Roadrunners Secure AAC Regular Season Title; Match Program Wins Record

The UTSA Roadrunners are the 2025 American Athletic Conference regular season champions! Let that sink in! 

For the first time since 2008, the UTSA Baseball team is bringing another conference championship to the school’s athletic program. And they did it with five conference games remaining. 

For a moment, let’s rewind to eleven months ago. The Roadrunners had just gone 0-2 in the conference tournament for a second consecutive time, after finishing runner-up in the regular season for a second consecutive time.

Almost immediately following the end of the 2024 season, a mass exodus began of players began entering the transfer portal led by UTSA veteran shortstop Matt King. 

King was joined by a plethora of starters, depth pieces, and freshmen who had not registered an appearance in 2024. 

It also included stopper/closer Ruger Riojas and center fielder Mason Lytle. 

Pair that with the graduating Seniors and it looked as if it would be almost a complete rebuilding year for the Roadrunners. 

Slowly but surely, the pieces came together.

Committed donors were able to get enough NIL together to have Lytle remove his name from the portal and return to UTSA for a second season. 

UTSA did what they do and brought in a mix of JUCO studs, a D-2 transfer, and some true freshmen who have proven themselves to be very mature baseball players. 

It was a Fall Ball season that had Coach Hallmark hopefully optimistic, although even he himself was unsure of how well the team would do when they faced someone wearing another jersey. 

The baseball outlets were perhaps even more unsure. The Roadrunners were projected by D1 Baseball to finish outside the top three in the conference. Respect was given to UTSA, Coach Hallmark and his staff, and the potential starting pieces that UTSA had, but there were still plenty of unknowns. 

Now rewind to opening weekend. 

The Roadrunners opened with four road games where they did not look good. They were shutout twice, and found themselves with an underwhelming 1-3 record and looking for some answers. 

In my first recap of the season, I wrote not to panic… yet. It’s a good thing we didn’t. 

From there, the Roadrunners turned it around. They swept Long Island University with two run-rule wins for their first series win of the season. 

On a Tuesday in College Station, they kept their win streak going with a ranked win over at the time #14 Texas A&M. And then on March 8^th they broke the program’s win streak record set in 1994. 1994 was also the first time the Roadrunners made it to a regional, just in their third year as a program. 

Following two more ranked wins over DBU and Texas, it was time to open conference play. 

Although they would drop their first conference game of the season, they would still win the opening series over Charlotte on the road. 

UTSA would then go on an incredible run, dropping only three more conference games across their next twenty-one games. 

Since the opening loss to Charlotte, they have yet to lose a conference series opening game. They also have won every conference series this season, getting the sweep four times. 

Their latest sweep, two weeks ago against USF, almost assured they would stand alone at the top at the end of the regular season. 

It was a road series that saw UTSA come from behind each time, winning in exciting and dramatic fashion almost every game. 

That set the scene for their most recent series win, the one that gave the Roadrunners the outright regular season championship. 

It was almost a script-like setup with a road series against the current five-time regular season champions, the ECU Pirates. 

As if the opportunity to win the league title wasn’t enough. There was plenty of tension after last season when UTSA opened their time in the American with a home series win against ECU. 

Although ECU would be coming into the weekend mathematically eliminated from claiming their sixth straight league title, they still had plenty to play for. 

It was Senior weekend, the Pirates are battling for seed position for the conference tournament that is now nine days away in Clearwater, Florida, and they had a chance to play spoiler for UTSA looking to be outright champs. 

Once again, the Roadrunners prevailed. 

Poor projected weather on Mother’s Day turned the series into an even greater challenge as the Sunday game was converted to a double header on Saturday. It is extremely difficult to sweep road series double headers. Winning the series opener on Friday was crucial. 

The Pirates saw their ace, Ethan Norby, return to form. He was looking solid through four innings with no runs allowed and almost no hits.

Then the Roadrunners did what they do. They continued to chip away, knocking Norby out in the fifth, and putting up an important four spot. A highlight was James Taussig’s two-run home run to RF. 

There was a moment where it looked like UTSA’s 4D chess was going to hurt them in an unimaginable way. 

After a three-spot in the top of the 8^th, UTSA pulled Robert Orloski from the game. Although, they kept him in the field. 

Perhaps sensing they may need him again, Orloski moved to left, only to reenter in the eight, to stop what would have been a crushing ECU comeback. 

Although just a true sophomore, Orloski has taken huge steps since last season. To be able to re-enter in that situation, end the inning and close it out is truly impressive, I don’t know if he does that last season. 

With the dramatic finish, the UTSA Roadrunners were outright league champs. 

They had secured the regular season title on the previous conference placeholder’s home field. And they were one more game closer to tying the program record for single season wins. 

Game 1 of Saturday’s double header gave everyone in attendance and watching online a pitcher’s duel through the first half of the game. 

The Roadrunners and Pirates exchanged one-run innings before ECU took a two-run lead going into the ninth. 

It looked like it would be quick finish and both teams would try and win the series in the series finale after a three pitch strikeout to start the ninth. 

That is when things began to unravel for ECU and the always dangerous Roadrunners capitalized. 

Three one out walks, and a wild pitch brought the ‘Runners to within one. Enter, Mason Lytle. 

The senior center fielder that stayed at UTSA over much larger NIL opportunities at Power Four programs lined one down the 3B/LF line to clear the bases. It was the second time this weekend that UTSA cleared the bases with an XBH down the 3B/LF line. 

The five run ninth would be enough for UTSA to hold on against an ECU attempted comeback, take the series, and notch that program record-tying 39^th win. 

While there was plenty to be excited about, and overall it was still a successful weekend for the Roadrunners, it wasn’t perfect. 

The decision to initially pull Orloski by Coach Hallmark in game one could have easily cost the Roadrunners a win. Perhaps it was something the staff wanted to try out and see If it would be an option come tournament time. 

While the pitching staff, especially the starters, had good performances, there were some individual outings that didn’t go well. 

The Roadrunners allowed twelve runs in the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th innings across the weekend. That accounts for over half of the total runs allowed in the series, 19. 

While on one-hand it makes sense. This was an ECU team that has shown they can play with anyone in the conference, it was senior weekend, and UTSA is going to get everyone’s best every game. They are no longer the underdogs. 

The Roadrunners also made an error at 3B in the series finale and McClure dropped a foul ball in the ninth that changed the dynamic of the inning which would end with ECU walking off UTSA. 

It was a game with some frustrating moments. It also was a weekend that featured three very emotional games, and a double-header that made for a very long day. Those moments are going to happen. 

The conference tournament is also set-up for the potential to have long days like Saturday though. 

There was still plenty of things UTSA did well. 

They got out of big jams twice in the series finale with the bases loaded. Getting fly outs to end the inning and keep the lead. 

While there were some errors and misplayed batted balls this weekend, both the Infield and outfield made web-gem plays all weekend. 

The weekend concluded with UTSA still looking for that program best 40-win season. 

It can come this Thursday as they wrap up the regular season against the Rice Owls on senior weekend. 

While Rice has had an up and down season that saw an unprecedented mid-season coaching change, I would not sleep on the Owls. 

They are still trying to find a solid groove heading into the conference tournament, are working to improve their seed/secure their spot, and have some dangerous components. 

I’ll have more on the Owls in this week’s First Pitch Preview that will feature the co-hosts of The Roost Podcast as special guests. 

I’m also excited because I will be in San Antonio for all three games at the Bird Bath. It will be the first time this season I get to watch the Roadrunners in person. 

I hope you enjoyed this different approach to the “Full-Count Recap”. I wanted to shed light on the Roadrunners securing their first regular season title since 2008 and felt this was the best way to do so. 

Now, let’s sit back, watch some more baseball, and hope that it will be a nationally ranked Roadrunner team going for win #40 on Thursday night.

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