CLEARWATER, Fla. – The UTSA Baseball team is sitting in a comfortable position entering Saturday’s semifinal round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament BayCare Ballpark.
Navigating through the loser’s bracket of a league tournament might be a daunting task for many teams. But for the Roadrunners, the underdog role is one they have always embraced. UTSA’s win on Friday improved the top-seeded Roadrunners’ record to 44-12. They rank in the top-25 nationally in RPI and boast one of the most prolific offenses in the country.
UTSA has won 30 or more games in four consecutive seasons under the direction of sixth-year head coach Pat Hallmark, who on Friday notched his 250th career victory. The Roadrunners have proven they can beat any team in the country, evidenced by their road wins against Dallas Baptist, Texas and Texas A&M earlier this season.
But the dark-horse identity best fits the team’s blue-collar work ethic and humble spirit. UTSA doesn’t have the biggest stadium, it doesn’t have the most high school All-Americans on its roster, and the team doesn’t play the flashiest brand of baseball. But the Roadrunners win. A lot.
Having to win two games against fifth-seeded Tulane to advance to the AAC Championship Game is an opportunity UTSA embraces.
“We look forward to it,” Hallmark said. “What’s better than being the underdog? We’re finally the underdog again, so let’s enjoy it.”
UTSA, which dropped a 10-6 decision to the Green Wave on Thursday, found itself down 2-1 after four innings Friday and leading by only one run entering the bottom of the eighth inning. The team was confident it would emerge victorious against Florida Atlantic, and did so with a 6-3 victory.
“We just put our heads down and go to work,” said Garrett Gruell, who finished with two RBI including a sacrifice fly in the sixth that put his team in front. “We really don’t try to think about it too much. We know we have a good team. When we come and put together ABs and execute strikes, we have a really good chance to win. We try to go pitch-by-pitch, stay locked in and try to stay a step ahead.”
That focus through an entire game has been a key to UTSA’s success this season. Never getting too high or too, which has allowed the Roadrunners to overcome late-game deficits.
“I was proud of our team,” Hallmark said. “I thought we played nine innings. That’s critical in a tournament like this. You play every at-bat and you play every pitch on defense. You give yourself a chance to win when you do that. We did a good job of that.”
John McCormack, Florida Atlantic’s long-time head coach, credited the Roadrunners for making the most of their opportunities in Friday’s victory.
“When they had opportunities, they capitalized them,” McCormack said. “They have a very good offensive approach and they’re a very good situational hitting team. I was impressed with them when we played them. I’ve always been impressed with them. I think they do a really good job of coaching hitters and pitchers.”
UTSA’s path to The American championship game will require two wins against Tulane on Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. CT.
“We’re preparing to play them the first game,” Hallmark said. “We hope to play them twice; that’s the plan. But we’re not going to worry about the second game. I’d love to play a lot of baseball and I hope it’s a dogfight. A lot of our guys like the moment.”