SAN ANTONIO – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros baseball team, which is receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association polls for the eighth week in a row, clinched a top two seed and home field advantage in Southland Conference Tournament Bracket Play with a 16-5, eight-inning victory over the Incarnate Word Cardinals on Sunday at Sullivan Field.
UTRGV can clinch a share of the Southland Conference Championship with a Southeastern loss and the outright title and number one seed with two Southeastern losses. Southeastern visits Nicholls Thursday through Sunday while UTRGV has a bye week.
UTRGV is assured of hosting six or seven games during bracket play May 15-18 at UTRGV Baseball Stadium as three other teams will come to the Valley for the start of the double-elimination tournament. UTRGV will play its first round game on May 15 at 6 p.m. with the first game of the day taking place at 1 p.m. The winners of the first round games will meet on May 16 at 6 p.m. while the losers will play an elimination game at 1 p.m. Another elimination game will take place May 17 at 1 p.m. while an undefeated team will face a one-loss team at 6 p.m. If the undefeated team loses, there will be a decisive game on May 18 at 1 p.m.
Tickets go on sale this week as season ticket members, Vaqueros Athletic Fund donors, and corporate partners will be able to take advantage of an exclusive presale for all-tournament passes May 5-7. UTRGV Athletics will communicate details directly with season ticket members, Vaqueros Athletic Fund donors, and corporate partners.
All-tournament passes go on sale to the general public on May 8 and single-day tickets go on sale May 12 at
UTRGVTickets.com.
Fans who purchase all-tournaments passes can purchase specially priced $5 tickets for UTRGV's regular season finale against Texas State on May 13 at 6:30 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
All-tournament passes guarantee access for all games during bracket play for $25. Single-day tickets are $12 and are good for all games on a given day. Current students of participating Southland Conference institutions, including UTRGV, receive free general admission with a student ID.
The Vaqueros (33-15, 22-8 SLC) are now on their second 7-game winning streak of the season and finish the season with a program record 22 conference wins. The Vaqueros now have what is believed to be a program record-tying 15 road wins (15-9), a feat also accomplished in 2006 (15-19). The Vaqueros also finish with a program record-tying 10 conference road wins (10-5), matching the program record set in 1997 (10-3 in the Sun Belt Conference).
The Vaqueros have scored 77 runs during the winning streak, an average of 11 runs per game.
Six Vaqueros had multi-hit games, led by sophomore
Armani Raygoza, who went a career-high tying 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, a walk, a career-high six RBI and two runs scored. Graduate student Vela alum
Isaac Lopez went a career-high tying 4-for-6 with two doubles, a season-high tying three RBI and a career-high tying three runs scored. Junior
Rene Galván recorded his first multi-home run game, going 2-for-3 with a walk, a career-high tying two RBI and a career-high four runs scored. Sophomore
Evan Janner went 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks, an RBI, and a career-high four runs scored. Sophomore
Easton Moomau went 2-for-4 with a double, two walks, an RBI, and a run scored. Junior
Thomas Williams finished 2-for-5 with an RBI.
The Vaqueros hit a season-high four home runs.
The Vaqueros got off to a fast start, as with two one and one out against
Jackson Elizondo (4-5) Moomau hit an RBI-double and senior
Steven Lancia lifted a sacrifice fly to put the Vaqueros up 2-0.
The Cardinals (17-30, 3-24 SLC) got one back against senior
Jacob Limas (2-2) in the bottom of the inning on a two-out RBI-double by
Tyler Cowan.
In the second, the Vaqueros put two on with one out to set up an RBI-single by Lopez. Raygoza followed with a 3-run home run to put the Vaqueros up 6-1. Raygoza now has a Southland-leading 15 home runs, the fifth most in a season in program history. Raygoza also has 21-career home runs, tied for the fourth-highest total in program history.
Ryder Hernandez homered in the bottom of the inning to bring the Cardinals within 6-2.
Galván and Janner responded with back-to-back home runs in the third to put the Vaqueros up 8-2.
Rey Mendoza answered with a 3-run home run in the fourth to bring the Cardinals within 8-5.
In the fifth, Galván launched his second home run of the game. Janner followed with a walk, stole second, and scored on a Raygoza double with two outs to make the score 10-5.
In the sixth, Moomau drew a leadoff walked and went all the way to third on a groundout, allowing him to score on a bloop single by Williams to put the Vaqueros up 11-5.
In the seventh, Lopez doubled and moved to third on an error before scoring on a two-out single by graduate student PSJA alum
Jacob Sanchez to make the score 12-5.
The Vaqueros loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, setting up a 2-run double by Lopez and a 2-run single by Raygoza to make the score 16-5.
UTRGV closes out this six-game road trip at Baylor on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on
Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
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