SAN ANTONIO – The journey from Middleton, Idaho (pop. 9,091), to UTSA was a long and perhaps improbable one. But, as Robert Orloski starred in the biggest win in program history this past June to send the Roadrunners to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time ever, he knew he was right where he always wanted to be.
Orloski’s strikeout of No. 2 Texas’ Kimble Schuessler at Disch-Falk Field in Austin to secure the regional championship win for the Roadrunners was shown on repeat across the country on the ESPN family of networks and beyond. It marked the culmination of a spectacular season for Orloski and his teammates, guaranteeing the first top-10 national finish in any sport in UTSA school history.
“Winning the regional against Texas had to be the coolest moment,” Orloski said. “That’s a great team and for us to go out there and beat them three times in one season was pretty cool. It was awesome seeing all the UTSA fans show up to Texas and cheer us on.”
Orloski thrived in the pressure-packed moments as a sophomore relief pitcher in 2025. He boasted a record of 8-0 and charted nine saves. He threw 72.1 innings and his 3.36 earned-run average was the best on the team.
“I like the high-stakes situations,” Orloski said. “I like going into a ballgame, closing out the game and helping the team win. If our starter was really good that day, I enjoy getting him the win.”
Winning is something that has become commonplace for Orloski, largely because of his solid work-ethic and his commitment to continual growth. For nearly his entire life, he’s been able to maintain a passion for his craft. It’s an enthusiasm that is now allowing him to help take the UTSA program to new heights.
“I love the growth aspect of baseball,” Orloski said. “I can always get better and I think that’s what I really enjoy - the competition and just every day trying to get better.”
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Orloski’s earliest baseball memories come from playing catch with his dad, Robert, in their backyard at a very early age. He officially started the sport when he was 5 and has never looked back.
“I just started playing t-ball and enjoyed the game,” Orloski said. “I enjoyed watching baseball, playing it with my friends, playing wiffleball. I hope I can continue my career as long as possible.”
He became a standout player for Middleton High School, leading his team to the Southern Idaho Conference Championship and a third-place finish at the state level as a junior. That season, he was named the State Player of the Year.
Orloski’s uncle Joe played in the Toronto Blue Jays organization and lives in Canyon Lake, Texas, 43 miles northeast of San Antonio, where he serves as the Director for USA Prime Baseball. He suggested that his nephew, then in high school, come to one of the Roadrunners’ summer camps. It proved to be one of the most consequential decisions of Orloski’s young life.
“My uncle told me to come to a camp here and so I just showed up,” Orloski said. “I performed well, and the conversation started going. I liked the coaches and what they want to do and the way they coach. That’s how I ended up here.”
Once Pat Hallmark, the 2025 American Conference Coach of the Year, had the opportunity to observe Orloski at camp, he knew he could be a great fit for the UTSA program.
“He was in 10th or 11th grade and we could see he had some talent tucked away up there in Idaho,” Hallmark said. “Rob’s just so competitive and the other thing you can’t overlook is that he’s talented. We’re fortunate he’s here. I just love his competitive will.”
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Orloski made an immediate impact as a freshman for the Roadrunners, appearing in 15 games with 11 starts. He held opponents to a .295 batting average and earned three wins. Orloski was recognized with a spot on the 2024 American Conference All-Freshman Team.
While it was a good start to his collegiate career, it wasn’t necessarily the season Orloski had imagined for himself. But, true to character, he considered the biggest success of his rookie campaign to be the growth he experienced over the course of the year.
“The coaches pushed me to get better, they showed me how to get better and I give them a lot of credit for helping me and trusting me,” Orloski said. “They could have said, ‘This guy, we can’t trust him.’ But they trusted me, built a good relationship and just pushed me to get better.”
The lessons he learned as a freshman helped set him up for what would be a spectacular sophomore season in 2025.
“I think part of it is maturing and understanding the competition and how to get better,” Orloski said. “I think I’ve matured in my pitching, understanding what hitters are trying to do and what I’m trying to do on the mound. I’ve been able to just go out there, attack, try to hit my spots the best I can and have conviction between each pitch.”
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Last season was one for the record books. The Roadrunners won a program-record 47 games, claimed the American Conference Championship, captured the first postseason win in school history and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional in Los Angeles.
Like many of his teammates, Orloski had a sense very early last fall that it could be a special year.
“Right when we stepped on campus and through fall ball, we knew we had a good team,” he said. “Everyone got together, everyone wanted to win and everyone had the same mentality of winning. We have a great coaching staff that never let us dip down. Coach Hallmark knew we were good, so he was pushing us to get better every single day.”
Orloski made improvements to his pitching motion and added a new pitch during the offseason, both of which prepared him to take the next step in 2025.
“One of the main things was shortening my arm; it helped me tunnel my pitches better,” he said. “I added a little cutter and that helped a lot to have something moving that was pretty firm. But mostly, it was just attacking the hitters and not walking them.”
While Orloski was primarily used as a starter as a freshman, Hallmark moved him to a reliever and closer role. Orloski’s coach felt he would be a unique weapon for the team in that capacity.
“We used him a little different,” Hallmark said. “He’s built to go long; he’s not the normal closer/reliever. That’s a testament to Rob. He’s durable, he’s physically strong and he’s a hard worker. He’s built to put those long outings in even though we use him out of the bullpen.”
Orloski made 27 appearances last season, ranking top-25 nationally in saves and top-55 in the NCAA in wins. A First-Team All-American Conference selection in 2025, he embraced his new role, particularly for the opportunity it afforded him to impact more of his team’s games.
“I want to play in every single game I can,” Orloski said. “I’d want to be in every single game if I could. It was awesome just being able to help the team win. It was a great experience, and I was super happy I was helping the team win many games.”
Orloski has fully bought into his team’s Junkyard Dog mentality that focuses on overcoming any adversity that the Roadrunners may face.
“That mentality is what Coach Hallmark brought to this program,” he said. “The ups and downs, they’re going to happen. But you just push through it and persevere. No matter what happens, you bounce back and keep on playing the game or bounce back the next day and compete.”
It’s a culture that permeates all throughout the team and one that has been central to UTSA’s success.
“With the coaches we have, it’s a great experience,” Orloski said. “They want to win, they find a way to win and they push us to win. With the teammates I have, it just all comes together like it did this year.”
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This offseason has been as filled with memories for Orloski as the past year on the diamond was.
On July 18, in his hometown, he married his long-time girlfriend, Adi, who followed him to San Antonio and is a regular at Roadrunner Field.
“We were friends in middle school, so we’ve known each other for a long time,” Orloski said. “We started dating our junior year of high school and then just continued to grow in the relationship. She sacrifices a lot for me.”
Adi, who played softball in high school, fully understands Orloski’s passion for his sport and the time commitment it takes to be great.
“I owe a lot to her and the support she gives me through baseball and everything else,” Orloski said. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her and just continue to grow with her. She means a lot to me.”
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Orloski, who is equally successful in the classroom, is a business management major in UTSA’s Carlos Alvarez College of Business. He has been named to the American Conference All-Academic Team in both of his years with the Roadrunners.
Orloski hopes to play professionally following his UTSA career and aspires to continue working in baseball whenever his playing days conclude.
“I hope to give back to the baseball in some way,” he said. “Maybe I’ll open up my facility or be a coach. If I have another job, I still want to give back to the baseball community and donate to baseball. The baseball community has done a lot for me and helped me grow in my own life.”
In today’s era of college athletics, Orloski no doubt garnered looks from other baseball programs across the country following his standout 2025 season. But he’s committed to leaving a legacy in San Antonio.
“Before I got here, I knew Coach Hallmark, Coach [Zach] Butler and Coach [Ryan] Aguayo had a good plan,” Orloski said. “We’re building a good culture. The legacy that we’re going to leave behind and the progress that we’re going to continue to make, I just love it here. The players they bring in are good people and just love playing for this team.”