
Chase Keng has emerged as one of UTSA’s hottest hitters. He’s averaging .387 with six doubles, a triple and two homers during the Roadrunners’ recent 14-3 surge.- Photo by Joe Alexander
UTSA and Texas State, two old rivals with designs on reaching the NCAA baseball tournament, will meet tonight at 6 at Roadrunner Field.
Both enter the game on hot streaks, with the Roadrunners riding a 14-3 surge in their last 17 games, while the Bobcats have won nine straight. Texas State is 12-3 in its last 15.
The two programs separated by about 50 miles of interstate highway played for the first time in two years last week in San Marcos, and Texas State held off UTSA 14-12 despite the Roadrunners rallying for seven runs in the ninth inning.
Last weekend, both teams swept three-game series at home within their own conferences, with Texas State (32-9) blitzing the Little Rock Trojans in the Sun Belt and UTSA (27-13) rolling past the FIU Panthers in Conference USA.
This week, Texas State is ranked anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20 in the polls.
UTSA is unranked except that it is receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers poll. In the NCAA ratings percentage index, Texas State is 47th and UTSA 58th.
Sixty four teams make the NCAA tournament, which starts in June.
Tonight’s starters
UTSA’s Ryan Ward (1-0, 4.50) against Texas State’s Tevis Sundgren (2-4, 6.23)
Records
UTSA 27-13
Texas State 32-9
Last NCAA appearance
UTSA — 2013
Texas State — 2011
Coming up
UTSA — On Friday, UTSA opens a Conference USA road series at the Middle Tennessee State
Texas State — Will start a Sun Belt Conference series at home Friday against South Alabama
The series
Texas State leads the series against UTSA, 61-37. The Bobcats have won two straight off the Roadrunners and four of the past five.
The Bobcats and Roadrunners played in the same conference for most of the three-decades old rivalry, first in the Southland and for one year in the Western Athletic Conference.
In the 2014 season, the Bobcats started play in the Sun Belt, while UTSA linked with Conference USA. Over that period of time, Texas State has won 10 of the 18 games overall, but UTSA has won five of the eight meetings held in San Antonio.
The national rankings
Texas State – UTSA
RPI 47 – 58
Baseball America 19 – NR
Collegiate Baseball 7 – NR
D1Baseball 17 – NR
NCBWA 20 – receiving votes
Perfect Game NR NR
USA Today Coaches 18 NR
Series results
The Bobcats and the Roadrunners have played in separate conferences since the 2014 season. Here are the results of their games since then:
2022
Texas State wins 14-12 at San Marcos on April 19
2021
Did not play
2020
Texas State wins 11-1 at San Marcos on March 10
2019
UTSA wins 8-5 at San Antonio on April 30
Texas State wins 14-1 at San Marcos on April 2
Texas State wins 8-3 at San Antonio on March 5
2018
UTSA wins 5-3 at San Marcos on April 3
UTSA wins 7-2 at San Antonio on March 20
Texas State wins 5-2 at San Marcos on March 13
2017
Texas State wins 11-8 at San Antonio on May 2
UTSA wins 9-1 at San Marcos on March 7
2016
Texas State wins 6-0 at San Antonio on May 3
Texas State wins 13-10 at San Marcos on April 5
UTSA wins 14-7 at San Antonio on March 15
2015
UTSA wins 10-8 at San Marcos on April 14
UTSA wins 5-4 at San Antoio on March 31
Texas State wins 11-7 at San Marcos on March 17
2014
UTSA wins 7-2 at San Antonio on April 15
Texas State wins 7-6 at San Marcos on April 1