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 spots in the ABCA, NCBWA, and D2 Baseball national rankings. UT Tyler is ranked No. 17 in the NCBWA poll, No. 18 in the ABCA poll, and No. 14 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 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 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 moved to 16-6 on the season after taking two of four games against West Texas A&M, earning wins of 17-3 and 3-2. Drew Schmidt led the offense in game one, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs while also reaching base on a walk.

On the mound, Caden Copeland delivered the standout performance in the game one victory, earning his first win of the season. Copeland threw five complete innings in the series opener, allowing no earned runs and striking out three Buffs.

THE GREYHOUNDS

The Patriots host Eastern New Mexico for a four-game Lone Star Conference series this weekend. It marks the fifth straight 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 Greyhounds are coming off a 24-23 campaign in 2025, finishing 8th in the competitive Lone Star Conference.

The all-time series favors the Patriots 16-7, which includes an impressive 11-4 record at Irwin Field. In the preseason LSC poll, West Texas A&M was selected to finish 8th, just behind Texas A&M-Kingsville.

The Greyhounds enter the weekend at 6-16 after losing 4 of their last seven games. Eiji Sawamura has paced the offense, batting .366 with two doubles, one home run, and 8 RBIs while posting a .454 on-base percentage. On the mound, Demitrius DiMatteo owns a 3.66 ERA across 19.2 innings with 18 strikeouts on the year.

The four-game series will be played at Irwin Field in Tyler, Texas, beginning Friday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. The series continues Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., before concluding Sunday at 1 p.m.