Biggest win in program history? UTSA stuns top-seeded Texas 9-7 in the NCAA Austin Regional

Braylon Owens finished the game on the mound for UTSA. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Senior Braylon Owens closed the game by pitching four innings, allowing only one run on one hit, to help the UTSA Roadrunners beat Texas and advance to the regional finals. UTSA is now just one win away from a berth in the NCAA Super Regional round. – Photo by Joe Alexander

AUSTIN — For at least the past four years, UTSA has had a piece of tape in its locker room in San Antonio imprinted with three letters, ‘JYD.’ The three letters stand for ‘Junk Yard Dogs.’

It’s a message to the players that they can achieve success even under the most extreme, adverse conditions.

The Roadrunners lived up to their burgeoning legend Saturday night, rallying from a five-run deficit to score arguably the biggest victory in program history, a 9-7 shocker over the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Austin Regional.

Texas entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 national seed, behind only the Vanderbilt Commodores, in the 64-team field. Seeded No. 1 in the regional, the Longhorns rolled in their first game to a 7-1 victory over the No. 4 HCU Huskies.

UTSA's James Taussig celebrates with the fans after UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Outfielder James Taussig celebrates with the fans after second-seeded UTSA beat No. 1 Texas 9-7 on at the Austin Regional. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Most expected them to face a stiffer test in the winners’ bracket against the second-seeded Roadrunners. After all, UTSA won a mid-week game in March at Disch-Falk Field, claiming an 8-7 victory in 12 innings.

But after UTSA knocked off Kansas State 10-2 in its tournament opener, a question loomed about the rematch against Texas. It centered on whether the Roadrunners could win again, in Austin, in a playoff setting, against top-of-the-line pitching.

The answer, in the end, was yes.

A few of the lead dogs in the “JYD” pack, and also one pup, led the way.

Senior slugger James Taussig produced a four-for-four performance and had a couple of RBI, including one on drag bunt single in the ninth inning. Senior Mason Lytle tormented the Longhorns with three hits and some daring base running.

Freshman Nathan Hodge, despite his lack of collegiate experience, had two hits and three RBI.

At the end, senior pitcher Braylon Owens closed the game with four innings of relief. During that stretch, he held the Longhorns to one run on one hit, a long homer by Ryan Galvan in the seventh inning.

Nevertheless, Owens finished in style, shutting down a two-on-base scoring threat in the eighth inning and then working around a walk in the ninth with two strikeouts to end the game.

Owens, from Elgin, about 30 miles east of Austin, said he loves the atmosphere when he plays on the Texas campus. He said he draws energy from the Longhorns’ fans.

“When you have all these Texas fans, like, yelling at you, talking mess to you, I don’t know,” he said. “A lot of people get nervous about that. Me, it makes me excited. Like, I want to make ’em be quiet, prove ’em wrong. So, I’d say that helps a lot, the crowd.”

Taussig, Owens’ good friend and fishing buddy, aided the cause immensely in the ninth inning by his deft handling of the bat. With Lytle at third base, he bunted the ball through the air, just past relief pitcher Dylan Volantis.

Kendall Dove reacts after getting the third out in the bottom of the fifth inning. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Reliever Kendall Dove (3-0) pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the fifth earned the victory. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Playing back, the second baseman had no chance on the ball, either, as it bounced on the infield grass. Consequently, Lytle scored easily from third base to widen UTSA’s lead to the eventual final score. Taussig beat it out for his fourth hit of the day.

The two-run cushion was important entering the Longhorns’ last at bat.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy,” Owens said, “but it definitely, like, made me feel more comfortable and not as anxious, that I have to do this, or I have to do that. It took a little bit of weight off my shoulders.”

When the game ended with Owens striking out Texas slugger Max Belyeu, his teammates rushed out of the dugout and swarmed around him, shouting and celebrating. Owens was stunned. He said he blanked out.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he said.

Immediately, the Roadrunners will need to prepare for Sunday’s championship round, which should be very interesting.

Texas (43-13) and Kansas State (32-25) will play in a losers’ bracket game at 2 p.m. The winner will meet UTSA (46-13) later Sunday. Texas or Kansas State will need to beat UTSA Sunday night and again on Monday to win the regional.

The Roadrunners only need to win once to advance to the NCAA Super Regional round for the first time in program history. The winner of the two-team super regionals, scheduled for next weekend, will earn trips to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

After Saturday night, little doubt exists now that the Roadrunners could make a run to Omaha. Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle tipped his cap to UTSA and even mentioned that he had heard about the team’s ‘Junk Yard Dog’ credo.

“It feels good,” Owens said. “I mean, all four years, we have a piece of tape in our locker room that says, ‘JYD.’ Now that everybody is starting to know that’s how we see ourselves, it feels good.”

Austin Regional

Sunday’s games

Losers’ bracket – Texas vs. Kansas State, 2 p.m.
Championship round – UTSA vs. Texas or Kansas State, 6 p.m. (or, an hour after the first game)

UTSA's Nathan Hodge (11) scores in the top of the fifth to cut the Texas lead to 6-4. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Nathan Hodge (11) scores in the top of the fifth to cut the Texas lead to 6-4. Hodge, a freshmen, had two hits and three RBI. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Monday’s game

Championship round, if necessary – UTSA vs. Texas or Kansas State, time TBD

Seeds, records

1 – Texas (43-13)
2 – UTSA (46-13)
3 – Kansas State (32-25)
4 – HCU (32-25)

A Longhorns’ surge

Locked in a tie game with UTSA, Texas sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs on four hits in the bottom of the third.

The Longhorns did the damage off both Conor Myles, the Roadrunners’ starting pitcher, and against Connor Kelley, one of their best bullpen arms. Jonah Williams’ two-out, two-run single off Kelley was the big blow for the Longhorns in the inning.

When the dust settled, the Longhorns had a 6-1 lead on the Roadrunners and significant momentum.

The inning started with Myles walking Rylan Galvan. Max Belyeu followed with a single to center. A key play unfolded when Kimble Schuessler ripped a ground ball up the middle that Hodge, playing second base, dove for and gloved. Laid out on the ground, however, he was unable to make a toss to second base for the force, so everyone was safe.

The bases were loaded.

With bullpen arms warming, Myles faced UT’s Adrian Rodriguez, who grounded a ball down the first base line for an out and an RBI. At that point, the Roadrunners made a change. Kelley entered the game and started off well, striking out Jalin Flores on an awkward swing. But after that, Texas got hot and started pounding the ball.

First, Williams, a five-star recruit as a football safety out of Galveston, drilled a hit with pace into right field to bring in two runs. Casey Borba followed by hammering a ball off the base of the left field wall for an RBI double. Adding to UTSA’s woes, Kelley fired a wild pitch, allowing the fifth run to score for a five-run Texas lead.

How the Roadrunners countered

Undeterred, UTSA rallied in the top of the fifth with four runs on three hits and an error. The uprising came against tiring Texas starter Luke Harrison. Hodge delivered a key hit for the Roadrunners in the inning with a two-run single. Taussig added a run-scoring double. After it was over, the Roadrunners had pulled to within 6-5, and fans were on their feet.

Garrett Gruell had a run-scoring hit in the sixth inning. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Garrett Gruell talks strategy with Coach Pat Hallmark. Gruell belted a run-scoring double in the sixth inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Norris McClure led off the inning with a ground ball that was mishandled at second base. He narrowly beat out the throw to first on a play ruled as an error. From there, Harrison started to falter with his command. He walked Andrew Stucky and hit Caden Miller with a pitch to load the bases. Hodge, a freshman from College Station, rose to the challenge by stroking a ground ball up the middle.

It caromed off lunging shortstop Jalin Flores’ glove and two runs scored. Next, Lytle singled up the middle and one out later, Taussig blasted a double to center that scored one. UTSA had new life, trailing by one run.

Taking the lead

In the top of the sixth, the noise level among UTSA fans increased significantly as the Roadrunners constructed a three-run rally to take their first lead of the game, 8-6. It all started with two out when Harrison gave up a single to Andrew Stucky and Caden Miller walked. Texas changed pitchers in hopes of cutting off the threat, bringing in Thomas Burns.

UTSA immediately lit up the hard-throwing righty for three hits. Hodge whacked a fastball into center field for an RBI single, tying the game. Lytle followed with another run-scoring single, putting UTSA ahead by one run.

On a play that underscored the intensity of the game, Garrett Gruell doubled into the corner to score one run easily, making it 8-6. Just as the relay throw came in to the shortstop, Lytle kept running as he rounded third and sped for home. The throw was on target, and Lytle collided with Galvan, the catcher.

Lytle was called out on a play that went to review and was upheld. At the same time, UTSA had seized the momentum from the NCAA tournament’s second-seeded team.

Mason Lytle and his UTSA teammates celebrate on the field after the final out. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mason Lytle and his UTSA teammates celebrate on the field after the final out. The Roadrunners trailed 6-1 after four innings, rallied into the lead and then held on at the end to win on the home field of the Longhorns. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Kansas State stays alive in the Austin Regional; Wildcats oust the HCU Huskies, 7-4

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Keegan O’Connor’s three-run homer backed the pitching of lefthander Lincoln Sheffield as the third-seeded Kansas State Wildcats stayed alive in the NCAA Austin Regional with a 7-4 victory over the No. 4 HCU Huskies Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

O’Connor’s blast, his 17th home run of the season, highlighted a four-run third inning against HCU starter Joshua Caravalho. Sheffield (7-4) pitched into the seventh inning to earn the victory. He allowed no runs on four hits in six and two thirds.

Caravalho (9-4) took the loss after getting knocked out in three and two thirds.

HCU made it interesting in the ninth inning when Jeremy Rader belted a two-run homer to account for the final score. Radar was playing a day after he had to exit Friday’s game against Texas with an injury.

But with a runner aboard and the potential tying run on deck, Kansas State reliever Tazwell Butler got Tevis Payne on a fly ball to right field to end the game.

Coach Pete Hughes’ Wildcats, who lost their opener Friday night to UTSA, 10-2, will advance in the losers’ bracket to play again on Sunday afternoon. Kansas State, with a 32-25 record, will need to win twice to play on Monday for the regional title.

With the loss, the Huskies became the first team out of four in Austin to be eliminated. They will exit with an 0-2 record in the double-elimination format after riding a 5-0 sweep to the Southland Conference postseason title.

Clay VanderLaan finished his first season as HCU’s head coach at 32-25.

Saturday’s results

Losers’ bracket
Kansas State 7, HCU 4
(HCU is eliminated)

Winners’ bracket
UTSA vs. Texas, 8 p.m.

Seeds, records

1 – Texas (43-12)
2 – UTSA (45-13)
3 – Kansas State (32-25)
4 – HCU (32-25)

Sunday’s schedule

Losers’ bracket
Kansas State vs. TBA, 2 p.m.

Winners’ bracket
Texas or UTSA vs. TBA, an hour after the conclusion of the first game.

UTSA makes history again by winning its first game in the NCAA baseball playoffs

James Taussig three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. UTSA beat Kansas State 10-2 on Friday, May 30, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning helped boost the UTSA Roadrunners to a 10-2 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats on opening day of the NCAA Austin Regional. The win was historic in that the team had never won a game in the NCAA playoffs, going 0-2 each time in three previous trips. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

AUSTIN — UTSA’s dream season just keeps getting more and more surreal by the day. The Roadrunners won the first NCAA playoff game in their 34-year baseball history Friday night by defeating the Kansas State Wildcats 10-2 on opening day of the Austin Regional at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Norris McClure hit a solo home run in the third inning and James Taussig added a three-run shot over the right field wall in the sixth to back the pitching of Zach Royse and others, who held the Wildcats to more than five runs below their season average.

On top of all that, the team had another, more personal reason to celebrate. Assistant coach Ryan Aguayo took an early Friday morning drive home to be with his wife, who was in labor. She gave birth to the couple’s daughter at about 9:30 a.m.

Later, Aguayo drove back to Austin and was at the game. “I told him, ‘We could run it without you,’ ” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark told reporters. “But he’s here.”

The emotions will continue to swirl within the camp of the second-seeded Roadrunners over the next 24 hours as they prepare to face the host and No. 1-seeded Texas Longhorns on Saturday night.

Norris McClure home run. UTSA beat Kansas State 10-2 on Friday, May 30, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Norris McClure energized the team by slashing an opposite-field solo homer in the third inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First the Wildcats (31-25) will play the HCU Huskies (32-24) in an elimination game Saturday at 2 p.m. First pitch for the Roadrunners (45-13) and the Longhorns (43-12) will be at 8 p.m., with the winner advancing to the regional finals.

Earlier Friday, Texas surged with a five-run fifth inning to down HCU, 7-1, without using any of its front-line pitchers.

Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said lefthander Luke Harrison would “probably” pitch Saturday for the Longhorns, the regular-season champions from the Southeastern Conference and the second-seeded team among 64 in the NCAA field. Roadrunners coach Pat Hallmark said in the postgame that he isn’t ready to name his starter yet.

Royse (9-4) answered the call in the program’s first NCAA game in 12 years, earning the victory by working five and a third innings and allowing only one run on three hits. He struck out five and walked three.

Robert Orloski and Christian Okerholm closed in the final three and two thirds innings. Orloski performed erratically at times but ended up getting some important outs. He yielded one run on three hits, walked one and struck out four.

A defining moment for Orloski came in the top of the seventh when he gave up a one-out solo home run to Nick English. At that point, he continued to struggle, walking Shintaro Inoue and giving up a single to Maximus Martin.

Zach Royse was the UTSA starting pitcher. UTSA beat Kansas State 10-2 on Friday, May 30, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Starting pitcher Zach Royse (9-4) earned the victory and his coach’s praise for holding the explosive Wildcats to one run and three hits in five and a third innings. – Photo by Joe Alexander

But with runners at first and second base and UTSA leading by five runs, the Idaho native fanned sluggers Seth Dardar and Keegan O’Connor to end the threat. O’Connor had 16 home runs this year and Dardar 12.

Royse, from Katy Cinco Ranch, worked his way out of major trouble in the fourth inning. At the time, the Roadrunners led 2-0, and Kansas State loaded the bases with no outs. The Wildcats ultimately produced only one run out of the situation on a sacrifice fly by freshman AJ Evasco.

Royse retired Kansas State veteran David Bishop on an outfield fly ball to end it.

“Zach Royse was the difference,” Hallmark said. “It’s fantastic. One of the better pitched games of the whole season against a team that can really hit. Obviously the three-run homer was really big, too. I’m just proud of the team. Zach was fabulous.”

UTSA entered the NCAA playoffs coming off a record-setting regular season during which they established a number of firsts. Maybe most importantly, they qualified for the national tournament without even having to win a conference tournament for an automatic bid. They did it by rolling through the regular season, topping 40 wins for the first time, along the way to a 44-win regular season.

In the AAC, they dominated from start to finish, establishing the best record in conference history at 23-4. Even after going 2-2 and getting bounced out of the conference tournament, the Roadrunners would not be denied. Perhaps bolstered by all of it, including wins over Texas A&M and Texas, they beat yet another team from a power conference — in an NCAA setting, no less.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark in the NCAA baseball tournament regional against Kansas State. UTSA beat Kansas State 10-2 on Friday, May 30, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark has led the Roadrunners to an NCAA victory for the first time. The win lifted UTSA to 45-13 on the season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I’m just so happy for the team and the 29 other guys that suit up every game with us,” Taussig said. “We celebrate for them. Super happy for coach. All of them, coach (Ryan) Aguayo, coach Hallmark, coach (Zach) Butler, they took a chance on me and told me this was the plan. One game isn’t all we had in mind. But you got to start somewhere. I’m just real happy for the team.”

Taussig, one of the team’s hottest offensive players in April and May, credited Aguayo for scouting reports that allow him to swing freely on pitches that he anticipates.

He said he was looking for a changeup elevated in the strike zone from Kansas State reliever Ty Ruhl, who had just entered the game in place of starter Jacob Frost.

“I was looking for the changeup up (in the zone) and I got it first pitch,” he said. “Coach Hallmark always tells us the first pitch is the best one to hit and I was ready to go. I got my best pass off. Controlled what I can control. Bat speed … and I got the results.”

Saturday’s schedule

Losers’ bracket: HCU vs. Kansas State, 2 p.m.
Winners’ bracket: UTSA vs. Texas, 8 p.m.

Seeding, records

1 – Texas (43-12)
2 – UTSA (45-13)
3 – Kansas State (31-25)
4 – HCU (32-24)

Notable

The Texas Longhorns and the UTSA Roadrunners are 1-0 in the double-elimination, Austin Regional. Both the Kansas State Wildcats and the HCU Huskies are 0-1.

Quotable

What does it mean to get the program’s first NCAA victory? Said Coach Pat Hallmark, “I don’t know. I’m trying to get three wins, to be honest with you. That’s what I told the guys when the game ended. I said, ‘Be happy. Enjoy it. Enjoy the moment.’ But we’re here to get three wins.”

Three wins would make the Roadrunners the regional champions. Each of 16 regional champs around the nation will move on next week to play in a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional. The winners of the eight super regionals will advance to the Men’s College World Series.

James Taussig three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. UTSA beat Kansas State 10-2 on Friday, May 30, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig connects on what would be a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. UTSA beat Kansas State 10-2 on Friday, May 30, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig follows through on his home-run swing. – Photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. UTSA beat Kansas State 10-2 on Friday, May 30, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig reacts when he knows his drive has cleared the wall in right field. It was his 10th homer of the season and his sixth since April 25. – Photo by Joe Alexander

NCAA playoffs: Fifth-inning hit parade lifts Texas over HCU to open Austin Regional

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

AUSTIN — The Texas Longhorns started the month of May laying out into a swoon, losing three games at Arkansas and then dropping two of three at home to Florida. After those performances, some of the luster from Coach Jim Schlossnagle’s first season at UT started to fade. But now that the end of the month is near and the NCAA playoffs have begun, the shine has returned to the Longhorns, who are darlings of their fans once again.

Texas, seeded second nationally in the NCAA tournament, erupted for five runs on six hits in the fifth inning Friday afternoon to down the HCU Huskies 7-1 in the opening game of the Austin Regional. A crowd announced at 7,673 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field watched as the Longhorns, seeded first in the region, handled the No 4 Huskies without much problem and moved into a winners’ bracket game Saturday.

In Friday’s second game, the second seeded UTSA Roadrunners and the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats were set to play at 6 p.m. The UTSA/Kansas State loser will face HCU in Saturday’s opener at 2 p.m. The winner will meet the Longhorns at 8 p.m.

Leading by one run going into the bottom of the fifth, the Longhorns took the opportunity to crank the offense against HCU starter Parker Edwards. Jonah Williams led off by reaching on a fielding error and stole second. On the steal attempt, Williams appeared to hit Huskies second baseman Jeremy Rader feet first. After getting attention from trainers on the field, Rader came out of the game to applause from UT’s fans.

Later, the fans were on their feet for most of the remainder of the inning as the Longhorns stroked five straight hits. The first was a two-run single by Kimble Schuessler. Next, Adrian Rodriguez and Casey Borba followed with RBI singles to center. For Rodriguez, the hit extended his batting streak to 16 games. Will Gasparino brought in the last run of the inning with a double into left field. When Jalin Flores raced from second to home plate, the Longhorns had built a 7-1 lead.

Records

HCU 32-24
Texas 43-12

Saturday’s games

Losers’ bracket: HCU vs. UTSA or Kansas State, 2 p.m.
Winners’ bracket: Texas vs. UTSA or Kansas State, 8 p.m.

Notable

Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said his starter for Saturday is “probably” lefthander Luke Harrison, who is 5-1 with a 2.98 earned run average.

Harrison, a redshirt junior from Friendswood, has held opposing hitters to a .235 average. Schlossnagle was able to get through the first game of the regional without using any of his front-line pitchers. “It gives us the best chance,” the coach said. “It sets us up as good as we can be set up.”

Ethan Walker, Grayson Saunier and Hudson Hamilton combined to limit HCU to one run on eight hits. Saunier, who yielded one run on five hits in three and two thirds innings, earned the victory. He improved to 2-0. Parker Edwards (3-5) was the loser for HCU. He gave up seven runs (only one earned) on seven hits in four and two thirds innings.

HCU actually out-hit Texas, 8-7. HCU second baseman Jeremy Rader was sent for imaging to determine the nature of his injury, apparently to his collar bone, Huskies coach Clay VanderLaan said. “When we get back to the hotel we’ll evaluate and see how he is,” the coach said.

Reaching for new heights: UTSA plays Kansas State in the NCAA tournament

By Jerry Briggs
Staff writer

AUSTIN – The UTSA Roadrunners were peppered once again Thursday with questions about their breakthrough season.

In response, two of the leaders on the team talked about gratitude in describing how it felt to become only the fourth team in program history to reach the NCAA baseball tournament.

Centerfielder Mason Lytle said it feels good to get it done for teammates like pitcher Braylon Owens, who flanked him during media interviews in advance of the Austin Regional.

Looking for the program’s first NCAA tournament victory, Lytle and Owens and the second-seeded Roadrunners open against the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats Friday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

“We’re extremely grateful to be here,” Lytle told the assembled media Thursday morning. “We’re grateful to finally be the team to crack through.”

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark, in response to another question, tried to explain how the team eclipsed the 40-win mark with this group, in particular.

He’s had good teams before. So, why this one? How did this team get to 44?

Hallmark started to show some emotion but then caught himself, knowing that maybe it’s time to start focusing on how to win playoff games.

“My thoughts are similar to Mason’s probably,” the coach said. “I’m grateful to be part of it. I’m proud of ‘em.”

Then he added: “I think, uh, it’s time to turn the page. It’s a new season.”

The new season starts at 1 p.m. Friday when the Texas Longhorns take the field against the Houston Christian Huskies. It continues in the nightcap as the Roadrunners play at 6 against the power-hitting Wildcats from the Big 12.

“These people here with us this weekend, these people are really good,” Hallmark said. “It’s going to take the very best of us to win this thing.”

To beat the Wildcats, the Roadrunners will need to pitch well. Starter Zach Royse will need to pitch precisely, because Kansas State hit 92 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in the nation.

Royse yielded three home runs against Tulane in his most recent start. Hallmark, in reviewing the Wildcats’skills in film sessions, said their players swing “off their back leg.”

“I like the way they swing,” he said. “I won’t like the way they swing Friday, because they take a dangerous passes. (But) I think they’re trained well.”

Offensively, UTSA will need to play its game of taking free passes on walks and hit by pitches, and then moving those runners along with clutch hitting.

The Roadrunners will need to be ready for several Wildcats pitchers who throw in the mid-90s, Hallmark said.

“It’s not a surprise,” he said. “They’re a Power 4 team. It’s what you typically see from the Power 4 … The talent’s there. They’re well-coached.”

K-State coach Pete Hughes has won 851 games in his career.

His career began in 1997-98 in San Antonio at Division III Trinity University, where he was 52-30 in two seasons. He went on to coach in Division I at Boston College, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas State.

Hughes, now in his seventh year at K-State, said he admires the way Hallmark works.

“Coach Hallmark is one of the most underrated coaches in the country,” he said. “He’s won wherever they’ve given him the chance to lead. I’ll enjoy watching him coach and coach against him.

“It’ll be my first time coaching against coach Hallmark and a team that’s won 44 games. (They’re) very impressive offensively with a veteran pitching staff.”

Kansas State’s personnel has changed dramatically from last year, when the Wildcats won the Fayetteville Regional.

But K-State reliever JJ Stack, one of the returning players, said some things have not changed.

“From last year to this year, we just kind of stuck with the same philosophy,” he said. “Kept a chip on our shoulder. We try to play with a lot of energy. We like to have fun when we play. So, taking that from last year and putting it on this team is definitely the thing we’re trying to do.”

NCAA Austin Regional

Friday’s games
At UFCU Disch-Falk Field

Fourth-seeded Houston Christian Huskies vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns, 1 p.m.
No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats vs. second-seeded UTSA Roadrunners, 6 p.m.

Records

Texas (42-12)
UTSA (44-13)
Kansas State (31-24)
Houston Christian (32-23)

Austin Regional is expected to be played as scheduled after storm damage at UFCU Disch-Falk Field

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

AUSTIN — The weather turned wild on Wednesday night at the University of Texas. A storm that packed wind estimated at 70 mph, according to a local media outlet, knocked down a portion of the centerfield fence at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

At first glance, it looked like a situation that could affect this weekend’s NCAA Austin Regional baseball tournament. Officials, however, cautioned fans not to worry.

“Still scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Friday,” a University of Texas school spokesman said, alluding to the time for the first pitch to be thrown in a game pitting the Texas Longhorns and the Houston Christian University Huskies.

A second game will follow at 6 p.m. between the Kansas State Wildcats and the UTSA Roadrunners.

Austin Regional: Schlossnagle’s first team at Texas has high hopes for a run to Omaha

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

In the last of our four installments on teams in the Austin Regional, we’ll examine the Texas Longhorns’ success this season and how they have lived up to the hype after the hiring of Coach Jim Schlossnagle last summer.

The Texas Longhorns

Record: 42-12

Record in conference: 22-8, first in the Southeastern Conference

Seed in the Austin Regional: First (second nationally behind Vanderbilt)

Opener: Texas hosts Houston Christian on Friday at 1 p.m.

NCAA history, highlights: The Longhorns have won six national titles and have made a record 38 College World Series appearances. This is their 62nd trip to the NCAA tournament.

Journey to the Austin Regional: Coach Jim Schlossnagle’s first season in Austin has been a memorable one, starting with his controversial exit last summer at Texas A&M and his hiring at intrastate rival Texas. Only days after leading the Aggies to the Men’s College World Series title game, he accepted a job to coach the Longhorns. This spring, the Longhorns sizzled with 17 straight wins at one point, a streak broken by a loss at home to UTSA. Then they picked up steam when they entered the SEC schedule, winning their first seven series and reaching No. 1 in the polls. Though they lost some sizzle late by dropping three straight games at Arkansas and two of three at home to Florida, they secured the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA field based on their SEC regular-season title. With their RPI at No. 4, the Longhorns are hosting a regional for the first time since 2022.

The coach: Schlossnagle has won 987 games in stops at UNLV, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas. He’s coached in 19 NCAA regionals (this will be his 20th), nine super regionals and seven Men’s College World Series. He’s led his teams to six MCWS appearances in the last 10 years.

Top players: Pitcher Dylan Volantis and catcher Rylan Galvan were both named first-team, all Southeastern Conference. Volantis was the SEC Freshman of the Year. Galvan, first baseman Kimble Schuessler, second baseman Ethan Mendoza and outfielder Will Gasparino all were named to the SEC All Defensive Team.

More on Volantis: The 6-foot-6, 212-pound Volantis became just the fourth Longhorn to receive conference freshman of the year honors, joining Chance Ruffin (2008), Erich Weiss (2011) and Parker French (2012). For the season, he finished 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA and 12 saves.

Pride of South Texas: Rylan Galvan, a junior from Sinton, hit .299 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI this season. Galvan played at Sinton under coach Adrian Alaniz, who pitched for the Longhorns under coach Augie Garrido.

Belyeu’s return: Max Belyeu, the Big 12 Player of the Year last season, returned to the Longhorns lineup in the SEC tournament quarterfinals against Tennessee. He went 0 for 5 in his return after getting sidelined with a fractured a thumb on March 28 at Missouri.

San Antonio connections: Ruger Riojas, in his first year at Texas, pitched the past two seasons at UTSA. UT shortstop Jalin Flores played in high school at Brandeis in the Northside Independent School District. UT assistant coach Michael Cantu played two games for the San Antonio Missions in 2022.

NCAA Austin Regional: Second-seeded UTSA hopes to build on a dream season

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Here’s part three of our look at teams in the NCAA Austin Regional. The UTSA Roadrunners ran away with the regular-season title in the American Athletic Conference and earned their first at-large bid to the tournament. They’ll be seeded second this weekend.

UTSA Roadrunners

Record: 44-13

Record in conference: 23-4, first in the American.

Seed in the Austin Regional: Second

Opener: The Roadrunners will play the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats Friday at 6 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

NCAA baseball history, highlights: UTSA has enjoyed only sporadic success in 34 seasons of Division I baseball, with three previous trips to NCAA tournaments — in 1994, 2005 and 2013. The first two NCAA sojourns came in the Southland Conference, followed by one in the Western Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners went 0-2 in each of the three tournaments.

Journey to the Austin Regional: It’s been long time coming for the Roadrunners. They have fielded solid teams in each of the past three seasons, only to come up short each time. They won 38, 38 and 32 games from 2022-24, respectively. In ‘22, it was particularly painful after they opened the Conference USA tournament with three wins in Hattiesburg, Miss., including back-to-back victories over nationally-ranked host Southern Mississippi. But after a one-run loss to Louisiana Tech in the finals, their name was not called on NCAA selection day. This season, the Roadrunners left no doubt, ripping off a school-record 44 wins, including non-conference victories over Texas and Texas A&M. Not to mention a 23-4 run to the AAC regular-season title. Even with a 2-2 trip to the conference tournament, it didn’t matter, as UTSA earned its first at-large bid and its highest regional seed ever.

The coach: Victories just keep piling up for Pat Hallmark. In eight seasons, including two at Incarnate Word and the past six at UTSA, he has amassed a 250-157 record. Take away the one year cut short by the pandemic (2020) and he’s averaging 35.7 wins a season.

Top players: UTSA centerfielder Mason Lytle entered the 2025 season under the microscope as the preseason player of the year in the AAC. Lytle more than lived up to billing as he was named following the regular season as both player of the year, defensive player of the year and first-team all conference. Other Roadrunners on the first team included pitcher Robert Orloski, catcher Andrew Stucky, shortstop Ty Hodge and outfielder James Taussig.

Quality depth: The Roadrunners’ quality did not stop there. Named to the AAC second team were leftfielder Drew Detlefsen and second baseman Jordan Ballin. Detlefsen also was named Co-Newcomer Position Player of the Year along with UAB’s Todd Clay.

Salty freshmen: Three first-year Roadrunners made the AAC all freshman team, including Ballin, first baseman Caden Miller and utility infielder Nathan Hodge, the younger brother of Ty Hodge.

Next up: The top-seeded Texas Longhorns.

NCAA baseball: Kansas State aims for a second straight regional surprise

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Here’s my second story on teams playing in the NCAA Austin Regional. In an earlier dispatch, we looked at the fourth-seeded Houston Christian Huskies. Now we’re breaking down the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats, with the two seed UTSA Roadrunners and the No. 1 Texas Longhorns to come.

Kansas State Wildcats

Record: 31-24

Record in conference: 17-13, sixth in the Big 12

Seed in the Austin Regional: Third

Regional opener: Kansas State plays No. 2 UTSA Friday at 6 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

NCAA baseball history, highlights: The Wildcats are making their sixth NCAA appearance and their second straight. Last year, they reached the super regional round after entering the Fayetteville Regional as a No. 3 seed. They swept three straight games, including a victory over Arkansas, to reach the Charlottesville Super Regional. There, they lost two straight to Virginia.

Journey to the Austin Regional: The Wildcats had an up and down ride. They swept three pre-conference games from Arkansas, Michigan and TCU at a classic in Arlington, started Big 12 play with an 8-1 record and then lost series down the stretch to Oklahoma State, Kansas and Cincinnati. The Wildcats were 18-3 at home, 7-18 on the road and 6-3 on neutral sites.

The coach: Pete Hughes has won 851 games in his career. His head coaching career began in 1997-98 in San Antonio at Trinity University, where he was 52-30 in two seasons. He went on to coach in Division I at Boston College, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas State. Hughes is in his seventh season at K-State.

An offense with pop: The Wildcats ranked 24th in the nation with 92 home runs this year.

Southpaw city: Kansas State’s three main starters and one of its top relievers are lefthanders. Jacob Frost, Lincoln Sheffield and Michael Quevedo have combined for 42 starts. Six-foot-four Adam Arther (2.22 ERA) is a weapon out of the bullpen.

Top players: Outfielder Maximus Martin and outfielder/catcher Keegan O’Connor made all Big 12 second-team. Freshman outfielder AJ Evasco was an all freshman honoree. Home run threats include O’Connor with 16, Martin (14), Seth Dardar (12) and Dee Kennedy (11). Martin leads with a .332 average, followed by Dardar (.326), O’Connor (.323) and Evasco (.306).

Pitching struggles: The Wildcats have yielded 73 earned runs in 87 innings in May for an ERA of 7.55.

Next up: The UTSA Roadrunners

Austin Regional baseball: Taking a look at the Houston Christian Huskies

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Good evening, all. Here is the first of four graphic stories on each of the teams in this week’s NCAA Austin Regional baseball tournament. We’ll start with the fourth-seeded Houston Christian Huskies, with information to come on the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats, the No. 2 UTSA Roadrunners and the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.

Houston Christian Huskies

Record: 32-23

Record in conference: 17-13, sixth in the Southland Conference

Seed in the Austin Regional: Fourth

Opener: The Huskies will take on the top-seeded Texas Longhorns at 1 p.m. Friday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

NCAA baseball history, highlights: The Huskies are making only their second trip to the NCAA tournament. In 2015, they played in Houston and lost to the top-seeded Houston Cougars 6-4 before they were eliminated by No. 2 Rice, 3-1.

Journey to the Austin Regional: Last summer, HCU promoted Clay VanderLaan from assistant to head coach following the resignation of Lance Berkman. Under Berkman, a former Houston Astros star who grew up in New Braunfels, the Huskies struggled for three seasons with a combined record of 47-104, including 27-44 in conference. Three weeks after Berkman departed, HCU offered the job to VanderLaan, who had limited experience at the collegiate level, working previously at Division II Saginaw Valley State and for a little more than one season at the NAIA University of St. Thomas in Houston. Since then, VanderLaan has stepped up to the Division I challenge, taking the Huskies to their first winning season in eight years. HCU won its last six games, including a Parker Edwards-led 5-0 sweep in the SLC postseason, to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Included in the run were two wins in Edinburg at UT Rio Grande Valley, a top 40 RPI team, and the last two in Houston against the University of New Orleans.

Top players: Multi-talented Parker Edwards earned MVP honors in the SLC tournament by starting and winning two games as a pitcher. Edwards also contributed as a hitter, lashing three hits and driving in three runs in a 16-11 title-clinching victory over New Orleans. Second-team, all-SLC outfielder Rhett Hendricks did his part with three RBI combined in the two wins over the Privateers. Other threats at the plate include Jack Walker, Kenneth Dutka and Matthew Leiterman. Edwards leads the team in both home runs (9) and RBI (47).

Pitching: Edwards, Joshua Caravalho and Ben Smith are HCU’s primary starters. Edwards is 3-4 with a 3.93 earned run average and leads the team with 84 and 2/3 innings. Caravalho is 9-3 and Smith 4-6. Ben Norton, with a 2.93 ERA. leads the relief corps with 25 appearances out of the bullpen.

Did you know: The UTSA brother duo of Ty and Nathan Hodge decommitted from HCU after Berkman’s resignation and elected to sign with the Roadrunners.

More history: Founded in the 1960, the school formerly known as Houston Baptist University played sports at the NCAA level from 1967 to 1990, including a run of 16 years in Division I through 1989. Following its initial run in the NCAA, the school aligned with the NAIA and remained at that lower level for 17 years. After re-entering NCAA Division I in 2011, HCU elected to join the Southland Conference for the 2013-14 season.