A Decade in C-USA: Baseball
UTSA Baseball had some success in Conference USA but never could earn a spot in the NCAA tournament
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EDITORS NOTE: This is the seventh in a series of stories about the UTSA teams during their 10 year run as members of Conference USA.
Previously in the series: SOCCER | VOLLEYBALL | FOOTBALL | CROSS COUNTRY | BASKETBALL | TENNIS
When UTSA went into Conference USA in July 2013 it had been just over a month since the Roadrunner baseball team's season had ended. UTSA's baseball team won the WAC in its only year as a member of that conference and made its third trip to the NCAA tournament in program history.
That trip ended as the previous two had, with two straight losses in the regional round. The Roadrunners 2013 trip to the NCAA tournament had come in the first year under head coach Jason Marshall. Marshall had taken over prior to the 2013 season for Sherman Corbett who had led UTSA from 2001 to 2012.
As UTSA entered Conference USA most Roadrunner fans would have been forgiven for thinking that UTSA baseball would make an NCAA tournament or two as a member of Conference USA.
UTSA would make the conference tournament championship game twice in Conference USA but lost both times to miss out on the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In their 10 year experience in Conference USA, the Roadrunners were 282-239 overall and 139-127 in conference play.
The Roadrunners made eight of nine conference tournaments held in their time in Conference USA (2020 was only season without a tournament). UTSA went 11-15 in the conference tournament during their time in Conference USA.
Roadrunner Field remained friendly confines for UTSA as they were 161-112 at home. On the road UTSA went 109-111 overall during the decade in C-USA. In neutral site games UTSA finished 12-16.
Marshall led the Roadrunners for their first six seasons in Conference USA. His record in the Conference USA era was 174-167 overall and 85-91 in conference games. Marshall led UTSA to the conference tournament final in 2014 where the Roadrunners lost to Rice. The Roadrunners were 8-10 under Marshall at the conference tournament.
In 2020, UTSA turned to former UIW head coach Pat Hallmark to lead the program. Hallmarks first season was cut short by the pandemic but in his four years leading UTSA during the Conference USA era he amassed a 108-72 record overall. Hallmark closed out the Conference USA era with a 54-36 record in conference games and a 3-5 record in the conference tournament.
Hallmark closed out the Roadrunners time in Conference USA with back-to-back 38 win seasons, one win shy of tying the program record for wins in a season. The 2022 Roadrunners reached the conference tournament championship but lost to Louisiana Tech. Despite an RPI in the 30s, UTSA was not selected as an at large for the 2022 NCAA tournament.
| Coach | Overall Record in C-USA Era | Conf. Record in C-USA Era | Postseason Trips in C-USA Era | Years at UTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jason Marshall |
174-167 |
85-91 |
none |
2013-19 |
|
Pat Hallmark |
108-72 |
54-36 |
none |
2020-present |
Notable moments and Players
From the start UTSA was creating memorable moments as a member of Conference USA. The 2014 team picked up where it had left off in the WAC and returned to the conference tournament.
UTSA went into the 2014 conference tournament as the seven seed. The Roadrunners then proceeded to upset two seed UAB in the first round and six seed East Carolina in the second round. UTSA lost the first game to three-seed Southern Miss but rebounded to win the elimination game over Southern Miss to set up a game against Rice in the championship game. The Roadrunners fell to Rice 11-5.
One of the players from that 2014 team was Justin Anderson who was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels that summer. In 2018 Anderson made his debut for the Angels in a game at Houston. Anderson struck out Astros shortstop Carlos Correa in his first inning of work. Anderson went 6-3 with a 4.75 ERA in his two seasons as an Angel before joining the Rangers and is now a member of the Kansas City Royals organization.
Another notable from the 2014 team was RJ Perucki. Perucki had his senior year in 2014 and in that year became the Roadrunner leader for most games played with 226. Perucki's record stood until 2017 when Jesse Baker reached 227 games played at UTSA. Baker was a Roadrunner from 2013-2017.
After winning 35 games in its first season in Conference USA the Roadrunners went through a rough stretch. Between 2015 and 2021 the Roadrunners won 30 games just twice. UTSA won 33 games in 2015 and 32 games in 2018. Their lowest win total in the Conference USA era (not counting 2020) came in 2016 when they went 17-34.
The later years in Conference USA proved to be some of the best for UTSA, not just in the Conference USA era but in the whole program history. The 2022 team knocked off number two ranked Stanford and the 2023 team picked up the first ranking in program history.
UTSA closed out its time in Conference USA with 11 seniors on the roster. As the Roadrunners turn their attention to the American next spring they will have to replace those 11 seniors and potentially others who might go in the MLB draft or the transfer portal. Whoever is on the team in 2024 will be entering the American in a similar position to how their predecessors went into Conference USA. They will be part of a team that has high expectations of returning to the NCAA tournament.
Next in the series: Softball
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