By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners hope to win their 30th game tonight when they host the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals in a matchup of San Antonio’s two NCAA Division I baseball programs.

UTSA and UIW will play for the second time this season at 6 p.m.

In the first meeting on March 31, San Antonio’s Cole Tabor launched a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift UIW to a 13-11 victory over UTSA.

The Roadrunners held a lead of 11-7 after the top of the sixth and couldn’t hang on, falling to the Cardinals for the third time in six games between the teams since 2023.

Tabor is a Reagan High School graduate who has also played in college at Texas State.

Trent Rucker, the brother of UTSA softball player Skylar Rucker, also had a big day for the Cardinals in the first meeting with a two-run home run, a diving catch in center field and an outfield assist.

Records

Incarnate Word 18-23 (8-16 Southland)
UTSA 29-14 (12-5 American)

Coming up

UIW at UTSA, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Wichita State at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Wichita State at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Wichita State at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Notable

The Cardinals, under first-year coach Nick Zaleski, have lost four games in a row and eight of their last 10.

UIW is explosive offensively, having hit 61 home runs in 41 games. Tabor has hit 11 and Preston Newberry 10.

Also powered by an explosive offense, UTSA has won nine of its last 13 and is in the hunt for its second straight American Conference regular-season championship.

In addition, the Roadrunners hope to go back-to-back with their second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.

In the short term, they’d also like to nail down their fifth straight season of 30 or more victories with a victory over the Cardinals, who have given them trouble over the past few years.

UIW won 8-5 at Roadrunner Field last season, handing UTSA one of only two losses on its home field in 2025.

In 2023, the Cardinals played at home and claimed a 9-6 victory over UTSA on a ninth-inning, walk off homer by Rey Mendoza.