LAST TIME OUT
 
Most recently, the Patriots took on Southern Arkansas on Tuesday afternoon at Irwin Field in their one and only non-conference contest of the year. The Muleriders got the better of the Patriots, taking a 9-3 win thanks in large part to a six run top of the eighth inning to hold off a late rally from UT Tyler.
 
THE LSC RACE
 
Heading into the final week of LSC play, the Patriots are holding on to a one game lead over UT Permian Basin for the #4 seed in the LSC Tournament. The top four seeds will each host a best of three series in the opening round, with the four winners of those series moving on to the second weekend, double elimination bracket of the LSC Tournament.
 
West Texas A&M is the #1 seed currently, holding a one game advantage over Lubbock Christian. Angelo State sits at number three, just one game back of the Chaps and two of the Buffs. The Patriots are four games back of the Rams, and UT Permian Basin, Texas A&M International, UAFS, and St. Edward's currently make up the top eight teams.
 
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS
 

• UT Tyler finished the 2023 season 39-19 overall and 34-14 in LSC play on the way to finishing 3^rd in the LSC and making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the Division II era.
• The Patriots defended Irwin Field in huge way last season, going 22-5 in games at home. Going back to their first season of Division II eligibility (2022), the Patriots are now 52-24 inside Irwin Field.
• Head Coach Brent Porche enters his eighth season with UT Tyler and holds a record of 241-118 with the Patriots. He holds a career record of 388-201 in his 11 total seasons.
• With the March 10th win over Texas A&M-Kingsville, Coach Porche became the all-time winningest coach in UT Tyler Baseball history, surpassing James Vilade for the top spot.
• The Patriots will return several key contributors from the 2023 season, including All-Americans Garrett Arredondo and Dylan Blomquist, as well as All-Region nods Lane Hutchinson and Austin Ochoa. LSC Freshman of the Year Kaston Mason makes his return, as well as All-LSC nods Ethan Bedgood and Miles Clack.
• For the Patriots offense, they are led by the hot bat of Nathan Carriere, who is hitting .426 on the year and slugging .713 since returning as a starter. He has 46 hits, 18 of which have gone for extra bases. He has also tacked on 23 RBI while boasting an on-base percentage of .523.
• The Patriots pitching staff is led by Rawley Hector, who boasts a 3.28 ERA over 60.1 innings pitched. He has allowed just 22 earned runs while striking out 51 hitters. Opponents are hitting just .248 on the year against Hector.

 
LIONS NOTES AND TRENDS
 

• UAFS comes into the weekend at a record of 21-23 overall on the season, with all of those games coming in LSC play. They are coming off of a weekend series that saw them drop three of four to UT Permian Basin.
• As a team, the Lions are hitting an even .300, with Michael Brinton and Brandon Ulmer leading the way at .353 and .352, respectively. The pair have combined for 112 hits, 33 doubles, 75 RBI, and both have slugging percentages above .500 and on-base percentages above .400.
• On the pitching side, the staff holds down a 7.71 ERA, with Brayden Ross posting a 5.43 mark to lead the starters. He has thrown 59.2 innings on the year and has a 44/14 strikeout to walk ratio.
• Todd Holland is at the helm of the program and is now in his 21^st season overall and tenth at UAFS. He is 527-470 overall in his 21 seasons, and is 224-217 at UAFS. Prior to his time in Fort Smith, he spent 11 seasons as the head coach of Cameron.
• The two teams have squared off 14 times in their program history, with all 14 coming since 2020. The Patriots have a 11-3 advantage in those games, and recently took three of four games from the Lions last season.