SAN ANTONIO --The University of the Incarnate Word hosts a three-game conference series against the University of New Orleans on Friday-Sunday. The first pitch of game one is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday at Daniel Sullivan Field, sponsored by H-E-B.
 
 
THE GAMES
Friday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, March 30, at 2 p.m. (CT)
Sunday, March 31, at 1 p.m. (CT)
 
HISTORY VS NEW ORLEANS

• The Cardinals hold an 5-4 advantage over the Privateers in the all-time series.
• The teams first played on April 4-5, 2014, when the Cardinals won two in the three-game series against the Privateers.
• The teams last played on April 27-29, 2017, when the Cardinals won two games of the three-game series.

 
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS WEEK

• The Cardinals defeated No. 7 Texas, 3-2, on Tuesday. This is UIW's first victory over Texas in the three times the squads have met.
• This was the first time in program history that UIW has defeated two ranked teams in a season. This was also the first time in program history that the Cardinals have topped three Power 5 opponents in a season.
• Eddy Gonzalez had a 2-for-3 outing with a run.
• John Shull earned the win, striking out five batters in 5.0 innings pitched.
• Luke Taggart recorded the save, striking out a batter in 1.1 innings.
• UIW fell, 11-7, to Power 5 opponent Missouri on Wednesday.
• Ryan Gonzalez recorded his fifth sacrifice fly of the season. Taylor Smith hit his ninth home run of the season. Smith also added three RBI, giving him 32 this season. 

 
SCOUTING THE PRIVATEERS

• New Orleans is 14-10 overall, 3-6 in the Southland Conference, after a 9-6 win against Southern on Tuesday. 
• Collin Morrill leads the Privateers with 32 hits, 18 runs, 15 RBI, and .344 batting average.
• The Privateers ranks second the Southland Conference with 48 doubles and eight triples.

 
MARTINEZ ON THE MOUND

• Martinez was named Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 5 after a successful week on the mound.
• He led the Cardinals to a 6-5 win against No. 23 Texas A&M on Feb. 27.
• He also notched his first save of the season in UIW's 6-2 win over UT-Arlington on March 3.
• He earned his second save of the season in UIW's 8-2 win over Sam Houston State on March 16.
• Martinez has five wins, third in the nation.

 
THREE CHEERS FOR SMITH

• Freshman catcher Taylor Smith has started in 25 of 26 games so far. He has notched 35 hits, 26 runs and 32 RBI; he has a .376 batting average. 
• Smith has also tallied nine home runs and nine doubles for a conference-best .808 slugging percentage. He has amassed six two-hit games, a three-hit game, and two four-hit games. 
• His season has been highlighted by a 4-for-6 outing with two home runs and five RBI in UIW's 15-7 win over Notre Dame on Feb. 23. 
• Smith followed the Notre Dame game with a perfect 4-for-4 outing with two RBI in the Cardinals' 6-2 win over UT-Arlington on March 3.
• Smith recorded his second two-home run game in UIW's 11-6 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 10, blasting a solo home run as well as a three-run bomb for four RBI.
• Smith racked up his third two-home run game in the Cardinals' 19-4 win over UMass on March 12, hitting a three-run blast and a grand slam.
• He leads the conference with nine home runs.
• Smith also leads the nation (amongst freshman) in home runs (9), RBI (32) and slugging percentage (.763).

 
CARDINALS SWOOP IN AND STEAL YOUR BASE

• Jordan Thompson has amassed eight stolen bases in the first 26 games of the season -- sixth in the conference -- while Sean Arnold has registered six.
• Eddy Gonzalez, Shea Gutierrez and Antonio Valdez have recorded five stolen bases.
• Ryan Gonzalez, Kyle Bergeron and Ridge Rogers have all notched two stolen bases.
• The Cardinals have 36 stolen bases this season, third in the SLC.

 
TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM

• The Cardinals have amassed a nation-leading 21 sacrifice flies.
• Ryan Gonzalez and Antonio Valdez lead the team with five sacrifice flies -- best in the conference and third in the nation -- while Ridge Rogers and Jordan Thompson have recorded three sacrifice flies.
• Kyle Bergeron and Taylor Smith have recorded two sacrifice flies each.
• Ryan Flores chipped in one sacrifice fly.
• Shea Gutierrez leads the team with three sacrifice hits, while Eddy Gonzalez and Ryan Flores have notched two. 
• Sean Arnold, Ryan Gonzalez, Lee Thomas, Shea Gutierrez, Tyler Pettit, and Chance Medina have one sacrifice hit each.

 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE

• UIW leads the conference in sacrifice flies (21).
• The Cardinals lead the conference with 174 runs, 22 home runs and nine triples.
• UIW has a .397 on-base percentage and a .451 slugging percentage, tops in the conference.
• The Cardinals rank second in the conference with 272 hits.
• UIW has a .305 batting average and a .976 fielding percentage, second-best in the conference.
• The Cardinals are third in the conference with 47 doubles and 36 stolen bases.

 
IN THE NATION

• The Cardinals have amassed a nation-leading 21 sacrifice flies. 
• UIW ranks No. 9 in the nation with 272 hits.
• The Cardinals are 15th in the nation in batting average (.305).
• Taylor Smith ranks No. 12 nationally with nine home runs and a .763 slugging percentage.
• Smith is 18th in the nation with 32 RBI.
• Ryan Gonzalez and Antonio Valdez are third in nation with five sacrifice flies.
• Bernie Martinez ranks No. 3 nationally with five wins. 
• Antonio Valdez is fifth in the nation with four triples.

 
SUCCESS AGAINST POWER FIVE OPPONENTS

• The Cardinals defeated No. 7 Texas, 3-2, on March 26. 
• This victory marked the first time in program history that the UIW defeated two ranked teams in a season. This triumph also marked the first time in program history that the Cardinals bested three Power 5 opponents in a season.
• John Shull earned the win, striking out five batters in 5.0 innings pitched. Luke Taggart recorded the save, striking out a batter in 1.1 innings.
• The Cardinals defeated No. 23 Texas A&M, 6-5, on Feb. 27. This win marked their second win over a Power 5 opponent in the same week, the first time the Cardinals have done so in program history. 
• The game was highlighted by a Jordan Thompson three-run home run, which ended up being the hit that secured UIW's victory.
• Bernie Martinez earned the win, pitching 4.2 innings while holding the Aggies to just two hits and one run.
• The Cardinals lost, 2-1, against Notre Dame on Feb. 22 but exploded for a 15-7 win against the Fighting Irish on Feb. 23. 
• Tyler Miller notched a career-high 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work in the 2-1 loss to Notre Dame, allowing just one run on five hits (Feb. 22).
• 15 runs in the 15-7 win against Notre Dame (Feb. 23) marks the most runs scored against a Power 5 opponent in program history. 
• Taylor Smith went 4-for-6 while registering his first two home runs as a Cardinal in the game against Notre Dame on Feb. 23. He also tallied five RBIs. This was Smith's second multi-hit game of his career and marked a career high in both hits (four) and RBI (five).
• Ryan Flores and Tyler Pettit contributed three hits each against the Fighting Irish; UIW amassed 11 hits overall, marking the fourth game of the season where the Cardinals have had double-digit hits.

 
HALLMARK HITS FROM 2018

• In his first year as head coach, Patrick Hallmark led the program to its most overall (29) wins and most conference (13) wins -- and its first winning season -- since joining Division I and the Southland Conference.
• Ridge Rogers was selected Southland Conference Freshman of the Year after the 2018 season.
• Rogers was also named to the 2018 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America team, becoming the program's first All-American since joining Division I in 2014. 

 
WHAT'S IN A NAME
Sullivan Field, now sponsored by H-E-B, underwent renovations in the fall. Astroturf was
installed in the infield, and the stadium received new backstops, netting, and other visual
improvements. 
 
PRESEASON HONORS

• Kyle Bergeron and Eddy Gonzalez earned preseason first-team All-SLC, while Ryan Flores earned preseason second-team All-SLC.
• Cody Allen was named to the NCBWA 2019 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watchlist.
• Bergeron was named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watchlist.

 
EXPERIENCED LINEUP
The Cardinals' entire starting rotation returns, and the team lost only one outfielder from
the starting lineup.
 
UP NEXT
The Cardinals travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, for a non-conference midweek game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on April 3. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at Chapman Field.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.