DBU Sweeps UTSA Baseball to Lock Up C-USA Regular Season Title

This game will break your heart. On the eve of the season’s biggest series, perhaps the biggest in program history, fans couldn’t help but wonder what could be. The first 25 matchup ever at the Bird Bath, a chance to make a big jump in the RPI rankings, and the opportunity to be back on top in the conference standings all waited in the wings and weather conditions.

People say it is a game of inches. With one pitch or swing of the bat, momentum can shift for better or worse. For UTSA and their fans, they found themselves on the wrong side of this romantic game called baseball. The result was UTSA getting swept by the Dallas Baptist Patriots. It was a weekend of many season firsts such as a losing streak, conference home losses, and results that will undoubtedly drop the Roadrunners out of the national rankings. Don’t go anywhere quite yet, however. The season is not yet lost. The hill may have gotten a little steeper, but the opportunity is still there for a regional slot.  

WHAT I FELT GOOD ABOUT… 

Hit Production: When you go winless in a series, it might seem there is nothing good to take away. There were things the ‘Runners did well, though DBU was the better team this weekend. One of those things was hitting the ball. UTSA put up double-digit hits in all three games this weekend. At least seven of the nine batters recorded at least one hit in each game. Combine that with the seventeen walks, creating a WHIP of 2.00 for the DBU pitchers. This type of production gives you a chance each inning to put runs on the board. What UTSA did with those chances is a different stat we will get to later. 

Multi-Run Innings: It’s no secret that UTSA was on the wrong side of the scoreboard in each game. One thing they did to keep themselves somewhat in the games was post several multi-run innings. They scored more than one run in an inning four times in the first two games. In the third game, they did it twice. Again, people look at the total runs column at the end of the day. Suppose UTSA will have a successful conference tournament and a chance at a regional spot and run. In that case, they must continue returning to a positive offensive production. It didn’t help to get down early in each game, but they still have the tools needed to win games.  

Fighting Until the End: We have talked about this all season. This team doesn’t go down without a fight. They managed to put two runs on the board while facing a six run deficit in game one, and threatened the Patriots until the final out. In game two, a late grand slam tied the game and electrified the Roadrunner faithful. You won’t win every game you battle late in, but it tells a team you are never out of it. Like they fought all weekend, the winning run was at the plate in the series finale, and one swing could have changed the entire game. They will certainly need that fight for the rest of the season and going into the conference tournament.

WHAT I DIDN’T FEEL GOOD ABOUT… 

‘Runners Left on Base: I mentioned this above when discussing the Roadrunners’ OBP metric. Twenty-nine of the fifty-four batters that reached via a hit or a walk were left on base. Against a team as good as DBU, you cannot leave fifty-four percent of your production on the basepaths. DBU put more baserunners on between the two games and left less on. Simple math tells you who wins those games. Several of those innings also ended with the UTSA runners in scoring position. 

Home Run Ball – UTSA got outmatched in the home run category for another weekend. We knew coming into this season that UTSA would not be considered a “power team.” They have had some guys step up recently, and they have kicked it into gear after a slow start. Regardless, it is always difficult when you trail in this metric. Home runs amp teams up and clear the bases to chip down that left-on-base column. While UTSA hit four home runs this weekend, DBU hit seven. 

Pitching Woes/Needing a #2: It was a rough weekend for the UTSA pitching staff. DBU did their thing in scoring quickly and in bunches. While some relievers had quality outings, several of those who took the mound and even some of the ‘Runners aces struggled. Thirty of the thirty-one runs surrendered this weekend were earned. The staff did not walk more than five in any game but gave up thirty-six hits. The difference in the box score was the RBI’s off-home runs. It also seems that UTSA has a clear-cut number two starter. It appeared to be Uli Quiroga for most of the season, but he didn’t pitch this weekend and had a tough outing last Sunday against Rice. The pitching staff has to get back to form for it to be a good conference tournament run. 

GAME BALLS…

Josh Killeen – What a weekend for the UTSA catcher. Killeen hit a home run in each game, the most dramatic of the three being the game-tying grand slam in game two on Friday night. The long ball contributed to seven RBIs on the weekend for JK. Not only is he hitting the ball well, but he also had some great blocks behind the plate and threw out a DBU runner in the ninth in game two to end the threat. 

Ryan Ward – While the junior has struggled at points this season, he had a nice outing Sunday afternoon. Ward followed Garza’s performance with three scoreless innings to shut down the Patriot offense and keep the game in reach. Across the three innings, Ward gave up one hit, one hit by pitch, and struck out one. Ultimately, UTSA couldn’t complete the comeback, but the relief from Ward and Garza helped. 

Daniel Garza – Garza had the second-best stat line on Sunday. He entered in the second inning after DBU jumped out to an eight-to-zero lead. While he gave up one run on a solo home run, he kept DBU to three total hits and one walk and struck out three in 4.2 innings of work. 

Garrett Poston – Poston had a productive weekend at the plate. He bookended his at-bats with a 3-4 performance on Friday and Sunday. Included in that were three runs scored and a double. Poston made a dive for a ball at one point on Friday that he probably should have approached more cautiously. The result was a triple for the DBU batter with two outs. Fortunately, the inning ended on the next batter, and the runner was left at third. 

LOOKING AHEAD…

The Roadrunners will travel to Abilene Christian on Tuesday. It is their final Tuesday game of the season and the beginning of a four-game stretch on the road before the conference tournament begins in Houston next Wednesday. This is a must-win game for UTSA, not because of the RPI gain or the WP of ACU, but because UTSA needs to get back in the win column. They need to finish the season 4-0. This would also give the program its first-ever forty-win season. ACU is 31-20 on the season and 15-12 in conference play. The game is available via stream at WACinternational.tv, and the first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH…

Grayson Tatrow – The leftfielder leads the team in home runs with nineteen. He is also the team leader in RBIs (56), runs (51), walks (30), and OPS (1.199). He has struck out fifty-two times and gets caught stealing almost half the time he tries. 

Logan Britt – The CF has some wheels, with twenty-eight stolen bases in thirty attempts. He is second on the team in RBIs with forty, and his eleven home runs also put him second on the team. While Tatrow leads the team in slugging with .749, Britt is second with a .585 slugging percentage. 

Outside of their weekend guys, ACU doesn’t have a clear-cut starter that presents a dangerous ERA. They could try and mix guys up and keep the Roadrunners from seeing guys too many times through the order. They also only have one game to worry about, as opposed to three. 

My money would be on Blake Anderson to get the start. Six of his twenty-two appearances have been starts. Although his ERA isn’t great at 6.37, in just forty-one innings, he has fifty-three strikeouts. His WHIP is well below average at 1.63, but he leaves seventy percent of runners on base. Adam Stephenson seems to be ACU’s best reliever this season. In fifteen appearances, he has a 4.29 ERA in forty-two innings. While his 1.21 WHIP is average, it is second on the team. He is also second on the team in strikeouts with sixty-three. 

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

I’d be dishonest if I said I wasn’t a little deflated after this weekend. There were high expectations coming into this weekend. DBU just outplayed UTSA. Maybe not in every category, but they were the better team overall. The Roadrunners have some improvements to make before the conference tournament begins. UTSA has the talent and heart to make a postseason run. Here is to hoping that they can put everything together at the right time. 

Looking for more UTSA content? Consider supporting us on Patreon to immediately gain access to hundreds of exclusive podcasts, videos, and articles. Click the banner below to view our membership options and associated benefits.