TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler baseball will host the annual Clements Fluids Alumni Weekend this weekend at Irwin Field with a single game on Friday afternoon and a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon against UAFS.
First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. for both days as the Patriots will look to put together their fourth straight home Lone Star Conference series win this weekend. The program will welcome back UT Tyler Baseball Alumni in a presentation between games on Saturday afternoon and will also recognize a member of the current team with the Isaac Tijerina Award prior to first pitch of game number one.
Clements Fluids Inc. will also be presenting their Excellence in Leadership Award between games on Saturday.
A THREE HORSE RACE AT THE TOP
#5 West Texas A&M, #10 Angelo State and #25 UT Tyler were the lone three Lone Star Conference teams ranked in the top 25 of this week's 2021 NCBWA Division II Poll and have separated themselves within the LSC standings from the rest of the pack. The Patriots 2-1 series win over Texas A&M-Kingsville last weekend at Irwin Field opened up a four-game separation between the Patriots and the rest of the pack in the regular season standings.
UT Tyler enters this weekend's series with UAFS officially sitting third in the conference standings as Angelo State sits in second with a record of 15-3 and West Texas A&M first with a record of 21-2. Angelo State will have two series to make up at some point as they have played six less games than UT Tyler, but the separation between those three clubs and the rest of the league is growing as the regular season begins to wind down.
THE LONE MAN REMAINING
Injuries to preseason projected starters
Austin Schneider and
Garrett Arredondo have paved the way for
Jacob Blatney to stand as the lone projected preseason starter to the UT Tyler rotation. Blatney has seized that opportunity in stride, and has allowed just three earned runs over his last four weekend starts dating back to Mar. 13.
Blatney has conceded just three earned runs in his last 19.0 innings thrown for the Patriots, and has posted a 3-0 overall record in 2021 with a 3.38 ERA.
A NEW FACE IN THE LINEUP
Kyler Bumstead has worked his way into the starting lineup, and then to the top of the batting order as of late, with some key hitting in key situations for UT Tyler. The junior went 3-for-4 in last Sunday's 4-3 come-from-behind win for UT Tyler in a series deciding game three against Texas A&M-Kingsville, and crossed home plate after getting on as the lead runner in a deciding bottom of the eighth inning for the Patriots.
Bumstead found his way into the starting lineup back on Mar. 19 in the first game of the weekend series against Cameron, and has posted a batting average of .324 in his ten starts following that game.
FINDING A HOLMES ON THE BUMP
Nathan Holmes as emerged as a go-to option for head coach
Brent Porche as a middle reliever prior to the
A.J. Irvin-
Matthew McMillan set-up and closer combination. Holmes has appeared in 10 games this season, allowing just three earned runs in over 18 innings pitched to record an ERA of 1.45.
Holmes has allowed just three hits in his last 6.2 innings thrown in relief at Irwin Field, and picked up his first collegiate save of his career in the 8-3 game one win for UT Tyler against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday night.
HISTORY AND SCOUTING THE LIONS
UT Tyler picked up a 2-1 series win last season in their first ever meeting with UAFS, securing the first two road Lone Star Conference wins in program history for the Patriots. UT Tyler outscored the Lions 19-4 in the two wins, and lost a 13-inning thriller against the Lions in game two by a 9-8 final tally to total 27 runs for the weekend.
UAFS enters the 2021 version of the meeting between both programs with a .500 overall record and a mark of 11-10 in Lone Star Conference play. The Lions have rattled off three straight series victories over Eastern New Mexico, Cameron and Texas Permian Basin entering their first ever visit to Irwin Field this weekend.
The Lions rank fourth in the Lone Star Conference in team ERA with a 4.55 mark, and have relied on that steady pitching effort throughout the 2021 season. The Lions have struggled at the plate, ranking 10
th in the LSC with a team batting percentage of .245, and have just a single Lion batting north of .300 in catcher Dylan Hurt.
