TYLER -- The UT Tyler baseball program opens the 2020 season as a first-year member of NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference. The Patriots' entire 50-game slate is composed entirely of LSC competition, starting with a three-game series against Tarleton State this weekend.

Head coach Brent Porche, who has produced 102 wins in his three seasons at the helm while also delivering the 2018 NCAA Division III national title, returns 12 players from last year's 23-15 campaign. He and his coaching staff have added 22 newcomers to the roster, including a dozen from the junior college ranks which led to the Patriots earning a top-50 junior college recruiting class according to the JUCO Baseball Blog rankings last June.

Quotable (head coach Brent Porche):

"Obviously, we're excited about moving into Division II, and we're excited to be in the Lone Star Conference, which has some of the best baseball in the country. We bring back some key pieces from previous years, and one of those on the mound is going to start Friday night, and that's Austin Schneider. He was a big part of our World Series run in 2018, and he was our number one last year, so we're expecting big things from him. Tanner Roach has played a little bit everywhere for us, but he'll start the year at shortstop and hit leadoff."

"There's a lot of new guys from the recruiting class we brought in, but there's still some established pieces from the past that know our culture and know what's expected here. The new guys have come in and jelled quickly with the guys who have been in the program, and we're all on one page right now and working as a team together. I'm hoping we can continue that as the season starts, and I'm just excited to get going."

Opening Series Information

UT Tyler opens its first season of Lone Star Conference membership with a three-game series at home against Tarleton State, beginning with a 7 p.m. matchup Friday evening, followed by another night game Saturday at 6 p.m. before the series concludes Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Live video will be provided through the Lone Star Conference Digital Network and live stats will be available through the official UT Tyler Athletics website for all 23 home games in 2020.

Ticket Information:
Reserved Seating (includes hot dog & drink): $12 (single game), $15 (doubleheader)
General Admission: $5 (single game), $7 (doubleheader)
UT Tyler faculty, staff, alumni, students: free with UT Tyler ID (or Alumni Association ID) Students (non-UT Tyler) & Seniors: $3 (General Admission)
Season Tickets: $125

Media Information:
Live Video (Lone Star Conference Digital Network) | Live Stats | Twitter (@uttylerbaseball)

Returning Players

Twelve players return from last year's squad, including a trio of position player starters. Junior Tanner Roach earned all-conference honorable mention last season after he was named to the all-tournament team during the Patriots' 2018 national championship run. Last year, Roach batted .326 (47-for-144) with team-highs of 44 runs and 16 doubles. He also led the team in walks (20), hit by pitch (12), and stolen bases (22). Zach Sanchez appeared in 24 games, starting 18 times, and he finished with a .279 average (19-for-68) with 6 steals. Senior infielder Bowie Farris had his season cut short after just 5 games last year, but in 2018 he was an all-region second team and all-tournament selection after he batted a team-high .388 (80-for-206) with 20 doubles, 43 runs, and 46 RBIs to help lead the Patriots to the national title.

The pitching staff features senior righthander Austin Schneider, who went 7-2 with a 2.85 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 60 innings last season. He'll return to anchor the starting rotation, and sophomore Matthew McMillan returns to lead the bullpen after he notched a team-high 3 saves and posted a 2.79 ERA in 29 innings as a true freshman a year ago. Senior Keith Long, who threw a 7-inning no-hitter in one of his four starts last season, is also back, along with four other returners among the pitching staff.

Newcomers

Twelve of UT Tyler's newcomers came from junior colleges, placing the Patriots and only one other Division II program among the JUCO Baseball Blog's top-50 JC recruiting classes last summer. They are joined by six freshmen and four transfers from other four-year programs. Among the transfers is 6-foot-9 senior left-handed pitcher Reagan MacDonald, who joined the Patriots after two seasons at Dallas Baptist (Division I). Sophomore infielder Jordan Gochenour is another Division I transfer who spent the 2019 season at University of Houston. Senior outfielder Riley Jepson was the Canadian College Baseball Conference leader in batting average (.405) and home runs (6) last season, earning all-league first team honors. Also joining the program is junior left-handed pitcher Corey Flanagan, who played the past two seasons at Arkansas-Little Rock (Division I).

Schedule

The entire 50-game slate counts toward the Lone Star Conference standings, as the season opens with three-game series at home against Tarleton and on the road at UAFS. The remainder of the schedule consists of four-game weekend series, and the Patriots play a run of six consecutive series (24 games) against programs which are either ranked or received votes in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll. UT Tyler hosts the two teams it faces with the highest preseason ranking, taking on #13-ranked West Texas A&M in a four-game series March 13-15, and #12-ranked Angelo State from April 9-11.

About the Lone Star Conference

The Lone Star Conference doubled in size in baseball, expanding from seven teams last year to 14 in 2020 with the addition of UT Tyler along with six more programs from the former Heartland Conference which are now LSC members. Five of the teams ranked in the top-8 of the final set of NCAA Division II South Central regional rankings last year now compete in the Lone Star Conference. The Patriots were picked 12th in the LSC preseason poll, as defending LSC champion Angelo State was picked as the preseason favorite.

LINK: 2020 LSC Baseball Preseason Poll