Pat Hallmark is in his sixth season leading the Roadrunners after being named the fifth head baseball coach in UTSA history on June 16, 2019.
During his time leading the program, Hallmark has turned the Roadrunners into annual conference title contenders. UTSA has won at least 30 games in each of the last three seasons, including back-to-back 38-win campaigns in 2022-23, and has been nationally ranked for the first time in program history. The program has produced 22 all-conference selections, two all-region performers, a pair of conference award recipients and an All-American during his tenure.
Hallmark guided UTSA to 32 wins in 2024, finishing as the runner-up in the American Athletic Conference regular season race with a 17-10 mark. The Roadrunners registered 10 series victories, including taking two of three games against then-No. 10-ranked East Carolina and NCAA regional finalist Grand Canyon and sweeping NCAA regional qualifier Tulane. Hallmark’s squad earned eight all-conference certificates with a program-record four first-team selections, including AAC Newcomer Position Player of the Year and first-team outfielder Mason Lytle.
In 2023, Hallmark led the Roadrunners to a 38-19 record, the second-most wins in school history and one off of the program record. UTSA finished second in Conference USA with a 21-8 regular-season mark in its final season in the league. The Roadrunners were nationally ranked for the first time in program history when they debuted at No. 24 by Baseball America, No. 27 by NCBWA and No. 23 by Perfect Game on April 3. UTSA moved up to as high as No. 22 by both NCBWA and D1Baseball during the season.
Individually, Simon Miller was named an All-American by five different organizations, collecting second-team honors from the NCBWA, College Baseball Foundation and Baseball America and third-team recognition from Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball before being selected in the 12th round of the MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Miller, an Academic All-America honoree, also was named 2023 Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and first-team all-conference, and he was a finalist for College Baseball Foundation’s National Pitcher of the Year award and NCBWA’s Stopper of the Year award. He was joined on the all-league squad by first-team third baseman Antonio Valdez and second-team picks Leyton Barry, Sammy Diaz, Caleb Hill, Josh Killeen and Luke Malone, as well as all-freshman team performer Ruger Riojas.
Hallmark’s 2022 UTSA squad won 38 games, including 11-4 against ranked opponents and 9-3 against top-25 teams, which led Conference USA. The Roadrunners’ 19-11 record in conference play was their best since they won 20 in the Southland in 2009. Hallmark led the Roadrunners to the championship game of the Conference USA tournament, UTSA’s first championship game appearance since 2014.
The Roadrunners received votes in the major polls in 11 of 16 weeks in 2022. UTSA also finished the campaign with a 37 RPI, a school record. The previous high for a UTSA squad at season’s end was 66 in 2007.
Four Roadrunners landed on the 2022 All-Conference USA Team, led by first-team pitcher Luke Malone, second-team selections Jonathan Tapia and Leyton Barry and all-freshman team choice Matt King.
UTSA had one of the top offensive attacks in college baseball in 2021. The Roadrunners ranked among the nation’s top-25 in a bevy of categories, including ninth in runs per game (7.9), 18th in average (.302), 19th in slugging percentage (.480) and 21st in on-base percentage (.396). UTSA also ranked 26th in hit by pitches.
The Roadrunners set new program standards in 2021 in games played against top-25 foes. UTSA earned wins over No. 19 Old Dominion, No. 21 Charlotte and No. 14 Louisiana Tech during the season.
Under Hallmark’s tutelage, the Roadrunners were led in 2021 by All-Conference USA selections in catcher Nick Thornquist and infielder Griffin Paxton. Thornquist led all league backstops in average (.331), homers (13) and RBI (47), while Paxton paced the Roadrunners with a .335 average.
Paxton’s offensive output emerged under Hallmark’s mentorship as the three-year senior had not produced power numbers in his first two seasons. As a senior in 2021, Paxton ripped seven homers, a team-leading 16 doubles and drove in 43 runs. His power surge was also mirrored in the output of shortstop Joshua Lamb, who cranked his first five career homers in his fourth collegiate season, setting career highs in average (.324) and RBI (39).
Hallmark’s first season was cut short by COVID-19 in 2020 as the Roadrunners were limited to four weeks and 17 games before the season was cancelled. The Roadrunners went 10-7 during the shortened season, including winning Notre Dame’s Irish Alamo Classic with a 3-1 record that included a win over the host school.
Hallmark, the 2019 Southland Conference Coach of the Year, took over at the helm of the UTSA baseball program after two record-breaking seasons as the head coach at UIW.
Over his two seasons across town, Hallmark developed a reputation as an energetic winner at UIW, totaling 66 wins after the Cardinals mustered just 33 over the previous two seasons before his arrival. In 2019, Hallmark directed the Cardinals to a school-record 37 victories to earn league coach of the year accolades, including 18 wins in conference.
Hallmark’s ability to build a quick winner was evident in the leap the Cardinals made in his second season in 2019. His first full recruiting class was built to have an immediate impact, highlighted by a pair of freshman All-America selections, including Southland Freshman of the Year catcher Taylor Smith and third baseman Anthony Valdez. This came after Hallmark brought in 2018 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year Ridge Rogers in his first season.
In 2019, the high-octane Cardinals led the conference in batting average (.305), slugging (.485), on-base percentage (.393), runs scored (397), hits (622), RBIs (365), doubles (127), triples (24) and home runs (64), while sporting the third-best team ERA (4.14) and the top fielding percentage (.977) in the circuit.
In 2018, the Cardinals posted a 29-26, 13-15 record, marking the most overall and conference wins since UIW moved into Division I and the Southland.
The 2018 club posted a league-leading .292 batting average and a conference-best .395 on-base percentage. UIW also had 557 hits, a mark which ranked second in the conference following the regular season. The team also ranked second in runs scored (351), sacrifice flies (30) and stolen bases (70).
Rogers, who hit .350, was named the 2018 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year. He also received honorable mention honors and was later named Freshman All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the first DI Freshman All-America honoree in UIW history.
Hallmark previously established a reputation as one of the nation’s top coaching minds during stops as the pitching coach at Missouri (2017) and Rice (2006-16). He was named one of the top-50 head coaches to watch by Baseball America following the 2019 season.
A native of Houston and a former star catcher at Rice, Hallmark helped lead the Owls to NCAA Tournament appearances in each season at his alma mater, including three College World Series appearances and five regional championships. During his year at Missouri, Hallmark helped the Tigers to a 36-win season, including 14 victories in the rugged Southeastern Conference.
Hallmark starred at Rice for legendary coach Wayne Graham, where he was named all-conference in 1995 before the Kansas City Royals picked him in the MLB Draft. Hallmark played nine years in the minor leagues, advancing as high as triple-A with the Royals.
While at Missouri, Hallmark directed the pitching staff of first-year head coach Steve Bieser, who has helped turn the Tigers into a competitive contender in the SEC East Division. The Tigers, sporting a 3.67 team ERA, placed four pitchers among the top-25 ERAs in the SEC.
Prior to his time with the Tigers, Hallmark spent 11 seasons with Rice. In addition to reaching NCAA Regional play in all 11 seasons, Rice made three trips to the College World Series (2006-2008) with five Super Regional appearances.
Hallmark transitioned to the Owls pitching coach role prior to the 2013 season – after coaching hitters, catchers and outfielders for his first eight years. Rice saw immediate success under his guidance, with his Owls setting a Rice single-season record with 12 shutouts, ranking second in the NCAA.
In 2014, Rice finished 13th in the NCAA with a school record for ERA (2.56). The Owls were also 20th in the nation in both fewest hits allowed per game (7.7) and WHIP (1.19). Rice pitchers registered 18 saves while also finishing with the program's fewest walks since the mid-1980s (192 walks in 573.1 inn., 3.0 per game). He mentored lefty Blake Fox to consensus All-America honors and 2014 Conference USA Pitcher of the Year accolades.
In 2015, Rice pitching finished 12th in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings (8.8) and registered the fifth-highest single-season saves total in school history (18) while also finishing among the NCAA's top teams for ERA (3.16), hits allowed per 9.0 innings (8.2) and WHIP (1.27). A total of five Rice pitchers were selected in the 2015 Major League Draft.
Hallmark was a successful player, earning All-Southwest Conference honors in 1995 while guiding Rice to its first 40-win season in 11 years. He played nine years of professional baseball after being drafted in the 18th round by the Royals in 1995. He saw action in two minor league all-star games and was part of three consecutive minor league champion teams from 1997-99.
A Houston native, Hallmark was a two-time all-district honoree in baseball in 1991 and 1992 at Westbury High School. He went on to earn all-conference honors at Alvin Community College in 1993 and 1994, and was named to the All-Southwest Conference team in 1995.
Hallmark is married to the former Jada Sanders of Kingwood, Texas, a 2001 Rice graduate and four-year letterwinner, who set school records for the Owls’ swim team. The couple has four children, Christian, Tanner, Grayson and Georgia.
PAT HALLMARK FILE
Career Record (7 seasons): 206-144 (.589)
Record at UTSA (5 seasons): 140-96 (.593)
Coaching Career
2005: St. Thomas High School (head coach)
2006-16: Rice (assistant coach; pitching coach 2013-16)
2017: Missouri (assistant coach)
2018-19: UIW (head coach)
2020-present: UTSA (head coach)
Playing Career
1991-92: Westbury High School
1993-94: Alvin Community College
1995: Rice
1996-2002: Kansas City Royals MiLB
2003: San Francisco Giants MiLB
Personal
Born: Houston, Texas
Wife: Jada Sanders Hallmark
Children: Christian, Tanner, Grayson, Georgia
Honors
2019 Southland Conference Coach of the Year