UTSA baseball signed eight student-athletesUTSA baseball signed eight student-athletes
Baseball

UTSA baseball signed eight student-athletes

SAN ANTONIO — Head Coach Pat Hallmark has officially signed eight student-athletes during the early signing period. Aiden Eshelman, Chris Gutierrez, Nathan Johnson, Ryan Mason, Damian Montanez, Jalen Owens, Jake Qualia and Jake Self will join the Roadrunners.

Aiden Eshelman | INF | R/R | 6’1 | Bellaire, Texas | Episcopal High School

Eshelman is an infielder out of Bellaire, Texas …  helped lead Episcopal HS to win the SPC in 2023 … was named All-Greater Houston Private School Team, All South Zone 2024 and 2023 … was crowned MVP of Episcopal HS his junior season … in 2024 he posted a batting average of .429 recording 45 hits, 17 doubles, and three triples.

Chris Gutierrez | LHP | L/L | 5’11 | Cypress, Texas | Bridgeland High School

Gutierrez is a left-handed pitcher out of Cypress, Texas … in 2024 he helped lead Bridgeland HS to the fifth round of playoffs … the 2025 high school graduate has a 3.8 GPA … plans to study in business. 

Nathan Johnson | OF/RHP | R/R | 6’5 | Katy, Texas | Seven Lakes High School

Johnson is a RHP/OF out of Katy, Texas … Johnson was named First Team All-District … boasts an ERA of 2.56 and a batting average of .441 … the 2025 graduate is a member of the Student-Athlete Leadership Team … the two-time baseball captain at Seven Lakes HS is the son of Jay Jonson who is a former collegiate athlete himself-playing for both Navarro and Northwood from 1994-97 … Johnson’s grandfather played football for Tulane in 1968-70.

Ryan Mason | RHP | R/R | 6’3 | Helotes, Texas | O’Connor High School

Mason is a right-handed pitcher out of Helotes, Texas … was named pitcher of the year … in the 2023/24 season, and he ranked fifth in strikeouts in the state … has a career ERA of 2.14 … father, Mike Mason, played baseball at Incarnate Word …  the 2025 graduate has a 4.0 GPA.

Damian Montanez | OF | R/R | 5’10 | Killeen, Texas | Shoemaker High School

Montanez is a right-handed outfielder out of Killeen, Texas … was named All-District, First Team All-State and Defensive Player of the Year … in three seasons, he has notched 10 home runs, 87 hits and 61 RBIs for a batting average of .436 … helped lead Shoemaker HS to a school record wins also leading them to the playoffs two years in a row for the first time.

Jalen Owens | RHP | R/R | 5’11 | Elgin, Texas | Elgin High School

Owens is a right-handed pitcher out of Elgin, Texas … brother to veteran pitcher Braylon Owens … was named First Team All-District Pitcher in 2024 … helped lead Elgin HS to the second round of playoffs … a three-sport athlete in high school playing football, basketball and baseball.

Jake Qualia | RHP | R/R | 6’2 | Lubbock, Texas | Lubbock-Cooper High School  

Qualia is a right-handed pitcher out of Lubbock, Texas … the 2025 graduate was named District 4-5A Pitcher of the Year and District 4-5A Newcomer of the Year… has 82 strikeouts to his name with a record of 8-2 with an ERA of .767 … helped lead Lubbock-Cooper to be crowned District Champions in 2023 and 2024.

Ryan Self | RHP | R/R | 5’11 | Kirby, Texas | Wagner High School 

Self is a right-handed pitcher out of Kirby, Texas … he is the all-time single-season strikeout leader at Wagner HS … ranked in the top 25 of strikeouts in all of 5a baseball … was named 2024 All-District Pitcher of the Year and 2024 all-area pitcher … the 2025 graduate helped lead Wagner to record their best record in program history.

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