TYLER, TEXAS – #17 UT Tyler will continue a ten game Lone Star Conference homestand with a series this weekend against Eastern New Mexico.
This weekend's series is set for a single game on Friday night at 6 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. UT Tyler moved to no. 17 in the latest NCBWA Division II National Top 25 Poll as the team's only four losses of the season have come against #1 Angelo State and #12 West Texas A&M.
The Patriots are undefeated against opponents not ranked in the top-25 national rankings this season and have outscored those non-ranked foes by a 57-to-33 margin.
FINALLY A BREATHER
Eastern New Mexico will stand as the first opponent for UT Tyler to step on the field against the Patriots at Irwin Field not ranked in the national top-25 polls as the Patriots first two home opponents, Angelo State and West Texas A&M, currently sit in first and second place in the conference standings. UT Tyler sits third in that conference race entering this weekend's series with a conference record of 8-4, and handily defeated their two road opponents in Texas A&M International and St. Edward's for their two series victories of the season.
UT Tyler was able to steal a single victory against both Angelo State and West Texas A&M in each series, and will be looking to get some momentum going this weekend against an Eastern New Mexico squad that went 3-19 in 2020 prior to the season being shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
FINDING A WAY
Kyle McShaffry has been the highlight of the Patriot line up as of late, and once again had a strong series last weekend with hits in all three games against West Texas A&M. He went a combined 5-for-8 in Saturday and Sunday's game after opening the series 1-for-3 from the plate and has recorded a hit in eight out of the last nine games for UT Tyler.
He has scored eight runs over that same timeframe as well and leads the team with a .357 average on the year.
SCHNEIDER AND MCMILLAN IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Starter
Austin Schneider ranks fourth all-time in the Patriot baseball record books with 202 career strikeouts entering this weekend's series with Eastern New Mexico. He is just 12 strikeouts shy of the third-place mark set by Cason Adams from 2014-2017.
Closer
Matthew McMillan has rapidly climbed the all-time saves list throughout his three seasons coming out of the bullpen for UT Tyler. He recorded the 12
th save of his career in the Patriot's 3-2 win last Friday night against West Texas A&M and moved into solo fourth place on the all-time list.
STRONG PAST AGAINST THE GREYHOUNDS
UT Tyler and Eastern New Mexico met last spring prior to the season shutdown on Feb. 14-16 as the Patriots shutdown the Greyhound offense throughout the final three games of the series.
Austin Schneider struck out 14 batters in game number one of the series, pitching six shutout innings before the Greyhounds pushed six runs across in the seventh to narrow the Patriot advantage to just 9-6.
The UT Tyler bullpen came in and shutdown the Greyhounds comeback bid to secure the 9-6 opening game win. The Patriots would allow no more offensive productivity for the Greyhounds throughout the final three games of the series as Reagan McDonald tossed a no-hitter in game one on Saturday and the UT Tyler pitching staff allowed just two runs in the rest of the series.
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Eastern New Mexico has already eclipsed their 2020 win total in 2021 with four wins on the year after picking up a pair of conference wins last weekend against UT Permian Basin. The series victory is the first conference series win for Eastern New Mexico since 2019.
Eastern New Mexico is led offensively by Daniel Hunt, who has posted an average of .341 through his first 12 games this season. Cole Luedeking has started the last seven games for the Hounds and enters the weekend with an average of .407 on the year.
