FLASHBACK
The 2025 season marked a historic breakthrough for the Patriots. UT Tyler finished 49–13 overall and 40–8 in Lone Star Conference play, setting a new school record for wins while establishing itself as one of the most complete teams in Division II baseball.
Behind a balanced attack that paired one of the league's top pitching staffs with a deep, experienced lineup, the Patriots surged through the NCAA postseason. UT Tyler went unbeaten in both the Regional and Super Regional rounds, captured the South Central Super Regional title, and earned the program's first-ever berth to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, North Carolina.
PATS IN THE POLLS
To start the year the Patriots were selected as the preseason favorites to capture their first Lone Star Conference title, totaling 603 points and 20 first-place votes in the poll.
Caden Copeland was named LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while
Drew Schmidt earned LSC Preseason Player of the Year honors. Nationally, UT Tyler was ranked No. 4 in both the ABCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll and the D2 Baseball Preseason Poll, and slotted No. 3 in the NCBWA preseason rankings. Schmidt also collected First Team Preseason All-American honors from both D2 Baseball and NCBWA, while
Tanner Hornback earned Second Team recognition from D2 Baseball and First Team honors from NCBWA.
The Patriots remained in the polls through the first four weeks of the season, holding top-five spots in the ABCA, NCBWA, and D2 Baseball national rankings. UT Tyler is ranked No. 4 in the NCBWA poll, No. 5 in the ABCA poll, and No. 4 in the latest D2 Baseball poll.
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS
- UT Tyler closed the 2025 season with a 49–13 overall record and a 40–8 mark in Lone Star Conference play, finishing second in the LSC regular-season standings and advancing to its fourth consecutive LSC Tournament. The Patriots went on to capture their first Super Regional title and earned a trip to the NCAA Division II World Series.
- 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 93-38 inside Irwin Field prior to the 2026 season.
- Head Coach Brent Porche enters his tenth season with UT Tyler and holds a record of 300-138 with the Patriots. He holds a career record of 447-221 in his 14 total seasons.
- On March 10th, 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 return several key contributors from that historic run, headlined by returning All-American Drew Schmidt, who anchors a middle infield alongside preseason All-American Tanner Hornback. They are joined by a strong group of returning bats in Bryce Jewell, Kaston Mason, Connor Clark, and Brock Bearden.
- Joining those returners will be a cast of highly touted newcomers. The Patriots brought in the #1 ranked transfer portal class which includes LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Caden Copeland.
- Offensively, UT Tyler was one of the nation's most productive lineups in 2025, totaling 696 hits and batting .344 as a team. The Patriots added 139 doubles, scored 569 runs, and swiped 86 bases over the course of the season.
- On the mound and in the field, UT Tyler was equally impressive. The pitching staff held a 3.78 ERA while the defense fielded at a .967 clip.
- Schmidt and Hornback paced the attack. Schmidt hit .410, set the program single-season hits record with 98, and reached base at a .500 clip. Hornback matched the .410 batting average, broke the program's single-season runs record with 68, and posted a .504 on-base percentage.
LAST TIME OUT
The Patriots improved to 12-2 on the season after taking three of four games against Texas A&M-Kingsville, earning wins of 8-2, 5-4, and 3-1. Luke Smith led the offense, hitting .400 over his four starts. He opened the series with a 3-for-5 performance and scored two runs to help set the tone.
On the mound, Jacob Hadden delivered the standout performance in the Game One victory, picking up his third win of the season in relief. Entering in the fifth inning, Hadden tossed five complete innings without allowing a hit and surrendered just two walks while keeping the Javelinas off the scoreboard. He struck out six and needed only 62 pitches in a dominant outing.
THE HILLTOPPERS
The Patriots host the St. Edward's Hilltoppers for a four-game Lone Star Conference series this weekend. It marks the third four-game set of the year for both teams after each opened LSC play with three-game series in their first two conference matchups. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 31-17 campaign in 2025, finishing third in the competitive Lone Star Conference.
The all-time series favors the Patriots 12-10, including wins in five of their last seven matchups. In the preseason LSC poll, St. Edward's was selected to finish fourth, just behind Lubbock Christian.
The Hilltoppers enter the weekend at 9-4 after taking three of four from UT Permian Basin. Connor Cox has paced the offense, batting .458 with six doubles, four home runs, and 18 RBIs while posting a .606 on-base percentage. On the mound, Connor Freeman owns a 3.37 ERA across 18.2 innings with 17 strikeouts and is 1-0 on the year.
The four-game series will be played at Irwin Field, beginning Friday, February 27 at 6:00 p.m. The series continues Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., before concluding Sunday at 1 p.m.
