By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
In the middle innings of a nightcap to a baseball doubleheader Saturday at Roadrunner Field, the public address announcer dutifully reported results of other games around the American Conference.
Notably, he told the crowd that UTSA’s closest competitors in the race for the championship had both lost, leaving the Roadrunners with an opportunity to gain ground in their quest for back-to-back titles.
The Roadrunners took care of their end of the deal, beating the Shockers 13-7 in an afternoon game and 8-1 at night to assume sole possession of first place in the race.
UTSA leads East Carolina by one game and UAB by two with everyone having seven to play in conference.
Hallmark said he didn’t know what happened around the league until reporters told him after the game.
“I just learned it when you said it,” Hallmark told reporters at the end of a long day at the ball park on Saturday night. “That’s good. I’m glad of that … At the end of the day, I know everybody wants to win. Like, the fan-base wants to win, and we want to win, too.
“But it’s about playing good baseball.”
For Hallmark, that means his team is making one or fewer errors, with the pitching holding the opposition to three walks or less and the hitters striking out five times or less and also just “fighting with the bat” to stay alive with two strikes.
“I thought we did all of that in the second game,” Hallmark said. “In the first game, we weren’t quite as clean, so, when we do those things, we tend to win our share.”
Rain washed out play on Friday, forcing officials to schedule the first two games of the Wichita State series on Saturday.
By winning twice, the Roadrunners clinched their seventh series against conference competition this season and their 18th straight since May of 2024.
UTSA can claim its first sweep of a series in the American this season if it can win the finale on Sunday.
Hallmark said he doesn’t know what a victory on Sunday would do for the team’s psyche going down the stretch.
“The guys that play, the Jordan Ballins, (Andrew) Stucky, the (Caden) Millers, the (Connor) Kelleys, the (Sam) Simmons, there’s no psyche,” he said. “They’re right. It ain’t going to hurt or help their psyche.
“They’re just right. They’re tough people. They’ve been … to a Super Regional. But … we’re in a pennant race. We’re in a championship race. So, like, they all matter. We got seven left. They all matter, and if you get one tomorrow, it’s one more that East Carolina or UAB can’t catch you.
“It’s wonderful we get to talk about (this with) the media, and the coach, the players, that we get to talk about championships and all that stuff. Nowhere I’d rather be.”
Reminded that the Roadrunners had wrapped up a share of the American title at this time last season, Hallmark grinned and said, “Yeah, we did. We don’t this year, though.”
American leaderboard
UTSA 14-6, 32-14
East Carolina 13-7, 29-18-1
UAB 12-8, 28-18
Rice 10-10, 28-20
Wichita State 10-10, 26-22
FAU 10-10, 24-22
Coming up
Wichita State at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.