May 29, 2010

Box Score

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - UT Arlington had its 2010 season come to a close in a 15-10 loss against Texas State in the final day of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament Saturday afternoon at Whataburger Field.

The Mavericks end the season with a 29-31 overall record while No. 1 seeded Texas State (38-21) advances to the tournament championship game where they will face No. 7 tournament seed Lamar.

UT Arlington and Texas State combined for 25 runs, which tied the tournament's all-time record set in 2000 by Texas State and Nicholls (Texas State, 13-12).

Texas State scored multiple runs in four innings of the game, including six in the top of the first.

The Mavericks used a four-run rally in the second to cut Texas State's lead to 7-4 and then plated four runs in the sixth to make the score 11-8. The Mavericks never led in the game.

In perhaps his final game in a Maverick uniform, All-American center fielder Michael Choice led the Mavericks going 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Freshman Jake Pinchback went 2-for-4 with three runs and also reached base with a walk.

Choice ends the season reaching base in 72 consecutive games dating back to April 28, 2009. Choice finished the season with 76 walks, which leads the nation.

Senior Jason Mitchell (7-6) made his final start for the Mavericks as he was saddled with the loss in 2.0 innings pitched allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits with one walk.

Bobcat starter Lee Colon (5-3) earned the win pitching 5.2 innings allowing eight runs on seven hits with seven walks and seven strikeouts.

Every Maverick finished with at least one base hit while Texas State had eight players with multi-hit games, including four players with at least three hits.

UTA's four runs in the second inning came on Jordan Vaughn's three-run double down the right-field line and from Choice's RBI single up the middle.

The Mavericks used a sacrifice fly from Vaughn to score its first run in the sixth inning and then four consecutive walks by Choice, Preston Beck, Steffan Guest and Chad Comer brought in three additional runs. It was the third time in the tournament that a walk to Choice with two outs led to an inning with at least three runs.

Beck went 1-for-3 extending his career-high hit streak to 20 games.

In the seventh inning, the Mavs cut Texas State's lead to three runs (12-9) as Jake Pinchback led off the inning with a double down the right-field line and later scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Comer.

That would be as close as the Mavs would come as Texas State scored three runs in the top of the eighth on a two-run homer by Jeff McVaney and with an RBI double from left fielder Tyler Sibley.

Texas State reliever Fielding Pittman pitched the final 3.1 innings to earn his first save of the season while giving up two runs on three hits with one strikeout.

Head coach Darin Thomas on the way the season came to an end...
"As a coaching staff we understand that just to get into the tournament with all that we had to go through with pitching injuries, one returning player signing (professionally) just before school starting and getting off to a slow start, just getting into the tournament was a good accomplishment. I felt like we played about as good as we could."

Darin Thomas reflecting on the season...
"I'm really proud of our team. We didn't have a lot of things go our way personnel wise and our last two or three weekends we were really shorthanded and we had some injuries. Those are not excuses, those things just make you a little bit better when you can battle through them like we did. We really fought. We played hard from day one until the end. We made a little run there through conference and we made a run here in the tournament."

Darin Thomas on the Mavericks three seniors and players who might be drafted...
"Brian Watson went out and pitched as well as he could last night and couldn't have possibly done any better. Jason Mitchell had an unbelievable year. He broke the school's strikeout record. He didn't have to take the ball today (started on two day's rest) but he wanted to and gave it his best effort. He just didn't have it and I didn't want him to throw a bunch of pitches. And Steffan Guest made a run at the UTA doubles record. He had a great year as a fifth-year senior at the plate and in the DH role for us. It is obvious what Mike (Choice) has done for our program. I'm going to really miss having him around, and not just his production for our team. I'm just going to miss having him around. And if Chad (Comer) gets a chance to go out (and be drafted) that will be a huge hole to try and fill for us because he has been a great team leader and a great teammate."

Junior Center Fielder Michael Choice on the Mavericks season...
"Playing on this team was just a great experience. Coming into this tournament we knew we were going to be short on guys. But we found a way to fight and scratch to get to where we ended up. It is just incredible the job that everyone did by everyone playing their hardest. I'm just proud of everybody by the way we played."

Michael Choice on the Mavericks program from his first year in 2008 to now...
"This program has taken some huge steps. The thing I have noticed the most is that since I have been here there has been a day-to-day routine kept. We haven't had things change all of the time. The new guys that come in, they learn the ropes from the older guys. That is how you build a program. That is what I have noticed the most, we are starting to build a program here. It isn't about a bunch of individuals and their talent it is about the team as a whole."

Michael Choice on what he will remember the most from this team...
"I will just always remember all of the great people that were always around. DT (Darin Thomas), K.J. (Hendricks), (Jay) Sirianni, Fuller (Smith), (David) McLeod, all of the people who are always around and all of the guys on the team. It has just been a great, great pleasure to play with and to be coached by those coaches. All of those coaches are great guys individually, not just as coaches but as people. That is what I will remember the most."

GAME NOTES:
- UT Arlington drops to 24-26 all-time at the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament since its first appearance in 1993... Mavericks are 3-4 in tournament games played in Corpus Christi, Texas (1-2 in 2009, 2-2 in 2010)... UTA is now 3-8 against the Bobcats in 11 tournament meetings.

- Third-year head coach Darin Thomas is 3-6 in Southland Tournament games (0-2 in 2008, 1-2 in 2009, 2-2 in 2010).

- The Mavericks' 10 runs against Texas State is tied for their seventh most in a Southland Conference Tournament game... It was the first time in school history that UTA had scored 10 runs and lost a tournament game (8-1)... UTA's 29 runs in four Southland Conference Tournament games mark the most by the Mavericks since 2003 (40 runs in six games) and the third most in a tournament run in school history... 29 runs is the most in school history in four or fewer games played in a tournament (18 runs in three games, 1995)... It was the first time since 2003 that UTA had scored at least 10 runs in two games during one SLC Tournament (2003: 15 vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 12 vs. McNeese State)... UTA played in back-to-back one-run games for the first time in school history (defeated Nicholls 5-4; lost to Texas State 5-4).

- Michael Choice finished the season reaching base in 72 consecutive games dating back to last season (4/28/09)... Choice reached base safely in all 60 games this season and in the final 12 games of last year... Choice reached base safely in 118-of-120 games dating back to his freshman season in 2008... In 166 career games played, Choice reached base safely in 157.

- Preston Beck finished his freshman season with a 20-game hit streak (April 24-May 29)... Beck batted .420 (37-for-88) with 13 runs, eight doubles, one home run, six walks and 26 RBI during the 20-game hit streak... Beck also had a .463 on-base percentage and a .545 slugging percentage during the streak.

- UTA's 380 runs rank fourth in school history.

- UTA's 630 base hits rank third in school history.

- UTA's 120 doubles rank fourth in school history.

- UTA's 40 home runs rank tied for eighth in school history.

- UTA's 336 RBI rank fifth in school history.

- UTA's .961 fielding percentage ranks tied for ninth in school history.

- UTA's 464 strikeouts by its pitching staff is a new school record (410 in 2009).

- UTA's six shutouts rank tied for eighth in school history.

NOTES ON MAVERICK SEASON TOTALS
- 380 runs are the most in a season since school-record 467 in 2003... 630 base hits are the most since school-record 715 in 2003... first time Mavericks have had back-to-back seasons with over 600 base hits (605 in 2009) since 2003 and 2004 (715 & 624)... Only the fourth time in school history with at least 120 doubles... marks only the third time in UTA history with at least three consecutive seasons with over 100 doubles in a season (2008-2010, 2002-2004, 2001-2003)... 40 home runs are the most in a season since 2004 (41)... It was only the third time with at least 40 home runs since 1999... 890 total bases are the most since 2004... 224 walks are the most 2002 and is the eighth time since 1990 with at least 220 walks in a season... .372 on-base percentage marks the third straight year with at least a .370 OBP... first time since 1987-1989 that Mavericks have had three straight seasons with at least a .370 OBP... Eight complete games are the most since 2005 (12) and the fourth most in a season since 1997.

- Michael Choice led the team in batting (.383), games started (60), runs (67), home runs (16), RBI (59), total bases (138), slugging percentage (.704), walks (76 - leads the nation), hit by pitch (11) and stolen bases (12-for-16)... Other statistical leaders include Preston Beck (82 hits, 3 triples), Steffan Guest (233 at-bats, 21 doubles), Nick Orr (seven sacrifices)

- Rett Varner led the Mavericks pitching staff in ERA (3.56), wins (8) and opponent batting average (.270)... Other statistical leaders include Jason Mitchell (16 starts, five complete games, two shutouts, 112.0 innings pitched, 113 strikeouts), Logan Bawcom (five saves) and Garrett Laird (24 appearances).

2010 MAVERICKS IN SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOK
- Preston Beck finished just outside the Mavericks top-10 single-season record book for base hits in a single season with a team-leading 82... Hunter Pence (2003) and Kasey Baker (2003) are tied for 10th place with 83.

- Steffan Guest's 21 doubles rank tied for fourth in UTA single-season history (Andrew Kainer, 23 - 2009).

- Michael Choice's 16 home runs rank tied for second in UTA single-season history (Kyle Heine, 19 - 1998)... Choice's 59 RBI are the seventh most in school history (Matt Otteman, Ryan Roberts, 69 - 2009, 2003)... Choice's 67 runs were two off the school record and rank second in UTA single-season history (Ryan Roberts - 69, 2003)... Choice's 138 total bases rank eighth in UTA history... Choice's .704 slugging percentage ranks fourth in UTA single-season history... Choice's .568 on-base percentage shattered the previous UTA all-time single-season record (Ryan Roberts, .514 - 2003)... Choice's 76 walks are a new school and Southland Conference single-season record... The previous school record was 61 (Dave Owen, 1978) and the previous Southland record was 68 (Lamar's Kerry Christensen, 1982)... Choice's 11 hit by pitch are tied for sixth in UTA single-season history (Danny Slinkman - 15, 2008).

- Chad Comer's nine hit by pitch rank tied for seventh in school history (Danny Slinkman - 15, 2008).

Jason Mitchell's 113 strikeouts are a UTA single-season record... Mitchell's 112.0 innings pitched rank fourth in UTA history.

Rett Varner's 95 strikeouts rank seventh in UTA history.

Logan Bawcom's five saves are tied for seventh in UTA history.

2010 MAVERICKS IN CAREER RECORD BOOK
- Michael Choice's .392 career batting average ranks second in UTA history (Ryan Roberts, .393 - 2002-03)... Choice's 170 career runs rank third in UTA history (Randy Thorpe, 190 - 1978-81)... Choice's 242 career hits rank third in UTA history (Darrell Preston, 268 - 2001-04)... Choice's 34 career home runs are a UTA record (broke Matt Mize's record of 31, 1998-99)... Choice's 162 career RBI rank second in UTA history (Darrell Preston, 166 - 2001-04)... Choice's 393 career total bases rank second in UTA history (Craig Martin, 417 - 1998-2001)... Choice's .636 career slugging percentage ranks third in UTA history (Matt Mize, .705 - 1998-99)... Choice's 126 career walks rank sixth in UTA history (Randy Thorpe, 178 - 1978-81)... Choice's 22 career hit by pitch rank third in UTA history.

- Chad Comer's 15 career hit by pitch rank tied for 10th in UTA history.