LAST TIME OUT
 
Last weekend, the Patriots traveled to the nation's capital to face St. Edward's and returned to Tyler with a series win over the Hilltoppers. Strong starting pitching set the tone for the first three games, as the Patriots' starters combined for 18.1 innings out of a possible 23, allowing just three earned runs (1.49 ERA) on 16 hits while walking only two batters and striking out 15. Kicking off the doubleheader, Kyle Froehlich delivered a dominant performance, tossing a seven-inning complete-game shutout. He struck out five Hilltoppers and allowed just five hits in the victory.
 
NATIONAL POLLS
 
UT Tyler baseball continues its climb in the national rankings, moving up in the D2 Baseball and ABCA polls while holding strong in the NCBWA Top 25 poll. In the D2 Baseball Poll, they are ranked 4^th, in the ABCA Coaches Poll, they are #3, and in the NCBWA Poll, they stayed at #7. This is the highest the Patriots have been ranked in the D2 Baseball Poll and the ABCA Coaches Poll since moving to Division II.
 
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS

• UT Tyler finished the 2024 season 29-23 overall and 28-20 in LSC play on the way to finishing 5^th in the LSC and making their third consecutive LSC Tournament.
• The Patriots have defended their home ballpark in a big way over their first years of Division II. Going back to their first season of Division II eligibility (2022), the Patriots are 67-34 inside Irwin Field prior to the 2025 season.
• Head Coach Brent Porche enters his ninth season with UT Tyler and holds a record of 259-127 with the Patriots. He holds a career record of 406-210 in his 13 total seasons.
• On March 10^th, 2024 with a 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 2024 season, with returning All-American Rawley Hector headlining a pitching staff that includes former All-American's Dylan Blomquist and Garrett Arredondo. Joining those pitchers will be several key bats including Blake LaBuda, Kyle Atkinson, Kaston Mason, and Connor Clark.
• Joining those returners will be a cast of highly touted newcomers. The Patriots brought in the #2 ranked JUCO class according to JBB, and also added the #34 transfer portal class according to 64 Analytics.
• The Patriots have put together an explosive offense early in the year, ranking 7th in Division II in doubles with 45. They also rank 4th in hits, 11th in batting average, 12th in walks, 6th in runs, and 15th in on-base percentage.
• The pitching staff has been dominant so far in the season, ranking 14th in Division II in ERA at 3.29. They also rank 12th in Division II in shutouts with 4 and 5th in complete games thrown.
• Drew Schmidt leads that strong offense, hitting .466 on the year with seven doubles and four triples to go with 20 RBI and 19 runs scored. Kyle Froehlich leads the Patriots in wins with a 5-0 record, holding a 2.37 ERA over five starts with 30.1 innings pitched and three complete games.

 
BUFFS NOTES AND TRENDS

• West Texas A&M is 13-5 on the year and 11-5 in LSC play. They have a record of 4-4 in conference play when they are the visiting team.
• Kyle Micklus leads the offense at a .439 average thus far. He has six doubles a triple and eight home runs while driving in 29 runs and scoring 19 himself. He is getting on base at a .513 clip and is slugging .924.
• On the mound, Max Lankford leads the way, pitching to a 0.98 ERA and a 2-0 record. Lankford has thrown 18.1 innings while striking out 21 and is holding opponents to a .123 average.
• Head coach Cory Hall is in his first season leading the Buffs after being promoted from their pitching coach in the summer of 2024.