SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA Baseball team is set to open Conference USA play as the Roadrunners host Florida Atlantic this Friday through Sunday. Friday's first pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT, while Saturday's game is at 2 p.m. and Sunday's series finale starts at 1 p.m. All three games will be available to watch on CUSA.tv with a subscription.
QUICK HITS
UTSA is currently on a seven-game winning streak which started with a 11-5 win over Utah on March 4. During that win streak, the Roadrunners have averaged 13.57 runs per game and produced 10+ runs in five of those seven games. Six of those seven games, UTSA also hit at least one home run.
The Roadrunners ended the nonconference weekend slate with their first weekend series sweep, taking three from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 10-12. UTSA put up 50 runs against the Islanders, including a program record 31 runs in the Saturday win.
UTSA opens conference play in first place in the Conference USA standings with a .833 winning percentage. The Roadrunners lead the conference in the top hitting and pitching categories, including batting average (.338) and earned run average (2.74).
Antonio Valdez is on a reached-base streak of 18 games (all of UTSA's games this season), while Leyton Barry has a 13-game hitting streak.
LEADING THE ROADRUNNERS
Antonio Valdez leads the team with a batting average of .458, notching a nation-high 35 RBI, team-high 33 hits, five home runs and five stolen bases, along with 25 runs, four doubles, and four triples. Leyton Barry has a team-high 33 hits and six doubles, while Shane Sirdashney leads the Roadrunners with 29 runs and Matt King has a team-best five triples.
On the mound, Simon Miller leads the team with a 0.47 ERA, 30 strikeouts and four wins. Other key performers include Ulises Quiroga (3-0, 0 walks), Luke Malone (1.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP), Ruger Riojas (.94 WHIP, 2-0), Daniel Garza (3-0, 1.22 WHIP), Ryan Beaird (2.12 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and Daniel Shafer (.83 WHIP, 2 saves).
The Roadrunners lead the conference in multiple categories – batting average (.338), ERA (2.74), hits (216), on-base percentage (.448), runs (165), scoring (9.2), slugging percentage (.531), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.08), triples (15), triples per game (0.83), WHIP (1.25), win-loss percentage (.833) and walks allowed per nine innings (2.85). UTSA's 15 triples is second in the nation, just behind Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's 16 triples.
Valdez leads the nation with 34 RBI and second in the nation with 1.94 RBI per game. Valdez also leads the Conference USA with a .458 batting average, 33 hits, 1.83 hits per game and 60 total bases. Barry leads the conference with 33 hits and 1.83 hits per game. Sirdashney has a conference-high 29 runs and 1.61 runs per game. King leads the C-USA with five triples and 0.28 triples per game.
Quiroga is tied with six players for the nation-best 0.00 strikeout to walk ratio and 0.00 walks allowed per nine innings. Miller has the best conference-best 0.47 ERA, 13.97 strikeouts per nine innings, and 0.83 WHIP. With four wins on the season, Miller also leads the conference in that category.
LAST WEEK FOR THE ROADRUNNERS
The Roadrunners improved to a 15-3 record after a 9-3 win over SFA on Tuesday. UTSA has won every weekend series they've played so far, as well as every midweek game.
UTSA opened the week with a 9-3 win over SFA on Tuesday. Matt King had a perfect 3-for-3 night with two runs, two RBI and a double. Caleb Hill also notched three hits, along with three RBI and a home run. Ryan Beaird earned his first win of the season, allowing no runs and striking out three in 2.2 innings pitched.
In the Roadrunners' final non-conference weekend series last weekend (March 10-12), UTSA swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, starting off with a 10-6 win on Friday. UTSA then had a record-setting 31-6 victory over the Islanders on Saturday, before closing the series with a 9-6 win.
The Roadrunners once again showed off their offensive power last week, blasting 23 extra-base hits, including eight doubles, three triples and 12 home runs. Taylor Smith had a .727 batting average over the four games last week, including eight hits, a double and three home runs. Leyton Barry exploded for 12 hits, eight runs, two home runs and 11 RBI. Valdez led the team with 12 RBI and recorded two home runs. Five more Roadrunners – Isaiah Walker, Matt King, Sammy Diaz, Dalton Porter and Garrett Poston – also launched a home run over the week.
Luke Malone earned his first win of the season, striking out eight in six innings pitched. Simon Miller continues to shine on the mound, earning a win and a save in two appearances last week. Miller struck out 11 and kept opponents scoreless through 5.1 innings pitched. Ulises Quiroga earned his third win of the season, going five innings in his Saturday start. Freshman Ruger Riojas continues to impress in his first collegiate season, earning his second win and striking out four in 3.0 innings pitched last week.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Florida Atlantic has started the season with a 12-6 record, after a 15-2 win over Bradley on Wednesday. The Owls are fourth in the conference standings coming into the conference schedule. Florida Atlantic was picked to finish third in the Conference USA Preseason Poll. Nolan Schanuel was named the Preseason Player of the Year, while him and Hunter Cooley was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Schanuel, who was also named the C-USA Hitter of the Week on Monday, leads the Owls with a .458 batting average, paired with 27 hits, 24 runs, 25 RBI and eight home runs. He leads the conference with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .624 on-base percentage. Florida Atlantic's Friday night starter Hunter Cooley is one of only six players in the nation (along with UTSA's Uli Quiroga) with a 0.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks allowed per nine innings. The Owls lead the league with 17 double plays, averaging 0.94 per game. Florida Atlantic also leads the C-USA with 28 home runs.
SERIES HISTORY VS FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Owls have a 15-9 all-time series record over the Roadrunners. The last time UTSA and Florida Atlantic played was May 26, 2022, when the Roadrunners defeated the Owls, 6-4, in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament. Leyton Barry led UTSA with three hits and two runs, but the star of the show was Luke Malone who came in to pitch in the first inning and pitched 9.0 innings of relief for the Roadrunners. This marked Malone's ninth win of the season, which led the C-USA in 2022 and is the second most in UTSA history.
FUEL TO THE FIVE
The Roadrunners were picked to finish fifth in the Conference USA, after a phenomenal season in 2022 in which UTSA broke multiple program records and advanced to the C-USA Championship game. Defending champion Louisiana Tech was voted to finish first. C-USA newcomer Dallas Baptist was picked to finish second, followed by Florida Atlantic at third and Charlotte at fourth.
ON DECK
The Roadrunners head to South Texas to face UTRGV on March 21 in Edinburg, Texas at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
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