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 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, 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.”
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.
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.
