SCHEDULE UPDATE: Due to inclement weather headed for the Austin area,Wednesday's game at No. 5 Texas has been canceled and is not set to be rescheduled.
SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA Roadrunners softball team (8-35) will travel up I-35 to face their second ranked opponent of the year on Wednesday evening, meeting the No. 5 Texas Longhorns (39-9-1) for the third consecutive season at UT's Red & Charline McCombs Field. With a first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m., Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on Longhorn Network through ESPN+.
UTSA Quick Hits
- UTSA is 8-35 on the season and 1-14 in true road games. The Roadrunners are hitting .244 as a team with 6.35 hits, 3.81 walks and 3.70 runs per game.
- Despite highly competitive play over the weekend, UTSA suffered a Conference USA series sweep at home to UAB last week.
- Finishing the week with a 1-3 record, last week was a big one for going yard, as the Roadrunners racked up nine (9) home runs in four contests, two apiece contributed by Taylor Jensen, Marena Estell and Kat Ibarra.
- After opening the C-USA slate with a series victory over UTEP, the Roadrunners have fallen in four conference series, and split a weather-altered two-game set with Western Kentucky.
- In a three-game road conference series at Louisiana Tech (April 14-16), UTSA's pitchers delivered a 0.97 ERA on the weekend and allowed only .181 hitting (13 hits, 5 runs) from the Lady Techsters. Despite the numbers in the circle, UTSA still suffered a road series sweep.
- Across the three-game series, UTSA batted .176 with 15 hits but no runs.
- UTSA notched the first (combined) shutout of the year vs. UIW on Wednesday last week on Tuesday, completing the season sweep of cross-town foe Incarnate Word.
- One of only two players starting every game this year, junior shortstop Kat Ibarra continues as the pacesetter for UTSA's offense, leading in BA (.361), hits (52), runs (30), doubles (11), triples (4), walks (20), on-base percentage (.439), slugging percentage (.556) and stolen bases (6) – On defense, Ibarra has a team-high 62 assists (with 82 putouts), 10 double plays and has delivered the tag on seven (8) caught-stealing plays.
- Ibarra has the third-most career triples in UTSA history at nine (9) and is tied for the fourth-most in a UTSA season this year.
- The shortstop has received conference honors each season at UTSA and is potentially in line for her third accolades, receiving a 2023 Preseason All-Conference USA nod to start the year after being a 2022 C-USA first-teamer and a member of the 2021 C-USA All-Freshman Team.
- A now-proven addition at both first base and catcher since joining UTSA as a two-time JUCO National Champion from Florida SouthWestern State College, Taylor Jensen paces the team with seven (7) home runs after the double-dose at UIW, batting .299 with a team second-most 35 hits, 14 runs, four (4) doubles and 18 RBI.
- Super senior utility Marena Estell was a member of the Preseason All-Conference USA team and leads the Roadrunners with 27 RBI while batting .297 with 16 runs and 33 hits, including six (6) doubles and six (6) home runs.
- UTSA appears among the top 100 in several national rankings:
- Recording 17 total on the year, UTSA ranks 43rd in the NCAA with 0.40 double plays per game.
- With 164 total free passes and 3.81 BB per game, UTSA ranks 24th nationally in walks drawn.
- UTSA led the NCAA in the stat for 14 days from late Feb. to mid-March.
- UTSA has the fourth most homers among C-USA teams at 33 and the Roadrunners rank 72nd in the NCAA with 0.77 home runs per game.
- Producing an NCAA 99th-most 54 two-baggers, the Roadrunners rank 91st in doubles per game with a 1.26 average.
- Several player performances also appear in the national rankings:
- Garnering NCAA listings for hitting and extra-base prowess, Ibarra ranks 61st in triples per game, comes in at 150th in doubles per game and ranks 85th in the NCAA with 54 hits collected.
- Ibarra ties for the most triples and has the sixth-most hits and doubles among C-USA players.
- Sophomore third baseman Camryn Robillard ties for 10th nationally and first in Conference USA with five (5) sacrifice flies.
- Garnering NCAA listings for hitting and extra-base prowess, Ibarra ranks 61st in triples per game, comes in at 150th in doubles per game and ranks 85th in the NCAA with 54 hits collected.
- Cutting Close…the Roadrunners have seen their share of close losses this season. UTSA has engaged in 15 one-run contests with six (6) more decided by two runs – nearly 49 percent of games this season.
- In that set of games, UTSA saw 18 of their losses. A few plays in the opposite direction could have completely inverted a sizable chunk of the season record.
Series vs. Texas
In a series geographically separated by just 85 miles and dating back to 1997, the Roadrunners and Longhorns will meet for the 51st time on Wednesday. Texas has dominated the series, leading 44-5-1. UTSA has dropped the previous 10 meetings and has not scored in the last four. The last UTSA win was in February 2014 with a 4-2 Roadrunners victory over then-No. 15 UT in Austin during the fourth game of coach Michelle Cheatham's first season.
Texas Quick Hits
- The Longhorns are 39-9-1 and 27-4 at home - looking for their third consecutive 40-win season. UT is batting an NCAA sixth-best .331 with 9.06 hits, 2.73 walks and 6.41 runs per game.
- Texas ranks 15th nationally in doubles (71), 50th in home runs per game (0.90), 28th in on-base percentage (.392) and are 14th in scoring.
- In addition, UT holds an NCAA 16th-best 1.97 ERA as a staff.
- UT is fresh off a conference sweep with both Big 12 and national implications, upending then-third-ranked Oklahoma State in Austin in each game of the series.
- The Longhorns have won each of their last five and nine of their last 10 – After facing UTSA, Texas will have a full seven days off.
- Sophomore center fielder Mia Scott ranks 54th in the NCAA and leads UT with a .403 batting average, pacing the Longhorns with 64 hits and 46 runs.
- Freshman middle infielder Viviana Martinez holds the RBI lead at 40 on a .353 average.
- Rookie catcher/first baseman Reese Atwood has collected a team-high 10 home runs out of her 41 hits, adding 37 RBI and 24 runs.
- Coach Mike White is 199-65-2 (.752) in five seasons since relocating to Texas from Oregon.
Game Coverage: UTSA at No. 5 Texas
Wednesday, April 26: 6:00 p.m.
Stream: Longhorn Network
Live Stats: TEXAS
Gameday Guide
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