Tag Archives: Pat Hallmark

UTSA’s Campos calls Hallmark’s actions in altercation ‘unacceptable’

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA issued a statement critical of Roadrunners baseball coach Pat Hallmark on Wednesday night, nearly 24 hours after a post-game, altercation between Hallmark and coaches of the Texas State Bobcats.

UTSA Athletic Director Lisa Campos at the grand opening celebration of the UTSA Park West Fieldhouse facility in front of the school's soccer and track and field stadiums. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA athletic director Lisa Campos: ‘It is clear that Coach Hallmark’s conduct last night was unacceptable. I have addressed his words and actions with him and I am confident that he understands and acknowledges that it cannot happen again.’ – File photo by Joe Alexander

Athletic director Lisa Campos, in the statement, called Hallmark’s actions “unacceptable.” Hallmark apologized to UTSA, its fans and the Texas State baseball program.

The university’s statement came on the eve of an important regular-season ending, three-game series involving the Roadrunners and the UAB Blazers.

The series opens Thursday night and runs through Saturday at Roadrunner Field.

If UTSA can win one game out of the three, it would clinch at least a tie for the regular-season title in the American Conference.

After UTSA defeated Texas State 19-4 Tuesday night on the run rule, coaches for both teams gathered at home plate to discuss whether a Roadrunners pitcher had thrown at one of the Bobcats’ hitters.

During the exchange, tempers flared, and video showed Hallmark shoving a Texas State coach.

After the game, the UTSA coach said one of Texas State’s assistants “put his hands on me, so I put my hands back on him.”

Videos that appeared on social media captured a heated exchange between Hallmark and the Texas State coaches.

A video shot by Rylan Renteria, sports editor of The Paisano, the student newspaper at UTSA, showed coaches shouting at each other as Texas State players angrily hurled insults at Hallmark.

The incident led to communication during the day on Wednesday between administrators at UTSA and Texas State.

In a statement released just before 8 p.m. Wednesday, Campos, the UTSA vice president and director of athletics, criticized Hallmark’s conduct.

“After reviewing last night’s incident with Pat Hallmark, Texas State Athletics Director Don Coryell, American Conference officials and others, it is clear that Coach Hallmark’s conduct last night was unacceptable,” Campos said.

Added Campos, “I have addressed his words and actions with him and I am confident that he understands and acknowledges that it cannot happen again. We consider the matter closed.”

Hallmark, in the statement, expressed contrition for his role in the incident.

“I want to apologize to UTSA and our incredible fans for any embarrassment I may have caused for my conduct after last night’s game,” Hallmark said.

Added the coach, “I also want to apologize to the Texas State baseball program, its coaches, student-athletes and fans.

“Regardless of my motivation or provocation, I did not represent the sportsmanship and character that we demand of our student-athletes and that UTSA expects and deserves. I will do better.”

It remains to be seen how the controversy will affect the Roadrunners, who lead the American Conference by two games over the East Carolina Pirates and by three over the Blazers and the Rice Owls.

All have three games to play.

The title would be UTSA’s second straight after Hallmark’s 2025 team won the American, advanced to the NCAA tournament and defeated the Texas Longhorns in the Austin Regional.

Some hailed the baseball team’s success last year as the greatest team achievement in school history.

Records

UAB 29-23, 13-11
UTSA 35-17, 16-8

Coming up

UAB at UTSA, Thursday, 6 p.m.
UAB at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
UAB at UTSA, Saturday, 11 a.m.

Notable

The Roadrunners won their first seven series in the American this season and 18 straight dating back to May of 2024. The streak was broken last week when they dropped two of three games at Memphis.

When Caden Miller blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday against Texas State, it was only the third home run for UTSA in eight games in May.

All three of the home runs have been hit in Tuesday night games. The Roadrunners haven’t hit a home run on the weekend since April 25 at Tulane when Miller, Cade Sadler and Diego Diaz went deep.

UTSA hasn’t hit a homer in seven straight conference games since then, the finale at Tulane, three at home against Wichita State and three on the road last week at Memphis.

Senior Gunnar Brown (2-0, 5.77) is expected to start tonight for the Roadrunners against junior Mason Steele (5-3, 4.65).

Brown is one of 10 seniors set to be honored before Saturday’s regular-season finale. Players set to be recognized are:

Mike DeBattista
Drew Detlefsen
Josh Vaughn
Brandon Bishop
James Hubbard
Cade Sadler
Sam Simmons
Christian Okerholm
Gunnar Brown
Broc Parmer

UTSA extends baseball coach Pat Hallmark’s contract through the 2029 season

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UTSA baseball will move forward with Head Coach Pat Hallmark recently receiving an extension on his contract through the 2029 season.

The extension, which runs through May 31, 2029, will pay Hallmark a base salary of:

*$350,000 for the 2025-26 year
*$375,000 in ’26-27
*$400,000 in ’27-28
*And, finally, $425,000 in ’28-29.

UTSA announced the agreement on June 17 after the program’s best season, in which Hallmark led the Roadrunners to the Super Regional round of the NCAA playoffs.

Hallmark, the 2025 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, led the Roadrunners to their first NCAA Regional Championship and first Super Regional appearance.

UTSA established a program-best 47 wins and a program-low 15 losses. Hallmark also directed the team to its third-ever conference regular-season championship with a 23-4 mark in The American.

The 2025 Roadrunners re-wrote the program records in:

*Runs scored (530)
*RBI (488)
*On-base percentage (.423)
*Fewest errors (47)
*Fielding percentage (.978)
*At-bats (2,098)
*And, hit by pitches (125).

Hallmark was named UTSA’s head coach on June 16, 2019. He has led the team to a record of 187-111, including four consecutive 30-plus win seasons. The streak ties a UTSA school record.

His career record is 253-159, which includes two season at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Once again, UTSA’s Hallmark stresses need for an enhanced baseball stadium

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The ball is rolling downhill for the UTSA baseball program in terms of capturing the attention of its local fan base.

After San Antonio media blanketed the Roadrunners with coverage in last week’s trip to the NCAA Austin Regional, the players responded with a dynamic performance, sweeping to three straight victories, including two over the Texas Longhorns.

Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat Rice 15-7 on Thursday night in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sixth-year UTSA coach Pat Hallmark says he’d like to see a plan for an enhanced home stadium so that the program doesn’t fall behind in recruiting. – File photo by Joe Alexander

As a result, a crowd of people turned out on short notice for a welcome-home celebration on Monday.

Another crowd showed up Thursday when the team left Roadrunner Field for a trip to the Los Angeles Super Regional.

So, where is all this going?

Well, in the immediate future, the program is headed west for a best-of-three series against the UCLA Bruins, starting Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Coming out on top won’t be easy.

The Bruins are ranked as the 15th-best team in the tournament, and they have a player in Roch Cholowski who is among four finalists for the Dick Howser Award, college baseball’s version of the Heisman Trophy.

All that aside, UTSA is playing well, too. Correction. They are playing lights out. The Roadrunners beat the No. 2 overall seed in the Longhorns twice last week in Austin. So, they are hot, and they know how to get it done.

Given all that, what else is at stake this weekend for the most ascendant athletic program at UTSA, besides a trip to the Men’s College World Series?

Well, one enticing possibility is that the university decides to move forward with a plan to upgrade Roadrunner Field. Coach Pat Hallmark has been pushing that idea aggressively.

Another possibility is that UTSA continues on its current plan to enhance player training as its next project, without a concrete course of action on an enhanced competition site.

If that is the case, it seems that another baseball program on another campus could approach Hallmark with a better deal, and he might take it.

Why do I say this? Well, for one thing, Hallmark is a hot commodity. One of the hottest in this part of the country. His team is one of 16 remaining in the NCAA tournament.

In addition, he seems to be getting more antsy and more blunt when he discusses the need for a stadium upgrade. Specifically, one with more comforts for the fans.

He talked about it in mid-May with reporters after one of his last regular-season home games. The subject came up again in an interview Monday with radio talk show host Jason Minnix on San Antonio Sports Star, FM 94.1. Most recently, the subject was broached on Friday on the eve of his team’s first game at UCLA.

Asked on a media zoom conference if he could sense how the team has started to attract more and more attention from local fans in the wake of its success in Austin, Hallmark said he probably hasn’t grasped the situation in its entirety just yet.

“It’s a bigger deal than I anticipated, not that I knew we were going to be here,” the coach said. “But I knew we had a good team. I knew we had a shot when we officially got in the regional.”

Hallmark said “a lot of people are reaching out” in terms of fans who came out to Roadrunner Field on Monday and again on Thursday.

“People are pulling me aside, talking about a new stadium,” he said. “I have not heard that from UTSA. I’m not saying that. But I’ve never heard that from anyone, ever, in the city. From (anybody).“

The coach said he thinks people realize now that the program needs a better playing facility.

“What we’re doing this year (on the field) does not have to be an anomaly,” he said. “I’m not ready to say we can do it every single year. But we can do this more than not. This can become the goal every year, instead of some huge deal.

“Like, ‘Oh, my God. Look what we did.’ It doesn’t have to be that,” he said. “So, I’m ready to talk about this stadium as much as anybody wants to talk about it, because I want to stay in San Antonio.”

Asked for specifics on what he wanted on that front, Hallmark said he hopes UTSA officials can come up with a plan “for something” soon.

“I know it’s a huge, huge undertaking,” he said. “But that’s what we need, first and foremost, even above a bigger NIL budget and scholarships.

“You know, (with) baseball scholarships, this is the last year that they’re capped at 11.7 (per team). You’re allowed to have 34 scholarships next year. The NIL collective is a thing.”

But even before addressing those issues, he said his first priority “is and always has been” some kind of facility enhancement.

“It doesn’t have to be the Taj Mahal,” he said. “We need something so we don’t lose recruits and players, just something that says we care about baseball, and we are invested.

“When you, the baseball player at UTSA, overachieves (and) does what you are currently doing, we want to give back to you. That message needs to be sent by the people running UTSA.”

Otherwise, he said, the Roadrunners will lose players to their competition “and we don’t do this anymore.” Meaning, they’ll fall behind in terms of their ability to vie for championships in the years to come.

“If that’s what they want,” the coach said, “that’s what they’re going to get.”

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

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

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

UTSA Roadrunners

Record: 44-13

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

Seed in the Austin Regional: Second

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next up: The top-seeded Texas Longhorns.

Seeded second in the NCAA Austin Regional, UTSA didn’t need to worry about being left out

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Mason Lytle, UTSA, center field.

UTSA’s Mason Lytle, the American Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year, will lead the UTSA Roadrunners into the NCAA Austin Regional on Friday in a matchup against the Big 12’s Kansas State Wildcats. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

After reading through some information early Monday on how to deal with worst-case scenarios in life, UTSA’s Pat Hallmark reported to Roadrunner Field.

The coach of the American Athletic Conference’s 44-win, regular-season champions wanted to be prepared just in case something crazy happened and his team was left out of the 64-team NCAA tournament.

As it turned out, Hallmark could have skipped the philosophy lesson and maybe just kicked back and had another cup of coffee.

Pat Hallmark-title celebration

UTSA’s Pat Hallmark (at right) coached the Roadrunners to a 44-17 record, including 23-4 in the American Athletic Conference.. – File photo by Jerry Briggs

That’s because the NCAA announced that the Roadrunners will play in the national tournament this weekend at the Austin Regional.

Asked about the emotions in the locker room before the televised bracket reveal, Hallmark said there was mostly excitement.

“We thought we were in,” he said. “We put a good resume’ (out) there. The championship holds a lot of weight, from what I’m told, and the way we won (it) — four losses over a 27-game conference season, is pretty impressive.”

At that point, Hallmark started to tease assembled members of the media, testing their knowledge of Latin and ancient philosophy.

“We felt like we were in,” Hallmark said, continuing his story. “Of course, you never know. So there’s always a little bit of nagging thought. So I did a little reading this morning on Premeditatio Malorum.”

Say what?

Reporters didn’t say a word.

“You know what that means?” Hallmark asked a reporter. “(It’s) preparing for the worst. But I did think we were in.”

Armed with a 44-13 record, including 23-4 in conference, everyone associated with the program figured that they would have a place in the field.

But after a 2-2 run in the AAC tournament and an earlier than expected exit in the semifinals, a question loomed as to whether it might affect their seeding or where they would play.

That question, too, was dispelled.

UTSA, named to play in the tournament for the first time in their history with an at-large bid, drew a second seed in the region behind the host Texas Longhorns and ahead of the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats.

The Houston Christian University Huskies were named as the fourth seed. As a result, Texas will open the regional on Friday at 1 p.m. against Houston Christian. UTSA will play Kansas State in the second game at 6 p.m.

The regional is double elimination and will run through Sunday, or, if necessary, through Monday.

For weeks, UTSA had been projected by national media outlets as a No. 2 seed, and nothing that happened last weekend at the conference tournament in Clearwater, Fla., seemed to make any difference.

Relief pitcher Robert Orloski. UTSA beat Youngstown State 4-3 on James Taussig's walk-off hit on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Relief pitcher Robert Orloski went 8-0 with a 2.92 earned run average and eight saves during the regular season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Asked if he thinks this was a “reward bid” for the team’s body of work over the entire season, Hallmark said he doesn’t know.

“Quite frankly, I’m not sure and uh, I don’t care,” he said laughing. “We got a tough regional like they all are. So, again, we’re just eager and hungry to go to work and prepare so we give ourselves a best chance to win on Friday.”

UTSA centerfielder Mason Lytle said he likes the destination because it gives players’ families an opportunity to see the games live, without having to travel out of state.

“Wherever we were going to go, it was going to be exciting to play,” he said “(But) it’s nice playing an hour away, we’ll have fans that can travel. We have a lot of Texas people on the team, so we’ll get a lot of family. So that’ll be pretty nice.

“We’ve already played there once, so we’re pretty familiar and, uh, it’s our big brother school. So it’ll be a fun time.”

In their best win of the year, the Roadrunners defeated the “big brother” Longhorns 8-7 in 12 innings on March 18.

UTSA pitcher Robert Orloski said he started to think as early as last fall that his teammates had a chance to play in the NCAA tournament.

“We were all intense the whole time,” he said. “We never took a day off. Even when it was a lull, the team was still intense. I just think right when the fall started, we knew we had a chance, that we had a good team.”

Top-seeded UTSA opens conference tournament today in Florida against No. 8 Rice

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The UTSA baseball team watches as the seniors are honored on Saturday. UTSA beat Rice 7-0 in the final game of the regular season at Roadrunner Field on Saturday, May 17, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

The UTSA baseball team opens play today in the American Baseball Championship. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners might well be the only team at the American Baseball Championship that could fall short of the conference’s postseason title and still get an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

Sitting at No. 22 in the ratings percentage index, or RPI, the top-seeded Roadrunners will tote a regular-season conference title and a 42-11 record into Tuesday’s opening game against the No. 8 Rice Owls.

It’s purely speculation, but if UTSA can beat Rice, and then tack on a couple more victories after that, they probably would stand a fair chance of gaining an at-large NCAA bid even if they were to lose in the championship game on Sunday.

But before traveling to Clearwater, Fla., where the American’s eight-team event will be played at the BayCare Ballpark, UTSA coach Pat Hallmark was asked if he had given thought about how many more wins he needed this week to secure the program’s first bid in 12 years.

He said he’s not really thinking in those terms.

“As much as we talk about expectations and playing a certain way, we don’t talk a ton about winning,” he said Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field. “Because, sometimes, winning is out of your control. We talk about the quality of the play. So, we’re going to try to go play quality baseball. Throw strikes. Swing at strikes.

“When we swing, we want ‘em to be violent swings. And then we talk about making one error or less in the field. That’s what we’re going to keep talking about, and if we do that, the wins will take care of themselves. Just like these 42 wins (in the regular season) did.”

UTSA hasn’t reached an NCAA tournament since the 2013 season, when the Roadrunners played in the Western Athletic Conference. They’ve been in contention in each of the past three seasons going into the 2022 and 2023 Conference USA tournaments and the 2024 American tournament.

But, each time, the Roadrunners failed to make the 64-team national field.

In 2022, at Hattiesburg, Miss., they entered as a No. 5 seed with 35 wins and won three straight games, beating the nationally-ranked, host-team Southern Miss Golden Eagles twice in a row, only to lose 9-8 in the championship game to Louisiana Tech. Even with 38 wins, a strong finish and an RPI of No. 37, it wasn’t good enough for UTSA to make the NCAA.

Two years ago, in their final season in the C-USA, they entered the tournament at Houston with 38 wins and high hopes. Though they were seeded second in the field, they dropped their opener to No. 7 Middle Tennessee, 5-1, and then lost again, falling 11-2 to No. 3 Charlotte.

Last season, in their first season in the American, they once again entered as a two seed but couldn’t hold serve.

Seventh-seeded Charlotte scored four runs in the top of the 12th inning and spoiled UTSA’s opener for the second year in a row, this time by a 9-5 count. Stunned, the Roadrunners had to play the next day and lost again, falling 12-5 to the FAU Owls.

With only 32 wins, their NCAA hopes were dashed.

This year, the Roadrunners have no intention of letting anything like that happen three years in a row. After winning the American title going away by five games over second-place Charlotte, they’re confident they have the best team.

In fact, outfielder James Taussig said that with 42 victories and wins over Texas and Texas A&M on the road, he “would hope” that UTSA would get an NCAA bid even if it were to go 0-2 again.

“I think our full season, our body of work, has shown that we’re a complete team and we can play in the postseason,” he said. “I don’t plan on going 0-2. I don’t think anyone out here is planning on going 0-2. We’re going to stay locked in and focused, because there’s another championship to win.”

In other words, winning the postseason crown will be just as much fun as taking home the regular season title, so that is the goal. “Exactly,” Taussig said.

UTSA catcher Andrew Stucky said last year’s disappointment in Clearwater will serve as motivation this time around.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “A couple of us have mentioned that, saying that it’s not going to happen again this year. But I think we’re going into it this year a whole lot more confident. Just in ourselves and each other. So, we’re really excited to go out there and just keep playing like we do.”

Records

Rice 17-38, 10-17
UTSA 42-11, 23-4

Coming up

AAC tournament, at Clearwater, Fla., with top-seeded UTSA playing No. 8 Rice today. The tournament will run through May 25 at the BayCare Ballpark.

Tuesday, May 20

(All times Central)
Game 1: No. 5 Tulane vs. No. 4 Florida Atlantic | 8 a.m. | ESPN+
Game 2: No. 8 Rice vs. No. 1 UTSA | 47 minutes after Game 1 | ESPN+
Game 3: No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 2 Charlotte | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 4: No. 6 East Carolina vs. No. 3 South Florida | 47 minutes after Game 3 | ESPN+

Crunch time: Every game down the stretch will affect UTSA’s NCAA chances

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Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat Rice 15-7 on Thursday night in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Pat Hallmark’s UTSA Roadrunners are pushing for a strong finish to the season in hopes of securing a berth in the NCAA tournament. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Lefthander Conor Myles will start for the UTSA Roadrunners Friday night against the Rice Owls as they attempt a nine-for-nine achievement in the American Athletic Conference.

In other words, the AAC’s regular-season champions are playing their ninth and final conference series of the season, and they’re hoping to run the table and win them all.

Roadrunners coach Pat Hallmark said it’s an important goal to achieve, but he said it’s at least equally important that they win Friday and also Saturday, if possible, to bolster their hopes of a berth in the NCAA tournament.

“That’s where the wins matter a lot,” Hallmark said. “We’re trying to keep ourselves in a position to kind of push that (NCAA) at large (bid possibility). People keep telling us we’re in, and that’s awesome. But three years ago we thought we were in, also. It’s always on our mind. So, yeah, we’d like to win the series because of that and to win every conference series.”

After UTSA rallied from a seven-run deficit to down Rice Thursday night, 15-7, the two teams are scheduled to play again Friday at 6 p.m. and again on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Roadrunner Field.

UTSA (now 40-11 and 21-4 in the AAC) entered the Rice series at No. 20 in the NCAA’s ratings percentage index, or, RPI. They remained 20th when the new RPI was published after Thursday night. It’s a good place to be in terms of the team’s hopes to reach the 64-team NCAA tournament.

But it’s also worth wondering what a loss to Rice or even two more losses might mean for the team’s long-term goals.

That is apparently why Hallmark mentioned the heartbreaking end to the team’s season three years ago. After winning on the road twice at nationally-ranked Southern Mississippi in the 2022 Conference USA tournament, and then losing to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the finals, the Roadrunners settled in at No. 37 on the RPI and did not get an NCAA invitation.

The coach obviously hopes to avoid something like that this season.

If, say, the Roadrunners were to lose twice to Rice in the next few days and then lose the first two games of the AAC tournament next week in Florida, what would happen to their RPI? How far would they fall? How would the NCAA tournament selection committee view a non-power conference team that won eight straight AAC series and won 40 games, but then failed to finish strong?

Thinking about the team’s future in terms of a worst-case scenario also invites speculation on how much UTSA gained Thursday night by coming from behind to win. As it turned out, Rice (17-36, 10-15) actually ascended three spots on the RPI, moving up to No. 209, by collapsing and losing to the Roadrunners with 10 walks and three errors.

If Rice actually advanced in the RPI with such a dispiriting loss, how far would UTSA have fallen if it had failed to rally? Perhaps thinking back to what happened in 2022, Hallmark clearly was upset with his team’s lack of urgency in the first few innings.

“We were down 7-0 and getting no-hit,” he said. “I was frustrated. I didn’t think we were playing well. We were playing (passively) … I just thought we were playing a little soft, a little bit weak. Which boiled down to one or two reasons. Either we were a little arrogant coming out here slightly cocky, slightly arrogant. Or, we were playing like we didn’t want to mess up.

“I’m not sure which, but that’s the way we were playing, so I just kind of told them, this isn’t the way we play. We’re down seven nothing at this point. I said, ‘We might not win this game, but let’s try to play baseball (aggressively). If we screw this up and make a bunch of of mistakes, we need to make ’em aggressively, so, we were fortunate.

“Their pitcher walked us a little bit, but, some of those walks, you got to earn them, too. But that helped us … You could see the momentum shifting.”

After the Roadrunners rallied to win going away, Hallmark reflected on reaching the 40-win milestone, a first for a program that won 39 games in both 1994 and 2008.

“I’m proud of the team,” he said. “I tell everyone that will listen at this point, these kids are wonderful. They’re wonderful people. They’re good at baseball. I’ve been part of other good baseball teams. But the difference in this team is the quality of the person … wonderful. It’s hard to get on ’em. Actually had to motivate myself in the fourth inning to get a little pissed at ’em, the way we were playing, because I like ’em so much.

“I usually have no problem getting on people. They’re a bunch of good people, and I’m lucky to get to coach ’em.”

Records

Rice 17-36, 10-15
UTSA 40-11, 21-4

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Rice at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m. (end of the regular season)
AAC tournament, at Clearwater, Fla., starting Tuesday.
The tournament runs through next weekend, with the finals on Sunday, May 25.

Notable

The only team in the AAC assured of a bid to the NCAA tournament is the winner of the conference’s postseason event in Florida. Eight of 10 AAC teams will qualify, and the Owls are one of them, so they are still in contention for that NCAA automatic bid. UTSA is likely the only team in the AAC with a shot at an at-large bid. As the UTSA coach has noted, speculation is that the Roadrunners are in good shape to be in an NCAA regional. But if the Roadrunners come up short of a title in Clearwater, their fate would be up to a selection committee. That is why it’s so important for them to win Friday and Saturday, if possible.

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

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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.

AAC champion UTSA prepares to host the David Pierce-coached Rice Owls

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Emotions on the baseball diamond always run a little higher than usual when the Rice Owls show up as the visiting team at Roadrunner Field.

This year, a little more spice has been added with UTSA having already clinched its first conference title in 17 years. In addition, there’s also the impending meeting between head coaches who know each other well.

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

UTSA’s Pat Hallmark has led the Roadrunners to the American Athletic Conference regular-season title. He’ll face a coaching friend in David Pierce this weekend when UTSA hosts Rice at Roadrunner Field.- File photo by Joe Alexander

In another era, UTSA’s Pat Hallmark and Rice’s David Pierce spent six seasons together on the same coaching staff.

From 2006-11, they both toiled at Rice under Wayne Graham, a coaching legend in Texas baseball circles who led the Owls to six College World Series and one national title during his 27 years at the Houston-based private school.

With UTSA and Rice set to meet in a three-game AAC series from Thursday through Saturday, the two have already been in communication.

Pierce worked at Rice as an assistant in 1999 and from 2003-11 and Hallmark from 2006-16. Asked about the possible complications of coaching against someone he knows, Hallmark downplayed it.

“Oh, there’s no complications,” Hallmark said. “I want to beat him more than if I didn’t know him. And he knows that. We’re friends. We texted this morning. I have nothing but respect for David and what he’s done in his career. His resume’ is very impressive … He’s a wonderful coach. Great competitor. Very, very competitive.

“We have that in common. We might get into it this weekend, but in the long run, we’ll be friends.”

After Rice announced a coaching change on March 13, Jose Cruz Jr. was out. By March 17, the Owls had hired Pierce, a veteran with more than 500 victories as a head coach.

Pierce’s nine seasons at Rice saw the Owls win a conference title and qualify for the NCAA tournament each year, earn five national seeds, and advance to five Super Regionals and four College World Series, winning the title in 2003.

As a head coach since 2012, he took Sam Houston, Tulane, and Texas to a combined 11 regionals, four super regionals, and three College World Series. He came to Rice with a 494-271 record in 13 seasons.

This season, the Owls were 4-17 before he took over. They’ve posted a 13-18 record since. Rice will come into San Antonio with a 17-35 record overall, including 10-14 in the AAC.

Hallmark, in his sixth year at UTSA, has led the Roadrunners to a 39-11 record, including 20-4 in the AAC. With one more victory, the Roadrunners will break the program record for victories in a season.

Records

Rice 17-35, 10-14
UTSA 39-11, 20-4

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Thursday, 6 p.m.
Rice at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Rice at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

AAC tournament, at Clearwater, Fla., May 20-25

Notable

Last weekend, UTSA won two of three at East Carolina for its eighth series victory in eight tries in AAC play.

“It was a good weekend for us,” Hallmark said on his weekly zoom call with the media. “You go to ECU and you win two out of three, I think you should be pleased, so we are. Would have liked to have the third one. but we just didn’t close it out. So, a little disappointed in that. But, still a good weekend.”

On May 4 in Tampa, Fla., UTSA clinched a tie for the AAC title with a 3-2 victory over South Florida.

After returning home to San Antonio, UTSA traveled out on the road again and clinched the AAC crown outright in an 8-5 victory over East Carolina last Friday night in Greenville, N.C.

In a Saturday doubleheader, the Roadrunners won their 10th straight game by downing the Pirates, 7-6. But in the second game, East Carolina rallied late with four straight runs over the last two innings to win 8-7.

AAC standings

UTSA 20-4, 39-11
Charlotte 15-9, 31-20
South Florida 14-10, 27-22
Florida Atlantic 13-11, 33-18
Tulane 13-11, 30-21
East Carolina 12-12, 28-23
Rice 10-14, 17-35
Memphis 8-16, 21-30
Wichita State 8-16, 16-34
UAB 7-17, 23-28

x-Top eight qualify for the AAC tournament

Relief pitcher Robert Orloski. UTSA beat Youngstown State 4-3 on James Taussig's walk-off hit on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA relief specialist Robert Orloski earned the save in both victories at East Carolina last weekend. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Hallmark says UTSA players deserve credit for clinching a title share with two weeks to play

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Update: UTSA’s game against the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at UIW, has been canceled due to rain. The Roadrunners (37-10 overall, 18-3 in the American Athletic Conference) are scheduled to play on the road this weekend in a three-game series at East Carolina. The Roadrunners, who have already clinched at least a share of the conference title, will play the Pirates in the AAC series opener on Friday afternoon in Greenville, N.C.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coach Pat Hallmark’s UTSA Roadrunners have come ever so close to a regular-season championship, finishing in a tie for third, in second place and in second again, respectively, in each of the past three seasons.

The past two seasons have been particularly trying.

Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat A&M-Corpus Christi 4-2 in non-conference baseball on Tuesday, April 15, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Pat Hallmark’s UTSA Roadrunners have won eight games in a row and have swept two straight weekend series in the AAC. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Leading the standings for much of the year and then and coming up short against Dallas Baptist in the 2023 Conference USA race left a sour taste. Same thing last year as the Roadrunners held first place for much of the way before the East Carolina Pirates rallied late to win in UTSA’s first year in the American.

This year, UTSA lost a few star players to the transfer portal, brought in several new faces and learned last December that it had been picked to finish fourth in the American.

At media day, held a few days before the start of the season, Hallmark talked about hoping to be in position to play for the title going into their series at East Carolina.

As it turned out, the Roadrunners surprised outsiders and even their own coaches by putting together a late run to clinch a tie for the AAC’s regular-season title – with two weeks remaining on the schedule.

“It’s very satisfying,” Hallmark said Monday. “We’re not quite where we want to be. I guess technically we could still share it. But we’re in a good position with two weeks left. I certainly didn’t think we’d be here (at this point on the schedule). I’m not surprised we’re in a position to win it.

“I thought we’d have a chance to do that. But this early is a little bit of a surprise.”

Coming off eight straight wins and two AAC weekend series sweeps, the Roadrunners (37-10 overall, 18-3 in conference) lead the Florida Atlantic Owls, the Charlotte 49ers and the South Florida Bulls by six games with six to play.

They’re two wins shy of the school record going into Tuesday afternoon’s non-conference game at Incarnate Word and, on top of that, they can clinch the AAC title outright along with the No. 1 seed in the AAC tournament with a win at East Carolina on Friday.

The conference has told UTSA that it needs only one win its last six conference games to secure the No. 1 seed for the AAC tournament, which runs from May 20-25 in Clearwater, Fla.

“It’s satisfying,” Hallmark said on his weekly media zoom call. “I’m very happy for the players. I can’t overstate that. These guys deserve it.”

Before this season, the Roadrunners hadn’t won a regular-season title since Sherman Corbett’s 2007 and 2008 teams did it in the Southland. Players likely are far from satisfied with their achievement, though, because they ultimately want to have a chance to play in an NCAA regional, as well.

They haven’t reached the NCAA tournament since the Jason Marshall-coached 2013 squad played in the Corvallis (Ore.) Regional.

Coming up

UTSA at Incarnate Word, Tuesday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at East Carolina, Friday, 5 p.m.
UTSA at East Carolina, Saturday, 3 p.m.
UTSA at East Carolina, Sunday, noon
Rice at UTSA, May 15, 6 p.m.
Rice at UTSA, May 16, 6 p.m.
Rice at UTSA, May 17, 1 p.m.
AAC tournament, at Clearwater, Fla., May 20-25

Records

UTSA (American) 37-10, 18-3
Incarnate Word (Southland) 17-30, 3-24

Notable

Incarnate Word hopes to sweep the season series against UTSA when it hosts its crosstown rivals on Tuesday. In the first matchup, Rob Liddington homered twice, doubled and produced six RBI as the Cardinals won 8-5 on March 11 at Roadrunner Field. Gus McKay and Jonah Posey combined to hold UTSA to four earned runs and six hits.

UTSA continues to keep an eye on its standing in the ratings percentage index (RPI), with the Roadrunners being listed on Monday at No. 21 nationally. It’s the highest the team has ascended this season. The RPI is used by the NCAA baseball committee to draw up the 64-team field following all the conference tournaments.