HOUSTON – Six of the nation’s elite programs meet in the Bayou City this weekend for the 2026 BRUCE BOLT College Classic. The nine-game tournament commences on Friday as UTSA opens up its slate of three contests with Ohio State. The Roadrunners will make their first-ever appearance in the field, debuting alongside Coastal Carolina in the event’s 26th edition. After facing the Chanticleers on Saturday, the group will wrap up its stay in Houston against Baylor on Sunday night.
WHAT TO KNOW
Who: UTSA (7-1) vs. Ohio State (5-2) | No. 9 Coastal Carolina (6-2) | Baylor (5-3)
When: Friday, Feb. 27 (11 a.m.) | Saturday, Feb. 28 (3 p.m.) | Sunday, March 1 (6 p.m.)
Where: Daikin Park – Houston, Texas
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Stream: astros.com / Space City Home Network / SCHN+ / Houston Astros YouTube
LAST TIME OUT
The ‘Runners visited rival Texas State on Tuesday for their first of 10 straight games away from home. UTSA cooled off at the plate, striking out 14 times in a 7-2 loss. The defeat was the first in 261 days for Pat Hallmark’s squad, halting the best start in program history at 7-0. Drew Detlefsen launched his second home run of the spring in the sixth inning, shining alongside Lane Haworth’s pair of doubles.
TAKE ‘EM WHERE YOU CAN GET ‘EM
This year, UTSA has already been hit by 22 pitches, ranking 19th in the nation and atop the American Conference. Over their four games last week, 15 ‘Runners were hit by pitches, inlcuding nine on Feb. 17 versus UIC.
UTSA has drawn 50 walks through eight games in 2026, leading the league and ranking among the nation’s top 40. In all but two games this season, the Roadrunners have drawn at least five bases on balls.
A GRAND WEEK
Christian Hallmark recently wrapped up an exceptional four games at the plate, guiding his squad to a record-breaking week (Feb. 17-22). 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.
FLY LIKE DOVE
Junior Kendall Dove has been simply shutting the opposition down early in 2026. The second-year Roadrunner has made two appearances on the mound, tallying 9.0 innings of work. Dove is now 2-0 on the season, striking out 11 batters and allowing just one run. Batters are hitting .237 and have just one extra-base hit across his two Sunday starts.
MILLER TIME
Starting all eight games at first base this season has been sophomore Caden Miller. The second-year Roadrunner is batting .333 to open the campaign, already notching 10 hits, including four for extra bases. He has driven in six runs while scoring 10 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. 16, 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.
ABOUT THE FIELD
Ohio State capped off 2025 with a record of 13-37, holding a 5-25 mark in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes finished 2-22 away from home, but are already 5-2 in such games this year. OSU has yet to play at home in 2026, most recently taking two of four at the Grind City Classic in Memphis.
Coastal Carolina currently holds the No. 9 spot in D1Baseball’s Top 25 Poll with a 6-2 overall record. The Chanticleers made it all the way to Omaha in 2025, racking up 56 wins and just 13 losses for their second-ever trip to the Men’s College World Series. Through eight games in 2026, the squad is holding opponents to a .216 batting average, allowing just over four runs per game.
Baylor enters the tournament at 5-3, fresh off a three-loss weekend at the Round Rock Classic and a midweek win over Stephen F. Austin. In 2025, the Bears finished 33-22 and 13-17 in Big 12 play.
Also visiting Daikin Park this weekend will be the Texas Longhorns (8-0) and Ole Miss Rebels (9-0) of the SEC. All nine games will be streamed live on Space City Home Network and the Houston Astros’ YouTube channel.
UP NEXT
After the BRUCE BOLT College Classic, UTSA will remain on the road for its 10-game swing away from home. On Tuesday, March 3, the ‘Runners are set to visit Texas A&M – Corpus Christi for an in-state bout at 6:30 p.m. All the action from Chapman Field will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via StatBroadcast.
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