UTSA baseball fell apart in Louisiana vs McNeese State losing all three games. It's hard to believe that anyone saw this coming. If the series was played again, I would bet the outcome would be much different. Regardless, UTSA falls to 6-5 (0-4 on the road) and there are a lot of questions about this 2015 team.
Game 1[/B]: The Friday game kicked off at 4pm and early on we saw UTSA strong play continue. In the 3rd inning, UTSA was able to jam the bases and earn 3 runs after a HBP RBI on Bormann, a bases loaded walk from Skyler Valentine and a RBI single by CJ Pickering. (3-0) Brock Hartson was pitching well and was arguably having his best game of the season. In the sixth inning, things began to fall apart for UTSA. Hartson allowed three quick hits on 5 pitches and UTSA was suddenly in trouble. To his credit, I don't believe the UTSA coaching staff was ready to make a change. They quickly tried to get Herbelin and Kirby up and running in the bullpen and even called a stalling mound visit but the bases loaded jam just happened too quickly for anyone to anticipate. Herbelin was called in to make the stop but ended up giving up a few unearned runs giving McNeese a 2 run lead. (3-5) Despite the misstep, UTSA was able to draw even in the 8th after once again loading the bases and earning back to back RBI walks from Hilston and Bormann. Chance Kirby came into the game in the 7th and was fantastic. The freshman continues to be one of the best arms out of the bullpen. In the bottom of the 10th, McNesse ended the game on a walk off single. Kirby earned the loss but his performance opened up a lot of eyes as he only allowed 2 hits in 3.2 innings.
Final score: UTSA 5, McNeese St 6 (10)
Chance Kirby L (1-1)
Notable Stats:
Hartson: 5 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Kirby: 3.2 IP, 2 hits 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Bormann: 0-3, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 K
CJ Pickering: 2-5, 1 RBI, 3 Ks, 1 SB
Bowles: 3-5 (2 Doubles), 1 Run, 2 Ks
Game 2[/B]: Losing in extra innings was hard to swallow especially when UTSA had several shots to take a commanding lead. Game 2 had a lot of promise. Kevin Markham was back starting at DH and Jesse Baker and Logan Onda would make their first appearances of the 2015 season following their suspensions. UTSA pitching suffered early. Nolan Trabanino was pulled after 1.2 IP after allowing 6 hits. Relief pitching did not fare much better, allowing 10 more hits of the course of the game for a total of 16 total hits. Despite the hitting clinic on behalf of McNesse, UTSA remained in striking distance throughout the course of the game and only allowed 4 runs to score. The real story of this game was the amazing pitching performance by McNesse State's Bryce Kingsley. Kingsley was impossible to crack for UTSA hitters. In fact, it wasn't until the 8th inning that UTSA was able to chip into the lead. Kingsley's final line was 7 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB and 5 K's. The ever dangerous, Kevin Markham was finally able to get UTSA on the board in the 8th on a RBI triple and scored the very next play on a groundout by Hilston. (2-4) Unfortunately, UTSA ran out of time just as they were starting to inflict damage on McNeese.
Final Score: UTSA 2, McNeese St 4
Nolan Trabanino L (0-2)
Notable Stats:
Logan Onda: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Markham: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 Run
Straub: 3-4
Bowles: 1-2, 1 Run, 1 BB
Game 3[/B]: With McNeese clinching the series, UTSA now had their backs against the wall and was aiming to prevent the sweep in the double header on Saturday. Cody Brannon was great throughout his 5 innings of work and UTSA finally was able to keep up with McNesse in hits throughout the course of the game. The Cowboys struck first in the 1st inning with a RBI single and it was all UTSA after that until the 7th inning. In the 3rd, Kevin Markham was able to bring Sklyer Valentine in on a shot to center field. (1-1) Tyler Straub was able to score John Borman in the 4th on a ground out (2-1) and Valentine earned a sac fly in the top of the 7th to bring in Geonte Jackson (3-1) McNeese was able to deal the final blow in the B7 earning 3 runs on reliever Patrick Herbelin who had a rare bad day. (3-4) UTSA lost another close game, this one cementing a sweep
Final score: UTSA 3, McNeese St 4
Patrick Herbelin L (2-1)
Notable Stats:
Brannon: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Herbelin: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB
Jackson: 2-4, 1 Run
Markham: 1-4, 1 RBI
Valentine: 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 Run
Analysis[/B]: Even though you have to credit McNeese State on the sweep, UTSA should have had this series, especially considering that every game was decided on 2 runs or less. With the amount of missed opportunities, the 3 losses earned on Friday and Saturday have to be hard to swallow. Game 1 was one of the worst performances from UTSA. UTSA batters recorded a season high 15 strikeouts and left 11 runners on base. 15 strikeouts. In a 1 run loss, those kinds of stats can really paint the picture of how this team struggled. Game 2 was a complete team loss. UTSA pitchers gave up 16 hits throughout the course of the game. Losing Trabanino in the 2nd inning hurt but the relief pitching staff could not limit the offense from the Cowboys. UTSA batters limited their strikeouts but missed several opportunities to seal this game from McNeese. Part of issue was the stellar play from Bryce Kingsley but the main issue was UTSA's inability to bring in runs when the leadoff man reached base. In fact, UTSA was able to get their leadoff man on base in 4 consecutive innings (5th-8th) but were unable to advance the runner on all attempts. The final game of the series was shaping up to be a salvaging win for UTSA until the 7th inning. McNeese had a fantastic inning at the plate and UTSA was not able to recover and provide run support for the UTSA pitching. This was undoubtedly a tough series for UTSA and one that they would like to have back. This UTSA team is a fantastic ball club overall but in this series the issues were prevalent and impossible to overcome.
Pitching[/B] - One of the biggest concerns going forward for UTSA is the starting pitching. There have been flashes of great performances but overall, the starting pitching needs to improve in order for UTSA to be successful in future series. If I had to gauge UTSA's starting series pitching, I think we are definitely getting the best from Cody Brannon. Hartson has been improving and hopefully will be the ace UTSA needs him to be by conference play. Nolan Trabanino is really struggling. Coming off a fantastic 2014 campaign, UTSA will really need Trabanino to improve and take the pressure off the bullpen. As far as the relief pitching is concerned I think UTSA should be a good place. Logan Onda retuned on Saturday, and although he was hit a bit, it was his first game in 2015. Onda should add depth and experience into the pen. Patrick Herbelin has been phenomenal. Game 3 was his only real stumble but expect Herbelin to continue to be one of Marshall's favorite arms out of the bullpen. I've really been impressed with Chance Kirby. The freshman is showing a lot of poise every time he is called on to pitch. We should see Kirby a lot going forward and possibly as a starter in 2016. With Boone Morky returning it will be interesting to see if Marshall keeps Aaron Burns as a starter. If not, Burns had been fantastic out of the bullpen and would just add to the depth of this team. Nolan Savage, Jeremey Filipek, Hodgson and Shrewcraft should also be regulars throughout the season.
Hitting[/B] - This has definitely been the nice surprise for UTSA thus far into the season. The new faces like Markham, Straub, Hilston, Bowles have been fantastic overall. Additionally, UTSA fans have to be happy with the improved hitting from guys like John Bormann and CJ Pickering. Jesse Baker returned during game 2 of this series. Baker did not record a hit, but UTSA will need to rely on his strong bat going forward. This team will still need the presence of Ho Correa. Once he returns he should add more stability to the lineup.
RPI watch[/B]: It's still early, but UTSA RPI fell to 187/287 after the sweep. UTSA has a lot of work to do to return into the 100's. UTSA was once in the low 40s
Next up is Texas A&M- Corpus Christi on Tuesday at Roadrunner Field (6:30) This game is a must win for the Roadrunners
Game 1[/B]: The Friday game kicked off at 4pm and early on we saw UTSA strong play continue. In the 3rd inning, UTSA was able to jam the bases and earn 3 runs after a HBP RBI on Bormann, a bases loaded walk from Skyler Valentine and a RBI single by CJ Pickering. (3-0) Brock Hartson was pitching well and was arguably having his best game of the season. In the sixth inning, things began to fall apart for UTSA. Hartson allowed three quick hits on 5 pitches and UTSA was suddenly in trouble. To his credit, I don't believe the UTSA coaching staff was ready to make a change. They quickly tried to get Herbelin and Kirby up and running in the bullpen and even called a stalling mound visit but the bases loaded jam just happened too quickly for anyone to anticipate. Herbelin was called in to make the stop but ended up giving up a few unearned runs giving McNeese a 2 run lead. (3-5) Despite the misstep, UTSA was able to draw even in the 8th after once again loading the bases and earning back to back RBI walks from Hilston and Bormann. Chance Kirby came into the game in the 7th and was fantastic. The freshman continues to be one of the best arms out of the bullpen. In the bottom of the 10th, McNesse ended the game on a walk off single. Kirby earned the loss but his performance opened up a lot of eyes as he only allowed 2 hits in 3.2 innings.
Final score: UTSA 5, McNeese St 6 (10)
Chance Kirby L (1-1)
Notable Stats:
Hartson: 5 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Kirby: 3.2 IP, 2 hits 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Bormann: 0-3, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 K
CJ Pickering: 2-5, 1 RBI, 3 Ks, 1 SB
Bowles: 3-5 (2 Doubles), 1 Run, 2 Ks
Game 2[/B]: Losing in extra innings was hard to swallow especially when UTSA had several shots to take a commanding lead. Game 2 had a lot of promise. Kevin Markham was back starting at DH and Jesse Baker and Logan Onda would make their first appearances of the 2015 season following their suspensions. UTSA pitching suffered early. Nolan Trabanino was pulled after 1.2 IP after allowing 6 hits. Relief pitching did not fare much better, allowing 10 more hits of the course of the game for a total of 16 total hits. Despite the hitting clinic on behalf of McNesse, UTSA remained in striking distance throughout the course of the game and only allowed 4 runs to score. The real story of this game was the amazing pitching performance by McNesse State's Bryce Kingsley. Kingsley was impossible to crack for UTSA hitters. In fact, it wasn't until the 8th inning that UTSA was able to chip into the lead. Kingsley's final line was 7 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB and 5 K's. The ever dangerous, Kevin Markham was finally able to get UTSA on the board in the 8th on a RBI triple and scored the very next play on a groundout by Hilston. (2-4) Unfortunately, UTSA ran out of time just as they were starting to inflict damage on McNeese.
Final Score: UTSA 2, McNeese St 4
Nolan Trabanino L (0-2)
Notable Stats:
Logan Onda: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Markham: 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 Run
Straub: 3-4
Bowles: 1-2, 1 Run, 1 BB
Game 3[/B]: With McNeese clinching the series, UTSA now had their backs against the wall and was aiming to prevent the sweep in the double header on Saturday. Cody Brannon was great throughout his 5 innings of work and UTSA finally was able to keep up with McNesse in hits throughout the course of the game. The Cowboys struck first in the 1st inning with a RBI single and it was all UTSA after that until the 7th inning. In the 3rd, Kevin Markham was able to bring Sklyer Valentine in on a shot to center field. (1-1) Tyler Straub was able to score John Borman in the 4th on a ground out (2-1) and Valentine earned a sac fly in the top of the 7th to bring in Geonte Jackson (3-1) McNeese was able to deal the final blow in the B7 earning 3 runs on reliever Patrick Herbelin who had a rare bad day. (3-4) UTSA lost another close game, this one cementing a sweep
Final score: UTSA 3, McNeese St 4
Patrick Herbelin L (2-1)
Notable Stats:
Brannon: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Herbelin: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB
Jackson: 2-4, 1 Run
Markham: 1-4, 1 RBI
Valentine: 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 Run
Analysis[/B]: Even though you have to credit McNeese State on the sweep, UTSA should have had this series, especially considering that every game was decided on 2 runs or less. With the amount of missed opportunities, the 3 losses earned on Friday and Saturday have to be hard to swallow. Game 1 was one of the worst performances from UTSA. UTSA batters recorded a season high 15 strikeouts and left 11 runners on base. 15 strikeouts. In a 1 run loss, those kinds of stats can really paint the picture of how this team struggled. Game 2 was a complete team loss. UTSA pitchers gave up 16 hits throughout the course of the game. Losing Trabanino in the 2nd inning hurt but the relief pitching staff could not limit the offense from the Cowboys. UTSA batters limited their strikeouts but missed several opportunities to seal this game from McNeese. Part of issue was the stellar play from Bryce Kingsley but the main issue was UTSA's inability to bring in runs when the leadoff man reached base. In fact, UTSA was able to get their leadoff man on base in 4 consecutive innings (5th-8th) but were unable to advance the runner on all attempts. The final game of the series was shaping up to be a salvaging win for UTSA until the 7th inning. McNeese had a fantastic inning at the plate and UTSA was not able to recover and provide run support for the UTSA pitching. This was undoubtedly a tough series for UTSA and one that they would like to have back. This UTSA team is a fantastic ball club overall but in this series the issues were prevalent and impossible to overcome.
Pitching[/B] - One of the biggest concerns going forward for UTSA is the starting pitching. There have been flashes of great performances but overall, the starting pitching needs to improve in order for UTSA to be successful in future series. If I had to gauge UTSA's starting series pitching, I think we are definitely getting the best from Cody Brannon. Hartson has been improving and hopefully will be the ace UTSA needs him to be by conference play. Nolan Trabanino is really struggling. Coming off a fantastic 2014 campaign, UTSA will really need Trabanino to improve and take the pressure off the bullpen. As far as the relief pitching is concerned I think UTSA should be a good place. Logan Onda retuned on Saturday, and although he was hit a bit, it was his first game in 2015. Onda should add depth and experience into the pen. Patrick Herbelin has been phenomenal. Game 3 was his only real stumble but expect Herbelin to continue to be one of Marshall's favorite arms out of the bullpen. I've really been impressed with Chance Kirby. The freshman is showing a lot of poise every time he is called on to pitch. We should see Kirby a lot going forward and possibly as a starter in 2016. With Boone Morky returning it will be interesting to see if Marshall keeps Aaron Burns as a starter. If not, Burns had been fantastic out of the bullpen and would just add to the depth of this team. Nolan Savage, Jeremey Filipek, Hodgson and Shrewcraft should also be regulars throughout the season.
Hitting[/B] - This has definitely been the nice surprise for UTSA thus far into the season. The new faces like Markham, Straub, Hilston, Bowles have been fantastic overall. Additionally, UTSA fans have to be happy with the improved hitting from guys like John Bormann and CJ Pickering. Jesse Baker returned during game 2 of this series. Baker did not record a hit, but UTSA will need to rely on his strong bat going forward. This team will still need the presence of Ho Correa. Once he returns he should add more stability to the lineup.
RPI watch[/B]: It's still early, but UTSA RPI fell to 187/287 after the sweep. UTSA has a lot of work to do to return into the 100's. UTSA was once in the low 40s
Next up is Texas A&M- Corpus Christi on Tuesday at Roadrunner Field (6:30) This game is a must win for the Roadrunners
