Catcher Sammy Diaz is one of 14 seniors who will be honored this weekend in UTSA Baseball's final home series of the season against Dallas Baptist. Photo by Alma Solis | UTSA Athletics
MAY 12, 2023 — The No. 22 UTSA baseball team is set to host its final home series of the season, going head-to-head in a battle for first place in Conference USA with No. 18 Dallas Baptist University this weekend at Roadrunner Field. This will be the first time ever that a ranked UTSA baseball team hosts another ranked squad on its home field as this weekend’s UTSA-DBU series is being widely viewed as one of the premier matchups of the college baseball season.
Due to impending weather, the series will open with a doubleheader at 3 p.m. on Friday, with the second game to follow 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. The third game could be played on Saturday or Sunday, weather permitting. All three games will also be available to stream on CUSA.tv with a subscription.
With UTSA trailing Dallas Baptist by just a half-game in the Conference USA standings, this series has huge postseason seeding implications for both teams. D1Baseball.com is currently predicting that UTSA and DBU will both reach the NCAA Tournament.
In the standings, and in nearly every statistical category in the conference, the Roadrunners and Patriots sit right next to each other in the top two spots.
CONFERENCE USA BASEBALL STANDINGS
|
TEAM |
OVERALL RECORD |
CONFERENCE RECORD |
|
Dallas Baptist |
37-12 |
20-4 |
|
UTSA |
36-12 |
19-4 |
|
Charlotte |
24-23 |
13-10 |
|
Louisiana Tech |
25-25 |
13-11 |
|
Florida Atlantic |
28-21 |
12-12 |
|
Western Kentucky |
27-22 |
12-12 |
|
Middle Tennessee |
23-23 |
12-12 |
|
Rice |
18-31 |
7-17 |
|
UAB |
15-32 |
6-18 |
|
Florida International |
18-30 |
5-19 |
Coming off a thrilling three-game sweep of Rice, the UTSA baseball team hosts Dallas Baptist this weekend. Photo by Vashaun Newman
The Roadrunners are at the top of the conference in the hitting and pitching categories, including first in batting average (.309) and second in earned run average (4.39). Simon Miller is first in the nation in ERA (1.36), 24th in the nation in wins (7) and fifth in the nation in saves (11). Antonio Valdez is third in the nation in triples (7) and Sammy Diaz is the third-toughest batter to strike out in the nation (22.3).
Dallas Baptist leads the conference in multiple categories, including doubles (106), ERA (4.26), home runs (89), runs (397), sacrifice flies (31), scoring (8.1), slugging percentage (.533) and stolen bases (101).
The good news for Roadrunner fans: UTSA has been magnificent at home this season, going undefeated (12-0) in conference play at Roadrunner Field. UTSA has also won all 11 of its three/four-game weekend series this season, including five series sweeps. Four of those weekend series sweeps came in conference play against Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Rice.
Before the third game of this weekend’s series, UTSA will recognize 14 seniors and 15 graduates for Senior Day. The Roadrunners will honor these 14 seniors: Valdez, Diaz, Josh Killeen, Leyton Barry, Robbie Maldonado, Garrett Poston, Josh Salinas, Shane Sirdashney, Drake Smith, Nick Crespo, Taylor Smith, John Chomko, Luke Malone and Daniel Shafer.
Stay tuned to UTSA Baseball’s Twitter and Facebook pages throughout the weekend for updates on game times.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Annual Giving will host a First Day of School celebration to welcome students back to campus. We will have giveaways and photo opportunities.
Sombrilla Plaza, Main CampusEnjoy snacks while connecting with Adobe reps and student ambassadors. Download or log into the Adobe Express app to snag swag and unlock exclusive back-to-school templates. It’s a fun, fast way to get creative and start the school year with bold moves.
Central Plaza, Main CampusCelebrate the merger of UTSA and UT Health San Antonio with a pop-up featuring free t-shirts, exclusive swag, and interactive photo opportunities. Open to all students, faculty and staff. Supplies are limited!
Sombrilla Plaza, Main CampusHuddle Against Hunger is a fundraising competition with Texas State that benefits our Roadrunner Pantry. Donations this week will help UTSA earn additional prize monies provided by RBFCU.
In-Person and VirtualJoin UTSA Libraries for an update on federal public access policies and how the library can assist with compliance.
Virtual EventWe invite you to join us for Birds Up! Downtown, an exciting welcome back event designed to connect students with the different departments at the Downtown Campus. Students will have the opportunity to learn about some of the departments on campus, gain access to different resources, and collect some giveaways!
Bill Miller PlazaThere are many citation managers. Which one is right for you? This workshop will explain what a citation manager is and how it can help you organize your citations, insert citations as you write your paper, and generate your bibliography.
Virtual EventThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
