SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team prepares to compete in the annual Alamo Irish Classic, a tournament hosted by Notre Dame at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium. The Cardinals face off against Notre Dame twice (Thursday and Friday), University of Toledo (Saturday), and UTSA (Sunday).
THE GAMES
Thursday, Feb. 20 against Notre Dame, at 6 p.m. (CT)
Friday, Feb. 21 against Notre Dame, at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 22 against Toledo, at 12 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 23 against UTSA, at 12 p.m.
TICKETS AND PARKING
- Parking is free for the duration of the Alamo Irish Classic.
- Tickets are available at the Missions Box Office on the day of each game.
- Tickets are good for all games on the day of purchase and are $12 for adults and $6 for kids.
- Children two and under are admitted free of charge.
OPENING WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
- The Cardinals opened the Shotzberger era with a 3-0 series sweep against Bradley to start the season.
- UIW scored 35 runs over the three-game series against Bradley. This is the second-most runs the Cardinals have scored in a three-game series (most: 36 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on April 26-28, 2019), and the most scored during opening weekend, since moving to Division I.
- Four Cardinals notched their first home run of the season this weekend – Ryan Flores, Ridge Rogers (first collegiate home run), Grant Smith (first collegiate home run) and Drew Minter (first home run as a Cardinal).
- Luke Taggart was named Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week after setting a new career high with 11 strikeouts in 8.0 scoreless innings pitched against Bradley on opening day (5-0, Feb. 14).
- Lee Thomas was dominant for UIW, going 6-for-10 with two doubles and four RBI for a .600 batting average.
- Newcomers Andy Rodriguez and Minter also led the Cardinals offensively. Rodriguez accumulated five runs on five hits and three RBI. Minter recorded three runs on four hits and eight RBI, including a double and a home run.
- Freshman Grant Smith contributed five runs on three hits and five RBI, including a double and a home run.
- UIW opened the series with a 5-0 shutout victory on Feb. 14 before going off offensively to take games two and three, 11-4 and 19-9.
HISTORY VS NOTRE DAME
- UIW has a 4-7 record against Notre Dame in the all-time series.
- The Cardinals and the Irish first went head-to-head in a doubleheader on March 17, 1987, when Notre Dame claimed the first game, 8-5, while UIW won the second game, 8-7.
- The teams last faced off on Feb. 23, 2019, when UIW secured a 15-7 victory in the 2019 Alamo Irish Classic.
SCOUTING THE IRISH
- Notre Dame went 2-1 in its opening weekend series against University of Alabama-Birmingham.
- Carter Putz leads the Irish with a .750 batting average, including six hits, four runs and two RBI.
- Tommy Sheehan was named Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week after recording nine strikeouts in 7.0 scoreless innings to lead Notre Dame to a 4-2 victory on Feb. 14 against UAB.
HISTORY VS TOLEDO
- This is the first meeting between UIW and Toledo.
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS
- Toledo went 0-3 in its opening weekend series against East Tennessee State.
- Danny O'Reilly leads the Rockets with a .444 batting average, notching four hits, two runs and two RBI, including a double and a home run.
- Toledo has 18 newcomers and 19 returners to make up its 2020 squad.
HISTORY VS UTSA
- UIW has a 10-17 record in the all-time series against UTSA.
- The teams first met on March 24, 1992, when the Cardinals split a doubleheader with the Roadrunners, winning the first game, 10-3, and falling in the second game, 5-1.
- UIW and UTSA last played on May 7, 2019, when the Roadrunners took a 6-4 victory over the Cardinals.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
- UTSA went 3-0 in its opening weekend series against Quinnipiac, before dropping a 6-2 decision against Texas on Tuesday.
- Dylan Rock leads the Roadrunners with a .533 batting average, recording eight hits, three runs and two RBI.
- Nick Thornquist was named to the Conference-USA Preseason team prior to the start of the season.
PRESEASON HONORS
- UIW placed four student-athletes on the Preseason All-Southland Conference team. Ryan Flores and Sean Arnold earned first team honors, while Lee Thomas and Luke Taggart were selected for the second team.
- Flores and Ridge Rogers were named to the prestigious Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List. The annual honor is based on performance, personal integrity and academics. UIW is one of four schools (Baylor, California and New Orleans) to have more than one student-athlete on the list.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST SEASON
- UIW earned 37 wins overall and 18 wins in conference (the most in both categories since 2011) in 2019.
- The Cardinals defeated two ranked teams in a season (Texas A&M and Texas).
- UIW defeated three Power 5 opponents for the first time in a season (Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Texas).
- The Cardinals led the conference with eight Southland All-Conference selections in 2019, including Sean Arnold, Ryan Flores and Lee Thomas.
- UIW led the conference in batting average (.305), fielding percentage (.977), on-base percentage (.393) and slugging percentage (.485).
- The Cardinals also led the SLC with 127 doubles, 622 hits, 64 home runs, 397 runs, 37 sacrifice flies and 24 triples.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
ON DECK
UIW makes its annual trip to College Station, Texas, for a matchup with No. 20 Texas A&M on Wednesday, Feb. 26. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
FAN INVOLVEMENT
Click
HERE to support the UIW baseball program through Dollars for Dingers and Kash for K's.
To purchase season memberships, contact UIW Director of Ticketing
Alma Lara at 210-805-3012 or
aylara@uiwtx.edu.
DUGOUT CLUB
Join UIW baseball's Dugout Club for exclusive benefits. Fans can find the form
here. The form can be filled out and returned to
Danielle Shedd at
dshedd@uiwtx.edu.
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit
uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter
@UIWAthleticsand like UIW Athletics on Facebook at
UIW Athletics.
Follow UIW Baseball on Twitter
@UIWBaseball and on Instagram
@uiwbaseball.
