April 15, 2008

Game Notes - Texas State in PDF Format
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Game Information
× - The University of Texas-Pan American baseball team will compete in a two-game series with Southland Conference-foe Texas State on Tuesday (Apr. 15) with game time slated for 6 p.m. in San Marcos, TX.

× - Following game one, the Broncs will play the second game on Wednesday (Apr. 16) at 6 p.m.

× - The Broncs are coming off a three game sweep over Texas Southern this past weekend in Houston, TX. With the wins, the Broncs improved to 12-22 overall and 4-14 on the road.

× - In the three game series with the Tigers, the Broncs took full advantage of the pitching, connecting on nine total homeruns.

× - The Broncs are led offensively by Jordan Rutenbar with a .352 batting average including a team-high 26 RBI's, seven doubles, four homeruns, 25 runs scored and 43 hits.

× - On the bases, senior Roly Gonzalez leads the team in stolen bases with 25 out of 28 attempts.

× - The contest with the Bobcats will be the 57th all-time meeting, with the Tigers leading the series 22-34. The last meeting between both teams was last season where the Broncs dropped a 12-5 decision in the UTPA Classic on (Feb. 4).

× - The Bobcats enter tonight's game after dropping a 15-9 decision to Southeastern Louisiana on (Apr. 13) in Hammond, LA. With the setback, Texas State fell to 18-14 on the season and 10-5 in the SLC.

× - Texas State is led offensively by Paul Goldschmidt with a .357 batting average to go with a team-high 12 homeruns, 46 hits, 10 doubles, and a .729 on-base percentage.

× - On the mound for the Bobcats, Zach Tritz leads the pack with a 6-1 record and a 4.56 earned run average.

× - The Broncs will host Prairie View A&M on at 3 p.m. on Saturday (Apr. 19) and Sunday (Apr. 20) in their final three homes games of the season before they host the seven team National Independent Tournament at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium on May 22-May 25.

Four Broncs Earn All-Tournament Team Accolades
× - The UTPA baseball team were crowned co-champions of the Hillcrest Ford Classic Tournament and four Broncs were selected to the All-Tournament Team on Sunday (Mar. 9).

× - Newcomers Billy Donaho, Jordan Rutenbar, A.J. Franco and senior Roly Gonzalez were all-tournament team recipients for their outstanding performance in the three day tournament.

× - Donaho finished the tournament with a .545 batting average with four runs scored, four RBI's and a grand slam that came in the fourth inning in a 12-6 victory against Sam Houston State (Mar. 9).

× - Rutenbar recorded a .429 batting average to go with six RBI's and five runs scored in three games. In all three games, Rutenbar posted at least one hit while collecting two RBI's.

× - Gonzalez collected a .467 batting average to go with six stolen bases. The Broncs senior posted eight hits in 14 at bats to go along with six runs scored and a RBI.

× - The most impressive Bronc of the weekend was newcomer A.J. Franco who pitched a complete game in a 6-1 victory against Saint Louis on March 8. Franco improved his record to 2-1 while fanning five batters while only allowed one run.

Former Broncs Head to the Minors
× - After finishing their 2007-08 senior campaign, Osiel Flores, Ray Silva, Patrick Brooks and Chad Linder to the next step in furthering their dreams of playing in the major leagues as all they were signed to minor league contracts.

× - Flores was the first Bronc to sign a free agent contract with the Cleveland Indians and headed to the New York-Penn League which is a short-season Class "A" league.

× - Former third baseman Patrick Brooks signed a free agent deal with the Chicago Cubs and traveled to the Chicago Cub's rookie league in Mesa, AZ.

× - UTPA pitcher Ray Silva signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and made his debut with the Johnson City Cardinals this past summer.

× - Former UTPA pitcher Chad Linder signed with the River City Rascals which is a Division I Independent Baseball team in the Frontier League.

Senior Leadership Key to Successful Season
× - The Broncs enter the 2008 campaign with seven seniors that will lead a entirely new team from the previous season.

× - Cody Cisper, Roly Gonzalez, Jeremy Johnson, Chris Lozano, Philip Rodriguez, Matt Shepherd, and Ruben Shives, Jr. round out the group of seven that will look to finish their final season with a winning record.

× - The seven seniors will use their leadership and experience to lead a team that will consist of four returning letterman, twelve junior college transfers and six freshman.

× - The Broncs have yet to finish above .500 since the 2000 season under the direction of Reggie Tredaway where UTPA collected a 31-19-1 record.

Broncs Host First Annual National Independent Tournament
× - Following the Broncs final three game series versus Texas Christian University, UTPA will close out the season with the National Independent Tournament in Edinburg, TX during the week of May 21-25.

× - Teams that will be featured in the NIT will be Northern Colorado, New York Tech, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Chicago State, and Le Moyne.

× - The tournament seeds will be announced on the Monday prior to the opening of the tournament. The seeds will be determined by record and NCAA RPI.

× - NCAA Regional selections take place on May 26 and the winner has an opportunity for a possible NCAA tournament bid.

UTPA Sports Information