As UTSA angles for a record 40-win season and more, James Taussig is enjoying the ride

James Taussig. UTSA lost to UT-Arlington 10-9 in the Roadrunners' baseball season opener on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig has emerged as one of the hottest hitters in the American Athletic Conference over the past five weeks, hitting for a .408 average with 29 RBI during a 17-game batting streak. . – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Years from now, UTSA outfielder James Taussig may recall the camaraderie with his teammates off the baseball diamond as fondly as he will remember a championship season on it.

The cookouts. The fishing expeditions. The whimsical forays into social media marketing.

James Taussig, a senior right fielder for UTSA baseball. At UTSA media day at Roadrunner Field, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2005. - Photo by Joe Alexander.

James Taussig, a New York native who attended Houston Episcopal High School, is credited with playing a leadership role on a team that has won the AAC regular-season championship. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“I mean, it’s so much fun,” Taussig said. “I can think of just (so) many life-long stories … coming back (home) on the plane, coming back on the bus. I mean, we all hang out every day.”

For instance, Taussig and “four or five” of his teammates congregated at his house on Monday afternoon.

They cooked steaks on the grill and relaxed for most of the afternoon and into the evening, until close to midnight.

On Tuesday morning, he and a few others went fishing on a pond near campus before they came over to campus for an afternoon practice.

“I’ve never been on another team like it,” Taussig said. “And I know winning helps, but I think even if we’re having a poor season, this group of guys would still be just as close, just because of the friendships and everything.”

Wait a minute.

Everyone who follows UTSA baseball on social media knows about Taussig and his “mini mic” interviews.

They started last fall and gained popularity online as he quizzed teammates on pop culture, their likes and dislikes, just about everything.

But, fishing?

Fishing for more success

In an interview on the eve of a home series against the Rice Owls that starts Thursday afternoon, Taussig acknowledged that he is learning the fine art of angling from some of his more experienced friends.

“I’ll give a little shout out to Braylon Owens for being probably the top angler man on the team,” Taussig said. “Him and Zach Royse can really fish. I’m their little protégé’ right now. But I’m learning from them.”

Never mind that Taussig is a 6-foot-6, 230-pounder who is crushing the baseball right now like few others in the AAC.

The “little protégé’ “ sounds as if he’s pretty dedicated to his hobby. He says players fish on a pond at Hidden Lake Apartments behind the new H-E-B under construction on Loop 1604.

“There’s a little lake tucked back in there,” Taussig said. “We try to go out there after practice when we can. And we actually did bring our rods on the road to (South Florida) two weeks ago.”

James Taussig. UTSA beat Wichita State 6-5 in American Athletic Conference baseball on Friday, May 3, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig, who slashes .349/.440/.618 for the AAC champions, has also improved defensively this season. He plays right field. – File photo by Joe Alexander

On the road trip to Tampa that yielded three victories on the baseball diamond, the players took time out to fish.

“We got out there, after the games on Saturday, me and Josh Vaughn and Braylon and Zach,” Taussig said. “Went out and took a little Uber ride to some little, I guess, river. Got out there and had some fun.”

Taussig and the Roadrunners have been having a blast on the ball field for most of the season.

They’ve compiled a 39-11 record, including 20-4 in the AAC. At South Florida, after sweeping the Bulls, they clinched at least a share of the conference title.

Last weekend at East Carolina, they clinched it outright.

Riding a hot streak

Like most championship teams, they’ve had a number of players step into prominent roles, but few have been hotter than Taussig, who is riding a 17-game hitting streak.

During the streak, the New York native who attended Episcopal High School in Houston has produced 29 hits in 71 at bats for a .408 average.
All told, he’s raised his average to .349 for the season, to go along with a .440 on base and .618 slugging percentages.

“He’s been fantastic,” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said. “He’s been steady all year. He’s been so critical to us, like so many of these guys have (been). I think he’s most excited about how he’s hitting versus left-handed pitching.”

Taussig is hitting better than .300 for the season against lefties, Hallmark said, a drastic improvement from earlier in his career when the Roadrunners often wouldn’t play him against anyone but righthanders.

“At the college level, the majority of young left-handed hitters do not embrace and enjoy facing left-handed pitching,” Hallmark said. “ … JT has really accepted that challenge. He’s doing a good job against left-handed pitching.

“(We) talk about it quite a bit. I’m not surprised at how good he’s doing overall. He’s a good hitter. He can hit the baseball very hard in terms of raw exit velocity, which is why some of the pro guys like him, despite the fact that he’s not a great runner.

“But he can just pound the baseball. He hits it really hard. It’s pretty impressive.”

UTSA reliever Braylon Owens got the win in Sunday's victory over Florida International at Roadrunner Field. - photo by Joe Alexander

When players are hanging out off the field, they sometimes go fishing at a pond off Loop 1604 near the UTSA campus. Starting pitcher Braylon Owens (above) is probably the top angler on the team and caught a bass Tuesday morning, Taussig told The JB Replay. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Taussig, who played in Virginia at Radford as a freshman before transferring to UTSA, said coaches challenged him last fall to work on his craft.

“You look in the mirror a little bit,” Taussig said. “How do I improve? How do I stay in the lineup? I don’t want to come out every time a left-handed pitcher comes in. I want to keep playing.”

Taussig said the focus since last fall has been on something as simple as just seeing the ball.

“Instead of focusing on specific pitches, just kind of hunting an area of the plate to look for the ball,” he said. “That really seemed to help me. It’s led to a lot more success this year and, luckily, I’ve been able to stay in the lineup, facing left-handed pitchers.

“I’m pretty happy with that.”

Fans who witnessed Taussig’s three home-run showing – to all fields — against the Memphis Tigers during a three-day period in late April might still be talking about it.

On Friday night, he pulled a drive into the trees beyond the right field wall.

On Saturday, he scorched one to center that cleared the high wall serving as the batters’ eye. It landed some 430 feet beyond home plate. On Sunday, he pounced on a pitch and drilled it over the fence in left center.

“He’s just a good hitter,” UTSA shortstop Ty Hodge said. “He seems to be locked in right now. Every time he goes up to the plate, I have confidence in him. I feel like he’s going to hit a ball hard somewhere. He’s just a good hitter, and it’s fun to watch him.”

Working on a dream season

Taussig sat on a picnic table and talked with a reporter for about 15 minutes Tuesday afternoon. At the outset of the interview, he seemed a bit reticent to talk about his own personal achievements and steered the conversation more toward what the team has accomplished.

He’s more than proud of all that, including the 39 wins to tie a school record. Taussig tried to put in perspective what it means to have won a championship for the first time at UTSA since 2008, and yet at the same time, having the potential to do so much more.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “The way I look at it myself, this is the first goal that we had to accomplish in order to accomplish the bigger things that we want to get to. Making a regional, making a super regional, and then making it to Omaha eventually.

Ty Hodge. UTSA beat Oakland (Michigan) 13-3 on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander.

UTSA shortstop Ty Hodge, whose walkoff RBI single won the Memphis game on April 27, says it’s been fun to watch Taussig at the plate lately. Taussig has five home runs since April 25. – File photo by Joe Alexander

“I mean, you can’t do that without winning a regular-season championship or a tournament championship. So, we’ve done one of those things and there’s still a lot of important games this weekend that we need to play for each other, and keep winning and try to set some program records that maybe some day will be reached, but you know, we want to have it for a little bit.

“Hopefully (we can) get to 42 wins this weekend. Kind of start stretching a little gap. But, it’s very cool. (Winning a championship) hasn’t been done in a long time.”

Most championship teams at any level of sport are always trying to strike a balance between grinding it out in practice and paying attention to details, but also having fun and enjoying the ride.

Taussig said the Roadrunners have done a good job of that so far. Such as, fishing in the morning, and then practicing in the afternoon. One day, he said, he does see the potential for the fishing to be promoted in a mini mic segment.

When that concept was suggested Tuesday afternoon, his eyes lit up.

“That’s a very real possibility,” he said. “I think that should definitely start being considered. That should be brought up.”
Could it become a commercial venture?

“Exactly,” he said. “If any fishing shops that want to hit up UTSA baseball with some NIL (business), we’re here. We’re waiting. There’s about 10 of us that go out to fish. So, we’re happy to advertise your products.”

Editor’s note: James Taussig homered in each of UTSA’s three home games against Memphis from April 25-27, with one leaving the park in right field, one that traveled more than 430 feet to center and this one to left.

UTSA baseball sweeps South Florida and clinches a share of the AAC regular-season title

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners have clinched at least a share of the regular-season title in baseball in the American Athletic Conference. The AAC confirmed the development in a social media post at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Braylon Owens pitched into the ninth inning earlier in the day in leading the Roadrunners to a 3-2 victory and an AAC road sweep of the South Florida Bulls.

Braylon Owens made his first start of the season and allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings. UTSA played Wichita State in the second game of an American Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Roadrunner-Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Braylon Owens pitched 8 and 2/3 innings for the win in UTSA’s 3-2 victory Sunday at South Florida. – File photo by Joe Alexander

With the victory, coming at USF’s home ball park in Tampa, the first-place Roadrunners (37-10 overall, 18-3 AAC) swept a weekend series in the conference for the second week in a row and extended their winning streak to eight games.

In winning its first regular-season title in 17 years, the Pat Hallmark-coached Roadrunners now lead the conference by six games over Florida Atlantic, Charlotte and South Florida, with everyone having six AAC games to play. UTSA owns series victories over each of the three teams. It is the first conference regular-season championship for the Roadrunners since they won the Southland back to back in 2007 and 2008 under Sherman Corbett.

Owens was masterful on Sunday by working 8 and 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and struck out seven.

Carrying a perfect game through five innings, he yielded a solo homer to Jackson Mayo leading off the bottom of the sixth and a two-out, Stewart Puckett RBI single in the ninth.

With Jacob Green at first, pinch running for Puckett, UTSA relief ace Robert Orloski came on to get the last out of the game. South Florida slugger Sebastian Greico, with 14 home runs on the season, flied to right fielder James Taussig to end it.

Lorenzo Morresi hit his first homer of the season to spark the Roadrunners. He and Taussig both had a couple of hits and an RBI to lead a team that had been averaging more than nine runs per game.

Immediately after Mayo gave South Florida the lead in the sixth, UTSA responded. In the top of the seventh, the Roadrunners tied it 1-1 when Morresi led off with a single and then scored from first base when Drew Detlefsen doubled down the left field line.

The Roadrunners added a run in the eighth to take their first lead. Norris McClure led off the inning when he reached first on a hit by pitch from Bulls starting pitcher Jack Nedrow. Taussig, the next batter, tagged a Nedrow fastball and drove it into the gap in left center. McClure scored, sliding in home ahead of the relay throw, to make it 2-1.

In the top of the ninth, Morresi delivered again. He led off with a solo homer to left field and a 3-1 UTSA lead. Undeterred, the Bulls kept battling in the bottom half. With one out, pinch hitter Matt Rose smacked a one-out single off Owens. When Ryan Pruitt grounded to second base for the second out, Rose moved up. Puckett ripped a single to right, bringing in Rose to cut the lead to one.

With Owens having thrown 107 pitches and Greico coming to the plate, UTSA coach Pat Hallmark decided to make a change. He went to Orloski, who promptly retired the leading home run hitter in the AAC on a high fly ball to right.

For the Roadrunners, the series against the Bulls represented an inflection point on their season. Last Friday, the Bulls took the field alone in second place, three games behind the Roadrunners with a chance to make up ground in the title race.

After getting swept, the Bulls’ title hopes have been all but dashed. UTSA now looks ahead to next week, needing one win in its last six conference games to clinch the regular season championship outright and the No. 1 seed in the AAC tournament.

First, the Roadrunners will play their final non-conference game Tuesday afternoon in San Antonio against the University of the Incarnate Word.

Next, the Roadrunners are set to play three against the traditional powerhouse East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, N.C., starting Friday. The defending champion Pirates are out of the race for first place after losing 8-7 at Wichita State Sunday and falling seven games off the pace at 11-10.

UTSA will return home to close out conference play from May 15-17 with three more against the Rice Owls.

Even though the Roadrunners’ regular-season title is significant, they’re also in position to break the school record for victories in a season. The record is 39, set by Corbett’s 2008 team.

Additionally, a larger goal for players and coaches is to qualify for an NCAA tournament berth for the first time since 2013. UTSA can secure an automatic bid with an AAC postseason crown. The Roadrunners, 21st nationally in the latest ratings percentage index (RPI), also could be in the running for an at-large berth in the 64-team field.

Records

UTSA 18-3, 37-10
South Florida 12-9, 24-21

Coming up

UTSA at Incarnate Word (non conference), Tuesday at 2 p.m.
UTSA at East Carolina, Friday through Sunday
Rice at UTSA, May 15-17
(end of regular season)
AAC tournament, at Clearwater, Fla., May 20-25

Notable

UTSA is seven for seven when it comes to winning three-game weekend series in the AAC. They’ve played seven and won them all, including sweeps against Florida Atlantic, Wichita State, Memphis and South Florida.

AAC standings

UTSA 18-3, 37-10
Florida Atlantic 12-9, 31-16
Charlotte 12-9, 27-20
South Florida 12-9, 24-21
East Carolina 11-10, 27-21
Tulane 11-10, 28-20
Rice 8-13, 14-34
UAB 7-14, 23-25
Memphis 7-14, 19-28
Wichita State 7-14, 15-31

Sunday’s scores

UTSA 3, South Florida 2, at Tampa
Charlotte 12, Rice 2, at Houston
Tulane 6, Florida Atlantic 4, at New Orleans
Memphis 2, UAB 1, at Memphis
Wichita State 8, East Carolina 7, at Wichita

Baseball preview: Owens, Royse, Orloski in line to pitch on opening weekend for UTSA

Braylon Owens made his first start of the season and allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings. UTSA played Wichita State in the second game of an American Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Roadrunner-Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Braylon Owens was 4-1 with a 4.99 earned run average last season. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Pitchers Braylon Owens, Zach Royse and Rob Orloski are in the running to start for the UTSA Roadrunners as they prepare for the season-opening baseball series next weekend at UT Arlington, Coach Pat Hallmark said Wednesday.

“I don’t know if they’ll all three be starters, because someone needs to fill the role left by Ruger (Riojas last year) and then the year before, Simon Miller, which we call stopper,” Hallmark said. “I think in the major leagues you call it a closer. But we use ’em sooner than they do in the major leagues.

Zach Royse. Sam Houston State beat UTSA 18-2 in non-conference baseball on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Zach Royse, a junior from Katy Cinco Ranch, has moved into consideration as an opening weekend starter for the UTSA Roadrunners – File photo by Joe Alexander

“In other words, we’ll use ’em sooner. We’ll use ’em in the fifth inning. We need to fill that role, and it could be one of those three guys. But two of those guys I think are starters, and maybe one of those three guys is the stopper, but we’ve got some other good pitchers, too. We just need to see what they do against people that don’t wear the same color uniforms. In other words, not in an intrasquad game.”

Even though the staff this season might not be as experienced as last year top to bottom, Hallmark said he likes the talent.

“It’s good,” he said. “It’s not deep. I don’t think it’s deep enough. But it could be.”

Owens, Royse and Orloski apparently have separated themselves from the others going into the final week of preparation.

“We’re super excited to have ’em,” Hallmark said. “They’re going to be good. They’re going to be reliable, steady, and they’re going to pitch a lot – as long as they’re healthy.

“I joked with ’em already,” he said. “I used to tell ’em, if you walk two guys in an inning, I’m going to come and take you out. I hope they don’t walk two in an inning, but I’ve already told ’em I’m going to be leaving them in there a little longer than I used to.

“So, we need to get some development from some of the younger guys, or some of the new guys, and I think they’re on their way to doing that.”

The Roadrunners, picked to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference, will open the season on Friday, Feb. 14, on the road in the first of a three-game series against UT Arlington.

Robert Orloski. UTSA beat Incarnate Word 13-3 in non-conference baseball on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Righthander Robert Orloski beat East Carolina last season at Roadrunner Field. – File photo by Joe Alexander

After playing a mid-week game at Baylor on Feb. 18, the Roadrunners will open at home Feb. 21-23 with four games against the Long Island University Sharks.

Center fielder Mason Lytle is the team’s top returning player. Back in December, he was tabbed as the preseason Player of the Year in the American. The Roadrunners lost two other stars — Riojas and shortstop Matt King — to the transfer portal. Riojas is now at Texas and King at Arizona State.

Here’s a look at the Roadrunners, position by position, going into next week:

Pitchers – Robert Orloski, Braylon Owens, Zach Royse

Catchers – Lorenzo Morresi, Andrew Stucky, Broc Parmer

First base – Caden Miller, Lorenzo Morresi, Cade Sadler

Second base – Diego Diaz, Jordan Ballin

Shortstop – Ty Hodge, Jordan Ballin

Mason Lytle, a senior center fielder for UTSA baseball. At UTSA media day at Roadrunner Field, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2005. - Photo by Joe Alexander.

Outfielder Mason Lytle is the preseason Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference. ,- Photo by Joe Alexander

Third base – Norris McClure, Jordan Ballin

Right field – James Taussig

Center field – Mason Lytle

Left field – Tye Odom

Designated hitter — Garrett Gruell, Drew Detlefsen

Notable

Shortstop is a position in transition at UTSA with the departure of King, a former three-year starter. Ty Hodge, who’s played at Texas A&M one season and Houston Christian for two, is the leading candidate to take over at the position.

“Very, very talented player,” Hallmark said. “Lots of tools. A little bit banged up, that’s been the only knock on him in his college career. He’s a fourth-year college player … Missed one season because of an injury. And he’s a little banged up now, but the talent is there to be a terrific baseball player.

“If Ty’s not able to go, it’ll be Jordan Ballin, local freshman from Boerne (Champion High School). Terrific player.”

Cade Sadler, an infield prospect at first base with a power bat, recently dislocated his shoulder and likely won’t be available right away. Meaning that Caden Miller a freshman from Madisonville High School, might get the opening day start. Lorenzo Morresi, who might be the No. 1 catcher, can also play first.

James Taussig, a senior right fielder for UTSA baseball. At UTSA media day at Roadrunner Field, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2005. - Photo by Joe Alexander.

Senior and returning veteran James Taussig is set to play right field for the Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander.

The battle for playing time at catcher is interesting. Morresi has the best arm, but Andrew Stucky can hit, and was the team’s leader in home runs in the fall. Also, Broc Parmer has multiple skills.

Said Hallmark: “Right now, there’s not enough innings to go around behind the plate, but we’ll get ’em all in there.”

The outfield appears to be in good shape with Tye Odom in left, Mason Lytle in center and James Taussig in right. Lytle, obviously, is the headliner. He hit .348 last year. Also had 11 home runs and 43 RBI. His batting average was tied for third in the AAC, So were his 142 total bases.

In left, Odom will be taking over for Caleb Hill, one of the mainstays for a team that finished second in the American. Odom is an athlete who can take on the challenge. Last year, he was off to a fast start when he was sidelined by a hamstring injury. Still, he hit .333 with gap power and a .598 slugging percentage in 30 games.

Taussig, at 6-foot-6, hit .307 with six homers and 37 RBI.

“We got two other (outfielders) who can really swing the bat, that we need to find a spot for, Garrett Gruell and Drew Detlefsen,” Hallmark said. “So, one of those guys could end up (at designated hitter), and we could platoon lefty-righty some, as well.”

Next season, the Roadrunners could be in line to offer more than the standard 11.7 scholarships as part of the new structure of college athletics. The top teams in the nation are expected to jump from 11.7 to 34. Teams in the American Athletic Conference likely won’t add that many, but more could be added.

Norris McClure, third baseman for UTSA baseball, spent four seasons at Division-II Spring Hill College in Alabama. At UTSA media day at Roadrunner Field, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2005. - Photo by Joe Alexander.

UTSA third baseman Norris McClure hit .375 over four seasons at Division II Spring Hill College in Alabama, including .401 as a junior in 2023. – Photo by Joe Alexander.

UTSA and Southern Miss meet again in CUSA tournament

UTSA's Daniel Garza, shown pitching earlier this season at Roadrunner Field, went five innings and got the win against Southern Miss on May 13. - file photo

UTSA’s Daniel Garza, shown pitching earlier this season at Roadrunner Field, went five innings and got the win against Southern Miss on May 13. – file photo

When UTSA and Southern Miss square off Friday in the Conference USA baseball tournament, it will be their fourth meeting of the season.

First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. and will be televised on ESPN+. Friday’s winner advances to the tournament quarterfinals.

The Golden Eagles took two out of three games in the regular season, May 13-15, in Hattiesburg, Miss.

UTSA scored six times in the sixth inning to beat Southern Miss 8-7 in the series opener on May 13. Daniel Garza started on the mound for the Roadrunners and went five innings to get the win. Luke Malone pitched the final inning to get the save.

The Roadrunners scored only eight runs in the next two games combined. The Golden Eagles won the second game of the series 8-3 and wrapped up the weekend with a 9-5 victory.

Southern Miss’ success in the regular-season series helped carry the Golden Eagles to the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Roadrunners are seeded No. 5.

UTSA has not announced a probable starting pitcher for Friday. Malone threw nine innings on Thursday, so don’t expect to see him Friday.

Roadrunners pitchers who have seen a lot of action this season include:

– Garza, who has made five starts. The sophomore right-hander from Houston has a 3-1 record and 4.41 ERA in 12 games.

– Jacob Jimenez, who has made eight starts. The senior right-hander from Houston has a 2-1 record and 5.01 ERA in 14 games.

– Ryan Ward, who has made six starts. The sophomore right-hander from Schertz has a 1-0 record and 5.09 ERA in 13 games.

– Ulises Quiroga, who has made five starts. The sophomore right-hander from Baytown has a 2-4 record and 7.13 record in 14 games.

– Ryan Beaird, who has made five starts. The freshman right-hander from San Antonio has a 2-3 record and 7.32 ERA in 21 games.

Top prospects to see innings out of the bullpen include Simon Miller (3-3, 3.78 ERA) and John Chomko (2-0, 3.92). Braylon Owens, who faced two batters on Thursday, could also be available to pitch again in the tournament.

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Game 1: Old Dominion 18, Middle Tennessee 7 (7 innings)

Game 2: Louisiana Tech 4, Charlotte 0

Game 3: Southern Miss 4, UAB 3

Game 4: UTSA vs. Florida Atlantic, postponed until Thursday, 9 a.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Game 4: UTSA 6, Florida Atlantic 4

Game 5: Charlotte 22, Middle Tennessee 0

Game 6: Louisiana Tech 7, Old Dominion 2

Game 7: Florida Atlantic 11, UAB 1 (7 innings)

Game 8: Southern Miss vs. UTSA, postponed until Friday, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

Game 8: UTSA vs. Southern Miss, 10 a.m.

Game 9: Charlotte vs. Old Dominion, 1:30 p.m.

Game 10: UTSA-Southern Miss loser vs. Florida Atlantic, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

Game 11: Lousiana Tech vs. TBD, 9 a.m.

Game 12: UTSA-Southern Miss winner vs. Game 10 winner, 12:30 p.m.

Game 13: TBD, if necessary, 4 p.m.

Game 14: TBD, if necessary, 7:30

SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE

Game 15: Championship, 1 p.m.

UTSA rallies to win 9-8 behind freshman pitcher Braylon Owens

UTSA reliever Braylon Owens got the win in Sunday's victory over Florida International at Roadrunner Field. - photo by Joe Alexander

Braylon Owens, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound righthander from Elgin, improved his record to 2-1 on the season as UTSA downed the FIU Panthers 9-8 at Roadrunner Field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman Braylon Owens pitched 2 and 2/3 innings of scoreless relief on Sunday as the UTSA Roadrunners rallied to win 9-8 and complete a three-game Conference USA sweep of the Florida International Panthers.

Owens entered the game in the seventh inning. He allowed three hits and walked one, but he also made some big pitches in striking out two for the Roadrunners, who improved to 27-13 on the season and to 12-6 in the C-USA.

Jonathan Tapia delivered a solo home run and Ryan Flores added an RBI in the bottom of the seventh as the Roadrunners forged an 8-8 tie. After Owens held FIU scoreless in the top half of the eighth, UTSA made it 9-8 in the bottom half on a Garrett Poston RBI single.

Owens retired three straight in the ninth to nail down the victory, which improved UTSA’s record to 14-3 over its last 17 games. The Roadrunners are 10-2 in their last 12 in C-USA play.

Southern Miss leads the conference standings at 16-2, with UTSA and Louisiana Tech tied for second at 12-6. Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee tied for fourth at 11-7.

UTSA has a tough week ahead, hosting nationally-ranked Texas State on Tuesday and then traveling for a weekend series at Middle Tennessee.

Records

UTSA 27-13, 12-6
FIU 11-26, 4-14

Coming up

Tuesday — Texas State at UTSA, 6 p.m.
Friday — UTSA at Middle Tennessee 6 p.m.
Saturday — UTSA at Middle Tennessee 3 p.m.
Sunday — UTSA at Middle Tennessee, 11 a.m.