CANYON, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team opens the Lone Star Conference Tournament on Friday at noon against regular season champion Tarleton State at Wilder Park on the campus of West Texas A&M.

The Cardinals (26-24) lost the season series to the Texans, 3-1.  UIW is hitting .299 as a team and have four regulars hitting over .300.  Second baseman John Zule (San Antonio/Stevens HS) leads the team with a .373 average, 12 doubles and 38 runs batted in.  Shortstop Derrick Walls (San Antonio/Reagan HS) leads the conference with 57 runs, 41 walks and 34 stolen bases.  Overall, the Cardinals lead the nation with 250 walks.

The UIW pitching staff is led by Alexis Garza (McAllen/McAllen HS) who is 6-1 with a 2.59 ERA.  Freshman Geno Encina (San Antonio/Brandeis HS) leads the team with 70.2 innings pitched to go along with a 7-7 record and 3.44 ERA.

The Texans (32-14-1) are led on offense by Alvaro Moreno who is hitting .377 with a team high 42 runs batted in.  As a team, they have stolen 120 bases on the season and have seven players with at least 10 steals.  The pitching staff boasts a 3.54 ERA and their top three starting pitchers each have an ERA under 2.50.  Miguel Ramirez leads the team with an 8-1 record and a 1.93 ERA.

An all-festival pass, which includes admission to the softball and track & field championships, will be $25 for adults and $10 for youth.  Single day passes are $15 for adults and $6 for youth.  All seats are considered general admission and are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For fans that can't make it out to the games, all of the tournament action will be broadcast online via a free live webcast. The webcast will include both video and audio with viewers needing only a computer with a high-speed DSL or cable modem connection to the internet.  The webcasts will be carried on www.foxsportssouthwest.com.
####
pr13322smm