SAN ANTONIO – Two of the strongest mid-major programs in the nation are set to square off this weekend in the Alamo City. Beginning on Friday, UTSA Baseball hosts Dallas Baptist, with both squads facing little resistance en route to their 4-0 starts. The Patriots look to snatch the series from the ‘Runners for a second straight season, after taking two of three head-to-head contests a year ago. Meanwhile, Pat Hallmark’s group hopes to stay red hot at the plate with the program’s best start ever within reach.
WHAT TO KNOW
Who: Dallas Baptist (4-0, 0-0 CUSA) at UTSA (4-0, 0-0 AMER)
When: Friday, Feb 20 (4 p.m.) | Saturday, Feb. 21 (2 p.m.) | Sunday, Feb. 22 (1 p.m.)
Where: Roadrunner Field – San Antonio, Texas
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Stream: ESPN+
Broadcast Crew: Jordy Fee-Platt (play-by-play) and Mike Capps (color)
LAST TIME OUT
The ‘Runners hosted UIC on Tuesday, Feb. 17, for the first midweek bout of 2026. The Flames put up an early run, but UTSA responded with home runs from both Caden Miller and Christian Hallmark. The latter belted a 415-foot grand slam to break the game open at 9-2, notching the first four-run swing of his collegiate career. Sam Simmons picked up the win on 3.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen as the home team remained perfect with a 10-3 victory.
HISTORY ON THE HORIZON
Entering the weekend, UTSA stands at 4-0 for the first time since 2013. With two more victories, the squad would set a program record with their first-ever 6-0 mark. In both 2013 and 2010, the ‘Runners got out to a 5-0 start, but both units failed to reach half a dozen wins to open the campaign.
MILLER TIME
Starting all four games at first base this season has been sophomore Caden Miller. The second-year Roadrunner is batting .615 to open the campaign, already notching eight hits, including four for extra bases. He has driven in four runs while scoring seven of his own, due in part to his three stolen bases on as many attempts. Tuesday’s third-inning blast was his first home run in 2026, opening the scoring for UTSA.
RAKIN’ JOSH
On Monday, the American Conference released its first batch of Baseball Weekly Awards for 2026. UTSA sophomore Josh Arquette was named to the Honorable Mention Player of the Week list after an electric first series with the Navy & Orange. The Panola JC transfer notched five hits in his seven at-bats versus South Dakota State, adding a pair of walks. Arquette batted .714 against SDSU, landing three of his five base knocks for extra bases. On Friday, he sparked his UTSA debut with a home run, highlighting a weekend in which he posted an incredible 2.129 OPS. Arquette drove in four runs and rounded the bases four times of his own as the 'Runners outscored the Jackrabbits 43-10.
JUNKYARD DOGS: A HALLMARK MOVIE
The greatest season in the decades-old history of UTSA Athletics belongs to last year’s baseball squad. The sixth edition of the Pat Hallmark era concluded with a remarkable 47 wins, suffering just 15 losses along the way. From Feb. 22-March 9, the Roadrunners rattled off 14 straight victories, highlighted by a 7-4 triumph at No. 14 Texas A&M. The group carried its momentum into conference play, notching five sweeps in American action and blazing its way to a 24-3 league record. The mark clinched the regular-season conference championship, helping guide UTSA to its first-ever at-large bid to an NCAA Regional.
Texas hosted the Austin Regional, also welcoming Kansas State and Houston Christian to the four-team, double-elimination bracket. After the ‘Runners knocked off the third-seeded Wildcats, they stunned the hosting Longhorns in back-to-back contests, winning 9-7 and 7-4. The squad advanced to the Super Regionals for the first time in program history, remaining as one of the final 16 teams standing in the nation. UCLA hosted the best-of-three series, knocking off UTSA in two contests. Still, the 2025 club wrapped up the season ranked No. 13 by D1Baseball in its end-of-year poll.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
The ‘Runners were picked to finish second in the American’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll, only behind East Carolina. UTSA and ECU each received four first-place votes, but the Pirates tallied 75 total points to edge out the Roadrunners’ 70. Drew Detlefsen, Connor Kelley, Robert Orloski and Andrew Stucky were all named to the American All-Conference Preseason Team after stellar showings with the 2025 Super Regional squad. With four selections, UTSA led the league in individual preseason honors.
Right-handed pitcher Robert Orloski was named to D1Baseball’s top-200 preseason pitchers list, coming in at No. 24. The junior appeared primarily out of the bullpen in 2025, but was electric with a 3.36 ERA, eight wins without a loss, nine saves and 77 strikeouts. The Middleton, Idaho, native was also selected to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-American Second Team.
Graduate catcher Andrew Stucky also earned preseason recognition, landing as D1Baseball’s 19th-best mid-major catcher. In 2025, the ‘Runners’ backstop made 42 starts across 52 appearances, notching 15 doubles, six home runs and 40 RBIs while batting .324.
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
DBU is under the direction of 19th-year Head Coach Dan Heefner, who boasts a 697-344-1 record with the program. The Patriots have won at least 40 games in 10 of the last 11 full seasons, including three in a row. The program has made 11 straight NCAA Regionals, standing as just one of five Division I programs to do so. In 2021, Heefner led the squad to a Super Regionals appearance, pushing Virginia to a winner-take-all game three. Last season, DBU earned a spot in the Baton Rouge Regional, where LSU advanced before eventually winning the NCAA Men’s College World Series title.
UP NEXT
After wrapping up their weekend clash, the Roadrunners will head northeast up I-35 for a rivalry matchup at Texas State. The Bobcats (3-1) welcome Gonzaga this weekend before hosting UTSA on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. from San Marcos. Pat Hallmark’s bunch will play its first road game of 2026 on ESPN+, with all the action also available to follow via StatBroadcast.
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