UTSA set to join the American Athletic Conference in July 2023

UTSA is expected to join The American Athletic Conference effective next summer. “Our intent is to join The American on July 1, 2023,” UTSA athletic director Lisa Campos said in a statement on Friday.

UTSA released the statement in the wake of news that the AAC would terminate its agreements with Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, which means that those schools could move into the Big 12 for the 2023-24 season.

Since the first season of UTSA football in 2011, the school’s athletics program as a whole has been in transition. As UTSA football operated as an independent in 2011, the other sports finished their affiliation with the Southland Conference in 2011-12.

After departing the Southland and starting play in the Western Athletic Conference in 2012-13, UTSA promptly moved out of the WAC and into Conference USA in 2013-14.

Now, after a 10th season in the C-USA in 2022-23, the Roadrunners’ 17 Division I teams are headed to the AAC. It’s a move that has been imminent for almost a year. The only detail in question since last October has been the timing, and now it’s official.

Six Conference USA schools are expected to split from the C-USA for the AAC — UTSA, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice and UAB. The other conference members are expected to include East Carolina, Tulsa, SMU, Memphis, Navy, Temple, South Florida and Tulane.

UTSA, Charlotte and FAU all announced Friday that they would make the move for the 2023-24 season.

Jung, Vooletich power Texas Tech as San Antonio area talent shines

San Antonio-area baseball players crushed it on Sunday afternoon. Starring in four different games, in four cities, ball players who grew up in the area led their teams to victories. Here’s the way it happened:

Texas Tech 7, Kansas State 6
At Lubbock

Jace Jung, a Texas Tech sophomore from MacArthur — Hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to win the game.

Zac Vooletich, a Texas Tech junior from Brandeis — Started the fourth-ranked Red Raiders’ ninth-inning rally with a solo homer.

Texas 7, TCU 3
At Austin

Travis Sthele, a Texas redshirt freshman from Reagan — Came out of the bullpen and pitched one and 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up his third win of the season.

Douglas Hodo III, a Texas redshirt sophomore from Boerne — Stroked an RBI double off the wall in the seventh inning for the seventh-ranked Longhorns.

UTSA 13, Old Dominion 4
At Norfolk, Va.

Ian Bailey, a UTSA senior from Stevens — Enjoyed a four-for-five day with a triple, a double and two singles. He also scored four runs and drove in three.

Texas State 10, Georgia Southern 9
At San Marcos

Dalton Shuffield, a Texas State senior from Johnson — Belted a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the first. Went two for three on the day with three RBIs for the 10th-ranked Bobcats.

x-Rankings, according to D1 Baseball.

Jhivvan Jackson scores 30 points in his Spanish league debut

Jhivvan Jackson. UTSA beat Southern Miss 78-72 in Conference USA action at the Convocation Center on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. - photo by Joe Alexander

Guard Jhivvan Jackson, shown here in a file photo from the 2020-21 UTSA basketball season, made his professional debut last week in Spain. — Photo by Joe Alexander.

Jhivvan Jackson, UTSA’s all-time scoring leader, had 30 points and four assists in 26 minutes in his professional debut for Club Basquet Menorca in the third-tier Spanish league LEBA Plata, the school’s athletics media relations department reported.

A native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Jackson debuted with Basquet Menorca last week, on Wednesday.

Jackson played at UTSA for four seasons through the 2020-21 season and scored 2,551 points in his career, a performance that has been established as an NCAA Division I record among players born in Latin America.

The 6-foot guard’s point total in college is also the UTSA basketball school record, and it places Jackson at No. 52 overall on the Division I list.

In leading the Roadrunners to the Conference USA tournament last spring, Jackson suffered a shoulder injury, and he opted to rehabilitate it and not play professionally until recently.

The current UTSA coaching staff, led by Steve Henson, recruited Jackson and Keaton Wallace in the same class.

They both debuted for the Roadrunners in the 2017-18 season and became one of the highest-scoring duos in NCAA history.

Wallace left UTSA with 2,080 points, which is No. 2 in school history. He plays now for the Agua Caliente Clippers in the NBA G League, averaging 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists, according to basketball-reference.com.

UTSA vs. Southern Miss photo gallery

Jordan Ivy-Curry. UTSA men's basketball lost to Southern Miss 74-73 on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jordan Ivy-Curry passes the ball to Cedrick Alley Jr. on UTSA’s final possession of the game.

The UTSA men’s basketball team lost to Southern Miss 74-73 on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, at the Convocation Center in Conference USA action.

‘Celebration of life’ service set for coach Ken Burmeister

A ‘celebration of life’ service for Ken Burmeister is scheduled for May 17 at the Community Bible Church. The service will start at 10 a.m. at CBC, located at 2477 Loop 1604 East.

Ken Burmeister. The Incarnate Word men's basketball team opened the season with an 87-71 victory over Southwestern on Friday night. (Joe Alexander / theJBreplay.com)

Ken Burmeister helped raise the profile of college basketball in San Antonio with coaching stints at UTSA, Trinity and Incarnate Word. — Photo, The JB Replay

“It should be a morning of love and laughter,” Brenda Burmeister, the coach’s widow, said in a text.

Burmeister, a fixture in the San Antonio basketball community, died at age 72 last May after a bout with cancer. The family didn’t have a funeral for him last year because of the pandemic.

In San Antonio, Burmeister coached at UTSA, Trinity University and at the University of the Incarnate Word.

At UTSA, the Roadrunners won the Trans America Athletic Conference postseason title en route to their first NCAA tournament in 1988. It was transformative moment for the program, which was in only its seventh season.

He also helped elevate college basketball in the city by participating in the “Mayor’s Challenge Cup” games against St. Mary’s University.

The UTSA-St. Mary’s games were held annually downtown at HemisFair Arena against the Rattlers, who were coached at the time by Burmeister’s friend, the legendary Buddy Meyer.

San Antonio won national recognition again in 1989 when Meyer and the Rattlers captured the NAIA championship in Kansas City.

Years later, Burmeister got a second chance on his coaching career. After departing a job at Division I Loyola-Chicago in 1998, he was hired the next season at Division III Trinity, and he spent one season with the Tigers.

In 2006, he took a job as the head coach at the University of the Incarnate Word. Burmeister responded by leading the Cardinals through a transition from Division II into Division I, winning games at Princeton, Nebraska and St. John’s along the way.

He worked at UIW through the 2017-18 season.

Rain in Round Rock forces cancellation of Chanclas game

Victoria Generals center fielder Jonathan Tapia (left) and right fielder Hobbs Price are both from UTSA. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jonathan Tapia (left) and Hobbs Price run off the field as members of the Victoria Generals in a game played at Wolff Stadium on July 17. Tapia has been added to the Flying Chanclas’ roster for the stretch drive of the regular season. – photo by Joe Alexander

The first game of a season-ending series between the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio and Round Rock Hairy Men has been canceled because of heavy rain in Round Rock.

Officials said the game will not be made up, meaning that the series has been reduced to two games.

The teams will play Saturday night in San Antonio at Wolff Stadium and then on Sunday night in Round Rock at Dell Diamond.

Roster moves

Jonathan Tapia, a .356 hitter in 18 games this summer with the Victoria Generals, has joined the Flying Chanclas.

‘Yes, we picked him up last night,’ Chanclas manager John McLaren said in a text.

Tapia is from O’Connor High School and UTSA.

A Chanclas spokesman also said they have added pitchers Jacob Morin from New Braunfels Canyon and Texas Southern University and Nico O’Donnell from Churchill and Fresno State. O’Donnell (6-4, 220) spent his first two years out of high school at Texas.

The two will replace departing John Gaddis and Lance Lusk, he said.

Playoffs looming

Two teams from the South Division of the TCL will make the playoffs.

Round Rock (16-11) and Brazos Valley (16-12) are in the best position to get to the postseason, with the Chanclas (14-12) having an outside shot.

Brazos Valley, playing at home in Bryan, defeated the Victoria Generals 12-4 in the first game of its season-closing series Friday night.

UTSA vs. Old Dominion photo gallery

UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson is fouled as he goes through the lane against Old Dominion on Thursday night at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson is fouled as he tries to go in for a driving shot against Old Dominion.

Old Dominion beat UTSA 65-64 on Thursday night in a Conference USA game at the UTSA Convocation Center.

Wallace’s dunk highlights victory over FIU

UTSA players on the bench watch the replay of teammate Keaton Wallace's second-half slam dunk on Thursday at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA players on the bench watch the replay of teammate Keaton Wallace’s second-half slam dunk.

UTSA had already pushed its lead to 30 points when Roadrunners sophomore Keaton Wallace threw down a thunderous dunk late in a 100-67 victory over Florida International on Thursday at the Convocation Center.

See Wallace’s dunk below:

UTSA vs. Florida International photo gallery

UTSA guard Giovanni De Nicolao goes in for a shot against Florida International during the Roadrunners' 100-67 victory. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Giovanni De Nicolao goes in for a shot against Florida International.

Keaton Wallace scored 27 points, Giovanni De Nicolao had 16 and UTSA shot 58.0 percent for the game in a 100-67 victory over Florida International on Thursday at the Convocation Center.

UTSA vs. Old Dominion photo gallery

UTSA's Keaton Wallace was 9-of-15 on 3-pointers including the game winning with 15 seconds left in a 74-73 victory over Old Dominion on Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Keaton Wallace was 9-of-15 on 3-pointers including the game winner with 15 seconds left.

UTSA came back from 18 points down to beat Old Dominion 74-73 Saturday at the UTSA Convocation Center.