis, Wichita State, Rice, Tulane and UAB took the fourth-10th spots, respectively.
ON DECK
The Roadrunners head to Houston to face the Cougars on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. at Schroeder Park.
-UTSA-