Baylor baseball shuts down UTSA on a cold day in Waco

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Enzo Apodaca smashed a two-run homer on a cold and windy afternoon in Waco on Tuesday, backing an eight-hit performance by five pitchers and lifting the undefeated Baylor Bears to a 5-0 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

Carson Bailey, Caleb Bunch, Caleb Jameson, RJ Ruaix and Gabe Craig combined to strike out 12 and hold the Roadrunners to seven singles and a double. As a result, Baylor improved to 4-0 on the season as Bailey started and pitched three innings to earn the victory.

In addition, the Bears beat the Roadrunners for the first time since 2022 and snapped a two-game losing streak in the series. UTSA starting pitcher James Hubbard worked two innings, yielded one run and took the loss.

UTSA had won games in Waco each of the last two years coming into the game, which was played with wind blowing in on the hitters and temperatures in the 40s. The loss left the Roadrunners at 1-3 on the season, with all of the games played on the road.

Last weekend, the Roadrunners dropped two straight to open the season and then won the finale, 6-3, on the road Sunday against the UT Arlington Mavericks.

Scoring and hitting with runners on base have been a problem, as the Roadrunners have been held to 10 runs in four games and have been shut out twice. They left 11 on base against the Bears, including runners at second and third to end the game.

Coming up

Long Island at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Long Island at UTSA, doubleheader, noon
Long Island at UTSA, Sunday, 11 a.m.

Records

UTSA 1-3
Baylor 4-0

Notable

The UTSA brother duo of Ty and Nathan Hodge from College Station started and played shortstop and third base, respectively. Ty had two hits on the day and both committed errors in the field.

Mason Lytle, the preseason Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference, finished two for five on the day and struck out twice.

Roadrunners right fielder James Taussig sat out the Baylor game with a hamstring injury. Taussig batted three for six in the series at UT Arlington.

A UTSA freshman makes the most of his last at bat in Arlington

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners will close out a stretch of four straight road games to start the season today in Waco against the Baylor Bears.

They’re expected to face freshman lefthander Carson Bailey, who throws heat with velocity in the mid-90s, so the Roadrunners will need to be on top of their game. First pitch is at 3 p.m..

Reporters had a chance to chat on Monday’s media zoom call with Roadrunners coach Pat Hallmark, whose team lost its first two at UT Arlington last weekend before rebounding to win 6-3 on Sunday afternoon. A highlight of the Roadrunners’ first victory of the season came in the top of the eighth inning.

Down 3-2, they scored four runs to take the lead, with the big blow coming off the bat of a freshman playing in only his third college game.

Who is this freshman? Caden Miller is his name. A small-town guy, he attended high school in East Texas in the town of Madisonville, with a population of a little more than 13,000. Madisonville High School, about 90 miles north of Houston, has about 650 students total in grades 9-12.

Competing at the Class 4A level, the 6-foot-2 Miller honed his skills, showing enough ability with the bat to play his way into some high-level summer programs.

Hallmark said Miller’s summer ball team was one of the best in the state. “He’s facing some of the best pitching, playing in the top tournaments nationally,” the coach said, “so he’s seen good pitching.”

Miller’s arrival at UTSA in the fall was an unexpected pleasant surprise for the UTSA coaches.

“He’s a terrific player and a good get for us,” Hallmark said. “He was actually going to (Houston Christian University), I think, with the relationship (he had) with Lance Berkman. When Lance resigned (as coach) last summer, Caden opened his recruiting back up, and we were able to get him over here.

“So he was a fairly big recruit, certainly a big recruit for us. Happy to have him. He has some hitting talent. He has more raw hitting talent than most of the recruits we get.”

Miller, who sets up with an open stance from the left side, suffered through a bit of a rocky start at the plate in his first two games for the Roadrunners.

Batting leadoff, he went hitless in his first seven appearances and struck out three times combined in 5-0 and 7-4 losses on Friday and Saturday.

“He was a little antsy,” Hallmark said. “You probably saw (it), he was hitting in the leadoff spot Friday and Saturday (and) he was just antsy, a little jumpy up there, and he wasn’t getting real good looks at pitches.

“He was chasing more pitches than he ever chases. That’s one thing he does really well, which is why I hit him in the leadoff spot. He controls the strike zone terrifically, especially for a freshman. But, anyway, he settled down Sunday.”

Batting seventh in the series finale against the Mavericks, he walked in his first appearance in the second inning and then lined a grounder to first, which was turned into a double play, in the fourth. When Miller returned to the dugout, Hallmark told his young charge that his swing looked good.

He told him to stay with it. In the sixth inning, his approach paid dividends, and he singled through the right side. Coming up again in the eighth, UTSA had tied the game 3-3 on a Tye Odom RBI single, and Andrew Stucky had just flied out deep into the outfield, pushing Roadrunners on the bases to second and third.

In a lefty on lefty confrontation, Miller barreled a Kyle Winkler pitch high and deep to center. Ultimately, it caromed off the batters’ eye for a three-run homer. A jolt of energy surged through a visitors dugout that had not had much luck to that point.

“I thought he had a good at-bat on the groundout to first,” Hallmark said. “Kind of ironic, I told him after that at bat, just stay where you’re at. You’re swinging the bat good. The three-run homer came later.”

Just in time to save the Roadrunners’ opening weekend.

Coming up

UTSA at Baylor, today, 3 p.m.
Long Island at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Long Island at UTSA, doubleheader, noon
Long Island at UTSA, Sunday, 11 a.m.

Records

UTSA 1-2
Baylor 3-0

UTSA women win to clinch a top-four seed, double bye in American conference tournament

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Idara Udo. UTSA beat Memphis 80-61 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo produced 14 points and 13 rebounds in an 80-61 victory over the Memphis Tigers. Udo, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Plano, has notched three double doubles with points and rebounds in the last four games. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners broke away in the second half on Saturday to rout the Memphis Tigers, 80-61, winning their 22nd game of the season, extending their school-record homecourt winning streak to 15 and clinching a double bye in the American Athletic Conference tournament.

With the double bye, UTSA will bypass the first two days and start the tournament in the quarterfinals on March 10 in Fort Worth, needing only three wins in three days to win the title.

“First of all, I just want to say thanks to everyone that came out today,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “That’s what we’ve been saying repeatedly the last few home games. But it took the cake today. I thought they were really, really good and loud and excited about being here.”

Karen Aston. UTSA beat Memphis 80-61 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston applauded the marketing team and administrators for their work in helping to bring out a crowd of 1,523. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Officials announced the crowd at 1,523, the largest of the season.

“They’re still out there getting autographs,” Aston said in the postgame media session. “So, just kudos to everyone who is making that happen. Our marketing group. Our administration. I mean, there’s been a lot of effort in getting the community to pay attention to our team.”

Naturally, the resurgence in women’s basketball at UTSA can be traced most directly to the work of the coaches and the players, who have won more games than all but two other teams in the 44-year history of the program.

Their efforts have pushed the pace since Day 1 last summer. As a result, the first-place Roadrunners (22-3, 13-1) will have a chance in the last few weeks to win a conference regular-season title, even though the second-place South Florida Bulls (18-8, 11-2) seem determined to take it down to the wire.

UTSA plays three of its last four on the road, starting with a road game at Rice next Saturday. A regular-season crown doesn’t guarantee a berth in the NCAA tournament, which is the team’s ultimate goal, but it is something that the Roadrunners would like to accomplish.

“It’s really important,” UTSA center Idara Udo said. “That was one of our goals for the season. So I think that with four games left, it’s kind of like the final stretch, like, the last lap in the race.

Nina De Leon Negron. UTSA beat Memphis 80-61 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Nina De Leon Negron led the Roadrunners in scoring with 16 points. She also snared five rebounds and passed for six assists against only one turnover. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Now more than ever, we’re just honed in on trying to get a ring from the conference, but also keeping our minds on the American tournament and the NCAA tournament.

“I think our team is always thinking one step ahead,” Udo continued. “So, I think we have our minds set, still locked in, in the moment, but our minds are on what’s ahead, as well.”

Trailing by 12 points at one juncture in the second quarter, the Roadrunners started to play better defense and pulled to within two at halftime. Clamping down further on the Tigers’ shooters in the second half, they turned it into a run-away.

On a day when Jordyn Jenkins spent much of her afternoon on the bench in foul trouble, guard Nina De Leon Negron led the Roadrunners with 16 points. Guard Aysia Proctor hit some big shots in the second half and finished with 15.

Udo contributed a double double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Guard Tanyuel Welch led the Tigers with 16 points and nine rebounds. Backcourt mate Tilly Boler scored 12 but was limited to five of 19 shooting from the field. Alasia Smith had 10 points and seven rebounds.

First half

Playing at a fast pace, the Memphis Tigers built a 12-point lead in the second quarter and withstood a UTSA rally in the last six minutes to take a 40-38 lead into the dressing room at intermission.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat Memphis 80-61 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA star Jordyn Jenkins scored eight points on a day when she picked up four fouls in 15 minutes. Jenkins played only six minutes in the second half when the Roadrunners blew out the Tigers, 42-21. – Photo by Joe Alexander

After the home team Roadrunners played even with the visitors in the first quarter, the Tigers broke from a 19-19 tie and forged a 14-2 run over a four-minute span.

Memphis scored nine straight points, a streak capped by a three pointer from forward Tamya Smith, to build a 33-21 advantage.

With Jordyn Jenkins on the bench in foul trouble, the Roadrunners came back. They authored a 17-4 run, highlighted by eight points from guard Aysia Proctor.

A Cheyenne Rowe layup tied the game 38-all with 43 seconds remaining. Tanyuel Welch hit a couple of free throws with 12.3 seconds left for the final points of the half.

Welch had 11 points and Tilly Boler 10 to lead the Tigers. Nina De Leon Negron had nine points and Proctor eight for the Roadrunners.

Records

Memphis 6-18, 4-9
UTSA 22-3, 13-1

Coming up

UTSA at Rice, Saturday, Feb. 22, 4 p.m.
UTSA at Tulane, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m.
Florida Atlantic at UTSA, Saturday, March 1, noon.
UTSA at East Carolina, Tuesday, March 4, 5 p.m.
(End of regular season)

AAC tournament
At Dickies Arena, Fort Worth

March 8 – First round (at Denton): Game One, 13 seed vs. 12 seed, noon
(All remaining games at Dickies Arena, in Fort Worth)
March 9 – Second round: Game Two, 9 seed vs. 8 at noon; Game Three, 13 or 12 vs. 5 at 2 p.m.; Game Four, 10 vs. 7 at 6 p.m.; Game Five, 11 vs. 6 at 8 p.m.
March 10 — Quarterfinals: Game Six, Game Two winner vs. No. 1 seed, noon; Game Seven, Game Three winner vs. No. 4 seed, 2 p.m.; Game Eight, Game Four winner vs. No. 2 seed, 6 p.m.; Game Nine, Game Five winner vs. No. 3 seed, 8 p.m.
March 11 — Semifinals: Game 10, Game Six winner vs. Game Seven winner, 6 p.m.; Game 11, Game Eight winner vs. Game Nine winner, 8 p.m.
March 12 — Finals: Game 12, Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 6 p.m.

Aysia Proctor. UTSA beat Memphis 80-61 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Aysia Proctor, a UTSA sophomore from Clemens, matched the speed of the Memphis Tigers’ guards and scored 15 points off the bench. She scored eight in the second quarter to spark a rally. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Tulsa wins at home, 80-76, to hand the UTSA men their fourth straight loss

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Close losses are getting old for the UTSA men’s basketball team.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane won a duel between teams battling for 10th place in the American Athletic Conference standings, building a 19-point lead late in the first half before holding on at the end for an 80-76 victory.

It was UTSA’s second straight loss on a two-game AAC road trip and its fourth overall, all by five points or less.

“In (the) last five games we’re going to really push ourselves and test ourselves,” first-year UTSA coach Austin Claunch told Andy Everett on the team’s postgame radio broadcast. “Obviously, we’ve had a tough little stretch. We’re close.

“And so, we’re frustrated obviously. We’ve been close, but that’s part of what this is all about. We’re going to keep fighting.”

With the win, the Golden Hurricane (5-8, 11-15) swept two games against the Roadrunners (4-9, 10-15) in the season series and seized control of ninth place in the AAC standings.

UTSA fell to 11th place, two games in the loss column behind Wichita State (14-10, 4-7). The Roadrunners have five games remaining, with the next one coming up Wednesday at home against South Florida.

Tulsa won the game in the first half when it held UTSA to 23 points on five for 25 shooting. While the Roadrunners were struggling, the Golden Hurricane were sizzling, shooting 60.7 percent en route to a 40-21 lead late.

The Hurricane entered halftime up 40-23.

In the second half, the Roadrunners made a good push, outscoring the Golden Hurricane 26-14 in the first nine minutes.

A three pointer by Primo Spears with 11:14 remaining brought the Roadrunners to within five at 54-49.

UTSA kept coming at Tulsa late, reducing the deficit to four twice, the last time at 8:41 when forward Horton, running off a Jo Smith defensive rebound, took a pass from Spears and sank a driving layup to make it 58-54.

From there, the Golden Hurricane pushed back, going off on a 9-2 run. At the end of the run, Dwon Odom sank a couple of free throws for Tulsa. Suddenly, the Golden Hurricane were in charge again, leading 67-56.

UTSA kept battling to the end, reducing an eight-point deficit to only three in the last minute. Spears hit a three to give the Roadrunners life, down 77-74, with 16 seconds left.

Willis, a guard who once played in San Antonio at the University of the Incarnate Word, hit three of four free throws down the stretch to seal it.

For Tulsa, Willis led in scoring with 19 points, including 11 in the second half, all on free throws. Forward Isaiah Barnes scored 18, contributing 10 in the first half on four of seven shooting, including a couple of threes. Odom and Jared Garcia scored 16 each.

Raekowon Horton had 20 points and five rebounds to lead the Roadrunners. Millender, one of the hottest offensive players in the conference through the end of last week, scored 19 but was limited to seven of 21 shooting.

The 5-foot-11 guard from Houston knocked down four three pointers, reaching four long-distance makes for the fourth time since Jan. 11. Spears scored 18 points, coming on strong in the second half with 15. Spears, the team’s leading scorer, finished three of seven from three.

Records

UTSA 10-15, 4-9
Tulsa 11-15, 5-8

Coming up

South Florida at UTSA, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
UTSA at East Carolina, Sunday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m.

UTSA women playing for high stakes today at home against Memphis

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Karen Aston. UTSA beat Temple 70-61 on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at the Convocation Center in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston’s American Athletic Conference-leading UTSA Roadrunners will shoot for their 15th straight win at home today. Tipoff against Memphis is at 2 p.m.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coach Karen Aston’s UTSA Roadrunners have always dreamed of playing in the NCAA tournament, but not until this season have they won enough games through the middle of February to be regarded as the favorite in their own conference to claim a coveted bid.

In the last two years, the Roadrunners have made enough noise to this point in the season that they entered the NCAA discussion. But never have they achieved so much with five games remaining in the regular season to claim status as the team to beat.

UTSA hopes to burnish its reputation even further today.

Winners of 21 of 24 games on the season and 14 of their last 15 overall, the first-place Roadrunners host the Memphis Tigers at 2 p.m., wondering in the back of their minds what it would really feel like to see the name of their school in the 68-team NCAA bracket next month.

On one hand, they are faced with the here and now. The Roadrunners nearly lost at Memphis last month, winning 70-68 with a frantic fourth-quarter rally, so they know how hard it will be to beat a team like this for the second time in 32 days.

Then again, as far as the rest of the world in NCAA Division I women’s basketball is concerned, UTSA is in the driver’s seat in the American Athletic Conference. According to ESPN, the Roadrunners are favored to claim the AAC’s automatic bid into the 68-team field.

But here’s where it gets complicated. There are two avenues into the NCAA bracket, the automatic and the at large bid. For UTSA, the automatic is the one avenue upon which it can go about its usual business and control its own destiny.

If they stay hot and keep winning, and they win the AAC tournament in Fort Worth next month, they get the auto bid and the ticket to the Big Dance. Anything less than that, however, it’s a slippery slope toward being left out.

For instance, if the Roadrunners win the regular season title, claim the No. 1 seed in the AAC tournament and then lose in the finals, their fate will be in the hands of an NCAA committee to decide if they are deserving of an at-large bid.

At the moment, if the ESPN analysis is correct, it appears the second-place South Florida Bulls might be the conference’s only hope of snagging one of the at-large spots. The Bulls are the only team in the American on a list of teams ranked just outside the field of 68. They’re ranked 73rd.

Earlier this week, Aston was asked if she was coaching her team as if she believed it needed to sweep to the AAC postseason title to earn its way into the NCAA tournament, and she declined to comment directly, implying that she might have something to say on that front in about 10 days.

So, stay tuned.

Records

Memphis 6-17, 4-8
UTSA 21-3, 12-1

Coming up

Memphis at UTSA, today, 2 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, Feb. 22, 4 p.m.
UTSA at Tulane, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m.
Florida Atlantic at UTSA, Saturday, March 1, noon.
UTSA at East Carolina, Tuesday, March 4, 5 p.m.
(End of regular season)

AAC standings
(Women’s basketball)

UTSA 12-1, 21-3
South Florida 10-2, 17-8
North Texas 10-3, 18-7
Tulane 8-4, 15-8
Temple 8-5, 14-10
Tulsa 6-6, 12-12
UAB 6-7, 15-10
Rice 5-7, 12-12
East Carolina 5-8, 13-12
Memphis 4-8, 6-17
Charlotte 3-9, 8-15
FAU 2-10, 10-15
Wichita State 2-11, 8-18

Saturday’s games

Charlotte at East Carolina, 1 p.m.
South Florida at FAU, 1 p.m.
Memphis at UTSA, 2 p.m.
North Texas at Tulsa, 2 p.m.
Rice at Wichita State, 2 p.m.
Temple at Tulane, 3 p.m.

Top-ranked Texas A&M wins, Texas loses on college baseball’s opening day

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The top-ranked Texas A&M Aggies rallied to win in the debut of head coach Michael Earley, downing the North Carolina-based Elon University Phoenix, 4-2, in College Station.

Trailing 2-0, A&M scored three times in the bottom of the sixth on two singles, three walks and a wild pitch by the Elon bullpen. Sophomore Blake Binderup hit a solo home run in the eighth for the Aggies. A&M starter Ryan Prager pitched a one hitter over five scoreless innings.

Meanwhile, the Louisville Cardinals also rallied from a two-run deficit in downing the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns, 4-3, in 10 innings at Arlington’s Globe Life Field. The Cardinals won it with two outs in the bottom of the 10th when Lucas Moore hit an RBI single off Longhorns reliever Andre Duplantier Jr.

It was the first game at Texas for coach Jim Schlossnagle, who was head coach at A&M last year and led the Aggies to the College World Series finals.

It was also the UT debut of former UTSA standout Ruger Riojas, who was the first relief pitcher out of the bullpen for the Longhorns. Riojas, a junior from Wimberley who won 10 games last year for the Roadrunners, worked 2 and 2/3 innings and struck out four. In a position to earn the save in the bottom of the ninth, he gave up two hits and was charged with two runs that tied the game.

Other results

(6) North Carolina beats Texas Tech, 5-1 and 8-3, at Chapel Hill, N.C.
(20) Dallas Baptist beats North Dakota State, 11-6, at Dallas
(23) TCU beats San Diego, 5-4, in 10 innings, at San Diego
UT Arlington beats UTSA, 5-0, at Arlington
Incarnate Word beats Saint Peter’s N.J., 12-2, at San Antonio
Texas State beats Binghamton, N.Y., 4-1, at San Marcos
Kansas beats Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 8-5, in Corpus Christi
George Mason beats East Carolina, 7-3, in Greenville, N.C.
East Carolina beats George Mason, 4-3, in Greenville, N.C.

College baseball: UT Arlington shuts out UTSA 5-0 on opening day

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Righthander Caylon Dygert pitched into the eighth inning and led the UT Arlington Mavericks to a 5-0 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners Friday afternoon in the season opener for both teams.

In the game played on a cold and rainy day at Clay Gould Ballpark in Arlington, Dygert worked 7 and 1/3 innings and yielded only three hits.

He struck out three and walked none in outdueling UTSA starter Zach Royse.

The Roadrunners, trailing by the eventual final score, had Diego Diaz at second base in the top of the eighth when lefty Caden Noah replaced Dygert.

After a ball in the dirt allowed Diaz to take third, Noah struck out Andrew Stucky and Caden Miller to get out of the jam.

In UTSA’s last at bat, Mason Lytle led off with an infield single, speeding down the line to beat a toss from first baseman Tate Bethel to Noah covering the bag.

Noah responded by retiring three straight, as the Mavericks handed the Roadrunners an opening-day loss for the second straight season.

UT Arlington beat UTSA 10-9 on opening day last year in San Antonio at Roadrunner Field.

Cade Dodson, Maxwell Mims and Tyce Armstrong, the Nos. 1-3 hitters in the Mavericks’ lineup, each had multiple-hit performances.

Royse pitched well in the early going, cruising through five scoreless innings on a one-hitter. But with two out in the sixth, the Mavericks strung together five straight singles and scored three runs.

Martinez, Armstrong and Xavier Martinez each had RBI singles in the outburst. In the seventh inning, Mims produced a run-scoring double and Martinez an RBI single off UTSA reliever Sam Simmons.

Royse, a 6-foot-3 junior from Katy Cinco Ranch, finished the day charged with three runs on six hits. He struck out five and walked none in 5 and 2/3 innings.

Despite pitching well enough to win, he took the loss and dropped to 0-5 in his career.

The Roadrunners were limited to four hits on the day, two by newcomer Norris McClure. Lytle, the preseason Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference, finished one for four. Lorenzo Morresi had a double in three at bats for UTSA’s only extra base hit.

Records

UTSA 0-1
UT Arlington 1-0

Coming up

UTSA at UT Arlington, Saturday, 1 p.m.
UTSA at UT Arlington, Sunday, 1 p.m.
UTSA at Baylor, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Notable

UTSA’s starting lineup in the opener had Caden Miller leading off and playing first base, followed by Lytle in center field, James Taussig in right field, Drew Detlefsen in left field, McClure at designated hitter, Morresi at catcher, Diaz at second base, Ty Hodge at shortstop and Jordan Ballin at third.

Miller, Detlefsen, McClure, Hodge, Ballin and relief pitcher Sam Simmons each made their UTSA debuts. Ballin is a freshman from Boerne Champion High School who entered college regarded as one of the top players out of the San Antonio area.

After playing two more games in Arlington this weekend and then traveling to Waco to meet the Baylor Bears on Tuesday, UTSA returns home for a series against the Long Island University starting next Friday, Feb. 21, at Roadrunner Field.

College baseball: No. 1 Texas A&M opens today under first-year coach Michael Earley

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Texas A&M Aggies open a baseball season with national title hopes tonight, playing at home against Elon College of North Carolina.

The top-ranked Aggies will enter the new year led by a first-year coach, Michael Earley, who was promoted from his assistant’s post to take over for Jim Schlossnagle.

Schlossnagle sparked outrage in Aggieland last summer as he left College Station to take the head coaching job in Austin. He made the move within days after leading A&M to the finals of the Men’s College World Series.

Initially, Earley was expected to join his former boss on the UT staff, but A&M coaxed him to come back to College Station as the Aggies head coach.

Now he leads a team headlined by outfielder Jace LaViolette, infielder Gavin Grahovac, Penn transfer and infielder Wyatt Henseler and pitcher Ryan Prager, who is expected to start on the mound for the Aggies tonight.

Four teams from the state are ranked in the Top 25 of the D1 Baseball poll, including A&M at No. 1, Texas (19th), Dallas Baptist (20th) and TCU (23rd).

Tonight, the Longhorns open under Schlossnagle in Arlington, at Globe Life Field, against the Louisville Cardinals. The Patriots host North Dakota State and the Horned Frogs start on the road against the University of San Diego.

Locally, the UTSA Roadrunners open today in Arlington against the UT Arlington Mavericks. Also, the Incarnate Word Cardinals play host to Saint Peter’s (N.J.), and the San Marcos-based Texas State Bobcats host Binghamton (N.Y.)

Editor’s note: Please see The JB Replay’s list of athletes from San Antonio-area high schools on NCAA Division I baseball rosters. The list, an annual research project of this news outlet, is likely not inclusive of all San Antonio area players. It will be updated when new information comes to light.

UTSA

Jordan Ballin, freshman infielder from Boerne Champion High School
Josh Vaughn, junior infielder from Clark High School
Whitt Joyce, sophomore catcher from Lytle, Medina Valley High School
Ryan Jester, redshirt freshman pitcher from Bracken Christian

Texas State

Cole Tabor, junior infielder from Reagan, transfer from Temple JC
Ryne Farber, sophomore infielder from Johnson High School
Matthew Tippie, senior pitcher from Wimberley, Angelina College
Rocco Garza-Gongora, junior outfielder-infielder from Laredo Alexander, Oklahoma
Jackson Teer, redshirt senior pitcher from Johnson
Carson Laws, junior pitcher from Clark High School, Midland College
Rashawn Galloway, junior catcher from Boerne High School
Zachary Gingrich, freshman outfielder from Smithson Valley High School
Tyler Walton, freshman pitcher from San Antonio Johnson High School
Kutter Webb, freshman infielder from San Marcos High School

Virginia

Will Broderick, freshman catcher/outfielder from Alamo Heights

Vanderbilt

Tristan Bristow, freshman pitcher from Harlan High School

Texas

Jalin Flores, junior infielder from Brandeis High School
Ruger Riojas, junior pitcher from Wimberley High School and UTSA

Baylor

Andrew Petrowski, redshirt senior from Clark High School and San Jacinto College
Brytton Clements, freshman infielder from Laredo Alexander

TCU

Anthony Silva, junior infielder from Clark High School
Cohen Feser, redshirt junior pitcher from Reagan High School
Mason Bixby, sophomore pitcher from Johnson High School
Jacob Silva, freshman catcher from Clark High School

Incarnate Word

Isaiah Zavala, grad student pitcher from Southwest High School
EJ Garcia, sophomore pitcher from New Braunfels Canyon
AJ Herrera, freshman catcher from Central Catholic
Rey Mendoza, grad student outfielder from Eagle Pass
Julio Riggs, grad student infielder from Boerne High School

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Chad Pantuso, freshman utility player from Johnson High School
Chance Reisdorph, senior catcher from New Braunfels Canyon High School
Zach Garcia, senior pitcher from New Braunfels High School
Alberto Santos IV, freshman pitcher from San Marcos High School

UT Rio Grande Valley

Austin Stracener, redshirt junior infielder from New Braunfels Canyon; Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas State
Evan Janner, sophomore outfielder from New Braunfels Canyon
Francisco Hernandez, redshirt senior pitcher from Laredo Alexander
Arturo Garcia, freshman pitcher from Laredo United South High School
Emir Encalada, junior pitcher from Laredo Alexander High School

Wichita State

Camden Johnson, sophomore infielder from Boerne High School

Tarleton State

Jack Burcham, senior pitcher from Reagan High School
Ryan Beaird, senior pitcher from Reagan High School, UTSA

Duke

Edward Hart, junior pitcher from Alamo Heights High School

Lamar

Coleson Abel, junior pitcher from Kerrville Tivy, Lubbock Christian
Aiden Baumann, junior outfielder from New Braunfels High School, UTSA

Houston

David Stich, redshirt junior pitcher from Boerne, San Antonio Cornerston Christian

Sam Houston State

Connor Zaruba, sophomore pitcher from Yoakum High School; McLennan College

Stephen F. Austin

Dylan Hummel, junior infielder from Madison High School and Coastal Bend Community College

UTSA women beat East Carolina 60-46 to stay undefeated at home this season

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Sidney Love. UTSA beat East Carolina 60-46 at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Teammates hoist UTSA guard Sidney Love into the limelight with the gold ‘Cash In’ chain for her efforts against the East Carolina Pirates. Love scored 15 points on six of eight shooting, and she also had three steals. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA women kept alive their chances for an undefeated season at home Wednesday night with a 60-46 victory over the East Carolina Pirates in a physical American Athletic Conference encounter at the Convocation Center.

Jordyn Jenkins produced 23 points and six rebounds as first-place UTSA (21-3, 12-1 in the AAC) improved its home winning streak to 14 games, dating back to last year. The Roadrunners are 11-0 at home this season.

East Carolina (13-12, 5-8) came into San Antonio having won two in a row and three of four, including a road win at UAB. But UTSA was relentless with a defensive effort that held the visitors to 26 percent shooting from the field.

Jordyn Jenkins. UTSA beat East Carolina 60-46 at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Jordyn Jenkins contributed 23 points and also six rebounds. She shot 10 of 17 from the floor, as UTSA stayed one game in the loss column ahead of South Florida in the AAC title race. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Pirates guard Khia Miller was ejected from the game early in the second half for an intentional foul on Roadrunners’ forward Maya Linton. Linton also was assessed a technical, her second, which disqualified her for the remainder of the game.

Addressing the media afterward, UTSA coach Karen Aston wasn’t happy that one of her players was ejected. She didn’t love the idea that her team turned it over 21 times, either, or that East Carolina won the rebounding battle (41-39).

But she will take a 14-point victory in which her team led for almost the entire 40 minutes and led by as many as 20 in the second half.

“Happy to get another win here in the Convo, for sure,” Aston said. “(The season is) winding down and (it’s) hard to believe we just have two more of these (home games) in here. I thought we played really well, for the most part.

“We’ll look back on it and nit-pick a little bit about some careless turnovers. Obviously, the rebounding was a big one that we’ve got to clean up before we play (Memphis, at home) on Saturday. But I thought we had a better aggressiveness about ourselves today. A better tempo for the way we played offensively.

“That’s really what I was hoping for tonight. So, we’ll clean up the rest of it.”

UTSA forward Maya Linton picked up technical fouls in the second and third quarters. By rule, she was disqualified after the second one and was sent to the dressing room. – Photo by Joe Alexander

In what is shaping up as a possible dream season for the Roadrunners, they have won four straight overall and 14 of their last 15, with five to go in the regular season.

Sitting on 21 wins, they are tied with the 1983-84 Roadrunners for the third most in a season in school history, behind only the 2007-08 team with 23 and the ’08-09 team with 24.

Defeating ECU also allowed them to stay a game in the loss column ahead of the second-place South Florida Bulls (17-8, 10-2) and two games ahead of the third-place North Texas Mean Green (18-7, 10-3) in the AAC regular-season title race.

South Florida and North Texas both won at home Wednesday night to keep the pressure on the Roadrunners, with the Bulls downing the Rice Owls, 82-77 in three overtimes, and the Mean Green pounding the Memphis Tigers, 97-57.

In the UTSA postgame, Jenkins talked about what it was like to be on the floor, at home, and to be able to hold East Carolina to four points in a 17-4, second-quarter show of force.

“The home crowd obviously helps, really getting into it and chanting ‘D-Up,’ ” Jenkins said. “But it comes with communication on the court. When we’ve got solid communication, it’s fun, and it makes things easier.

“We have trouble with that a lot during practice. We need to be better at that so we can consecutively have good possessions.”

Cheyenne Rowe. UTSA beat East Carolina 60-46 at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Cheyenne Rowe came off the bench for eight points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes. — Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s second quarter was a defensive clinic. The Roadrunners held the Pirates to one for 16 shooting from the field and forced five turnovers.

In addition, two UTSA forwards off the bench, Cheyenne Rowe and Taylor Ross, had a major impact. Both had five rebounds in the period alone and Ross, a freshman from Brennan, also blocked a shot.

Rowe (eight points, 10 rebounds for the game) and Ross (three and seven) both played 18 minutes total and allowed the Roadrunners to cruise to an easy victory, even with foul-plagued starters Idara Udo and Linton not being major factors in the game.

Asked about Rowe and Ross’ contributions, Aston said, “That’s what I’ve been looking for.”

Another narrative coming into the game centered on what happened between the Roadrunners and the Pirates the last time they played.

Last March 12 in Fort Worth, East Carolina rallied from a pair of 11-point deficits in the fourth quarter to beat UTSA, 55-54, in the AAC semifinals, ending the Roadrunners’ quest for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Love and Jenkins both chuckled at a question about whether there was any talk among players in the last few days about last year’s disappointment against the Pirates.

“No, we kind of wanted to leave that in the past,” Love said. “I don’t know. I think we just moved on and focused on being in the present and being where we are right now.”

Forward Amiyah Joyner led the Pirates with 18 points and eight rebounds. The 6-foot-2 forward hit six of 13 shots from the field. The rest of her teammates shot a combined 11 of 52.

Karen Aston. UTSA beat East Carolina 60-46 at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Karen Aston has led UTSA to a 21-3 record, with five games to play before the AAC tournament. The program record for wins in a season is 24. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Records

East Carolina 13-12, 5-8
UTSA 21-3, 12-1

Coming up

Memphis at UTSA, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, Feb. 22, 4 p.m.

First half

Dominating with physical play in the paint and effective position defense on the perimeter, the Roadrunners held the Pirates to four points in the second quarter. Consequently, they surged to a 29-17 lead at halftime.

UTSA shrugged off a sluggish start and outscored ECU 17-4 in the second. ECU got flustered at the end of the period after Love tied up Joyner.

Trying to hang on to the ball, Joyner was pulled down to the floor. Once there, she tossed the ball and hit UTSA forward Maya Linton in the midsection. Linton tossed it back, prompting officials to stop play and go to the replay monitors.

After it was sorted out, both Joyner and Linton were hit with technical fouls.

Notable

Early in the third quarter, emotions boiled over once again. It started with Miller bringing the ball over halfcourt on the dribble, with Linton meeting her to contest. Trying to clear space, Miller swung her arms while clutching the ball.

Kim McNeill. UTSA beat East Carolina 60-46 at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

East Carolina coach Kim McNeill led the Pirates to 23 wins and a trip to the NCAA tournament in 2023. Her team beat UTSA last March in the AAC semifinals and then lost to Rice in the title game. – Photo by Joe Alexander

She appeared to land an elbow on Linton, who held her head with both hands momentarily. Afterward, she looked up and appeared to say something in frustration. Referees stopped the action again and went to the monitors to assess what happened.

Miller was hit with an intentional foul and an automatic ejection. Linton also got a technical. Combined with the one she had in the first half, she was sent to the dressing room.

Quotable

Aston said she didn’t see what caused the flaring of tempers between Joyner and Linton in the second quarter.

“I honestly didn’t see anything until the tail end,” Aston said. “They called a jump ball, and I’m trying to figure out whose possession it is. There’s only five seconds left. I’ll have to look at these situations on film and see if we can handle ourselves a little differently than what we did.

“I thought we re-grouped at halftime. We talked about it and then the little episode in the third quarter (between Miller and Linton) I thought really hurt us, to be honest with you, because it took away our aggression, because we didn’t quite know what to do with that, and we tried to monitor what was going on. I thought it took away from the flow of the game for us, definitely.

“So, we got to learn some lessons from that.”

AAC contenders

Basketball teams in the AAC play 18 games in the regular season. Here is a look at the top five in the AAC women’s title chase:

UTSA 12-1, 21-3
South Florida 10-2, 17-8
North Texas 10-3, 18-7
Tulane 8-4, 15-8
Temple 8-5, 14-10

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated UTSA’s record in the AAC regular season. UTSA is 12-1 in conference.

Taylor Ross. UTSA beat East Carolina 60-46 at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in American Athletic Conference women's basketball. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA freshman Taylor Ross contributed three points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in 18 minutes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Wichita State men win a close one at home, defeating UTSA, 69-64

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Guard Harlond Beverly scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half Wednesday night as the Wichita State Shockers won at home, turning back the UTSA Roadrunners, 69-64, in American Athletic Conference men’s basketball.

Forward Corey Robinson led the Shockers with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and guard Xavier Bell scored 12. Wichita State dominated on the boards, winning the rebounding battle, 50-29, including 16-7 on the offensive glass.

With the win, the Shockers (14-10, 4-7) earned a split in the season series with the Roadrunners. UTSA beat Wichita State 88-75 on Jan. 11 in San Antonio.

The Roadrunners (10-14, 4-8) lost their third straight game despite the efforts of Raekwon Horton, who produced a double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus Millender contributed 13 points and Primo Spears 12. Damari Monsanto scored 11.

Records

UTSA 10-14, 4-8
Wichita State 14-10, 4-7

Coming up

UTSA at Tulsa, Saturday, 5 p.m.