Tarleton baseball is set for its first midweek game of the season as they will take on the UIW Cardinals at Daniel Sullivan Field on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.
 
The Texans will be playing their fourth consecutive game in San Antonio and searching for their second consecutive win.
 
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be followed via live stats.

The Teams: Tarleton Texans (1-2, 0-0 WAC) at UIW Cardinals (1-2, 0-0 SLC)
Where: San Antonio, Texas
Stadium: Daniel Sullivan Field
Day and Time: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS: (FEB. 21): 2022 STATS LISTED
FRI: TAR RHP Devon Patel (So., 0-0, 7.53 ERA) vs. UIW TBA
 
 
Matchup/Notes
 

• Tarleton will play its fourth straight game in San Antonio, taking on the UIW Cardinals on Tuesday evening.
• The game at Daniel Sullivan Field is the first of four games this season the Texans and Cardinals will play as UIW will travel to Stephenville for a three game series beginning Friday, March 17.
• UIW is sitting on a 1-2 record, the same as Tarleton. They won a game Saturday vs. Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville for their first win. Tarleton earned its first win of 2023 in game three of the series at UTSA, winning 7-5 in 12 innings.
• Last season UIW and Tarleton matched up twice, with the Texans winning both. The Texans won 1-0 on Feb. 22 at home and defeated the Cardinals 14-6 on April 12 in San Antonio. UIW holds the all-time advantage 17-14 as the teams matchups date back to the Division 2 days.

 
Quick Hits

• The Texans battled UTSA this past weekend, taking a game from the 38-win team in 2022. They won an extra inning affair on Sunday, scoring two runs in the twelfth inning to earn their first win as Tyson Drake tagged up from second base on a Kooper Shook flyout and Alec Williams hit a solo home run to deliver the win.
• The Texans nearly stole a win in game one of the series at UTSA on Friday. Down 1-0 heading into the ninth inning, the Texans plated two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 2-1 lead and put itself in good position for a victory. UTSA managed two runs on a walk off two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to retake the lead and win the game.
• Kooper Shook and Mason Hammonds had impressive first weekends at the plate in purple and white. The junior college transfer duo from Weatherford and Bossier Parish led the Texans in most statistical categories. Shook finished with four hits, two of which were home runs, and four RBI, a team-high. Hammonds ended the weekend with a .385 average and .467 on-base percentage. He had five hits, two runs scored and two walks.
• A big reason for the Texan win on Sunday were two pitchers, Hunter Day and Cris Enriquez. In Day's first career start as a Texan, he tossed 6.0 innings to pair with six strikeouts and no walks, with just one unearned run scoring. Enriquez threw the final 2.0 frames, holding the Roadrunners scoreless and earning the win. 

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.

GREAT PLAINS 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.

NEXT UP
The Texans will return home to play a weekend series vs. Stonehill College this weekend, with four games on deck. They will play the first game in the newly renovated baseball complex on Friday at 6 p.m. CT.