Texas carries 11-game win streak into series against Texas Tech

Texas Tech at Texas

Friday: 7 p.m.
Saturday: 2:30 p.m.
Sunday: 2:30 p.m.

Did you know? The 14th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-4, 2-1) will travel to face the Texas Longhorns (15-7, 0-0), with the Longhorns riding an 11-game winning streak. Texas hasn’t lost since March 5 at Cal State Fullerton. Tech pitcher Brandon Beckel is serving a four-game suspension for his ejection from Sunday’s series finale against Oklahoma State in Lubbock, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Kansas at TCU

Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Saturday: 2 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.

Did you know? TCU outfielder Luke Boyers from Boerne Champion went two for five and homered against Abilene Christian on Tuesday night and then went two for four and homered against Northwestern on Wednesday. Boyers is batting .228 for the season. TCU (12-9, 1-2) lost two of three at Oklahoma last weekend. Collin Baumgartner starts for Kansas (8-11, 0-0) tonight against TCU’s Ryan Vanderhei.

Baylor at Oklahoma State

Friday: 6 p.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.

Did you know? Riding a three-game winning streak, Baylor (9-12, 2-1) will travel to play 20th-ranked Oklahoma State (17-5, 1-2). Baylor won the last two of a home series last week against Kansas State before taking a mid-week victory against Sam Houston State. Hunter Simmons is 10 for 12 at the plate in Baylor’s last three games.

Texas A&M at Tennessee

Friday: 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m.
Sunday: noon

Did you know? The Aggies (15-6, 1-2) rallied with four runs in the eighth inning Sunday to down LSU 8-6 and salvage a 1-2 series at home against the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. The Aggies will take a 2-3 record against ranked teams into Knoxville, against the No. 12 Tennessee Vols (16-6, 0-3). The Vols lost all three of an SEC-opening series at Missouri last week. Coach Tony Vitello was ejected in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Tigers.

UTSA at Rice

Friday: 3 p.m.
Saturday: 2 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.

Did you know? The Roadrunners (18-4, 3-0 in Conference) lead the conference in batting average (.336) and earned run average (2.72). They had a 10-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night at UT Rio Grande Valley. The Owls (11-10, 3-0) will welcome back members of the 2003 College World Series champions. Rice, coached by Jose Cruz Jr., hit four home runs in an 8-7 loss at Texas A&M Tuesday.

Texas State at Coastal Carolina

Friday: 5 p.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m.

Did you know? Levi Wells, the projected starter tonight for the Texas State Bobcats, was ranked in the offseason by mlb.com as the 49th best prospect in the 2023 draft. Wells is 4-0 with a 1.14 earned run average. He’s 12-3 with a 2.67 ERA over the past two seasons.

Houston Christian at Incarnate Word

Friday: 6:30 p.m.
Saturday: 2 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.

Did you know? Former major league baseball player Lance Berkman‘s is in his second season as head coach at Houston Christian. Berkman played in high school at New Braunfels Canyon. HCU is struggling at 2-18 going into Southland Conference play.

UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros put an end to UTSA’s 10-game winning streak

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA’s 10-game winning streak came to an end on a windy Tuesday night in Edinburg.

Pitcher J.C. Ariza beat the Roadrunners for the second time in two seasons, throwing five innings to help the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros stop their own five-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory.

Last May, Ariza worked six innings in San Antonio and emerged as the winning pitcher as UTRGV downed UTSA 12-1 at Roadrunner Field.

This time, he came up big again, holding the Roadrunners to five hits and two runs. The 6-foot-5 righthander walked none and struck out four.

With timely hitting, UTRGV scored three times in the second inning off Drake Smith and twice in the fourth against Robbie Maldonado for a 5-0 lead.

UTSA pulled to within 5-2 in the fifth on solo homers by Caleb Hill and Taylor Smith. After that, the UTRGV bullpen stopped the momentum and saved the game for the home team.

In the ninth inning, UTSA put a scare into the home team when Antonio Valdez led off with a solo home run against Sebastian Mejia. Mejia, eventually, would get out of the jam. With a base runner at first, he struck out Garrett Poston for the last out.

UTSA’s winning streak was two shy of the school record. In 1994, the Roadrunners in only their third year as a program won 12 straight under coach Jimmy Shankle.

Records

UTSA 18-4
UTRGV 10-10

Coming up

UTSA at Rice, Friday, 3 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Sunday, 1 p.m.

South San brings out its legends in an emotional tribute to coach Cliff Gustafson

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

South San and Central Catholic high school athletes stood dutifully on the base paths at Burrows-Gustafson Stadium as the junior ROTC color guard marched out, the American flag went up and the national anthem played.

Only a few fans were in the stands, but this was no ordinary Tuesday night, non-district baseball game.

More than 20 former ball players who thrilled South San fans in the 1950s and 1960s, men now in their 70s and 80s, were introduced on the stadium’s public address to distinguished visitors — the family of the late Cliff Gustafson.

Later, the school’s mariachi band serenaded everyone with beautiful music, featuring brass, guitar and vocals.

All of it served as a simple but elegant show of respect to Gustafson, the Texas baseball icon who passed away on Jan. 2 at the age of 91.

Several of the coach’s family members attended, and one of them expressed heart-felt gratitude for the gesture extended by the school district.

“This is special because (coaching here) meant so much to him,” said Scott Shepperd, Gustafson’s grandson. “When he wanted to talk about baseball, he wanted to talk about these guys.”

Shepperd made his remarks as he surveyed a field filled with his grandfather’s former high school players.

“For everyone to come out and show up like they did, it was just really special to our family,” he said. “We miss him so much. But this is a really neat thing, to honor him (here).”

Former South San players on hand were a roll call of the greats led by Gustafson, who won seven state championships with the Bobcats:

# Tony Zamora, who played on the coach’s first South San team in 1955. Pitchers Bobby Lara and Robert Zamora, who starred for state title teams in the late 1950s and early ’60s.

# Plus, standouts on the 1967 state champions who went undefeated: among them, Nati Salazar, John Langerhans, Mike Markl, Casey Sanchez, Frank Tondre, Raul Zamora and Lucio Leal.

Under Gustafson, the Bobcats posted a 344-85-5 record in 13 seasons, according to an article penned by veteran sportswriter David Flores for Kens5.com.

They also won district 12 titles, advanced to the Class 3A state tournament nine times and brought home state championships in ’58, ’59, ’61, ’63, ’64, ’66 and ’67. Gustafson’s last team, in ’67, finished 39-0.

Former Baylor University standouut Raul Zamora, the youngest of four Zamora brothers who attended South San, worked to organize the search for former players so they would know about the event. Some were easy to find because they had attended past reunions.

Others, not so much.

“The hard part I had was, I had to start from 1955,” said Raul Zamora, a 1968 South San grad. “I’m glad my brother Tony was on that team, and then (brother) Robert was right in the middle, so I was able to work both ways to see how many of the players we could find.”

Some of the greats of the game in San Antonio were not on social media, so it was a challenge to locate them

“One of the problems with the (1950s-era players) was, they’re in their 80s,” Zamora said. “They don’t do Facebook.They still play checkers. So in their mind they had to go back in their little black books and find who was on the team, and not only a phone number, but where they lived.

“Because, one thing I personally did, I went out looking for some of these guys. The (phone) numbers didn’t work. ‘But he lives over here, off this street.’ So I’d go knocking … and one led to another, to another and another.”

For the most part, Gustafson has been remembered since his passing for his career at the University of Texas, one of the most high-profile jobs in college baseball.

He worked 29 seasons for the Longhorns, and he won 22 Southwest Conference titles, two national titles and coached headline players such as Roger Clemens and Greg Swindell.

Not quite as much emphasis has been placed on the job that kick-started Gustafson’s career. At South San, the Harlandale High School grad was known as a program-builder.

Building on foundations of youth development established by coaches Mel Barborak and Jim Heiser, Gustafson and South San basketball coach Jimmy Littleton worked in tandem to perfect the system, one former player said.

“When I was coaching (basketball) at Lee (High School), I used the phrase — and I’m sure I heard it here — ‘If ya’ll don’t do it right, we’ll be here ’til dark-thirty,’ ” 1962 South San grad Newton Grimes said. “Well, that came from my upbringing right here.

“We worked. I mean, we out-worked people.

“Yes, the coaching had a lot to do (with the success on the field), but it takes a lot of good things going on (at the same time). You had a program started, (and) they came in and took over. And they took it to the limit.”

At the high school level, many elements enter into the picture of championship programs. A disciplined approach is one. But compassion also plays a part in it. For instance, during the 1966 playoffs, the father of the team’s star pitcher passed away.

Nati Salazar was crushed.

The personal loss to his family was devastating. Add in the financial issues, and it didn’t bode well for the Bobcats. Salazar decided he wanted to pitch anyway, to honor his father, who worked as a bricklayer.

With Salazar on the mound for key games down the stretch, the Bobcats won the sixth of their seven championships,

“Gus gave me a ball (signed by all the players), and they dedicated the game to my dad,” the 1967 South San grad said, his voice cracking with emotion. “He signed, in memory of my dad. I still have it.”

Lucio Leal, a 1968 graduate, said the keys to Gustafson’s title teams in 1966 and 1967 were outstanding talent and “a really tight” group of players who played together from an early age.

He said he thinks he was about 10-years-old when he first got to know the coach.

“My parents had a house across the street from the ballpark,” Leal explained. “So as little kids, we were chasing balls, keeping score, being bat boy. What was really neat was, after we got through chasing balls, or whatever, coach would give us a broken bat or a baseball, something like that.”

From a young age, players were versed in the fundamentals because of offseason games in the neighborhood that were organized through the high school coaching staff.

As the athletes reached high school, the best of them went into American Legion ball. In that regard, Lucio said he and a group of friends went to a tournament in Nashville in the summer of 1965, before their 10th-grade season in high school.

By the time they were upperclassmen, the shared experience of playing together in the modest, blue-collar neighborhood, eating at one another’s homes, taking long bus rides together — paid off.

The ’66 team won its last six games before the ’67 club added 39 more, sending Gustafson off to coach the Longhorns, having won 45 in a row.

“We just had this close-knit team and had been playing for years together,” Leal said. “That’s why we were so dang good. No one could beat us. I didn’t care — (Class) 4A, 3A — we were just unstoppable.”

UTSA prepares to face the Utah Utes tonight in Salt Lake City

The UTSA Roadrunners will continue their two-game road swing through the Mountain Time Zone tonight when they play the Utah Utes of the Pac-12 Conference in Salt Lake City. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. (Central time) at the Huntsman Center.

The Roadrunners are 5-4 on the season, but they’ve lost three of their last four games and they’re 0-2 on the road, including a 94-76 loss on Saturday to the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque.

The Utes, listed at No. 17 nationally in the NCAA’s NET rankings, are similar in strength to the Lobos.

They’re off to a fast start, 8-2 on the season and 6-1 at home, to open their second campaign under Coach Craig Smith. Additionally, they’re 2-0 in the Pac-12 after scoring recent victories over fourth-ranked Arizona at home and Washington State on the road.

Barring a run to the NCAA tournament, the Utah game will be the only matchup this season for UTSA against a team from a Power Five conference. UTSA is a 0-24 against teams from the Pac-12, the Big 12, the Big Ten, the Southeastern Conference or the Atlantic Coast Conference over the past 13 seasons.

The last time UTSA beat a P5? It was in November of 2009 when the Roadrunners traveled to defeat the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, 62-50, in Iowa City. At the time, UTSA played in the Southland Conference under coach Brooks Thompson.

UTSA, now under Coach Steve Henson in Conference USA, schedules teams from the power leagues for revenue.

The Roadrunners will collect a sizeable check for playing the game at Utah. This time, Henson also would love to bring home a victory. He is 0-12 against the P5 in his six previous seasons at UTSA.

Teams in the P5 leagues reap huge amounts of football-related television revenue, and UTSA rarely gets to play them at home.

In fact, during the 24-game losing streak, the Roadrunners have played only one of those games in San Antonio. They were able to schedule a game early in the 2018-19 season on campus in the Convocation Center against Oklahoma but lost that contest, 87-67, to the Sooners.

Coming up

UTSA at Utah, 8 tonight, in Salt Lake City. After returning home Wednesday, the Roadrunners will have a few days to prepare before hosting Bethune-Cookman on Sunday. The game is UTSA’s last in non conference. Conference USA play commences on Dec. 22, when the Roadrunners host the North Texas Mean Green.

Records

UTSA 5-4
Utah 8-2

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Prairie View A&M and its big-guard tandem to challenge the UTSA Roadrunners

Jacob Germany celebrates as time runs out. UTSA beat Texas State 61-56 in men's basketball on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jacob Germany and the UTSA Roadrunners will try to build on momentum as they host the Prairie View A&M Panthers tonight at the Convocation Center. UTSA had its best game of the season last Thursday night in downing the Texas State Bobcats. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Prairie View A&M Panthers will call on a couple of talented big guards to test the improving UTSA Roadrunners tonight.

Six-foot-five Will Douglas and 6-3 Jeremiah Gambrell will lead the Panthers (3-1) against the Roadrunners (3-1) at the UTSA Convocation Center. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

A week ago today, the two players with a combined 174 games of experience in NCAA Division I basketball paced Prairie View of the Southwestern Athletic Conference to a 70-59 victory on its home court over the Washington State Cougars.

Douglas, a Prairie View newcomer this season, exploded for 26 points and seven rebounds against the Cougars of the Pac-12. Gambrell scored 19.

Earlier, Washington State had downed the Texas State Bobcats, 83-61, on its home court in Pullman, Wash.

By extended comparison, UTSA played its best game of the season last Thursday in knocking off the Bobcats, 61-56, at the Convocation Center.

Against the Bobcats, the challenge for UTSA was to slow down 5-foot-9 Mason Harrell. Harrell scored 20 on the Roadrunners, but a 2-3 zone defense limited most of the rest of the Texas State offensive threats.

In the meantime, UTSA guards Japhet Medor and John Buggs combined for 29 points to lead the victory.

While Medor and Buggs aren’t the biggest guards in NCAA Division I and may not match up well in size compared to most players they’ll see this season — such as Douglas and Gambrell — they’re showing the ability to play at a high level.

In addition, 6-foot-5 UTSA freshman D.J. Richards is also coming along and gaining more confidence, giving the Roadrunners a chance to grow their offensive capabilities with three unique talents.

Medor is a slasher on the dribble, while Buggs and Richards are two quick-release, 3-point shooting threats.

Lately, Medor is the Roadrunners’ biggest problem for opponents. His quickness is hard to defend, even with help.

The Bobcats couldn’t stay in front of him at the end of a closely-contested game, and UTSA ended up winning by five.

UTSA coach Steve Henson applauded Medor for taking what the Bobcats’ defense was giving him. As the game progressed, Texas State’s defense kept extending, putting more pressure on the perimeter.

“Late in the game, it was super-extended and taking away passes,” Henson said. “When Japhet did beat his own guy, there wasn’t much help (to slow him) from getting to the rim, and we needed that. I wish we had two or three guys who could do that.

“We put (Christian) Tucker in there a little in the first half, because he’s a guy that can give us a little penetration. That’s key. They took us out of our stuff. They manhandled us out on the perimeter.

“You just got to get by your guy, which is what Japhet did, and he converted.”

Defending against Douglas and Gambrell could pose problems for the Roadrunners.

Not only is Douglas talented, he’s also experienced. The Memphis native has played in 102 games in his career, including 72 at SMU over four years from 2017-18 to 2020-21. At Prairie View, he played in 26 last season and in four in this, his sixth season as a collegian. Douglas is averaging 19.8 points on 52 percent shooting from the field.

In addition, he’s one of the Panthers’ best rebounders, averaging 5.5. Gambrell, with 72 games of experience in Division I, also brings experience. The Houston native is a fifth-year player, having spent two years at Western Kentucky and the past three at Prairie View. He’s averaging 13 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Coming up

Prairie View A&M at UTSA, tonight at 7, at the UTSA Convocation Center. The Roadrunners host the 210 San Antonio Shootout this weekend. They’ll play Grambling State on Friday night (at 7:30), followed by games against Dartmouth on Sunday (7:30) and Incarnate Word on Monday (6:30).

Records

UTSA (3-1)
Prairie View A&M (3-1)

San Antonio Missions announce local ownership group

Reid Ryan. The San Antonio Missions announced their new ownership group on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Reid Ryan, the son of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, will oversee San Antonio Missions baseball operations. Ryan addressed the media at a Wolff Stadium news conference on Thursday – Photo by Joe Alexander

The San Antonio Missions baseball team on Thursday morning unveiled its first local ownership group in almost 40 years, a transaction hailed as one that would secure the franchise’s future in the Alamo City.

The Missions of the Double-A Texas League will continue to play at Wolff Stadium, but it has also been widely speculated that a new downtown facility and the potential for a move back to Triple-A could be on the horizon.

Designated Bidders LLC, a group formed by local business executives, has agreed to acquire the Missions from long-time franchise owner Dave Elmore and the Elmore Sports Group, the ball club announced.

The price tag for the franchise was reported at $29 million by Baseball Digest.

For the first time since the late Tom Turner Sr. owned the franchise from 1979-86, the Missions will operate under local ownership. Elmore, a California-based travel industry executive, purchased the franchise in 1987 and ran it for 34 years starting in the summer of 1988.

Principals in Designated Bidders include attorney Bruce Hill; Randy Smith and Graham Weston of Weston Urban; local entrepreneur Bob Cohen of Bob Cohen Strategies and Peter J. Holt, the chairman of Spurs Sports & Entertainment. SS&E operates the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.

Ryan Sanders Baseball, owned by the families of baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, CEO Reid Ryan, and Don Sanders, will join Designated Bidders as owners and operators of the Missions.

Reid Ryan, the son of the former major league pitching great, will oversee a Missions front-office that will include longtime team president Burl Yarbrough and his staff.

Local elected officials hailed the ownership transaction at a news conference near home plate at Wolff Stadium, the team’s home field since 1994.

“This is a long-time coming,” said outgoing Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the stadium’s namesake. “I’m glad to see it did get done before the year was over. It’s something a number of us have pushed for, for a long time. To get fan support, do the right thing for baseball, you need local ownership, people that have given back to the community.

“We’ve got a great ownership group, every one of them. Every one of them have made contributions to the community. I think they’re well respected. That’s what it takes to build a successful franchise.”

Ryan Sanders Baseball has long been recognized as a leader in minor league sports.

The group founded the Round Rock Express and built Dell Diamond in 2000. It also founded the Corpus Christi Hooks and developed Whataburger Field in 2005. Both Reid and Nolan Ryan have extensive experience with MLB. Nolan Ryan served as the Texas Rangers’ CEO from 2008-13 and Reid Ryan worked as the Houston Astros’ president of business operations from 2013-19.

The Missions first played in 1888. A franchise that has produced the likes of Brooks Robinson, Billy Williams, Joe Morgan, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, Mike Piazza and Pedro Martinez has been a Double-A team for most of that time.

In 2019, they played one season in Triple A in the Pacific Coast League, followed by the next season when they were forced to suspend operations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the pandemic subsided, the Missions returned to play in 2021 at the Double-A level, having to make a move down in the wake of a new agreement between minor and major league baseball. Concerns about an aging stadium that didn’t meet new specifications were cited as a factor.

The Missions are an affiliate of major league baseball’s San Diego Padres.

Smith talked to reporters after making opening remarks and fielded questions about the possibility of a new stadium.

In addressing reporters, Smith said stadium planning will be a focus of the new group in coming months. Asked how much land it would take, he cautioned that “there has been no site selected.”

“There is no plan,” he added. “The plan has strictly been, let’s have local ownership. That is the only way this will stay in San Antonio long term. So that was step one.

“A fully developed plan for a ballpark is definitely next on the agenda, and to answer your question around how many acres are required, is kind of like asking how long is a rope.”

In discussing site evaluation, Smith referenced Southwest University Park in El Paso.

“The smallest site for a new ballpark is actually kind of amazing,” he said. “It’s in El Paso, home of the Chihuahuas, and it sits on just over five acres. But that is five acres shaped by the hand of God himself.”

Southwest University Park opened in 2014. It cost a reported $72 million. Smith said El Paso’s tract of land was “the perfect shape for a ballpark.”

“Most new ballparks range between seven and eight acres,” he said. “But it’s far more about the dimension. There’s an optimal orientation for a ballpark. You can have a 10-acre site that doesn’t work and a five-acre site that’s perfect.”

UTSA women picked ninth in preseason C-USA basketball poll

UTSA has been picked to finish ninth in Conference USA women’s basketball, according to the conference’s preseason poll announced Thursday.

Jordyn Jenkins at UTSA women's basketball practice at the Convocation Center on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander

Newcomer Jordyn Jenkins leads UTSA into a regular-season opener at Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 7. Jenkins has been named to the preseason all-Conference USA squad. – photo by Joe Alexander

Roadrunners forward Jordyn Jenkins, a transfer from Southern Cal, has been named to the preseason all-conference squad.

According to the poll, which has been released out of the C-USA office, Middle Tennessee State has been picked to win the title, followed by Louisiana Tech and Charlotte.

The projected order of finish is as follows, with first place votes in parentheses and total points:

1. Middle Tennessee (9) 118
2. LA Tech 104
3. Charlotte (2) 95
4. Rice 77
5. North Texas 75
6. WKU 66
7. UAB 58
8. UTEP 43
9. UTSA 36
10. FIU 34
11. Florida Atlantic 20

Preseason Player of the Year

Keiunna Walker, LA Tech

All-Conference

Mikayla Boykin, Charlotte, senior guard
Jada McMillian, Charlotte, senior guard
Anna Larr Roberson, LA Tech, junior forward
Keiunna Walker, LA Tech, senior guard
Kseniya Malashka, Middle Tennessee, redshirt senior forward
Savannah Wheeler, Middle Tennessee, senior guard
Courtney Whitson, Middle Tennessee, senior forward
Quincy Noble, North Texas, senior guard
Ashlee Austin, Rice, senior forward
Jordyn Jenkins, UTSA, junior forward

UTSA’s Medor bolsters his career through support from a big family

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

On the court, UTSA senior Japhet Medor likes to consider himself as a pass-first point guard, a distributor of the basketball. A team player. First and foremost, he wants to win and to see his teammates, his brothers, have fun.

1 Japhet Medor UTSA basketball at photo day on Sept. 22, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Japhet Medor is preparing to make his NCAA Division I debut with the UTSA Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Off the court, he’s a businessman, promoting his own clothing line, the “Top Floor Boyz.”

But perhaps more to the point of his own identity, Medor is a family man. As the youngest of seven siblings, he expresses gratitude for the guidance of his parents and all of his real-life brothers and a sister, who always provided him with a safe haven.

“It was like, for me, being around them, they’ve been in the same situations I’ve been in,” said Medor, 23, from Wellington, Fla. “A lot of them played sports and a lot — well, all of them — own a business for themselves.

“So just being able to pick their brain and know what and what not to do, growing up, was good. It was good for me. When there’s a hurricane day, you get to have fun with your family (and) stay in.”

Medor has always looked up to hoops icons like Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry.

But, his career as a ball player all started with his sister, Vanessa, and his brothers, including Chris, Evens, Greg, Fred and Dean, all of them supplying him with the steady encouragement that he needed.

“My older brother (Greg) was definitely my mentor. (He) trains me, coaches me,” Medor said. “He always helps me out. My other brothers, they always pick my game apart. Like, if I’m playing, they’ll tell me what I’m doing wrong. (They’ll say) what I’m not doing right.”

By all accounts, the UTSA newcomer is getting it right on a pretty consistent basis in his first year of NCAA Division I. Chris, Evens, Greg and the others in the Medor clan should really have few worries about the baby of the family.

In fact, Medor is pushing during fall camp practices to become the Roadrunners’ starting point guard when the season opens in a few weeks.

UTSA coach Steve Henson has been happy with his progress since the summer. On Thursday, during a fast-paced practice that included about an hour of five-on-five, the 6-foot playmaker stood out as perhaps the best player on the floor at the Convocation Center.

“Today, I thought Japhet just had a different explosiveness about him,” Henson said. “I thought he had an extra gear today.”

It’s been a long, long journey through the basketball landscape for Medor, who was one of the nation’s top scorers and assist men in junior college last year at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla.

All told, the 2018 graduate of Lake Worth High School spent one year in prep school and three in community colleges, toiling away to make a name for himself.

Now, with the season set to start Nov. 2 in an exhibition against Schreiner and then a Nov. 7 home opener against Trinity, Medor is on the verge of realizing his dream. He’ll be a Division I point guard. Is he feeling the adrenaline? You better believe it.

But in keeping with his personality, he steers the conversation away from his own feelings and talks instead about his teammates. About the team’s dreams.

“With the feeling we have (on) the team right now … the coaching staff and the players, it’s got us fueled up and excited for the season,” Medor said. “Just seeing what everyone is doing right now (in practice), it’s amazing what we can put together.”

Medor is expected to set the tempo for UTSA’s attack with his speed.

“He sees the game and feels it,” Roadrunners associate head coach Mike Peck said. “He really wants to try to set up his teammates (by) hitting the open guy. He sees things before they happen sometimes. He makes plays for other players. Puts shooters in position to … catch and shoot. Which is huge for us. He’s been great in that regard.

“We knew he was fast. But when you see it up close and in person when you’re on the floor with him, it’s at a different level.”

UTSA coaches have also talked during the fall about the maturity and leadership that transfer guards such as John Buggs III and Medor will bring to the program. Peck said Medor’s maturity likely stems from the player’s close-knit family, but also from traveling a hard road to Division I.

“He spent three years at the junior college level,” Peck said. “So, he’s seen some things and dealt with some things … He’s gone through the junior college route where they don’t get much. And you got to fight for everything.

“Coming here and having the resources, I think he has an appreciation for that, and that just adds to his maturity.”

UTSA assistant coach Scott Thompson made the initial contact with Medor last spring. Peck followed up with a visit and started to push to get him on the team as soon as possible. According to reports, he picked UTSA over Valparaiso, Stetson, Fordham and a few others.

Just as Medor made a careful decision on where to attend school this fall, he’s also wise to the world, Peck said.

“He’s definitely got that free-enterprise mindset,” the coach said. “He likes fashion and what’s trendy. He’s tuned into that, like a lot of kids. But even more so with him.”

Medor said he and a friend started the Top Floor Boyz business through a casual conversation a few years ago.

“Like, when we were around each other, we’d always say (it), Top Floor Boyz,” he said. “About 2018, we started an LLC for it, and we started pushing it. Wherever I go, I’ll wear Top Floor Boyz. I’ll push it. I’ll wear my own brand. Stuff like that.”

Medor is also expected to push the pace for the Roadrunners’ offense. Combined with Christian Tucker, the UTSA attack will have two problems for which opposing defenses will need to contend.

In Medor, the Roadrunners have a player who knew from an early age how he wanted to play the game. He was a teammate in high shool with Trent Frazier, a former star at the University of Illinois.

Watching Frazier helped Medor understand how much impact he could have on a game just by hitting the open man with a sweet pass.

“It’s an exciting feeling,”he said. “Just seeing your team happy and working with you. To get a stop on defense and go down to the other end … It just feels good with everyone playing together. You want everyone playing together and being happy together.”

Sudden impact — San Antonio’s Josh Jung homers in MLB debut

San Antonio native and Texas Rangers rookie Josh Jung on Friday made his first at-bat in the major leagues a memorable one, belting a home run over the left field wall in Arlington.

Jung, formerly of San Antonio MacArthur High School and Texas Tech University, led off the third inning in a home game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

He ripped an 0-2 offering from Texas A&M-ex Ross Stripling 388 feet into the seats just beyond the wall at Globe Life Field.

With the blast, Jung became just the second player in the history of the Rangers to homer in his first trip to the plate. He followed Jurickson Profar, who did it in 2012 in a game at Cleveland, according to Kennedi Landry of mlb.com.

In the end, the Blue Jays won, 4-3. The Rangers rallied from a three run deficit to tie it, 3-3. The Blue Jays scored in the top of the ninth to take the lead.

With a runner on first in the bottom of the ninth, Jung struck out swinging against Jordan Romano to end the game. For the night, he went 2 for 4 with a homer, a single and a stolen base.

San Antonio’s Josh Jung expected to make MLB debut with the Texas Rangers on Friday

San Antonio native Josh Jung is being called up to play for the Texas Rangers, media outlets covering the franchise reported Wednesday. The Rangers’ first-round draft pick in 2019 is expected to make his debut on Friday.

Jung played in high school at MacArthur in the North East Independent School District. He was a four-time all-district honoree, a three-time all-region winner and three-time all-state through the 2016 season.

With his promotion from Triple-A Round Rock to the Rangers, Jung follows two other MacArthur baseball legends into the major leagues — catchers Jerry Grote and John Gibbons.

Grote caught Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan and won a World Series with the Mets in 1969. Gibbons also played for the Mets and managed the Blue Jays. Another San Antonian, Odie Davis, briefly played shortstop for the Rangers in 1980.

Armed with a powerful batting stroke and agility in the field, Jung established himself in college as one of the top infielders in the history of Texas Tech University. He hit .306, .392 and .343 in his three seasons in Lubbock, leading the Red Raiders to the College World Series as a junior in 2019.

As a result, the Rangers made him the No. 8 overall selection in the baseball draft that summer. In the minor leagues, Jung dominated at the plate with a batting average of .311, an on-base percentage of .381 and a slugging percentage of .538.

He produced 30 home runs and 118 RBIs in 153 games covering the 2019, 2021 and 2022 seasons. Baseball wasn’t played in the minors in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jung is expected to play third base and perhaps some at first with the Rangers. He’s expected to make his debut on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rangers will host the Blue Jays in Arlington from Friday through Sunday.

Since the end of last season, speculation swirled that Jung would be a candidate to make the major leagues at some point in 2022.

Those plans were altered slightly when he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder during spring training.

His season started July 28 when he was sent to the Arizona Complex League on a rehabilitation assignment. By Aug. 9, he joined the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.

Jung has looked good at the plate in Triple-A, hitting .274, with a .317 on-base percentage. His slugging percentage was .526. He homered six times and drove in 24 runs in 31 games.

It’s been a big year for the Jung family. Earlier this summer, Josh’s younger brother, Jace Jung, was picked 12th overall on the first round of the draft by the Detroit Tigers. He is playing in the minor leagues in High Class A for the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Jace Jung also played in high school at MacArthur and in college at Texas Tech. While Josh Jung hits from the right side, Jace Jung bats lefty. He, too, hits for power. Both throw right-handed.