SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team travels to Austin, Texas, to take on No. 9 Texas Longhorns in a mid-week matchup on Tuesday, March 23 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field at 6:30 p.m. 

The Cardinals (8-5, 5-3 SLC) are coming off a series victory over Southland Conference foe, Southeastern Louisiana, beating the Lions three games to one over the weekend. 

UIW is 1-3 all-time against Texas, beating the Longhorns 3-2 on March 26, 2019. The Cardinals are scheduled to play at UT twice this season with the second game set for April 27.   

THE GAME 
(Watch|Listen|LiveStats)
Tuesday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. (CT) 

PROBABLE STARTERS 
Texas LHP Pete Hansen (2-0, 3.52 ERA) vs. UIW LHP Bryson Walker (0-0, 9.00 ERA) 

UIW QUICK HITS 

• UIW placed three student-athletes on the Southland Conference Preseason All-Conference teams. Ryan Flores earned first team honors for the second year in a row, while Lee Thomas and Grant Smith were selected for the second team.  
• The Cardinals are currently fourth in the Southland Conference standings behind McNeese, New Orleans and Nicholls. 
• Taylor Darden (.350), Trent Koerner (.316), Lee Thomas (.310) and Grant Smith (.304) are all hitting above .300 this season and are all in the top-35 in Southland Conference batting average rankings. 
• The Cardinals are fifth in the league with a 3.92 team ERA. Isaiah Zavala is third in the conference with a team-leading 0.98 ERA through 18 1/3 innings pitched and holding opponents to a .177 batting average. He has accounted for 18 strikeouts and just 11 hits.  
• Aaron Celestino, Carson Rollins and Michael Garza are all among the top-20 pitchers in the conference. 
• Freshman Bryson Walker is making his second career start on the mound. Throwing in two innings with three strikeouts against Texas Southern. 

HISTORY vs. TEXAS 

• UIW is 1-3 all-time against Texas. The Cardinals are seeking their first win at UT in the series. 

SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS 

• Texas is (14-6, 2-1 Big 12) this season and coming off a three-game series against Baylor where the Longhorns won two-of-three games.
• The Longhorns rank sixth in Big 12 conference batting average with a .265 team average. 
• Mitchell Daly leads the UT offense with a .333 batting average, 14 hits, seven RBIs and four runs scored. Ivan Melendez (.306) is the only other Longhorn batter with a batting average above .300. 
• Eric Kennedy and Mike Antico lead the Longhorns and lead the Big 12 Conference with nine and 11 stolen bases, respectively. 
• Ty Madden leads the pitching staff with a 1.62 ERA and holding opponents to a .125 batting average with 44 strikeouts. 
• Probable starter, Pete Hansen is 2-0 in five appearances and four starts this season. He has pitched in 15 1/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and 15 hits. 

ON DECK
The Cardinals return to Sullivan Field for a four-game Southland Conference weekend series against Central Arkansas. First pitch for the Friday night, game one, is set for 6:30 p.m. 

FAN INVOLVEMENT 
Join Cardinals Club today! Email UIW Baseball Director of Operations, Maddy Jordan (majorda1@uiwtx.edu) for more information. 

**Due to COVID-19 safety guidelines, all home UIW baseball events are sold out and tickets will not be available for purchase. Visitors must be on the home player/coach pass list. 

FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwathletics.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook. 
 
Follow the team on Twitter and on Instagram @UIWbaseball.