STEPHENVILLE, Texas – College baseball season has officially arrived.
The Tarleton baseball program kicks off its third season at the Division 1 level on Friday evening in San Antonio, as the UTSA Roadrunners host the Texans in a three-game season opening series at Roadrunner Field.
The games will be streamed on CUSA.TV, with all three games being free to watch. Bill Schoening and Mike Capps will handle play-by-play duties.
The Teams: Tarleton Texans (0-0, 0-0 WAC) at UTSA Roadrunners (0-0, 0-0 C-USA)
Where: San Antonio, Texas
Stadium: Roadrunner Field
Day and Time: Friday at 6 p.m. CT, Saturday at 2 p.m. CT and Sunday at 1 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: CUSA.TV (Free)
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS: (FEB. 17-19): 2022 STATS LISTED
FRI: TAR RHP
Will Stevens (Wichita State transfer, Jr., 0-1, 12.15 ERA) vs. UTSA RHP
Luke Malone (Sr., 9-3, 2.67 ERA)
SAT: TAR LHP
Dylan Delvecchio (JUCO-Palomar College, So., 113 strikeouts in 93.2 IP) vs. UTSA LHP
Robbie Maldonado (Sr., N/A)
SUN: TAR RHP
Hunter Day (JUCO- North Iowa Area CC, Jr., 3.26 ERA in 19.1 IP in 2022) vs. UTSA RHP
Ulises Quiroga (Jr., 2-4, 6.97 ERA)
Matchup/Notes
- Tarleton will open its season in San Antonio as it prepares for a three-game series with the UTSA Roadrunners. UTSA finished last season 38-20 and 19-11 in C-USA play. They lost on a walk off single to Louisiana Tech in the C-USA title game, narrowly missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid.
- UTSA played at Tarleton in a season opening series last season at the Tarleton Baseball Complex. UTSA won the series 2-1, but the Texans staved off a sweep with a 12-2 run-rule victory in game three. The series was the first ever matchup between the two schools. UTSA was 21-6 at Roadrunner Field in 2022.
- Tarleton has 23 new members on this year's team. There are seven four-year college transfers, 10 junior college transfers and six true freshmen that join the squad.
- The Texans finished last season 17-36 overall and 10-20 in the WAC. They were picked 10th in the preseason WAC coaches' poll ahead of Utah Valley, Seattle U and SFA.
Quick Hits
- Tarleton saw two of its best bats depart to graduation at the end of the 2022 season in London Green and Kemuel Thomas-Rivera. Green led the team in home runs (17), hits (65) and RBI (54). Thomas-Rivera led the team in batting average, hitting .398 in WAC play and totaled 60 hits.
- Tarleton will look to Alec Williams and Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo after both posted stellar first campaigns at Tarleton in 2022. Williams started 50 games in center field, finishing with 55 hits and 26 RBI as well as eight home runs. He led the team with 19 multi-hit games and at one point held a 20-game reached base streak. Choy Foo started 49 games, ending the season with 51 hits and 32 RBI. He led the team in doubles (11) and triples (3). He saw time at second and third base as well as shortstop.
- The Texans starting pitcher rotation for the weekend features three newcomers in Will Stevens, Dylan Delvecchio and Hunter Day. Stevens comes to Tarleton from Wichita State while Delvecchio and Day come from the junior college ranks, Palomar College and North Iowa Area CC, respectively. Of the 19 pitchers on the roster, 12 of them are newcomers as Tarleton looks to improve its team ERA of 7.05 from the '22 campaign.
- Two returners that made their presence felt out of the Texan bullpen in 2022 are back in Zane Badmaev and Zach Poe. Badmaev is the leading strikeout getter of the returners and will feature as the closer. Poe pitched 43.3 innings, the most out of any returner as he was tasked with putting out fires for the Texans.
Notables
FACILITY UPGRADES
The Tarleton Baseball Complex saw a significant facelift in the offseason. Capacity was increased with the complex now seating over 1,000. A cantilever roof structure providing cover was added and a new press box was installed. This comes after new turf, lights and outfield wall were installed prior to the 2022 season. This scope was phase two for the baseball facility that will continue to see renovations over the coming months.
DIVISIONS NO LONGER
After playing in the Southwest Division of the WAC in 2022, the conference moved to scrap the divisions ahead of 2023. The Texans will play GCU, NM State, California Baptist, Seattle U, Utah Valley and newcomer UT Arlington this season, teams they did not see in 2022.
WAC PRESEASON POLL
Tarleton was chosen to finish 10th out of 13 schools in the WAC preseason poll. The poll was released on February 10. The Texans received 40 total votes and slotted in ahead of Utah Valley, Seattle U and Stephen F. Austin. Grand Canyon was picked to win the league, followed by Sam Houston and California Baptist.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
Three Texans saw their names on preseason 2023 MLB Draft prospect lists released this preseason. RHP
Will Stevens came in as the No. 11 2023 MLB Draft prospect in the WAC by D1Baseball.com. He was followed by LHP
Dylan Delvecchio at No. 22.
Jordan Andrade was rated as the No. 10 2023 MLB Draft prospect in the WAC by Perfect Game. All three players are transfers new to the team in 2023.
Stevens is a Kansas City, Mo. native that played last season at Wichita State.
Delvecchio comes to Stephenville by way of Palomar College in California, a juco.
Andrade transferred to the Texans following a three-year stint at UNLV and figures to see time at second base and shortstop.
WHAT D1BASEBALL.COM HAD TO SAY
"This group shows improved athleticism that will hopefully better a defense that struggled significantly in 2022. Pitching depth also looks to have taken a step forward and that would be a key development. Lefthander
Dylan Delvecchio will take the ball on Friday/Saturday nights and the coaching staff is excited about his competitive demeanor. This is not a soft lefty either, as Delvecchio features a fastball into the low-90s and good breaking ball. Righthander
Isiah Campa was TSU's top starter a year ago before he went down with an injury. Campa's numbers through three starts were excellent (4.15 ERA, 17.1 IP, 16 Ks, 5 BBs, .197 BAA). he bullpen is a very interesting group, and it starts with 6-foot-8, 260-pound righthander
Zane Badmaev. Badmaev is the healthiest he's been, and this is a power arsenal. Speaking of power arms, junior
Will Stevens is the most electric arm on the staff. If his command continues to improve, he could be a gamechanger. Finally,
Zach Poe is a crafty sidewinder who has led the staff in appearances (62) in each of the last two seasons.
Alec Williams is a top returner for the Texans. He is the best athlete in this position player group and the run tool is impactful. Transfer
Jordan Andrade (UNLV) is a quality defender who should shore things up at second base. He hit a very respectable .286 in 91 at-bats with the Rebels."
- Mike Rooney, D1Baseball. Subscribe here: D1baseball.com/subscribe.
TRANSFER PORTAL
The Texans added 17 newcomers to the roster via the transfer portal. 10 come from the junior college ranks while seven come from other four year universities.
A STORY TO WATCH
Grant Kerry is a newcomer to the Texan roster in 2023 after playing the last two seasons at Northwest Nazarene, a D2 school in Idaho. Kerry was born in Hong Kong, his family hails from England and he has lived in Kuwait, Australia and the United States. He played his high school ball in Australia before coming to the United States to play for a Boise State baseball program that was revived in 2019 after being dormant since 1980. After the covid-19 pandemic hit and the Broncos had played just 14 games, Boise State officials moved to cut the baseball program, citing budget issues. Kerry transferred to NNU where he was an All-American and helped lead them to the Division 2 World Series in 2021. Kerry is a utility player that could see time at first base as well as in the outfield.
BIG TIME BASEBALL IN STEPHENVILLE
Tarleton will host the likes of Oral Roberts (March 14), TCU (April 4), NM State (April 21-23), Grand Canyon (May 5-7), Baylor (May 16), and Sam Houston (May 18-20) this year at the newly renovated Tarleton Baseball Complex.
PLAYING FOR POSTSEASON
The Western Athletic Conference announced that for the 2022-2023 calendar year, Tarleton Athletics will now be postseason eligible for all conference postseason events despite the Texans being in year three of a reclassification period from Division 2. That means that if the Texans finish in the top eight of the WAC standings, they will travel to Mesa, Arizona, to participate in the 2023 WAC Baseball Tournament at Hohokam Stadium.
FRESHMEN
Tarleton added six true freshmen to its roster ahead of the 2023 season. Five of the six hail from the great state of Texas.
Tyson Drake is an outfielder that won the 2022 Texas 6A state championship at Southlake Carroll.
Landry McKittrick led Godley to a regional semifinal appearance in 2021, hitting .427.
Reece Elston hails from Stephenville where he was an all-state pitcher and all-state wide receiver.
Tyler Sudderth struck out 70, holding a 2.22 ERA his senior season at Granbury.
Breck Bradshaw played at Lake Dallas HS and shined for the travel ball team USA Prime.
Dominic Corgiat played at Fenwick HS in Illinois where he was ranked the No. 15 LHP in the state in 2022 by Perfect Game.
COMING ON STRONG
Last season was RHP
Zane Badmaev's fourth season in the purple and white. He made a career-high 19 appearances, throwing a career-high 27.2 innings. He held a 38/12 strikeout to walk ratio and developed into one of the most trusted arms out of the Texan pen as the season wore on. Badmaev looks to capitalize on his success in 2022 and carve out a spot as the closer in 2023.
BEHIND THE DISH
Last season the Texans featured two catchers primarily.
Mason Crews and
Jaime Perez each started 19 games as both missed time with injury. Crews is a transfer from Kansas State and last season with the Texans he threw 10 runners out from behind the dish and finished with an on-base percentage of .303. He brings leadership and stellar defense to the Tarleton roster. Perez was a true freshman last season, hailing from Edinburg, Texas. He hit .318 with 21 hits, 11 RBI and nine walks to pair with an on-base percentage of .432. Both student-athletes bring tremendous talent to the table and should challenge each other for playing time.
CORN FIELDS TO THE COWBOY CAPITAL
Redshirt junior utility player
Jack Wagner has seen his fair share of experience at the Division 1 level. He spent four seasons as a member of the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12. Wagner missed last season due to an injury and took a redshirt, but prior to that he performed well in Lawrence. As a redshirt sophomore in 2021, he appeared in 43 games, starting 31 and hit .257 with 17 RBI and a .385 on-base percentage. Wagner also added a 10-game reached base streak. Wagner looks to slide in on the infield, potentially at first base and brings an all-around game to Stephenville.
The Texans will stay in The Alamo City on Monday in preparation for Tuesday's matchup with the UIW Cardinals at Daniel Sullivan Field. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.
