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Notes ahead of Texas vs UTSA at the Austin Regional

by:Evan Vieth•05/31/25
Luke Harrison
Luke Harrison (Chase Seabolt/For the Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Last night, UTSA put B2A on the Kansas State Wildcats, destroying a former Texas Big 12 opponent 10-2 in a game that didn’t feel competitive from the very start.

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In the first three innings, UTSA allowed just two baserunners, one of whom was caught stealing, while striking out four Wildcats. During that same span, UTSA put five runners on base and scored twice. From there, the Roadrunners outscored Kansas State 8-2, riding the momentum of RHP Zach Royse through 5 1/3 innings before handing it over to the shutdown bullpen combo of Robert Orloski and Christian Okerholm.

The result wasn’t exactly what Texas was hoping for after their 7-1 win over Houston Christian. The staff was expecting a closer, more competitive game where the eventual winner would have burned multiple top arms and exhausted themselves through a tough victory. From there, Texas’ home-field advantage and superior pitching staff could have set them up for a chance to win the entire regional in one game.

Instead, UTSA looked like the best offensive team in the tournament—something we might’ve already suspected—but they also firmly outdueled a Kansas State pitching staff that neutral observers would have favored heading into the regional. This potential matchup was already a concern for the Longhorns, who lost to the Roadrunners at home earlier in the season, but now it looks potentially lethal.

Both teams will essentially have their full arsenal of arms ready for this game. Outside of UTSA’s Royse and Texas’ Saunier and Hamilton, anyone is available to pitch. Texas clearly has the superior staff heading into tonight, starting with a sub .3 ERA LHP in Luke Harrison, who can be followed by star bullpen arms like Thomas Burns, Max Grubbs, and Dylan Volantis. If Texas has a lead heading into the eighth inning, it might just be over.

For the Roadrunners, you can almost guarantee Orloski will play a role today. They’ve predominantly used just four pitchers all season, and Orloski is the finest of the group, sporting a 2.97 ERA with close to a 3:1 K/BB ratio. It’s also been announced that LHP Conor Myles will take the mound for UTSA—a 4.57 ERA, 1.4 WHIP pitcher, which is about average for your No. 2 guy. Texas will likely see Orloski after him, as well as RHP Connor Kelley (2.41 ERA).

On the offensive side, UTSA’s lineup is undeniably powerful. They registered 10 hits—two of which were home runs—and walked six times last night. The main solace for Texas is Kansas State’s nine strikeouts against UTSA, a problem the team has dealt with all year. Five of UTSA’s nine hitters struck out 35 or more times this season. Unfortunately, that number is seven for Texas, with Tommy Farmer IV and Rylan Galvan leading both teams with over 60.

Texas will have a choice to make with its lineup tonight, as facing a lefty could pave the way for Farmer to take Jonah Williams’ spot. While Williams was a key part of yesterday’s offensive attack, especially on the bases, he is still recovering from a hamstring injury, bats lefty, and is an inferior defender compared to Farmer. A pinch-hit role for Williams may be the best move for tonight’s game when someone like Orloski or Kelley enters.

Overall, much of tonight’s game comes down to who gets on the board early and who can limit the strikeouts. Both teams can essentially throw out their best arms, but Texas does have a slight advantage given Royse’s unavailability and Orloski’s potentially tired arm (58 pitches last night). Myles is UTSA’s best pitcher at avoiding walks but also averages the fewest strikeouts and innings pitched per appearance of their three-man staff. Four strikeouts in five innings would stretch his average numbers. Texas can capitalize on that if they work counts effectively and avoid wasting swings, as many batters did last night.

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If there’s anything to take away from all this hoopla, it’s that this is going to be an awesome game tonight. The Disch under the lights for the first time in over three weeks, and the first 8 p.m. start since the A&M series, promises an electric atmosphere. Whether you’ll be in the stands, watching at Posse East, or complaining about the ESPN stream in your living room in North Dakota, you won’t want to miss this.

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