Final Four bound: Walter Clayton Jr. sparks Florida’s rally past Texas Tech, 84-79

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Guard Walter Clayton Jr. ignited a comeback in the last six minutes Saturday to rally the top-seeded Florida Gators past the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 84-79, to earn a trip to the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.

After the No. 3 Red Raiders took a 71-61 lead with 6:18 remaining, Clayton seized control of the game, scoring 13 of his game-high 30 points to carry the Gators to the West regional title and their first Final Four in 11 years.

Texas Tech contributed to its own demise in a couple of crucial sequences with less than three minutes remaining. Leading by six, the Red Raiders missed the front end of one-and-one free-throw situations twice within a span of 35 seconds.

The Gators capitalized both times with three-point baskets on the other end. The first one, by forward Thomas Haugh, brought Florida to within three with 2:27 remaining. The second, by Clayton, tied the game 75-75 at the 1:47 mark.

After Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams scored inside to push the Red Raiders into a two-point lead, Clayton responded with a three as Florida took a 79-78 lead with 59 seconds left and never relinquished it.

Clayton started the game slowly but gradually got himself into it by driving and drawing contact and then knocking down free throws. He hit 13 of 14 at the line for the game. Haugh produced 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

At 6-foot-9, he was hard to guard on the perimeter, knocking down four of six from beyond the arc.

For the Red Raiders, Williams led the way with 23 points, five rebounds and three steals. Forward JT Toppin, the Big 12 Player of the Year, had 20 points and 11 rebounds. But in one of the keys to the game, the Gators made Toppin work, limiting him to nine of 22 shooting.

First half

In the last few minutes of the half, Florida stepped up its defense on one end and pushed the pace on the other, taking a 40-37 lead at intermission.

Averaging 85 points per game for the season, a quicker pace is definitely in the Gators’ favor. In the late run against the Red Raiders, guard Walter Clayton Jr. took advantage of it with three buckets.

Thomas Haugh was good throughout the first 20 minutes with 12 points and six rebounds.

For the Red Raiders, forward Darrion Williams finished the half with 10. JT Toppin, the Big 12 Player of the Year, scored nine. Both of them struggled against the Gators’ length, shooting only four of 10 apiece.

Chance McMillian, the Red Raiders’ third-leading scorer, returned to play after sitting out since March 13. He had seven points off the bench.

Records

Texas Tech 28-9
Florida 34-4

Coming up

Florida vs. Auburn or Michigan State in the national semifinals, April 5, in San Antonio

Road to the Elite Eight

Third-seeded Texas Tech: Opened the tournament with an 82-72 victory over 14 seed UNC Wilmington. Next, downed No. 11 Drake, 77-64, to advance to the second weekend. On Thursday night in San Francisco, rallied to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks 85-83 in overtime.

Top-seeded Florida: Routed 16th-seeded Norfolk State, 95-69. Edged defending national champion and No. 8 Connecticut, 77-75. In San Francisco, powered past No. 4 seed Maryland, 87-71.

Baseball: Roadrunners win series opener against the FAU Owls

UTSA celebrates after Caden Miller (34) hit a home run in the third inning. UTSA rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to beat Florida Atlantic 10-7 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, March 28, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA celebrates after Caden Miller (34) hits a home run in the third inning of a 10-7 victory over the Florida Atlantic University Owls. UTSA rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win the opener of a three-game series at Roadrunner Field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Freshman Caden Miller collected two hits, drove in four runs and bashed his sixth homer of the season Friday as UTSA rallied for a 10-7 victory over the Florida Atlantic University Owls at Roadrunner Field.

Falling behind 5-1 after two innings and trailing 6-3 entering their at bat in the bottom of the fourth, the Roadrunners kept battling and pulled out the victory in the first game of a three-game series against the Owls.

Andrew Stucky celebrates after scoring to cut FAU's lead to 6-5 in the sixth inning. UTSA rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to beat Florida Atlantic 10-7 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, March 28, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Andrew Stucky shows his emotions after scoring to cut FAU’s lead to 6-5 in the sixth inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s first home series in AAC play will continue with Game Two on Saturday at 4 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at noon.

Miller had a big day offensively and did a little of everything to help the team win. In the first inning, he was hit by a pitch and scored. In the third, he belted a two-run homer to trim FAU’s lead to 5-3.

He struck out looking in the fourth, but in the sixth, he roped a two-run double that highlighted a three-run outburst, giving UTSA the lead for good, 7-6. In the eighth, he was hit by a pitch again and scored in a most unconventional way.

On first base to lead off the inning, he moved to second on Mason Lytle’s single through the left side and to third on James Taussig’s sacrifice bunt. After another walk issued by FAU pitching, the bases were loaded with Norris McClure at the plate.

During McClure’s at bat, FAU catcher Ayden Garcia received a pitch behind the plate. As he was tossing it back to relief pitcher Kide Adetyui, Miller started sprinting toward home plate.

Adetyui threw home trying to cut off the run but sailed the ball high over the catcher’s outstretched glove, allowing Miller to score easily on what was scored as a throwing error, giving UTSA a 10-7 lead.

In the top of the ninth, UTSA reliever Robert Orloski retired three straight batters to end the game. Starting pitcher Zach Royse (2-3) was credited with the victory despite allowing six runs in six innings. Orloski worked the final 2 and 2/3 innings for the save.

Nathan Hodge. UTSA rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to beat Florida Atlantic 10-7 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, March 28, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA third baseman Nathan Hodge makes a play in the field during UTSA’s 10-7 victory over the FAU Owls. At the plate, Hodge walked twice and scored twice. — Photo by Joe Alexander

FAU reliever Steven Andrews (2-1) took the loss.

Marshall Lypsey highlighted FAU’s five-run second inning with a grand slam off Royse. Patrick Ward added a solo homer for the Owls in the eighth off Orloski. The Owls out-hit the Roadrunners, 10-7, with Lypsey, Ward and Brando Leroux getting two apiece.

Records

FAU 19-7, 2-2
UTSA 21-7, 3-1

Coming up

FAU at UTSA, Saturday, 4 p.m.
FAU at UTSA, Sunday, noon

Notable

With Miller’s two hits in three at bats, he raised his average to .322. UTSA freshman Jordan Ballin hiked his average to .357 with a two-for-three performance. He had RBI singles in the sixth and seventh innings.

Houston holds off Purdue 62-60 in the NCAA round of 16

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

On a perfectly-executed inbounds play, guard Milos Uzan hit a layup with less than a second remaining Friday to lift the top-seeded Houston Cougars to a 62-60 victory over the No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers in an NCAA Sweet 16 game at Indianapolis.

The Cougars’ 16th straight victory boosted them into the Elite Eight round of the tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Big 12 champion Houston (33-4) will play the Southeastern Conference’s Tennessee Volunteers (30-7) on Sunday afternoon for the Midwest regional title and a trip to the Final Four in San Antonio next week.

Second-seeded Tennessee advanced by defeating No. 3 Kentucky 78-65 earlier in the afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Elite Eight matchups

Saturday
Florida vs. Texas Tech, 5 p.m. on TBS/TruTV
Duke vs. Alabama, 7:30 p.m. on TBS/TruTV

Sunday
Houston vs. Tennessee, Sunday, 1:20 p.m. on CBS
Auburn vs. Michigan State, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. on CBS

A riveting finish

In a riveting finish, the Boilermakers manufactured a 14-4 run, erased a 10-point deficit and tied the game when Camden Heide made a three-pointer out of the corner with 35 seconds remaining.

Houston brought the ball up court and put in the hands of Milos Uzan, who had the hot offensive hand all night for the Cougars. After making contact with a Boilermakers defender, he hoisted a shot that went off the rim.

Joseph Tugler tried unsuccessfully to tip it in but he, too, missed and the ball went out of bounds.

On the ensuing inbounds, Uzan tossed it to Tugler, who executed perfectly and bounced it back to Uzan who was wide open for the winning layup that came with less than a second remaining.

On one last desperation play, Purdue threw it out to halfcourt and misfired from 45 feet to end the game.

Uzan, a transfer from Nevada, led the Cougars with 22 points and six assists. His production offset a poor shooting night by L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, who together combined for seven of 27 shooting from the field.

Forward J’Wan Roberts hauled in 12 rebounds to pace a strong attack on the glass for the Cougars, who out-boarded the Boilermakers 38-29, including 16-7 on the offensive glass.

The extra possessions allowed Houston to take 61 shots from the field and make 23 of them. Purdue was 21 for 52 afield. Uzan was on fire from the three-point line, making six of nine.

Fletcher Loyer led the Boilermakers with 16 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14.

Sweet 16 thriller: Texas Tech rallies to beat Arkansas in overtime

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Texas Tech Red Raiders rallied from a 16-point, second-half deficit to tie the game in regulation and then defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 85-83 in overtime Thursday night in the NCAA Sweet 16.

North Texas coach Grant McCasland. North Texas beat UTSA 59-48 on Thursday, March 3, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Grant McCasland, shown here coaching North Texas in a game at UTSA in 2022, has led the Texas Tech Red Raiders to within one victory of a trip to the Final Four – File photo by Joe Alexander

With the win, the third-seeded Red Raiders moved into the Elite Eight round of the tournament against the No. 1 Florida Gators in the West Regional.

Tech will play Florida on Saturday in San Francisco, with the winner earning a ticket to the Final Four in San Antonio next week. Florida advanced by beating fifth-seeded Maryland 87-71 earlier in the afternoon.

Freshman Christian Anderson scored 22 points, and Darrion Williams and J.T. Toppin added 20 each for the Red Raiders. Williams, from nearby Sacramento, hit a game-tying three at the end of regulation and then hit the game-winner with about seven seconds left in OT.

Johnell Davis led the Razorbacks with a season-high 30 points.

The 10th-seeded Razorbacks, led by veteran coach John Calipari, played well for about 30 minutes and appeared poised to pull off their third upset of the tournament. When Billy Richmond III hit a driving layup with 10:23 remaining, Arkansas held a 61-45 lead.

From there, the Grant McCasland-coached Red Raiders started to do the little things, getting loose balls and offensive rebounds and grinding their way back into the game. Pretty soon, they generated momentum and started raining three-point shots, and the momentum shifted.

Anderson knocked down three of the long distance shots in a three-minute sequence at the end of regulation, the first coming at the 4:21 mark and the third at 1:07 to make it a three-point game. With nine seconds left, Williams nailed a three from the right wing to tie the score at 72-72.

In the overtime, Williams was fouled with 2:23 remaining and buried two free throws, boosting Tech into a 79-78 lead. The Red Raiders would never trail again. In the final 1:41, Toppin knocked down two baskets, which were answered by buckets from Arkansas’ Trevon Brazile and D.J. Wagner.

Wagner’s layup tied the game 73-73 with 34 seconds remaining. At the end, Williams backed down a defender and hit a shot from close range with seven seconds left for the game winner.

Records

Arkansas 22-14
Texas Tech 28-8

Notable

Texas Tech has reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019, when the program made it to the Final Four and the championship game under former Coach Chris Beard. Last season, in McCasland’s first as coach, the Red Raiders made the tournament but were eliminated in the round of 64.

Quotable

“In the huddle, coach said, ‘We’re going to find a way to win this no matter how much we’re down.’ I think (we were down) 16 with 10 minutes left or something. As a team, we had that look. We’re not losing this game no matter what, no matter if it’s defensive, offensive rebounds. We’ve got to get defensive rebounds, steals. We had to find a way to make it happen. And at the end we did, so that was it.” – Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson

Texans in Major League Baseball: From Spencer Arrighetti to Connor Wong and in between

Bryce Miller from New Braunfels and Texas A&M started on the mound for the Brazos Valley Bombers and pitched three scoreless innings against the Flying Chanclas on Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander

Bryce Miller, from New Braunfels and Texas A&M, pitched in the Texas Collegiate League during the summer of 2020 – File photo by Joe Alexander

Update: Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, a Houston native and former player for Nacogdoches Central High School, is expected to start the season on the injured list.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Opening Day is here.

Well, sort of. While the defending world champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs have already played a couple of games in Japan, most of the rest of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams will get underway on Thursday.

In keeping with tradition, The JB Replay has compiled a list of players from Texas high schools or colleges, or both, who are expected to be on active rosters.

The list is likely not all-inclusive, but I’ve done my best to comb through recent reports in mlb.com and other outlets, to get the latest on player movement, transactions and injuries.

The goal is to identify Texans in MLB that you may have seen honing their skills around the state during their formative years.

Some players, such as former Alamo Heights High School pitcher Forrest Whitley, are not listed below. In Whitley’s case, he’s apparently not ready physically, but it sounds as if he’ll be returning to the Houston Astros eventually.

So, when new information on any player returning to an active roster comes to light, I’ll try to add those guys when it happens. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve got:

Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros pitcher, originally from Albuquerque N.M. and later Houston area Katy Cinco Ranch High School. Attended TCU, Navarro College and Louisiana University in Lafayette.

Luken Baker, St. Louis Cardinals utility player from Conroe Oak Ridge High School and TCU.

Anthony Banda, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher from Sinton High School and San Jacinto College

Brett Baty, New York Mets infielder from Round Rock and Lake Travis High School

Josh Bell, Washington Nationals designated hitter and first baseman from Dallas Jesuit High School

Cavan Biggio, Kansas City Royals utility player from Houston St. Thomas High School and the University of Notre Dame.

Kody Clemens, Philadelphia Phillies utility player from Houston Memorial High School and the University of Texas

Danny Coulombe, Minnesota Twins pitcher from Texas Tech

Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles outfielder from Cypress and Cy Ranch High School and Sam Houston State

Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers pitcher, Houston native from Alvin High School

Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals pitcher from Kingwood High School and Texas State University

Paul Goldschmidt, New York Yankees infielder from The Woodlands High School and Texas State

Randal Grichuk, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder from Rosenberg and Lamar Consolidated High School

Trent Grisham, New York Yankees outfielder from Richland High School

David Hamilton, Boston Red Sox infielder from San Marcos High School and the University of Texas

Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman from Tomball Conordia Lutheran HS

Jordan Hicks, San Francisco Giants pitcher from Houston Cypress Creek HS, expected to start for the Giants

Josh Jung, Texas Rangers infielder from San Antonio MacArthur High School and Texas Tech

Heston Kjerstad, Baltimore Orioles outfielder from Amarillo and the University of Arkansas

John King, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher from Sugar Land Clements HS and the University of Houston

Shea Langeliers, Oakland A’s catcher from Keller HS and Baylor University, figures to be the A’s primary catcher again this season.

Nick Lodolo, Cincinnati Reds pitcher from TCU

Hoby Milner, Texas Rangers pitcher from Fort Worth Paschal High School and the University of Texas

A.J. Minter, New York Mets pitcher from Tyler, Brook Hill School in Bullard and Texas A&M, signed with the Mets after eight seasons with the Braves.

Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners pitcher from New Braunfels High School and Texas A&M

Shelby Miller, Detroit Tigers pitcher from Round Rock and Brownwood High School

Mason Montgomery, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher from Austin and Leander High School and Texas Tech University.

Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers infielder from Midland, Keller HS and Baylor University

Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles first baseman from Frisco Wakeland High School and Sam Houston State University

Chris Paddack, Minnesota Twins starting pitcher from Cedar Park

Colin Poche, Washington Nationals pitcher from Flower Mound and Flower Mound Marcus HS, the University of Arkansas and Dallas Baptist

Ryan Pressly, Chicago Cubs pitcher from Flower Mound Marcus, traded from the Houston Astros to the Cubs in the offseason

Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher from Nacogdoches Central Heights HS

Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers catcher from Canyon and Canyon High School and Tulane University

Antonio Santillan, Cincinnati Reds pitcher from Arlington and Arlington Seguin High School

Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher from Howard College in Big Spring

Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox shortstop from Irving High School

Jose Trevino, Cincinnati Reds catcher from Corpus Christi St. John Paul II and Oral Roberts University

Jared Triolo, Pittsburgh Pirates utility player from Austin and Lake Travis High School and the University of Houston

Will Vest, Detroit Tigers pitcher from Ridge Point High School in Sienna and Stephen F. Austin State

Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher from Texas A&M

Jordan Westburg, Baltimore Orioles pitcher from New Braunfels and New Braunfels High School and Mississippi State

Hayden Wesneski, Houston Astros pitcher from Cy Fair High School and Sam Houston State University

Bobby Witt Jr, Kansas City Royals infielder from Fort Worth-area Colleyville Heritage HS

Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox catcher from Pearland High School and the University of Houston

Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins pitcher from Sugar Land Kempner

UTSA wins another wild one in the I-35 rivalry, downing Texas State, 12-9

Ty Hodge scored on a double by Drew Detlefsen in the second inning. UTSA beat Texas State 12-9 in non-conference baseball on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Ty Hodge scores on a double by Drew Detlefsen in the second inning. Detlefsen had a monster game with four hits and seven RBIs to lead the Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After UTSA gave up most of a 10-run lead and then hung on for a 12-9 victory over the rival Texas State Bobcats Tuesday night, Roadrunners coach Pat Hallmark issued a piece of advice to his players.

He gathered them on the infield and told them to make sure they enjoyed themselves after their 20th victory of the season.

“I told the guys in the little postgame meeting to celebrate,” Hallmark said. “A win’s a win, and they’re not easy to get, especially against this team, a good team right down the road. We recruit against each other. It’s a friendly rivalry, at least on the field. You know, our fans don’t like each other. But we respect those guys … So we should be really enjoying the win. You know, they scored too many (runs on us) at the end.

“But, yeah, I told ’em to get in the locker room, turn the music up and dance.”

Starting pitcher Gunnar Brown threw five scoreless innings to earn the win. UTSA beat Texas State 12-9 in non-conference baseball on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA starting pitcher Gunnar Brown threw five scoreless innings to earn the win. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Drew Detlefsen doubled three times, stroked four hits and drove in seven runs to back the pitching of UTSA teammate Gunnar Brown, who started and worked five scoreless innings.

A crowd of 1,457 packed Roadrunner Field to watch as UTSA and Texas State played for the first time this season in the Interstate 35 rivalry. In the beginning, UTSA dominated, ringing up a couple of four-run innings within the first five.

Detlefsen’s two-run double highlighted a four-run UTSA fifth that lifted the Roadrunners into a 10-0 lead.

But in keeping with what usually happens in this series involving non-conference foes separated by about 50 miles of highway in Central Texas, big leads rarely last, and Texas State rallied furiously.

The Bobcats scored three runs in the seventh inning, two in the eighth and four more in the ninth to make it a game again. Texas State’s Theo Kummer capped the ninth-inning rally with a towering three-run homer to left to make it 12-9.

After Kummer’s blast sailed high and far down the line, UTSA reliever James Hubbard stepped up to stop the rally. He closed out the game, getting Travis Bragg on a ground ball and then fanning Justin Vossos to end it.

With the victory, the Roadrunners can now claim a two-game winning streak and a 4-2 record in the last six meetings against the Bobcats. Texas State leads the more than three-decades long series 63-41, with a second matchup this season scheduled for April 29 in San Marcos.

UTSA fans can thank Detlefsen and Brown, in particular, for their overall record on the season improving to a robust 20-7.

Detlefsen, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound slugger, doubled in three straight plate appearances — in the second inning, in the fourth and again in the fifth. He also added a single in the eighth in a stunning four-for-five performance.

His first two bagger sailed to the fence in right-center, clearing the bases and bringing in three runs in a four-run rally that boosted the Roadrunners into a 5-0 lead.

Texas State starting pitcher Jackson Mayo. UTSA beat Texas State 12-9 in non-conference baseball on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Texas State starting pitcher Jackson Mayo yielded three runs, two of them earned, in one inning to take the loss. — Photo by Joe Alexander

In the fourth, he ignited a rally with another opposite-field blast and later scored on a double by James Stucky.

In the fifth, Detlefsen struck again, jerking a ball into the left field corner and driving in two more to spark another four-run inning.

Not to be outdone, his two-run single in the eighth gave him seven RBI for the night and a team-leading 44 in 27 games this season.

When Hallmark recruited the native Texan out of Dodge City (Kan.) junior college last year, he knew he had a player that would produce runs.

But even the UTSA coach is surprised at how he has excelled in his first season as an NCAA Division I player.

“It’s turning out to be a huge get (for us),” Hallmark said. “Drew can hit. We recruited him because he can hit. He has a history of hitting. He’s hitting a little better than we anticipated. Again, I know it’s not as sexy, but I’m very proud of Drew’s defense.

“He made a play Sunday (in Charlotte, N.C.) against the wall that should have been a double. And tonight, obviously, he had seven RBI. But, I’m just proud of Drew’s work ethic, things that don’t get noticed.”

Brown, a transfer from Sam Houston State, emerged as something of a revelation in the sense that he hadn’t pitched in nine days.

In making only his fifth appearance of the season and his second start, the 6-foot-4 righthander artfully mixed four pitches to shut down the Bobcats. He gave up only two hits, walked one and struck out seven in five innings.

Hallmark said he started Brown because Texas State is adept at hitting fastballs, and Brown has a variety of pitches he can throw to keep a team off balance.

The challenge was to have him ready to meet the moment as he competed against a rival and in front of a big home crowd. Hallmark liked what he saw.

“In this day and age, you see it in the big leagues, these guys just rare back and throw a pitch — cutter or fastball, or whatever,” Hallmark said. “Gunnar threw four pitches, all for strikes, based on who the hitter was and how that hitter needed to be attacked.

“He was a little bit old school, fun to watch. He used the fastball here and there. He used the changeup to the lefties, and he used the curveball and the slider to the righties. So, I enjoyed watching him. And he threw every pitch for strikes.

“It was wonderful.”

Records

Texas State 11-13
UTSA 20-7

Coming up

Florida Atlantic at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Florida Atlantic at UTSA, Saturday, 4 p.m.
Florida Atlantic at UTSA, Sunday, noon

Umpire shaken up

Home plate umpire Matthew Martinez had to leave the game after getting hit in the face mask three times in a little more than an inning, Hallmark said.

Martinez talked to both Hallmark and Texas State coach Steve Trout about his situation during a break in the action for a pitching change in the bottom of the second inning.

Texas State coach Steven Trout meets with the umpires and UTSA coach Pat Hallmark before the game. UTSA beat Texas State 12-9 in non-conference baseball on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Texas State coach Steven Trout meets with home-plate umpire Matthew Martinez before the game. In the second inning, Martinez exited the game after getting hit in the face mask three times. — Photo by Joe Alexander

“He just came to me and Coach Trout and said, ‘Hey guys, that last one that got me was the third one. He said ‘I just don’t feel like myself. If I try to go, I’m not going to give you the greatest game back here,’ and I respect that,” Hallmark said.

“You know,” the coach said, “anytime your head doesn’t feel right, you’re probably not going to be able to call 90 mph pitches ticking edges of plates. So, I hope he’s OK. But I appreciate him thinking about the quality of the game.”

After Martinez’s exit, a three-man umpiring crew became a two-man crew.

Clayton Hamm, one of the umpires in the field, took over home-plate duties for Martinez, and Matthew Hanson covered all the calls on the bases.

Hitters on a tear

UTSA entered the game with 281 hits, the most in the nation. The Roadrunners also had a .324 average, which ranked 12th in the nation and first in the American Athletic Conference.

Against the Bobcats, they went nine for 33 at the plate. Four of the hits went for doubles, including three by Detlefsen and one by Andrew Stucky, who was three for three.

The Bobcats, by contrast, have struggled at the plate. They were batting .255 coming in to Roadrunner Field. But they showed their potential with home runs by Justin Vossos, Chase Mora and Theo Kummer and two doubles by Dawson Park. For Mora, it was his 26th career home run.

Drew Detlefsen hit a three-run double in the second inning. UTSA beat Texas State 12-9 in non-conference baseball on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Drew Detlefsen had four hits and seven RBI Tuesday night, powering the UTSA Roadrunners past the Texas State Bobcats. — Photo by Joe Alexander

Competitive juices will flow as UTSA hosts Texas State in baseball on Tuesday night

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With the Texas State Bobcats set to travel to San Antonio for a meeting with the UTSA Roadrunners in baseball on Tuesday night, I knew I needed to conduct an archive search of news coverage from the last time the two old rivals played.

In the archives of The JB Replay, I found a video image that pretty much tells the story of how passionate this series has become.

It was a video (see the image above) that I shot at the end of UTSA’s 11-9 victory over Texas State at Roadrunner Field last April.

The clip shows UTSA pitcher Fischer Kingsbery, firing what appears to be a high fastball and fanning Texas State slugger August Ramirez for the last out.

As Ramirez swings and misses, the UTSA fans erupt in cheers. Kingsbery then does a spin move on the mound and pumps his fist. Suddenly, he rips the glove off his left hand and fires it at the feet of Roadrunners players streaming out of the dugout to congratulate him.

Asked immediately after the game about the show of emotion, UTSA pitcher Braylon Owens was quoted as saying, “Battle of I-35. I mean, they were chirping us. Like, their fans, they chirped us pretty good when we played at their place. We were just excited to beat ’em here.”

Almost a year has passed since that moment unfolded.

Kingsbery and Ramirez have since moved on in their baseball careers, so they won’t be on the field Tuesday night. Owens is still pitching for the Roadrunners and is pitching extremely well, but since he worked 10 innings last week, he probably won’t get into the game this time.

All that aside, it’s almost certain that fans from both schools will fill the grandstands and a highly-competitive game will break out in the 104th incarnation of the series. Texas State leads it 63-40, but the teams have split the last six meetings.

Some of those games, as the record shows, have been crazy. In 2022, for instance, the Bobcats won 14-12 in San Marcos. Seven days later, the Roadrunners flipped the script and rolled, 14-8, in San Antonio.

Last season, home runs were flying out of the park in all directions, and the Bobcats held on to win 14-13 in San Marcos, which likely explains all the emotion of the Roadrunners’ 11-9 win in the rematch.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark suggested on his Monday morning zoom conference that the high scores and wild swings in momentum in recent games can be attributed to the timing of the games between programs that play in different conferences.

With Texas State in the Sun Belt and UTSA having recently moved from Conference USA to the American, the games between the two programs separated by about 50 miles of I-35 freeway have fallen during the middle of the week.

“You’re playing a Tuesday mid-week game (and) both of us are coming off of conference weekends,” Hallmark said. “(With) three games on the weekend, you’re using a lot of front-line pitching … In other words, you’re not going to save anybody for a Tuesday game when you’re in conference.”

Consequently, Texas State and UTSA hitters in recent times might have been a little more productive in the non-conference rivalry game after seeing higher quality stuff on the weekends.

“That might be what it is,” Hallmark said. “Whether you hit a little more, or you see some more base on balls … the free pass sometimes equates into runs. Hopefully, tomorrow, we can counter some of that and at least on our end, put up some zeroes.”

Recent games at Bobcat Ballpark or at Roadrunner Field have been emotional.

It’s only natural as players often times know each other from high school competition. They know each other from summer ball. The fans from both schools show up to sit in the grandstands where school pride and good-natured smack talk, as Owens suggested last April, tends to spice the atmosphere.

Such was the case last April when Texas State fans appeared to make up at least a quarter of the more than 1,000 in attendance jammed the modest Roadrunner Field. Hallmark, from his perspective, said he tries not to let it affect him as he manages the game.

“I don’t pay too much attention to it,” he said. “I got other stuff that I need to focus on. So, whether we’re at Disch-Falk Field (in Austin) or at our own ball park, I’m pretty absorbed and try to stay absorbed in the moment, and what I need to do to help us win.”

Even if coaches in both dugouts can block out all the noise, though, they likely can’t help get a little worked up when a four- or five-run lead dissolves in a matter of minutes and the crowd noise spikes.

This morning, I suggested on the zoom conference with coach Hallmark that these games with the Bobcats are a thrill for the fans. But for the coaches, they must get a little hairy as they attempt to make decisions during big rallies one way or the other.

“You sound like my dad,” Hallmark said, agreeing with the premise. “At the end of a game, it’s 14-12. He’s all jazzed up, and I’m tired. But, yeah, I think the fans like the run production.”

Records

Texas State 11-12
UTSA 19-7

Coming up

Texas State at UTSA, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Baseball: Roadrunners win a road series in Charlotte to start conference play

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners capped a strong week of play on Sunday with a 6-5 victory on the road against the Charlotte 49ers.

Playing four road games in the past six days, they won three of them, including an 8-7 victory in 12 innings last Tuesday over the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns. They followed it up by winning two of three in Charlotte against the 49ers.

Charlotte started off strong in the first American Athletic Conference series of the season for both teams, winning 3-2 on Friday night.

Unfazed, UTSA pounded out 14 hits in a 10-3 victory on Saturday and then closed it out Sunday behind the hitting of Mason Lytle and James Taussig and the late-game, clutch pitching from Rob Orloski.

Lytle hit a two-run homer in a three-run fourth inning as the Roadrunners took the lead, 5-2. The 49ers, who have beaten the Roadrunners in conference tournament play in each of the past two seasons, kept chipping away and stayed in it until the end.

They scored two runs in the fifth inning and then added one in the eighth to tie the game when Orloski yielded a one-out, solo home run by Noah Furcht. Orloski, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Idaho, steadied himself and retired the next two batters to prevent further damage.

In the ninth, the Roadrunners took the lead for good. James Taussig rocketed a ball to the opposite field, into the left-center gap, for an RBI double. Caden Miller, who was running on the pitch, scored easily to make it 6-5.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark stayed with Orloski in the bottom half of the ninth, and the strategy paid off. The big righthander retired three straight batters to pick up the victory.

With the win, the 2023 draft pick of the Boston Red Sox improved his record to 7-0 on the season. Coming into the game in the fifth inning to relieve starter Conor Myles, Orloski battled through some control problems to finish the game.

In 4 and 2/3 innings, he yielded one run on one hit and four walks. Orloski struck out two.

Records

UTSA 19-7, 2-1
Charlotte 11-11, 1-2

Coming up

Texas State at UTSA, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Notable

In three games at Charlotte, UTSA’s Mason Lytle was tough at the plate, stroking seven hits in 15 at bats with two home runs. He had an inside-the-park homer on Friday night and then jerked one over the left field wall in Sunday’s finale for his fourth of the season. UTSA defense also showed up, committing only one error in 27 innings in the AAC series.

Baseball: Stucky, Detlefsen power UTSA past Charlotte, 10-3

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Bouncing back from a series-opening loss, the UTSA Roadrunners homered twice in a six-run third inning and downed the Charlotte 49ers 10-3 Saturday afternoon.

UTSA unleashed a 14-hit attack to back Braylon Owens’ pitching, winning its 18th game of the season and its second on the road this week.

Charlotte won a pitchers’ duel, 3-2, on Friday in the first game of American Athletic Conference play for both teams. The Roadrunners didn’t waste any time taking command of Game 2 in the three-game series. They scored three runs in the top of the first and added six more in the third.

Ty Hodge led off the third with a single to left, and Andrew Stucky followed with a two-run homer on the last pitch of the day thrown by Charlotte starter Andrew Kribbs. It was Stucky’s third home run in as many games this week.

With two outs in the inning, Detlefsen powered a ball out of the park off reliever Ed Wagner for a grand slam and a 9-0 lead.

Owens, who earned the victory at Texas in relief, worked eight innings against Charlotte, improving to 2-0 on the week and to 4-1 on the season. Owens allowed two runs on seven hits. Throwing 107 pitches, he walked only one and struck out seven.

Kribbs was charged with the loss and dropped to 1-1 on the year.

Records

UTSA 18-7, 1-1
Charlotte 11-10, 1-1

Coming up

UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, noon

Notable

Andrew Stucky is on a roll. He hit a solo home run to decide an 8-7 victory in 12 innings against Texas on Tuesday in Austin. Stucky hit another one Friday night in a 3-2 loss to Charlotte. Continuing the trend, he added his third round tripper of the week and his fourth of the season to spark a six-run inning Saturday.

Charlotte righthander Blake Gillespie shut down UTSA on Friday night. He struck out 13 in eight innings while allowing two runs on five hits. Cody Gunderson stroked four hits and homered for the 49ers. For UTSA, starter Zach Royse struck out nine in seven innings. Royse yielded three runs — two of them earned — and five hits while walking only one.

Roadrunners speedster Mason Lytle tied the game 2-2 in the top of the sixth with an inside-the-park home run. He lashed a ground ball to the right side, with the ball kicking off the second baseman’s glove. Charlotte’s right fielder, caught out of position, watched the ball roll past him and into deep right field as Lytle raced around and slid in head first for the homer. Gunderson broke the tie with a solo homer in the bottom half.

Gonzaga ends UTSA’s season with a 67-51 victory in the WBIT first round

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA’s best season in 16 years came to an end Thursday night in Spokane, Wash. Employing a stifling defense and riding the offense of fifth-year senior forward Yvonne Ejim, the home team Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the Roadrunners 67-51 in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

The Roadrunners kept the crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center quiet for only the first few minutes of the game, hitting three 3-point shots in the first five minutes and forging a 17-11 lead. After that, it was pretty much all Gonzaga the rest of the way.

Ejim, from Alberta, Canada, showed off skills on both ends of the court. Not only did she help defend UTSA standout Jordyn Jenkins on one end, she also hit 10 of 15 shots and scored 24 points on the other. Under the boards, she proved to be equally relentless, pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds.

Jenkins, the Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference, had 14 points and eight rebounds in her last game for the Roadrunners. Defended and sometimes doubled with taller players, the 6-foot redshirt senior from Renton, Wash., couldn’t get much going, finishing four of 13 from the field.

As a team, UTSA didn’t have much spark on the offensive end. The Roadrunners shot 31 percent from the field, including 27 percent in the second half. The 51 points matched the team’s effort in a 55-51 loss on opening day at Texas A&M as the lowest output of the season.

“I just thought they were a lot better than we were today,” UTSA coach Karen Aston told Neal Raphael on the team’s radio broadcast. “I thought they were tougher. Obviously their best player played really, really well and showed why she’s who she is. You know, we just didn’t have the toughness that it took to come in here and win a game on the road.

“They shot the ball really well. We had to be really, really good today to beat them on their home court and we just weren’t. I thought we hung in there as long as we could and we just couldn’t make shots. We didn’t have enough people to make shots. That’s totally what it boiled down to.”

With the victory, the 23-10 Bulldogs will move on to face the Colorado Buffaloes in the WBIT’s second round on Sunday. The loss, meanwhile, will send UTSA home with a final record of 26-5. The team won the AAC regular-season title with a 17-1 record, established a program best with 26 victories and went 13-0 at home in the Convocation Center.

Perhaps the only season in the history of women’s basketball at the school that might rival this one would be 2008-09, when the Rae Rippetoe-Blair coached Roadrunners went 24-9, won the Southland Conference title and reached the NCAA tournament, losing by five on the road in the first round to the No. 2 seed Baylor Bears.

“We had a great year,” Aston said. “Super proud of ’em. For lack of a better word, we just ran out of gas.”

Speaking on the last postgame radio broadcast of the season, Aston thanked the fans for turning out and supporting the team. The regular-season finale on March 1 set a school record with 2,500 fans on a day when the Roadrunners clinched the AAC regular-season crown outright and cut down the nets.

“It’s been a special ride,” the coach said. “I appreciate everybody that’s been a part of it. You always hate for a season to end. But I’m extremely proud of how we played.”

Records

UTSA 26-5
Gonzaga 23-10

Notable

UTSA played without guard Aysia Proctor, a key contributor in the Roadrunners’ drive to the AAC title. Proctor, a sophomore from Clemens, averaged 4.5 points in 20 minutes per game off the bench this season. Meanwhile, for Gonzaga, the season continues Sunday with a second-round meeting against the Colorado Buffaloes. Colorado advanced with a 73-41 victory over Southeastern Louisiana.

Individuals

UTSA – Outside of Jenkins, guard Sidney Love emerged as the only other player who made much of an impact on the offensive end. Love produced 15 points, three rebounds and two assists. Love hit five of 12 shots from the field and five of seven at the line. Forward Idara Udo started off well, scoring seven in the first half. But after intermission, she didn’t score, getting herself into foul trouble and later fouling out. Nina De Leon Negron, the Newcomer of the Year in the AAC, had five points and four rebounds in her last game at UTSA.

Gonzaga – Yvonne Ejim was the story for the Bulldogs. Outside of her 24 points and 16 rebounds, she also played the passing lanes and picked up seven steals. A few of her teammates also chipped in with major contributions. Guard Allie Turner scored 13 points and knocked down three 3-point shots. With her long-range shooting, Turner became the school’s single-season leader with 98. Maud Huijbens, a 6-foot-3 post player, had 11 points, three rebounds and two steals. Ejim’s 10 of 15 shooting from the floor allowed Gonzaga to hit 45.5 percent for the game.

First half

After a slow start, Bulldogs rolled to a 36-27 halftime lead.

Ejim, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, scored 17 points to lead the Zags. On the last play of the half, she stole the ball under the UTSA basket, broke out on the dribble and went all the way to the other end, Euro-stepping her way to a driving layup at the buzzer.

Ejim finished the half shooting seven of eight from the field. The Zags, as a team, shot 51.9 percent. After the opening five minutes, the Roadrunners’ offense scuffled. At the end of the first quarter, in the face of a tricky halfcourt trap, they turned it over five straight times.

As a result, the Zags scored 12 straight points to the end of the period, pushing out to a 23-17 advantage.

Idara Udo scored seven points in the half for the Roadrunners, and star forward Jordyn Jenkins had six. Gonzaga held Jenkins to two of seven shooting. The Roadrunners shot only 35.5 percent in the opening 20 minutes.