SAN MARCOS, Texas – UTSA Baseball has amassed its best-ever start to a season at 7-0. This past weekend’s sweep of Dallas Baptist made history in the record books and the home bleachers, but Tuesday presents a greater opportunity to make an early statement in the eyes of the Roadrunner faithful. The Navy & Orange are set for their first road trip of 2026, trekking to Texas State for a 6 p.m. bout in Bobcat Ballpark. The matchup will continue one of the most storied rivalries in both squad’s histories, marking the 106th meeting on the diamond.
WHAT TO KNOW
Who: UTSA (7-0, 0-0 AMER) at Texas State (5-2, 0-0 Sun Belt)
When: Tuesday, Feb. 24 (6 p.m.)
Where: Bobcat Ballpark – San Marcos, Texas
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Stream: ESPN+
Broadcast Crew: Brant Freeman & Ty Harrington
Series History: Texas State leads 63-42
Last Meeting: UTSA 18 at Texas State 13 – April 29, 2025
LAST TIME OUT
The Roadrunners hosted Dallas Baptist for a three-game set in San Antonio. The home side picked up its second straight sweep, handing the Patriots their first such outcome in a series in 1,085 days. UTSA racked up 28 runs, drew 27 walks and were hit by 15 pitches. The ‘Runners remained perfect on the season despite not tallying a single extra-base hit on Saturday or Sunday, totaling 22 singles between the pair of outings. On the mound, Sam Simmons, Gunnar Brown and Kendall Dove all picked up wins, with Simmons and Brown adding an extra win and a save elsewhere in the week, respectively.
HISTORY MADE
UTSA is out to its best start in the 35-year history of the program. In both 2013 and 2010, the ‘Runners jumped out to a 5-0 record, but both units failed to reach half a dozen wins to open the campaign. With this past weekend’s sweep, the squad not only set a record for wins, but 3,048 spectators made their way to Roadrunner Field. The attendance was a ballpark record for a single series, marking the first average of more than 1,000 fans per contest.
A GRAND WEEK
Christian Hallmark recently wrapped up an exceptional four games at the plate, guiding his squad to a record-breaking week. For his efforts, the first-year Roadrunner was named American Conference Player of the Week on Monday, Feb. 23.
The center fielder started all four contests, posting five hits and drawing five walks for an on-base percentage of .647. His base knocks drove in seven runs, highlighted by a grand slam against the Flames on Tuesday that boosted his weekly OPS to 1.374. He scored three runs of his own as UTSA outpaced its opposition by a 38-22 margin over four games. Elsewhere, Hallmark racked up two more stolen bases on as many attempts, adding 11 putouts without an error.
MILLER TIME
Starting all seven games at first base this season has been sophomore Caden Miller. The second-year Roadrunner is batting .375 to open the campaign, already notching nine hits, including four for extra bases. He has driven in six runs while scoring nine of his own, due in part to his three stolen bases on as many attempts. Last Tuesday’s third-inning blast was his first home run in 2026, opening the scoring for UTSA in its home victory over UIC.
RAKIN’ JOSH
On Feb. 23, 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 hits for extra bases along the way. In the Friday bout, 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 by a combined score of 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.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
Texas State is under the direction of seventh-year Head Coach Steven Trout, who boasts a 177-139 record with the program. The Bobcats are out to a 5-2 start this season, most recently taking two of three contests over Gonzaga at home. The squad finished 27-31 in 2025, winning their opening game of the Sun Belt Championship before bowing out with two straight losses. This spring, Texas State has been led on the field by solid pitching, holding opponents to a .246 clip at the plate and an average of exactly four runs per night.
UP NEXT
Following the midweek bout, UTSA will head east to the Bayou City. For the first time in program history, the ‘Runners are set to compete in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. There, they will face off against Ohio State, No. 9 Coastal Carolina and Baylor across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. All the action from the 26th edition of the tournament will be streamed live on astros.com and available to follow via utsa.statbroadcast.com.
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