SAN ANTONIO – UTSA's baseball team will be back on the road this weekend, beginning an eight-game road trip, in Norfolk, Virginia as it faces off with the No. 29 Old Dominion Monarchs.
The series will be played over the April 8 weekend and features the C-USA preseason No. 3 team, Old Dominion. The Monarchs (21-6, 5-4 C-USA), were voted three spots higher than UTSA (19-10, 5-4 C-USA) in the preseason poll.
Old Dominion is currently ranked No. 29 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, the oldest baseball poll in the country.
UTSA and ODU share one common opponent through this point in the season. Both teams have faced off with Charlotte. UTSA played the 49ers this past weekend (April 1-3) and ODU the week before (March 25-27). UTSA swept then-No. 23 Charlotte in San Antonio, outscoring the Monarchs 29-15 across the three games. ODU also hosted Charlotte but dropped the series 1-2 as the Monarchs picked up their lone win in an extra-inning game.
This will be the eighth series between the two schools and the series record sits at 3-3-1 as the two schools split a four-game series last year. The Roadrunners hold the head-to-head advantage over ODU 12-11. UTSA is 5-4 against Old Dominion in games played in Norfolk, Virginia.
UTSA enters the weekend series riding a six-game winning streak that features four ranked wins over top 25 opponents. The Roadrunners defeated No. 11 TCU in Fort Worth and then swept No. 23 Charlotte in San Antonio as part of the six-game win streak.
The Monarchs enter the weekend series boasting the best overall record in the conference. ODU's 21 wins are a conference-high while its six losses are a conference low. Old Dominion comes into the weekend riding a three-game win streak with wins over FIU (2x) and East Carolina.
Miscellaneous Notes
- UTSA enters the weekend series having the third-highest batting average (.298) in all of Conference USA and ranks 40th nationally.
- Pitcher Luke Malone owns the lowest ERA in all of Conference USA with a 1.17. That ERA ranks 14th nationally.
- Opposing batters are hitting .211 against Malone. That's the seventh-lowest opponent batting average in the conference.
- Malone is one of three C-USA pitchers with four wins and no losses on the year.
- Malone has allowed the fifth-fewest hits on the year (30) and second-fewest runs (9) in Conference USA. Malone has only allowed five earned runs, the fewest in C-USA.
- Infielder Leyton Barry (.352 -10th) and catcher Sammy Diaz (.359 – 6th) both rank in the top-10 batting average in Conference USA
- Diaz owns the fifth-best on-base percentage in the conference
- As part, Diaz has been hit by a pitch nine times – third-most in C-USA
- Barry has the seventh-most hits in the conference with 37
- Diaz owns the fifth-best on-base percentage in the conference
- Senior Jonathan Tapia has scored the fourth-most runs in the conference with 31. Tapia has cranked out the fifth most doubles in C-USA with 11.
- Pitcher Daniel Shafer is tied for the fourth-most saves in C-USA with four.
- Senior outfielder Ian Bailey is tied for fifth among CUSA players with eight homers on the year.
- Infielder Ryan Flores and outfielder Chase Keng are both top-five Conference USA leaders in sac flies. Both have four on the season.
Weekend Information
Friday, April 8 at 5 p.m. (CT)
R-Jr. RHP Luke Malone (1.17 ERA) vs. Fr. LHP, Blake Morgan (1.25 ERA)
Saturday, April 9 at 2 p.m. (CT)
Sr. RHP Jacob Jimenez (5.64 ERA) vs. R-Sr. RHP, Nick Pantos (3.34 ERA)
Sunday, April 10 at 11 a.m. (CT)
Fr. RHP Braden Davis (5.19 ERA) vs. So. RHP, Sam Armstrong (5.65 ERA)
All games will take place at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex and will be streamed on CUSA TV.
UP NEXT: UTSA will be back in action on Wednesday, April 13, as they travel to Huntsville, Texas to face the Sam Houston State Bearkats. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the matchup will be streamed on ESPN+.
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