LAST TIME OUT
 
Following their 3-1 series victory over UT Permian Basin, the Patriots enjoyed a week off. The series win marked UT Tyler's sixth outright series victory of the season, improving their Lone Star Conference record to 28-8. Over the four-game series, the Patriots outscored the Falcons 54-19 and recorded three wins by margins of 11 runs or more. In game one of the doubleheader, UT Tyler set a new program record with nine doubles en route to a dominant 21-7 win. Drew Schmidt had a standout performance, going 3-for-5 at the plate with three doubles and six RBIs in the doubleheader opener.
 
NATIONAL POLLS

UT Tyler Baseball earned its sixth consecutive week ranked in the top ten of the national polls. The Patriots held steady at No. 7 in the D2 Baseball Poll, climbed to No. 6 in the ABCA Coaches Poll, and landed at No. 5 in the NCBWA Poll. Several fellow Lone Star Conference programs also appeared in the rankings, with Angelo State, West Texas A&M, St. Edward's, and Lubbock Christian either ranked or receiving votes.
 
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 274-133 with the Patriots. He holds a career record of 421-216 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 built a high-powered offense early in the season, ranking 2nd in Division II with 411 hits. They also stand 7th in runs scored, 8th in doubles, 10th in batting average, and 11th in walks.
• The Patriots' pitching staff has been dominant this season, ranking 10th in Division II with a 3.82 ERA. Supporting them in the field, the defense has turned the fifth-most double plays so far this year.
• Drew Schmidt leads that strong offense, hitting .436 on the year with 16 doubles and four triples to go with 37 RBI and 33 runs scored. Rawley Hector leads the Patriots in multiple pitching categories. He holds a 5-1 record on the season with a 2.34 ERA over 50.0 innings pitched, striking out 53.

 
MULERIDERS NOTES AND TRENDS

• Southern Arkansas is 22-13 on the year where they have a record of 7-7 when they are the away from their home field.
• Trace Shoup leads the offense at a .353 average thus far. He has six doubles and six home runs while driving in 15 runs and scoring 29 himself. He is getting on base at a .420 clip and is slugging .612.
• On the mound, Austin Adair leads the way, pitching to a 2.72 ERA and a 6-1 record. Adair has thrown 36.1 innings while striking out 29 and is holding opponents to a .236 average.
• Head coach Justin Pettigrew is in his eighth season with the Muleriders where he has had five 30-win seasons and three 40-win seasons.