Hit with numerous weather delays on Wednesday, the Conference USA baseball tournament in Biloxi, Miss., has been forced to re-schedule, which has resulted in postponement of the first-round game between UTSA and Charlotte.
The Roadrunners and 49ers are now set to play their C-USA opener on Thursday at 9 a.m. at MGM Park.
KP is pumped. ? pic.twitter.com/W37jF9tFwe
— UTSA Baseball ⚾️ (@UTSABSB) May 19, 2018
UTSA backed a strong performance from starting pitcher Karan Patel with 13 hits Saturday to defeat the Charlotte 49ers 5-1 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Roadrunners coach Jason Marshall said UTSA will face Charlotte next Wednesday in Biloxi, Mississippi, on opening day in the Conference USA postseason tournament.
UTSA will travel to Mississippi seeking its first NCAA tournament berth since 2013.
The Roadrunners, who took two of three from the 49ers on the last weekend, will need to win the eight-team C-USA event to earn a spot in one of the NCAA regionals.
Patel carried UTSA in the regular-season finale by hurling six scoreless innings while allowing only three hits.
In the field, Patel was supported with standout defensive plays from outfielders Ryan Stacy and Trent Bowles and shortstop Joshua Lamb.
Marshall said he was pleased with the team’s play against Charlotte in the final three games, particularly the pitching, which allowed only six runs in three days.
The 49ers beat the Roadrunners 2-0 on Thursday. But the Roadrunners bounced back to take the second game, 4-3.
Records
UTSA 31-22, 16-13
Charlotte 31-22, 17-13
Notebook
Starters for opening day in the tournament are two lefties in Charlotte’s Josh Maciejewski (9-2, 2.46) against UTSA’s Steven Dressler (5-3, 2.81).
Charlotte’s Todd Elwood high chops a ground ball to second base in the ninth inning, driving in the first run of the game for the 49ers.
The Charlotte 49ers scored twice in the top of the ninth inning Thursday night to defeat light-hitting UTSA, 2-0, winning the first game of a three-game series and registering their fourth straight victory in Conference USA.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jonah Patten closed for his ninth save of the year, giving the 49ers a win at Roadrunner Field to open a series that will complete the regular season for both teams.
The series continues with Game 2 on Friday at 6 p.m. Game 3 is set for Saturday at 10 a.m.
Charlotte and UTSA both will advance to the C-USA postseason tournament, set for next week in Biloxi, Mississippi. Right now, it appears that the 49ers might have a decent chance to make a run at the title.
With the victory over UTSA, the 49ers showcased some dominant pitching to extend a streak of success that includes 10 victories in their last 12 games.
UTSA coach Jason Marshall lamented a ninth-inning rally fueled by a few fortuitous bounces for Charlotte.
“The (ground) ball ricocheted off of (UTSA pitcher) Derek Craft to get that thing going, and then they dump that single into right center,” Marshall said. “It’s what I told our guys, it was just the way it was flowing.
“It was going to boil down to a big hit, somebody in scoring position and somebody delivering the big blow, the knockout.”
Records
Charlotte 31-20, 17-11
UTSA 29-22, 14-13
The details
The Charlotte pitching trio of Josh Maciejewski, Chase Gooding and Patten limited UTSA to just three hits — all of them singles.
UTSA pushed runners to second base in the first and sixth innings and put another one at third base in the seventh.
But each opportunity fizzled, leaving them to think about their second shutout loss in their last four games.
“You never know at what part of the game you can deliver that blow,” Marshall said. “We had a chance in the first inning. We really didn’t give ourselves a lot more chances (afterward).
“There were only a few other chances where we got a runner to second or third. Their starter (Maciejewski) has great numbers, Then the guy they brought out of the pen even threw better than the starter.”
Not everything went wrong for the Roadrunners.
UTSA pitched and played defense extremely well. The Roadrunners very nearly matched Charlotte in stringing all zeroes across the scoreboard.
But in the ninth, the 49ers had a few bounces go their way to tack on the only two runs they would need.
With one out, Craft got a hand on a chopper hit by Drew Ober, only to have it carom past shortstop Joshua Lamb for a base hit.
Ober promptly took advantage of the break, speeding from first to third on a single by Dominick Cammarata.
With runners at first and third and still one out, Craft worked a 1-2 count to Todd Elwood.
At that point, Marshall elected to go to the bullpen to bring in lefty Jordan Rodriguez to finish off Elwood, a left-handed hitter.
After working the count to 3-2, Elwood chopped a ball that bounced just high enough to get over Rodriguez and just slow enough to allow Ober to score from third.
Even though Elwood was thrown out at first, pinch runner Jake Whitcomb took second, leaving another runner in scoring position.
Tommy Bullock answered with an RBI single to center off reliever Andre Shewcraft, making it 2-0.
Ryan Stacy hit a two-run single to cap a four-run eighth inning Tuesday night, leading the UTSA Roadrunners to a 5-0 victory over Abilene Christian.
Six UTSA pitchers held ACU of the Southland Conference to five hits.
Records
UTSA 29-21
Abilene Christian 21-30
Coming up
Charlotte (30-20, 16-11) at UTSA, Thursday, 6 p.m.
Notebook
Charlotte’s game at Winthrop scheduled for Tuesday night was scrapped due to weather concerns. It will not be made up.
The Roadrunners will host the 49ers in Conference USA on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to close out the regular season.
Both have clinched spots in the C-USA tournament, with seeding to be determined.
RECAP: UTSA wins series at Old Dominion behind another impressive offensive showing on Sunday.#BirdsUp?https://t.co/WeQ8R3o6iD
— UTSA Baseball ⚾️ (@UTSABSB) May 13, 2018
The UTSA Roadrunners have clinched a spot in the Conference USA baseball tournament.
UTSA assured itself of a chance to play for the C-USA’s postseason title by scoring an 11-3 victory Sunday at Old Dominion.
With the win, the Roadrunners took two of three in the series from the last-place Monarchs.
More importantly, in the long term, the win also settles UTSA’s travel plans for the last week of May.
UTSA will make the trip to Biloxi, Miss., as one of eight C-USA teams battling for the postseason title and the accompanying bid to the NCAA tournament.
Records
UTSA 28-21, 14-12
Old Dominion 15-33, 7-19
Highlights
Bryan Arias, a UTSA junior from Marshall, led off the game with his seventh home run of the season. The Roadrunners went on to score one run in the first inning, two in the second and one in the third for a 4-0 lead.
UTSA banged out 16 hits one day after getting shut out, 7-0, on a complete-game, five-hitter by ODU’s Morgan Maguire. Trent Bowles had three hits for UTSA, including his team-leading 16th double. He also stole his 14th base, which also leads the team.
Pitcher Chance Kirby enjoyed another quality start by pitching into the seventh inning and yielding two runs on seven hits. Kirby has eclipsed six innings pitched with two or fewer runs allowed in four straight games.
After picking up the win against Old Dominion, he improved his record to 5-4 with a team-best 2.93 earned run average.
Coming up
UTSA hosts Abilene Christian (non-conference) on Tuesday. UTSA completes the regular-season schedule next weekend with three home games against the C-USA’s Charlotte 49ers starting Thursday night.
The C-USA tournament is set for May 24-28 in Biloxi.
A complete game shutout for Morgan Maguire, and Culver Lamb goes 4-for-4 to lift the Monarchs #ODUBaseball #ODUSports pic.twitter.com/ox5QF8PveW
— Old Dominion Baseball (@ODUBaseball) May 12, 2018
Morgan Maguire threw a complete-game shutout Saturday as the last-place Old Dominion Monarchs defeated UTSA 7-0 at Norfolk Va., in Conference USA baseball.
With the victory, Old Dominion evened the three-game series at one win apiece leading into Sunday’s series finale.
Maguire allowed five hits while striking out seven a day after UTSA pounded ODU pitching in an 11-1 victory.
For UTSA, it was the team’s fifth shutout loss of the season and first since April 8, when Louisiana Tech won 13-0 in San Antonio.
This one might sting a little more than usual.
The loss prevented the Roadrunners from winning the series on the second-to-last weekend of the regular season.
It also dropped them into a tie for fifth in the standings with FIU.
After Sunday’s series finale against ODU in Virginia, UTSA returns home to face Abilene Christian in nonconference play Tuesday.
The Roadrunners host the Charlotte 49ers in C-USA next weekend.
Records
Old Dominion — 15-32, 7-18
UTSA — 27-21, 13-12
T1 | Chris Estrada clears the bases with a triple, and UTSA is out to a 4-0 lead over Old Dominion. #BirdsUp? pic.twitter.com/zTW6OLtBcl
— UTSA Baseball ⚾️ (@UTSABSB) May 11, 2018
Ryan Stacy slammed a one-out, solo home run to ignite a four-run first inning for the UTSA Roaodrunners, who rolled to an 11-1 road victory over Old Dominion Friday night in Norfolk, Va.
Fueling a 17-hit attack, freshman Dylan Rock went 4 for 5 at the plate. He scored three runs and drove in two.
Junior righthander Nathan Alexander picked up the victory by starting and pitching five scoreless innings.
He gave up three hits.
In UTSA’s last Conference USA road trip of the season, the Roadrunners and Monarchs are set to play Saturday and Sunday.
Records
UTSA — 27-20, 13-11
Old Dominion — 14-32, 6-18
With two weeks left before conference tournament play commences, local and area NCAA Division I baseball teams will need to start winning to create momentum for championship runs. Here’s the breakdown:
PREVIEW: UTSA heads to Virginia to play a three-game series against Old Dominion this weekend.#BirdsUp?https://t.co/xzGg6DvkHF
— UTSA Baseball ⚾️ (@UTSABSB) May 11, 2018
Summary: In Conference USA, if you take your eye off the ball, you can get smacked in the nose. UTSA can’t afford to let that happen this week. The fifth-place Roadrunners (26-20, 12-11) are in good position to make the eight-team C-USA tournament. But if they have any postseason championship aspirations, they need win a road series this weekend against the last-place Old Dominion Monarchs (14-31, 6-17) and then follow suit next week against Charlotte (27-20, 13-11) at home.
Leaders
Batting: Bryan Arias (.340, 41 runs, 6 HR), Ben Brookover (.322, 7 HR, 46 RBI), Trent Bowles (.316, 7 HR, 34 RBI, 13 SB).
Pitching: Steven Dressler (5-2, 2.90), Chance Kirby (4-4, 2.94), Karan Patel (2-3, 4.47), Derek Craft (3-4, 1.79).
Cardinals Face Islanders in Final Road Series #SpreadTheWordhttps://t.co/CrODAmIYMa
— UIW Baseball (@UIWBaseball) May 10, 2018
Summary: Incarnate Word (29-20, 13-11) is bouncing back in baseball at just the right time. Eligible to play in the Southland Conference tournament after a four-year wait in transition from NCAA Division II, the Cardinals are tied for fifth with a top-eight finish necessary to extend the season. UIW plays at Texas A&M Corpus Christi (24-26, 8-16) this weekend before hosting powerful Sam Houston State (33-16, 19-5) next week. Sam Houston is the SLC’s No. 1 program.
Leaders
Batting: Eddy Gonzales (.381), Ridge Rogers (.355), Kyle Bergeron (.343, 6 HR, 46 RBI).
Pitching: Cody Allen (2-3, 2.47, 5 saves), Luke Taggart (4-3, 3.87), Tyler Miller (3-3, 3.99).
PREVIEW: Texas State hosts Louisiana in the final home games of 2018! Sunday's finale will serve as Senior Day for the Bobcats!https://t.co/43ybteg9bq
— TxStateBaseball (@TxStateBaseball) May 10, 2018
Summary: It’s been a struggle lately for the Texas State Bobcats, who have lost five of their last six. But they remain in position to reach the Sun Belt Conference tournament. Texas State (23-24-1, 11-13) hosts Louisiana (28-21, 14-10) this weekend. The Bobcats will finish on the road against UT-Arlington (21-27, 11-13).
Leaders
Batting: Dalton Shuffield (.300), Jonathan Ortega (.294, 32 RBI), Derek Scheible (.234, 10 HR, 33 RBI).
Pitching: Nicholas Fraze (5-3, 2.93), Connor Reich (5-3, 3.45).
RECAP: Chance Kirby punches out a career-high 13 (one away from program record) and UTSA blanks Rice on Sunday, 7-0.#BirdsUp?https://t.co/ddXQIfOUJr
— UTSA Baseball ⚾️ (@UTSABSB) May 6, 2018
On Wayne Graham’s last trip to San Antonio as coach of the Rice Owls, his team won two out of three from UTSA and kept hope alive for a shot at the postseason.
But after the Owls shut down the home team twice on Saturday, the Roadrunners returned the favor on Sunday, courtesy of a masterful performance from pitcher Chance Kirby.
Kirby pitched into the eighth inning and struck out a career-high 13 in UTSA’s 7-0 victory.
“UT-San Antonio has a fine baseball team,” Graham said. “Winning two out of three from them here is a big deal. The kid’s pitching performance today was really that good. There’s no joke. He really pitched well.”
Baseball coaching legend Wayne Graham of the Rice Owls talks to home plate umpire Joe Brown after the fourth inning.
Any series against the Graham-coached Owls is always a highlight on the Roadrunners’ home schedule.
But this one took on added significance on April 25, when the 82-year-old, College Baseball Hall of Famer announced that this season would be his last at Rice.
Based on what he had been told by a Rice administrator, Graham said his contract would not be extended and that his 27-year tenure as coach of the Owls would be coming to an end.
Discussing the impending end of an era, UTSA coach Jason Marshall said Graham’s legacy is secure in baseball circles.
“You talk about the respect of his peers, when he sits in a room talking baseball, you just sit there and shut your mouth and listen,” Marshall said. “He is just a great baseball coach and great baseball mind (who) has always gotten the most out of his players.”
Chance Kirby struck out a career-high 13 Sunday as UTSA shut out the Rice Owls, 7-0.
Since Graham took charge in 1992, Rice has fared well on state, regional and national levels, compiling a record of 1,167-523.
Starting in 1995, the Owls embarked on a string of 23 straight NCAA tournaments, the third-longest streak in the nation behind Florida State (40) and Cal State-Fullerton (26).
In that time, they’ve played in seven College World Series, winning the 2003 national title along the way.
In the past two seasons, however, Rice’s dominance has started to fade.
Last year, the Owls struggled to a 13-25 start, before a late surge propelled them into the C-USA tournament and, ultimately, to the title at Biloxi, Miss.
This year, Rice (20-26-2) still has work to do even to qualify for the C-USA’s postseason event in Biloxi.
The Owls trail the UAB Blazers and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, both tied for eighth in the conference standings.
If the tournament started today, UAB and Western Kentucky (both 11-13) would have the edge over ninth-place Rice (9-13-2).
Fortunately for Graham, two weeks remain on the schedule, and he gets to play UAB at home next weekend before finishing at FIU.
UTSA’s Jonathan Tapia scores from third, sliding into home to beat a throw from the outfield on Ben Brookover’s second-inning sacrifice fly.
Graham, from Yoakum, turned into a solid 1950s-era amateur ball player at Houston Reagan and at the University of Texas.
He later played third base and outfield in the pros, including 10 games for the Gene Mauch-managed Philadelphia Phillies in 1963 and 20 more in ’64 for the New York Mets, under Casey Stengel.
Graham said he learned a lot in a short time under Stengel.
“I didn’t dare sit next to him on the bench–and that’s what I occupied with the Mets was the bench,” he said during his induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. “But I was close enough to hear everything …
“He ran a commentary on the game as you went, especially on how the pitcher was pitching to our hitters, and I have grown to think that is pretty important.”
Graham didn’t get all the answers from Stengel.
He said he is struggling with the idea that he no longer will be coaching.
At the same time, Graham said he won’t allow his emotions to affect his work at the Owls prepare for the last two weeks.
“It’s rough off the field,” he said. “It’s not rough on the field. I’ve always come to the ball park with complete absorption in the game. I don’t have any choice. I couldn’t do it any other way.”
Having coached since the early 1970s, when he started at Houston Scarborough High School, Graham is philosophical about moving on.
“All things come to and end, unfortunately,” he said. “(But) I don’t know many people that coach that long. I’ve had 47 years in the game. Loved it.
“You know, I’m sort of like (former Texas football coach Darrell) Royal. He said the losses hurt a lot. Well, they do hurt. But I’m still able to recover. This has been a really rough year.”
Brookover sparked a two-run first inning for the Roadrunners with an opposite-field single to right.
UTSA by the numbers
Record: 26-20, 12-11 in C-USA
Place in the standings: Fifth
Sunday’s standouts
Pitching: Chance Kirby, 7 and 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts
Hitting: 1B Ben Brookover and SS Joshua Lamb, both 2 for 4, with 3 RBI.
Fielding: Diving catches by CF Jonathan Tapia and LF Todd Bowles
Coming up
UTSA at Old Dominion, Friday through Sunday
SEE. YOU. LATER.
Trent Bowles uncorks his sixth home run of the year, a three-run shot to give UTSA a 4-0 lead in the third inning.#BirdsUp? pic.twitter.com/lYqWHdMeK7— UTSA Baseball ⚾️ (@UTSABSB) May 1, 2018
Todd Bowles slugged two of his team’s four home runs Tuesday night, leading UTSA past the visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, 14-1, in seven innings.
Dylan Rock and Ryan Stacy also connected for the Roadrunners, who have won eight of their last 10 leading into a Conference USA weekend series against the Rice Owls.
Records
UTSA 25-18
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 21-25
Coming up
Rice at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.