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Shocking the world? UTSA beats Texas to claim the NCAA Austin Regional baseball title

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UTSA's Rob Orloski celebrates after getting the final out. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Rob Orloski celebrates after getting the final out Sunday night. By beating Texas for the second straight night to claim the NCAA Austin Regional title, Roadrunners will advance to the Super Regional round of the playoffs for the first time. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

AUSTIN — The UTSA Roadrunners have played in only four NCAA regional baseball tournaments, compared to 62 for the Texas Longhorns.

The Roadrunners have competed in baseball for 34 seasons, and the Longhorns, by comparison, have appeared in the College World Series a record 38 times. UTSA plays in a facility in San Antonio that doesn’t measure up to many anywhere, at any level, while Texas plays at Disch-Falk Field, one of the most iconic venues in the NCAA.

In that regard, after the Roadrunners swept three games to win the Austin Regional, including two straight over the Longhorns, it wasn’t surprising that Pat Hallmark was asked if he thought he had just shocked the world.

UTSA's Norris McClure hit a two-run homer in the first inning.

UTSA’s Norris McClure ripped a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to boost UTSA into a 2-0 lead. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I don’t know,” UTSA’s sixth-year head coach said. “Maybe the college baseball world, a little bit. I don’t want to go too much into that, but we’ll shock the world when we win the whole thing. That would shock the world. But, like (UTSA outfielder James Taussig) said (Saturday) night, he said, ‘Three more (wins) to Omaha.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, he’s right.’ And he said tonight, ‘Two more.’

“So, I don’t know if we (have) shocked the world or not. We surprised a few people. But people that have seen us all year, these guys (in the San Antonio media) that have seen us all year, I don’t know that they are totally shocked. Again, we beat the Longhorns. I did not know we were going to do this. I knew we had a chance.

“But, (Texas’) Jim Schlossnagle is an amazing coach, and this is the University of Texas, so … ”

So, yes, the Roadrunners surprised many in Hallmark’s profession by what happened here in the last 72 hours. In succession, they downed Kansas State, Texas and Texas again. Three straight victories over teams in Power 4 conferences, and they capped off the run with a 7-4 victory Sunday night in the regional finals.

As a result, the Roadrunners advance to meet the NCAA tournament’s 15th-seeded UCLA Bruins in the Super Regional round.

UTSA will play this weekend in Los Angeles at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium. The series is best of three, with the winner earning a trip to Omaha, Neb., for the Men’s College World Series. Schlossnagle, whose team was the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA tournament at large, told reporters that UTSA is capable of winning in the super regionals and then making a run at the eight-team MCWS.

“Congratulations to UTSA,” Schlossnagle said. “As I told coach Hallmark at home plate, that’s not a fly-by-night team. That’s a real team. That’s an Omaha-caliber club in every way.

“They play a lot of different brands of baseball. They can pitch. Like I said the other night, they have a persona about ’em. A winning persona. We gave ’em too many free bases there in one inning. (Ty) Hodge got the big two-out hit. We just didn’t bunch our hits. We didn’t have some balls fall in. (Mason) Lytle made an awesome play in center field.

Ty Hodge had a three-run double in the third inning. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Ty Hodge smashed a three-run double in the five-run third inning, which boosted the Roadrunners into a 7-0 lead. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I was proud of the way our guys competed. We’re pretty banged up, which every team is. Really proud of our team. As I just told ’em, no disrespect to teams in the past, but this is the first (Texas) team that’s ever had to play through the SEC (the Southeastern Conference). To be an SEC champion and to host a regional…We all understand Omaha is where we want to (finish). We were 44-14 in our league. It doesn’t make it a bad season.”

UTSA, on the other hand, will carry a somewhat mind-boggling 47-14 record into Los Angeles.

Norris McClure hit a two-run home run and Hodge had a three-run double early to back the pitching of starter Gunnar Brown as the second-seeded UTSA Roadrunners beat the No. 1 regional seed Longhorns for the third time this season.

With the latest win, the Roadrunners clinched a regional title and qualified for the super regionals for the first time in their history. Before this season, UTSA had never won more than 39 games in a season and had finished 0-2 in three previous trips to the regional round.

The Roadrunners jumped on the Longhorns in the first inning to get off to a fast start. After Taussig drew a one-out walk, McClure smoked a line drive off Hudson Hamilton that sailed over the right field wall for a two-run homer. Hamilton was making his first start of the season. When McClure’s homer landed somewhere on Comal Street outside of “The Disch,” UTSA had a 2-0 lead.

For the Longhorns, the bottom of the third was pure agony.

The Roadrunners bunched two singles and two batters hit by pitch for a 3-0 lead. Officials reviewed when UTSA’s Jordan Ballin was plunked, apparently to see if he leaned into it, but he original call was upheld and Ballin had himself an RBI. At that juncture, Texas made a pitching change, bringing in Max Grubbs.

Grubbs, one of the Longhorns’ top arms out of the bullpen, found immediate trouble when Hodge drilled a ball to center field. It carried past the centerfielder, all the way to the wall, and the Roadrunners scored three runs on the play. After Andrew Stucky was hit by a pitch, Mason Lytle stroked an RBI single through the left side.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Pat Hallmark will lead the 47-13 UTSA Roadrunners to the West Coast this weekend for a date in the NCAA Super Regional against the UCLA Bruins. – Photo by Joe Alexabder

UTSA had its fifth run of the inning and a 7-0 lead.

Pitching and defense also emerged as highlights in perhaps one of UTSA’s biggest moments in the history of its athletic department.

After the Roadrunners had used weekend starters Zach Royse, Braylon Owens and Conor Myles on Friday and Saturday, coaches called on Brown, who was making only his fourth start of the season. He entered the national spotlight with a 7.85 ERA. Brown, from Episcopal High School in Houston, earned the victory and improved his record to 4-2 with five innings of work. He allowed only one run on six hits, walking two and striking out four.

Connor Kelley pitched one inning and Robert Orloski, a one-time draft pick by the Boston Red Sox out of Middleton, Idaho, closed out Texas in the final three innings. Orloski gave up a run in the eighth on a solo homer by Kimble Schuessler. He also yielded two in the ninth on a two-run blast by Max Belyeu.

Roadrunners’ fans might also remember for a long time two outfield defensive gems, one by Taussig, the Austin Regional Most Outstanding Player, and another by Lytle. In the top of the third, Schuessler smashed a ball that sailed into the right center gap. Taussig had to run hard just to get in position to catch it, but he did, reaching up and grabbing it back-handed while still on the move.

UTSA pitcher Gunnar Brown. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA pitcher Gunnar Brown (4-2) earned the win by working five innings. He allowed one run on six hits. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Next, he pivoted and fired the ball back toward the infield. Ballin caught the cutoff, wheeled and fired from just outside the infield area to McClure. Rylan Galvan, who was attempting to advance from second to third, was out on the play. So, instead of Texas potentially scoring a run on an extra-base hit to make it 2-1, UTSA shut down a rally on a hair-raising double play and turned it into a scoreless inning.

In the top of the fourth, Lytle may have made the catch of the season for UTSA. After Texas freshman Adrian Rodriguez opened the inning with a double off the right field wall, Casey Borba followed with a double of his own to left, driving in Rodriguez to make it 7-1.

Next, San Antonio’s Jalin Flores stepped to the plate. Flores had been struggling in the tournament, but he smashed a ball into center field that looked like extra bases, for sure. Lytle, a speedster, had other ideas. He darted two his left on a flat-out sprint, kept churning and eventually laid out parallel to the ground to snare the ball for an out, skidding into the wall at the end of the play.

Jonah Williams followed for Texas, reaching base on a fielding error by Hodge, the only miscue of the day by UTSA. But Brown steadied himself and retired two straight to end the threat. First, he got Will Gasparino on a ground ball and Ethan Mendoza on a fly to right.

Notable

UTSA played the game without leftfielder Drew Detlefsen, the team’s home run and RBI leader. Detlefsen tweaked a hamstring during Saturday’s 9-7 victory over Texas.

Rightfielder James Taussig was named the regional’s most outstanding player in a vote by credentialed media. Taussig, Hodge and Lytle made the all-tournament team as position players, while Braylon Owens and Zach Royse made it as pitchers.

The Roadrunners started the season with a 1-3 record but have turned it around to go 46-10 record since Feb. 22. They are 24-5 since an April 1 loss on the road at TCU.

Austin Regional

UTSA went 3-0 to win it. Texas was the runner up at 2-2. Kansas State finished 1-2 and Houston Christian 0-2. The Roadrunners defeated Kansas State 10-2 on Friday night and Texas 9-7 on Saturday before downing Texas 7-4 in the finals. Texas scored an opening-day 7-1 victory over Houston Christian, lost to UTSA and then eliminated Kansas State, 15-8, on Sunday morning just to reach the finals.

For Texas, it was the first time since 2007 that the team failed to win an Austin Regional. That tournament was held in Round Rock. It was the first time it failed to win an Austin Regional at Disch-Falk Field since 2006.

UCLA notable

The Bruins (45-16) cruised through the Los Angeles Regional by beating Fresno State, Arizona State and UC Irvine by a combined 38-14.

It is UCLA’s first trip to the super regional round since 2019 and its seventh overall since the tournament expanded for the 1999 season. Last season, the Bruins won only 19 games.

John Savage is in his 21st season as UCLA’s head coach. Under Savage, the Bruins reached the MCWS in 2010, 2012 and also in 2013, when they won the national title.

UCLA gets to play UTSA on is home field, where it is 29-7 this season. Bruins shortstop Roch Chowlowsky was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Chowlosky has a .370 average, 23 home runs and 72 RBI. Mulivai Levu bats .321 with 12 homers and a team-leading 84 RBI.

Roman Martin had a productive Los Angeles Regional, going six for 15 with two home runs and eight RBI.

Michael Barnett, Landon Stump and Ian May lead the team in innings pitched. Barnett is 11-1 with a 4.18 ERA. Stump is 6-1, 4.80 and May 7-3, 5.00. Jack O’Connor is 3-0 and 1.88 out of the bullpen. UCLA and Oregon tied for first in the Big Ten at 22-8.

UTSA players charge the field after clinching the NCAA Austin Regional title. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

A multi-Roadrunner celebration breaks out on the field after UTSA clinches the NCAA Austin Regional. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Texas rolls past Kansas State, moves into NCAA Austin Regional title round against UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Texas Longhorns will get another shot at the UTSA Roadrunners in the NCAA Austin Regional.

Casey Borba hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in an eight-RBI performance Sunday as the top-seeded Longhorns (44-13) stayed alive in the double-elimination format with a 15-8 victory over the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats.

Less than 24 hours after they were upended by the second-seeded Roadrunners, 9-7, the Longhorns produced 15 hits against five Kansas State pitchers to eliminate the Wildcats (32-26).

Borba stroked four hits, joining teammate Max Belyeu with first-inning homers. Belyeu started off the six-run first by slicing a two-run homer over the left field wall. Borba followed with a grand slam, an opposite field shot to right.

In the third inning, Borba, a sophomore from Santa Ana, Calif., launched a three-run homer to left.

Ruger Riojas, who played at UTSA the past two seasons, started on the mound for the Longhorns and set career highs in innings pitched (7 and 1/3) and pitches (119). He allowed seven runs on six hits, including three homers.

For the Wildcats, Seth Dardar homered in the first inning, while AJ Evasco heated up late with round-trippers in the seventh and the eighth.

Fourth-seeded Houston Christian (0-2) and Kansas State (1-2) are both out of the tournament. Texas, at 2-1 this weekend, will play 2-0 UTSA in the title round starting tonight.

UTSA (46-13) needs one victory to win the regional. Texas needs to win tonight and again in a winner-take-all game on Monday to advance to the Super Regional round.

Biggest win in program history? UTSA stuns top-seeded Texas 9-7 in the NCAA Austin Regional

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Braylon Owens finished the game on the mound for UTSA. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Senior Braylon Owens closed the game by pitching four innings, allowing only one run on one hit, to help the UTSA Roadrunners beat Texas and advance to the regional finals. UTSA is now just one win away from a berth in the NCAA Super Regional round. – Photo by Joe Alexander

AUSTIN — For at least the past four years, UTSA has had a piece of tape in its locker room in San Antonio imprinted with three letters, ‘JYD.’ The three letters stand for ‘Junk Yard Dogs.’

It’s a message to the players that they can achieve success even under the most extreme, adverse conditions.

The Roadrunners lived up to their burgeoning legend Saturday night, rallying from a five-run deficit to score arguably the biggest victory in program history, a 9-7 shocker over the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Austin Regional.

Texas entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 national seed, behind only the Vanderbilt Commodores, in the 64-team field. Seeded No. 1 in the regional, the Longhorns rolled in their first game to a 7-1 victory over the No. 4 HCU Huskies.

UTSA's James Taussig celebrates with the fans after UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Outfielder James Taussig celebrates with the fans after second-seeded UTSA beat No. 1 Texas 9-7 on at the Austin Regional. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Most expected them to face a stiffer test in the winners’ bracket against the second-seeded Roadrunners. After all, UTSA won a mid-week game in March at Disch-Falk Field, claiming an 8-7 victory in 12 innings.

But after UTSA knocked off Kansas State 10-2 in its tournament opener, a question loomed about the rematch against Texas. It centered on whether the Roadrunners could win again, in Austin, in a playoff setting, against top-of-the-line pitching.

The answer, in the end, was yes.

A few of the lead dogs in the “JYD” pack, and also one pup, led the way.

Senior slugger James Taussig produced a four-for-four performance and had a couple of RBI, including one on drag bunt single in the ninth inning. Senior Mason Lytle tormented the Longhorns with three hits and some daring base running.

Freshman Nathan Hodge, despite his lack of collegiate experience, had two hits and three RBI.

At the end, senior pitcher Braylon Owens closed the game with four innings of relief. During that stretch, he held the Longhorns to one run on one hit, a long homer by Ryan Galvan in the seventh inning.

Nevertheless, Owens finished in style, shutting down a two-on-base scoring threat in the eighth inning and then working around a walk in the ninth with two strikeouts to end the game.

Owens, from Elgin, about 30 miles east of Austin, said he loves the atmosphere when he plays on the Texas campus. He said he draws energy from the Longhorns’ fans.

“When you have all these Texas fans, like, yelling at you, talking mess to you, I don’t know,” he said. “A lot of people get nervous about that. Me, it makes me excited. Like, I want to make ’em be quiet, prove ’em wrong. So, I’d say that helps a lot, the crowd.”

Taussig, Owens’ good friend and fishing buddy, aided the cause immensely in the ninth inning by his deft handling of the bat. With Lytle at third base, he bunted the ball through the air, just past relief pitcher Dylan Volantis.

Kendall Dove reacts after getting the third out in the bottom of the fifth inning. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Reliever Kendall Dove (3-0) pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the fifth earned the victory. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Playing back, the second baseman had no chance on the ball, either, as it bounced on the infield grass. Consequently, Lytle scored easily from third base to widen UTSA’s lead to the eventual final score. Taussig beat it out for his fourth hit of the day.

The two-run cushion was important entering the Longhorns’ last at bat.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy,” Owens said, “but it definitely, like, made me feel more comfortable and not as anxious, that I have to do this, or I have to do that. It took a little bit of weight off my shoulders.”

When the game ended with Owens striking out Texas slugger Max Belyeu, his teammates rushed out of the dugout and swarmed around him, shouting and celebrating. Owens was stunned. He said he blanked out.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he said.

Immediately, the Roadrunners will need to prepare for Sunday’s championship round, which should be very interesting.

Texas (43-13) and Kansas State (32-25) will play in a losers’ bracket game at 2 p.m. The winner will meet UTSA (46-13) later Sunday. Texas or Kansas State will need to beat UTSA Sunday night and again on Monday to win the regional.

The Roadrunners only need to win once to advance to the NCAA Super Regional round for the first time in program history. The winner of the two-team super regionals, scheduled for next weekend, will earn trips to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

After Saturday night, little doubt exists now that the Roadrunners could make a run to Omaha. Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle tipped his cap to UTSA and even mentioned that he had heard about the team’s ‘Junk Yard Dog’ credo.

“It feels good,” Owens said. “I mean, all four years, we have a piece of tape in our locker room that says, ‘JYD.’ Now that everybody is starting to know that’s how we see ourselves, it feels good.”

Austin Regional

Sunday’s games

Losers’ bracket – Texas vs. Kansas State, 2 p.m.
Championship round – UTSA vs. Texas or Kansas State, 6 p.m. (or, an hour after the first game)

UTSA's Nathan Hodge (11) scores in the top of the fifth to cut the Texas lead to 6-4. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Nathan Hodge (11) scores in the top of the fifth to cut the Texas lead to 6-4. Hodge, a freshmen, had two hits and three RBI. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Monday’s game

Championship round, if necessary – UTSA vs. Texas or Kansas State, time TBD

Seeds, records

1 – Texas (43-13)
2 – UTSA (46-13)
3 – Kansas State (32-25)
4 – HCU (32-25)

A Longhorns’ surge

Locked in a tie game with UTSA, Texas sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs on four hits in the bottom of the third.

The Longhorns did the damage off both Conor Myles, the Roadrunners’ starting pitcher, and against Connor Kelley, one of their best bullpen arms. Jonah Williams’ two-out, two-run single off Kelley was the big blow for the Longhorns in the inning.

When the dust settled, the Longhorns had a 6-1 lead on the Roadrunners and significant momentum.

The inning started with Myles walking Rylan Galvan. Max Belyeu followed with a single to center. A key play unfolded when Kimble Schuessler ripped a ground ball up the middle that Hodge, playing second base, dove for and gloved. Laid out on the ground, however, he was unable to make a toss to second base for the force, so everyone was safe.

The bases were loaded.

With bullpen arms warming, Myles faced UT’s Adrian Rodriguez, who grounded a ball down the first base line for an out and an RBI. At that point, the Roadrunners made a change. Kelley entered the game and started off well, striking out Jalin Flores on an awkward swing. But after that, Texas got hot and started pounding the ball.

First, Williams, a five-star recruit as a football safety out of Galveston, drilled a hit with pace into right field to bring in two runs. Casey Borba followed by hammering a ball off the base of the left field wall for an RBI double. Adding to UTSA’s woes, Kelley fired a wild pitch, allowing the fifth run to score for a five-run Texas lead.

How the Roadrunners countered

Undeterred, UTSA rallied in the top of the fifth with four runs on three hits and an error. The uprising came against tiring Texas starter Luke Harrison. Hodge delivered a key hit for the Roadrunners in the inning with a two-run single. Taussig added a run-scoring double. After it was over, the Roadrunners had pulled to within 6-5, and fans were on their feet.

Garrett Gruell had a run-scoring hit in the sixth inning. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Garrett Gruell talks strategy with Coach Pat Hallmark. Gruell belted a run-scoring double in the sixth inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Norris McClure led off the inning with a ground ball that was mishandled at second base. He narrowly beat out the throw to first on a play ruled as an error. From there, Harrison started to falter with his command. He walked Andrew Stucky and hit Caden Miller with a pitch to load the bases. Hodge, a freshman from College Station, rose to the challenge by stroking a ground ball up the middle.

It caromed off lunging shortstop Jalin Flores’ glove and two runs scored. Next, Lytle singled up the middle and one out later, Taussig blasted a double to center that scored one. UTSA had new life, trailing by one run.

Taking the lead

In the top of the sixth, the noise level among UTSA fans increased significantly as the Roadrunners constructed a three-run rally to take their first lead of the game, 8-6. It all started with two out when Harrison gave up a single to Andrew Stucky and Caden Miller walked. Texas changed pitchers in hopes of cutting off the threat, bringing in Thomas Burns.

UTSA immediately lit up the hard-throwing righty for three hits. Hodge whacked a fastball into center field for an RBI single, tying the game. Lytle followed with another run-scoring single, putting UTSA ahead by one run.

On a play that underscored the intensity of the game, Garrett Gruell doubled into the corner to score one run easily, making it 8-6. Just as the relay throw came in to the shortstop, Lytle kept running as he rounded third and sped for home. The throw was on target, and Lytle collided with Galvan, the catcher.

Lytle was called out on a play that went to review and was upheld. At the same time, UTSA had seized the momentum from the NCAA tournament’s second-seeded team.

Mason Lytle and his UTSA teammates celebrate on the field after the final out. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mason Lytle and his UTSA teammates celebrate on the field after the final out. The Roadrunners trailed 6-1 after four innings, rallied into the lead and then held on at the end to win on the home field of the Longhorns. – Photo by Joe Alexander

NCAA playoffs: Fifth-inning hit parade lifts Texas over HCU to open Austin Regional

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

AUSTIN — The Texas Longhorns started the month of May laying out into a swoon, losing three games at Arkansas and then dropping two of three at home to Florida. After those performances, some of the luster from Coach Jim Schlossnagle’s first season at UT started to fade. But now that the end of the month is near and the NCAA playoffs have begun, the shine has returned to the Longhorns, who are darlings of their fans once again.

Texas, seeded second nationally in the NCAA tournament, erupted for five runs on six hits in the fifth inning Friday afternoon to down the HCU Huskies 7-1 in the opening game of the Austin Regional. A crowd announced at 7,673 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field watched as the Longhorns, seeded first in the region, handled the No 4 Huskies without much problem and moved into a winners’ bracket game Saturday.

In Friday’s second game, the second seeded UTSA Roadrunners and the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats were set to play at 6 p.m. The UTSA/Kansas State loser will face HCU in Saturday’s opener at 2 p.m. The winner will meet the Longhorns at 8 p.m.

Leading by one run going into the bottom of the fifth, the Longhorns took the opportunity to crank the offense against HCU starter Parker Edwards. Jonah Williams led off by reaching on a fielding error and stole second. On the steal attempt, Williams appeared to hit Huskies second baseman Jeremy Rader feet first. After getting attention from trainers on the field, Rader came out of the game to applause from UT’s fans.

Later, the fans were on their feet for most of the remainder of the inning as the Longhorns stroked five straight hits. The first was a two-run single by Kimble Schuessler. Next, Adrian Rodriguez and Casey Borba followed with RBI singles to center. For Rodriguez, the hit extended his batting streak to 16 games. Will Gasparino brought in the last run of the inning with a double into left field. When Jalin Flores raced from second to home plate, the Longhorns had built a 7-1 lead.

Records

HCU 32-24
Texas 43-12

Saturday’s games

Losers’ bracket: HCU vs. UTSA or Kansas State, 2 p.m.
Winners’ bracket: Texas vs. UTSA or Kansas State, 8 p.m.

Notable

Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said his starter for Saturday is “probably” lefthander Luke Harrison, who is 5-1 with a 2.98 earned run average.

Harrison, a redshirt junior from Friendswood, has held opposing hitters to a .235 average. Schlossnagle was able to get through the first game of the regional without using any of his front-line pitchers. “It gives us the best chance,” the coach said. “It sets us up as good as we can be set up.”

Ethan Walker, Grayson Saunier and Hudson Hamilton combined to limit HCU to one run on eight hits. Saunier, who yielded one run on five hits in three and two thirds innings, earned the victory. He improved to 2-0. Parker Edwards (3-5) was the loser for HCU. He gave up seven runs (only one earned) on seven hits in four and two thirds innings.

HCU actually out-hit Texas, 8-7. HCU second baseman Jeremy Rader was sent for imaging to determine the nature of his injury, apparently to his collar bone, Huskies coach Clay VanderLaan said. “When we get back to the hotel we’ll evaluate and see how he is,” the coach said.

Austin Regional is expected to be played as scheduled after storm damage at UFCU Disch-Falk Field

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

AUSTIN — The weather turned wild on Wednesday night at the University of Texas. A storm that packed wind estimated at 70 mph, according to a local media outlet, knocked down a portion of the centerfield fence at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

At first glance, it looked like a situation that could affect this weekend’s NCAA Austin Regional baseball tournament. Officials, however, cautioned fans not to worry.

“Still scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Friday,” a University of Texas school spokesman said, alluding to the time for the first pitch to be thrown in a game pitting the Texas Longhorns and the Houston Christian University Huskies.

A second game will follow at 6 p.m. between the Kansas State Wildcats and the UTSA Roadrunners.

Austin Regional: Schlossnagle’s first team at Texas has high hopes for a run to Omaha

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

In the last of our four installments on teams in the Austin Regional, we’ll examine the Texas Longhorns’ success this season and how they have lived up to the hype after the hiring of Coach Jim Schlossnagle last summer.

The Texas Longhorns

Record: 42-12

Record in conference: 22-8, first in the Southeastern Conference

Seed in the Austin Regional: First (second nationally behind Vanderbilt)

Opener: Texas hosts Houston Christian on Friday at 1 p.m.

NCAA history, highlights: The Longhorns have won six national titles and have made a record 38 College World Series appearances. This is their 62nd trip to the NCAA tournament.

Journey to the Austin Regional: Coach Jim Schlossnagle’s first season in Austin has been a memorable one, starting with his controversial exit last summer at Texas A&M and his hiring at intrastate rival Texas. Only days after leading the Aggies to the Men’s College World Series title game, he accepted a job to coach the Longhorns. This spring, the Longhorns sizzled with 17 straight wins at one point, a streak broken by a loss at home to UTSA. Then they picked up steam when they entered the SEC schedule, winning their first seven series and reaching No. 1 in the polls. Though they lost some sizzle late by dropping three straight games at Arkansas and two of three at home to Florida, they secured the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA field based on their SEC regular-season title. With their RPI at No. 4, the Longhorns are hosting a regional for the first time since 2022.

The coach: Schlossnagle has won 987 games in stops at UNLV, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas. He’s coached in 19 NCAA regionals (this will be his 20th), nine super regionals and seven Men’s College World Series. He’s led his teams to six MCWS appearances in the last 10 years.

Top players: Pitcher Dylan Volantis and catcher Rylan Galvan were both named first-team, all Southeastern Conference. Volantis was the SEC Freshman of the Year. Galvan, first baseman Kimble Schuessler, second baseman Ethan Mendoza and outfielder Will Gasparino all were named to the SEC All Defensive Team.

More on Volantis: The 6-foot-6, 212-pound Volantis became just the fourth Longhorn to receive conference freshman of the year honors, joining Chance Ruffin (2008), Erich Weiss (2011) and Parker French (2012). For the season, he finished 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA and 12 saves.

Pride of South Texas: Rylan Galvan, a junior from Sinton, hit .299 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI this season. Galvan played at Sinton under coach Adrian Alaniz, who pitched for the Longhorns under coach Augie Garrido.

Belyeu’s return: Max Belyeu, the Big 12 Player of the Year last season, returned to the Longhorns lineup in the SEC tournament quarterfinals against Tennessee. He went 0 for 5 in his return after getting sidelined with a fractured a thumb on March 28 at Missouri.

San Antonio connections: Ruger Riojas, in his first year at Texas, pitched the past two seasons at UTSA. UT shortstop Jalin Flores played in high school at Brandeis in the Northside Independent School District. UT assistant coach Michael Cantu played two games for the San Antonio Missions in 2022.

UTSA baseball is headed to Austin for the NCAA tournament

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners will play in the Austin Regional in the NCAA baseball tournament and will face the Kansas State Wildcats on opening day Friday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, according to the bracket released Monday.

The Texas Longhorns are the hosts in the regional and the No. 2 overall seed in the 64-team tournament. As the regional No. 1, the Longhorns will open with the four-seed Houston Christian Huskies.

The Roadrunners are seeded second in the region, taking on the No. 3 Wildcats of the Big 12. On Friday, the Longhorns will play the Huskies at 1 p.m. The Roadrunners and the Wildcats will play at 6 p.m. Both games are on ESPN +.

For UTSA, it is the program’s first NCAA regional appearance in 12 years and fourth overall. Facing Kansas State, UTSA will be looking for its first victory in NCAA competition. The team bowed out with 0-2 records in its previous three trips.

Records

(Regional seed, school, records, conference finish)
1) Texas 42-12, 22-8, first in the Southeastern Conference
2) UTSA 44-13, 23-4, first in the American Athletic Conference
3) Kansas State 31-24, 17-13 sixth in the Big 12
4) Houston Christian 32-23, 17-13, sixth in the Southland Conference

Notable

The Roadrunners are playing in an NCAA regional for only the fourth time since the program’s inception in 1992, with the other three in 1994, 2005 and 2013.

This is UTSA’s first regional appearance after receiving an at-large bid, with the other three coming as a conference tournament winner with an automatic bid.

In the Roadrunners’ first regional, under Coach Jimmy Shankle, they played in Austin in the NCAA Central Region as the fifth seed, where they lost the first game to No. 19 Nevada 11-8 and fell to Arkansas State 10-5.

In 2005, with a team coached by Sherman Corbett, UTSA competed in the Waco Regional as the fourth seed, taking on No. 6 Baylor in the first game and losing 8-3. The Roadrunners were then eliminated in the second game against Stanford, falling 6-2.

In UTSA’s most recent regional appearance, the Roadrunners competed in the Corvallis Regional in 2013 under Jason Marshall as the fourth seed, where they fell 5-4 to No. 3 Oregon State and 6-1 to Texas A&M.

UTSA’s coach Pat Hallmark is the architect of this year’s team that set the school record for victories in a season. Hallmark, a Houston native, is in his sixth year as head coach of the Roadrunners.

Quotable

“We’re excited and ready to go to work,” Hallmark said. “That’s really the reaction. I’m antsy to get back (in the office) in RACE and pull up some video and start scouting.”

Asked if he thinks this was a “reward bid” for the team’s body of work with a two seed and a game close to home, 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.”

Coming out of the AAC tournament, Hallmark said he guessed that the NCAA committee would send UTSA to a regional in the state of Texas or in the western United States.

He said having his team prepare to play in Austin has some advantages, such as being able to stay one more night in San Antonio before traveling to Austin to practice on Thursday.

Traveling to the West Coast, he said, would have meant the team would need to leave Wednesday. Regardless, he said, the all three of his potential competitors are “really” good.

“I don’t know what regional I’d prefer,” he said. “I’ve been asked that a few times. But logistically, with travel, it’s nice. We can go up Thursday now. That’s what I’d like to do. You know, we practice Thursday at their field … So it’s another night the kids get to sleep in their own bed. We get a full practice here on Wednesday.

“Right now we need to make a few minor adjustments offensively. So there’s some things that will help, being this close to the ballpark.”

Baseball: UTSA knocks off eighth-ranked Texas, 8-7, in 12 innings

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Andrew Stucky hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the 12th inning, and Braylon Owens retired three straight batters in the bottom half, as the UTSA Roadrunners upset the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns, 8-7, on a windy Tuesday night in Austin.

Andrew Stucky celebrates at second base after his first-inning double drove in UTSA's first two runs.

Andrew Stucky, shown here in a game from last season, belted a solo home run in the 12th inning Tuesday night to lift UTSA to an 8-7 victory over eighth-ranked Texas. – File photo by Joe Alexander

With the victory, the Roadrunners (17-6) won their third game this month against a prominent in-state college baseball program.

On March 4, they beat the 14th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, 7-4, in College Station. Last weekend, they went 1-2 on the road against 20th-ranked Dallas Baptist, winning the middle game of the series, 15-11, on Saturday. They followed by taking down Texas (17-2) for the first time since 2019, snapping the Longhorns 17-game winning streak in the process.

Owens (3-1) emerged as the winning pitcher for the Roadrunners, while former UTSA star Ruger Riojas (5-1) took the loss for the Longhorns.

For UTSA, freshman Caden Miller from Madisonville hit two solo home runs. He led off the game with a solo shot in a two-run first inning to give the Roadrunners early momentum.

Afterward, the Longhorns retaliated, scoring one run in the first on a Max Belyeu solo blast, two in the second and third innings and another one in the fifth on a solo homer by freshman Adrian Rodriguez. When Rodriguez’s home run left the ball park, Texas had seeming control of the proceedings with a 6-2 lead.

In response, UTSA answered with three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to take a 7-6 lead. Freshman Nathan Hodge capped the three-run sixth with a double off the glove of third baseman Casey Borba. In the seventh, the left-side hitting Miller started the uprising by pulling a pitch and sending a rocket over the right field wall for one run. The other came home on a throwing error by Borba.

The Longhorns answered in the eighth when junior catcher Rylan Galvan homered. His solo shot off UTSA reliever Kendall Dove landed far beyond the left field wall and tied the game, 7-7.

Drama unfolded in the top of the ninth inning when the Longhorns sent Riojas into the game to pitch to his former teammates. For the last two seasons, the Wimberley native had been a fixture in the UTSA program as one of the Roadrunners’ top arms. Last season, he led UTSA in wins (10), saves (seven) and earned run average (3.25). In the offseason, he entered the transfer portal and elected to move to a higher level to pitch for Texas.

With UTSA in the visitors’ dugout in Texas’ home ballpark and the Longhorns’ 17-game streak on the line, Riojas ended up pitching the last four innings of the game. From the ninth through the 11th, he was brilliant, holding the Roadrunners off the scoreboard in each frame. In the 11th, UTSA had a great chance to win it with runners at second and third base and nobody out. But Riojas retired three straight — the first two on strikeouts — to get out of the jam unscathed.

In the 12th, the Roadrunners finally caught up with him. After he retired brothers Ty Hodge and Nathan Hodge, Stucky stepped up and barreled a ball over the left field wall for the go-ahead run.

UTSA pitching, in turn, was masterful down the stretch. Roadrunners pitchers allowed the Longhorns only one run in the last seven innings of the game. Dove pitched three and two-thirds, giving up only the solo homer in the eighth. Afterward, Zach Royse, Robert Orloski and Owens combined to work the last four innings scoreless.

In the bottom of the 12th, Owens retired Galvan on a ground ball before making a key defensive play. Jaden Duplantier hit a slow roller that Owens fielded cleanly, firing to first for the out. Gasparino, who has a .549 slugging percentage, came to the plate as the Longhorns’ last hope and struck out swinging to end the game..

Interestingly enough, Royse, Orloski and Owens are three fixtures in UTSA’s weekend rotation. Royse and Owens are starters and Orloski is a reliever, the team’s designated stopper with a 6-0 record. Moreover, UTSA’s opening series in the American Athletic Conference is coming up this weekend in Charlotte, N.C. The series against the 49ers starts Friday night.

Records

UTSA 17-6
Texas 17-2

Coming up

UTSA at Charlotte, Friday, 5 p.m.

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Texas sneaks in to the field of 68, joining Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Baylor in the NCAA men’s tournament

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Five teams from the state of Texas have made the 68-team NCAA men’s basketball tournament field. The biggest surprise was the 15-loss Texas Longhorns, who will play in the Midwest Region in a First Four, or, a round of 68 game, against Xavier (Ohio) on Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio.

The Longhorns (19-15) are one of a record 14 teams from the Southeastern Conference to make the NCAA field.

Xavier (21-11) is a Big East team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, meaning the Musketeers will only need to travel about 48 miles to the game site at the Dayton Arena. The winner will advance to round of 64 on Friday against Illinois in Milwaukee.

Games involving Texas teams on Thursday will be:

*Big 12 regular season and tournament champion Houston (30-4) against SIU Edwardsville (22-11) at Wichita, Kan., in the Midwest region. The winner would get either Gonzaga or Georgia in the Round of 32;
*Texas Tech (25-8) against the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (27-7), also at Wichita, in the West. The winner would draw either Missouri or Drake in the Round of 32;
*Texas A&M (22-10) against Drake (22-7) at Denver, in the South. The winner would play either Michigan or UC San Diego in the Round of 32.

Games involving Texas teams on Friday will be:

*Baylor (19-14) against Mississippi State (21-12) at Raleigh, N.C. in the East. The winner would advance to play either top-seeded Duke or 16 seeds American or Mount St. Mary’s.

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.