SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA baseball team tied its program record as eight Roadrunners have been named to the American Athletic Conference’s All-Conference Teams, announced the league on Monday.
Mason Lytle has earned the conference’s Newcomer Position Player of the Year award, as well as first team honors. Joining him on the first team is Matt King, Ulises Quiroga and Alexander Olivo. The four first-team selections are the most in program history. Two more Roadrunners made the second team, including Caleb Hill and Ruger Riojas. Diego Diaz and Robert Orloski were both named to the All-Freshman Team. These eight Roadrunners are tied for the most postseason all-conference honors in program history, which was also done in the Conference USA last season in 2023.
FIRST TEAM
Mason Lytle, a transfer from Oregon, has led the team in nearly every offensive category. He leads the team and the conference in doubles and hits – 15th in the nation in this category. The Pearland, Texas, native also leads the team in RBI, doubles, triples, total bases, slugging percentage, home runs and stolen bases. Lytle has been a staple in the outfield, making countless game-saving catches. He leads the team with 28 multiple-hit games and 13 multiple-RBI games, while also putting together a team-best 17-game hitting streak earlier in the season. His Newcomer Position Player of the Year award is the second newcomer award in program history and the first since Trent Lockwood won it in the Southland Conference in 2007.
Matt King has continued to play a crucial role at shortstop for the Roadrunners. He leads the team with 94 assists and 15 doubles plays turned from one of the toughest positions to play. He has also picked up 59 putouts. A product of Kingwood, Texas, King has been steady at the plate as he is second on the team with a .344 batting average, 72 hits, 41 runs, 14 doubles and 209 at-bats. He also leads the nation with 11 sacrifice flies. King has a team-best 21 reached base streak currently going into the tournament.
Ulises Quiroga has been a dominant force on the mound. He holds an 8-1 record and 3.59 ERA for the Roadrunners as their most consistent starting pitcher this season. The Baytown, Texas, native has recorded 67.2 innings pitched and 55 strikeouts in 11 starts. He has kept opponents to a .222 batting average, leading the team in that category. In his three-year career as a Roadrunner, the senior has picked up 157 strikeouts and 17 wins – which now ranks him ninth in the program record book for career wins. He has also picked up 10 quality starts in his career, six of them during this season.
Alexander Olivo took over the designated hitter spot for the Roadrunners this season, after transferring from Texas Southern. He leads the team with a .465 on-base percentage, also ranking fourth in the conference in the category. The Houston, Texas, native has recorded a .340 batting average, .507 slugging percentage, 51 hits (15 extra-base hits), 31 runs and 32 RBI. He has contributed 18 multiple-hit games and 10 multiple-RBI games.
SECOND TEAM
Caleb Hill has claimed the starting left fielder role for the Roadrunners for the past two seasons. The Grandview, Texas, native leads the team with 58 runs, 29 walks and 17 hits by pitch. He has held a .343 batting average, .536 slugging percentage, 37 RBI and 111 total bases. Hill picked up 25 multiple-hit games and eight multiple-RBI games.
Ruger Riojas is an unstoppable force on the mound for UTSA in his sophomore season. The Wimberley, Texas, native leads the team with with 10 wins and seven saves. His 10 wins ranks second in the conference and sixth in the nation. He holds a team-leading 3.20 ERA in 24 appearances. Riojas has struck out 70 batters in 64.2 innings pitched. He has finished 15 games and made 23 appearances in relief as UTSA’s go-to closer or long relief guy. In just two seasons, he has picked up 15 wins and 127 strikeouts.
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
As UTSA suffered injuries early in the season, Diego Diaz took over the second baseman role as a true freshman. He put together a .291 batting average, while recording 20 runs, 34 hits (eight of them for extra bases), 24 RBI and six stolen bases. The Pharr, Texas, native has picked up 40 putouts and 64 assists for a .963 fielding percentage.
The Roadrunners started true freshman Robert Orloski as the Friday starter to begin the season, before moving him around to different roles as needed. In 15 appearances and 11 starts, he has picked up three wins. The Middleton, Idaho, native has struck out 49 batters in 53.0 innings pitched.
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