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.
— 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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.
T7 | Brookover slices a triple down the right-field line, sending Bowles all the way around from first. We're down 5-4 with one out.#BirdsUp? pic.twitter.com/eIxlHb6Od5
The surging UTSA Roadrunners will return home this week to play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Rice after winning a key weekend series on the road against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders.
UTSA hosts A&M-Corpus Christi in non-conference on Tuesday before greeting Rice in a three-game set in Conference USA starting on Friday.
Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech, Florida Atlantic and UTSA are 1-2-3-4 in the C-USA standings heading into the final three weeks.
The Roadrunners (24-18, 11-9 C-USA) bashed Blue Raiders pitching for 10 runs on 11 hits in the final three innings Sunday at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, rallying from a two-run deficit to claim a 13-7 victory.
As a result, UTSA won the series two games to one. It was the second C-USA series victory in the past two weeks after the Roadrunners took two of three at home last week against FIU.
UTSA has also won seven of its last nine overall.
Ben Brookover produced three hits and three RBI for the Roadrunners. He ignited a four-run rally in the seventh with a run-scoring triple.
Bryan Arias and Ryan Stacy also enjoyed solid days at the plate with two hits and two RBIs apiece.
Junior pitcher Palmer Wenzel recorded some momentum-changing outs in the middle of the game for the Roadrunners.
After the Blue Raiders had scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 5-3 lead, he entered the game with two out and retired the only batter he faced on a ground ball, leaving a runner stranded.
In the fifth, Wenzel yielded two hits to start the inning. In response, UTSA right fielder Dylan Rock threw out a runner at third to keep Middle Tennessee in check.
After issuing a walk to put runners at first and second, Wenzel struck out Blake Benefield and coaxed Aaron Antonini into a fly ball, ending the threat.
Wenzel, a newcomer this season after transferring from McLennan Community College, retired three straight in the sixth to set the stage for the late-inning fireworks from the UTSA offense.
UTSA notebook
The Blue Raiders stunned the Roadrunners 12-5 in the series opener last Friday.
But UTSA responded with an 11-1 victory in Game 2 on Saturday.
The Roadrunners stroked a combined 29 hits off Blue Raiders pitching in the past two days.
UTSA closes the regular season with series against Rice, at Old Dominion and at home again against Charlotte.
The top eight teams in the conference will pay the C-USA tournament at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. Tournament dates are set for May 23-27.
After falling behind by a run early, the UTSA Roadrunners scored 11 in a row en route to an 11-1 victory Tuesday night over the Incarnate Word Cardinals.
Playing a non-conference game at home, UTSA pounded 15 hits in rolling to its second straight victory and its fifth in the last six outings.
The Roadrunners hit two homers, with Tony Beam connecting in the fifth and Ryan Stacy in the sixth.
Both were two-run shots. When Stacy clobbered a ball over the wall in right-center, UTSA had increased its lead to 8-1.
Eddy Gonzalez, Incarnate Word’s leading hitter, was held in check on a 1-for-4 performance.
Regardless, his batting average remained at an impressive .386.
Gonzalez doubled to lead off the second and ended up scoring UIW’s only run.
Records
UTSA 22-17
Incarnate Word 25-17
Coming up
UTSA — At Middle Tennessee, three games, Friday through Sunday (Conference USA)
Incarnate Word — At New Orleans, three games, Friday through Sunday (Southland Conference)
Justin Anderson, making his major league debut, pitched a scoreless eighth inning Monday night in the Los Angeles Angels’ 2-0 victory over the world champion Houston Astros.
After retiring the first two batters he faced, the former right-handed pitcher for the UTSA Roadrunners yielded singles to George Springer and Jose Altuve.
Next, Anderson faced Carlos Correa with runners at first and third.
But with the Astros’ home crowd in Houston roaring, he didn’t flinch, striking out Correa on a slider to preserve his team’s two-run lead.
A television replay showed a group of friends and fans cheering with enthusiasm as Anderson, a Houston native, walked off the field.
It was the end of a wild day for Anderson, who was called up to the majors from Triple A on Sunday.
Before the Angels-Astros game, he told the Orange County Register that he “broke down” when he got the news of his promotion.
In the next 24 hours, his life was turned upside down, as family and friends touched base to offer congratulations.
“So far it’s been pretty crazy,” Anderson told Jeff Fletcher of the Register. “My phone is blowing up.”
Best Justin Anderson quote: "The Dome was a special place. Growing up as a youngster I went to a lot of games in the Dome and then here at Enron, and Astros Field, and now it's Minute Maid." GUYS HE REMEMBERS THE THREE MONTHS THIS PLACE WAS NAMED ASTROS FIELD
The former Houston schoolboy, who pitched at UTSA from 2012-14, is the second former Roadrunners player to make it to the major leagues.
He follows catcher and former UTSA teammate John Bormann, who made it up for one game with the Pittsburgh Pirates last April.
“I am just proud of Justin and his accomplishment,” UTSA coach Jason Marshall said in a text. “It’s a boyhood dream that so many young guys have but so few ever realize it.”
Anderson, 25, was selected on the 14th round of the 2014 draft out of UTSA.
He started the 2017 season at Inland Empire of the Class A California League and moved up later to the Mobile BayBears, a Class AA team in the Southern League.
This spring, he started at Mobile and recently was pulled up to the Triple-A, Pacific Coast League Salt Lake Bees.
In three appearances for Salt Lake, the 6-3, 220-pound right-hander didn’t allow a run or a hit in five innings over three games.
He struck out six and walked one.
“We’ve seen him for a number of years,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the Register. “The reason he’s here is not so much us seeing him, but the adjustments he’s made, using the experience to improve.
“Right now he’s made some big strides, from spring training to now.”
Clearly, it was a moment to savor for Anderson, who was a sophomore in 2013, when Marshall led the Roadrunners to the NCAA tournament in his first year as head coach.
“Justin has continued to make strides through the Angels’ organization, and to be afforded a debut in his hometown and in front of his parents, extended family and friends, I’m sure it’s a memory of a lifetime for him,” the coach said.
Anderson came out of Houston St. Pius X High School and played his first season at UTSA in 2012, when he finished 3-2 in 11 appearances.
He was 0-1 in limited duty in 2013. But by the next season, he started to attract attention, fashioning a 4-5 record with a 2.92 ERA.
Anderson’s call up comes three days before the NFL Draft, when defensive end Marcus Davenport from UTSA is expected to be selected, potentially in the first round.
“It’s one of the most important markers in the life of a college baseball program to have young men reach the pinnacle of the sport,” Marshall said. “As UTSA grows and the athletic programs reach new heights, you are going to see more and more of our athletes play on the big stage.
“For Justin to reach the big leagues just goes to show that the road can start in San Antonio at UTSA, and Major League Baseball is attainable for aspiring young players.”
