SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA baseball team is set to host Texas State on Tuesday night in the second Battle of I-35 matchup this season at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with Mike Capps and Karl Schoening on the call.
QUICK HITS
UTSA holds a 5-4 record in midweek games, picking up wins against Tarleton, UIW and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, as well as two Big 12 opponents in Houston and Baylor.
The Roadrunners lead the American Athletic Conference in walks allowed per nine innings (3.50). UTSA is also second in the conference with a .312 batting average (23rd in the nation), 87 hits by pitch (18th in the nation), 472 hits (16th in the nation) and 26 sacrifice flies (19th in the nation).
Ruger Riojas has seven victories, which is second in the conference and 18th-most in the nation. Matt King leads the nation with 10 sacrifice flies, while Mason Lytle is the toughest batter to strike out in the AAC (10.7). Lytle takes the top league spot in four categories, including doubles (15), doubles per game (0.36), hits (74) and hits per game (1.76).
AAC HONORS FOR THE ‘RUNNERS
Senior right-handed pitcher Ulises Quiroga made his third appearance on the AAC weekly honor roll on April 29, after pitching a quality start of seven innings pitched with only two runs allowed and striking out eight batters.
Senior first baseman/designated hitter Alexander Olivo was named to the weekly honor roll on April 22. During the previous week, he held a team-leading .462 batting average, along with six hits, four runs, four RBI and two doubles.
Junior utility player James Taussig made the weekly honor roll on April 15 after leading the team with a .500 batting average, along with six hits, four runs, four RBI and two home runs.
Quiroga and junior infielder Hector Rodriguez were both named to the conference weekly honor roll on April 8. This was Quiroga’s second time on the honor roll as he turned in a series-clinching quality start against Charlotte on April 7, only allowing one run and striking out seven in a six-inning start. Rodriguez had a breakout week in which he picked up eight hits, five runs, and five RBI for a .615 batting average.
Junior outfielder Mason Lytle made the weekly honor roll on March 25, after he picked up nine hits, eight runs and a .450 batting average across four starts at center field during the previous week.
Quiroga’s first time on the weekly honor roll was March 18. He made his second start of the season in a 2-0 shutout over Northwestern on March 17 that secured UTSA’s second series win of the season, recording a quality start in which he pitched the first six innings and earned his first win (1-0), while keeping the Wildcats scoreless on just two hits.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Texas State holds a 22-23 overall record, after a series loss to Arkansas State last weekend on April 26-27. The Bobcats are currently 11th in the Sun Belt Conference standings. The team was selected to finish fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll.
The Bobcats are 13th in the nation in doubles plays turned (41). Offensively, Aaron Lugo leads Texas State with 45 hits, 45 runs, nine home runs and 82 total bases. Senior right-handed pitcher Tony Robie (4-3, 6.69 ERA) will be making the start for the Bobcats in Tuesday’s contest.
SERIES HISTORY VS TEXAS STATE
The Bobcats hold a 63-39 advantage over the Roadrunners in the all-time series record, dating back to 1992. The teams last played each other earlier this season on March 19 when Texas State took a 14-13 win over UTSA despite the Roadrunners’ late-inning pushback.
The Roadrunners trail the Bobcats, 28-22, in home contests played at Roadrunner Field after dropping last season’s home game by 5-3 on April 18, 2023.
LAST WEEK FOR THE ROADRUNNERS
UTSA didn’t play a midweek last week but dropped a series to Rice in Houston on April 26-28. The Roadrunners dropped the opener by 9-8 in 10 innings on Friday, despite rallying back from a four-run deficit and tying the game at eight apiece in the top of the ninth. Isaiah Walker led the team as he went 3-for-4 with two runs and a walk.
In game two on Saturday, the Roadrunners fell by 9-3 as the Owls secured the series and gave UTSA their first series loss in conference play this season.
UTSA bounced back in the series finale with a 4-2 victory. A four-run inning in the top of the eighth lifted the Roadrunners to a lead, highlighted by a go-ahead two-run home run by James Taussig. Starting pitcher Ulises Quiroga (6-0) picked up his sixth win of the season, allowing just two runs on four hits and striking out eight batters in seven innings pitched. Fischer Kingsbery recorded his fourth save of the season, allowing just one hit and four strikeouts in the final two frames.
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 will open up a three-game American Athletic Conference series at Roadrunner Field against Wichita State on Friday at 6 p.m. The second game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, before the series finale is on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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