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ARLINGTON, Texas -- After setting a program record with 20 wins in conference play, UTA earned the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championship and will play on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. CT against a team to be determined, on the campus of Georgia Southern. The tournament will be streamed live on ESPN3.com, also available on the ESPN app.

UTA (30-24, 20-10 Sun Belt Conference) takes the No. 2 seed into the tournament and will face the winner of a play-in game on Tuesday in Wednesday's second round. The Mavs won the Sun Belt Western Division with a program-record 20 league wins, also setting program records in road wins (17) and league road wins (12).

With the No. 2 seed, the Mavs boast a bye in the first round, which is single-elimination as the play-in game for the last four seeds to get in the field. The remaining tournament is double elimination and the Mavs could earn a second off day during the tourney with wins in games on Wednesday and Thursday. The championship game is determined by the semifinals on Saturday and is a winner-take-all format.

Last weekend, the Mavs concluded the regular season, splitting the first two games of the series with Texas State in San Marcos, with the second game win clinching the division championship. The series finale was meaningless to both teams but Texas State rallied with single runs in the ninth - a two-strike, two-out game-tying single - and 10th innings to claim the sweep and snap UTA's record of 31 straight wins when leading after the eighth inning. The loss kept the Mavs from adding their first series win in San Marcos in 19 years to their historic 2017 resume.

UTA is making its fourth straight Sun Belt Conference Championship appearance since joining the league in 2014. The Mavs posted their best finish in 2014, taking a 3-0 record into the winning take-all championship game against the once-beaten Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, which outlasted UTA 6-5 to advance to the NCAA field. UTA is 1-2 in the last two tournaments, winning the opener but falling the last two games, suffering elimination at the hands of Louisiana (2015) and South Alabama (2016). The Mavs last conference tournament championship came in 2012, going 4-0 to win the Southland and advance to the NCAA Waco Regional.

POTENTIAL UTA STARTING PITCHING
Wednesday vs. TBD
Jr., LHP Jakob Hernandez (6-1, 3.28 ERA)
Thursday vs. TBD
Sr., RHP Kadon Simmons (7-4, 4.36 ERA) OR Jr., RHP Trae Patterson (7-3, 2.64 ERA)

For the first 13 weeks, the Mavs have used the weekend rotation of senior right Kadon Simmons (7-4, 4.36 ERA) in series openers, junior right-hander Trae Patterson (7-3, 2.64 ER) in the second game and junior southpaw Jakob Hernandez (6-1, 3.28 ERA) in series finales. With Saturday's regular-season finale meaningless at Texas State, Hernandez was held out of his start, with the intention of his availability to start on Wednesday in UTA's conference tournament opener.

Hernandez, a native of Parker, Colo., has made 13 weekend starts in 2017, working 79.2 innings and allowing 72 hits and 35 walks, striking out 89 and holding opponents to a .245 average. In Sun Belt play, Hernandez went 5-1 with a 2.78 ERA in nine starts, fanning 61 and walking 22 in 55 innings, allowing only 46 hits and a .230 opponent average. In his last start on Sunday, May 14, Hernandez worked six innings vs. No. 29 Coastal Carolina, allowing seven hits and four runs, walking two and striking out six.

A native of Cut & Shoot, Texas, Simmons led the Sun Belt in wins as a junior (nine) while earning first-team All-Sun Belt Conference accolades. He has made 16 appearances and 14 series-opening starts in 2017, tossing 86.2 innings, allowing 97 hits and 20 walks, striking out 51. In his two-year UTA career, Simmons is 16-8 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts, tossing 190 innings and allowing only 192 hits and 44 walks, striking out 115. In Sun Belt play, Simmons is 6-2 with a 5.21 ERA in 10 starts, working 57 innings and allowing 64 hits, walking 17 and striking out 28. On Thursday, Simmons concluded the regular-season schedule with a start at Texas State, suffering the loss after allowing seven hits and six runs - five earned - in 4.1 innings, walking two and striking out four.

Patterson, a former outfielder at Kansas State and native of Fort Worth, Texas, has made 15 appearances and 14 starts in 2017. He has worked 92 innings, allowing only 83 hits and 21 walks, striking out 68. In 10 Sun Belt starts, Patterson is 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 66 innings, allowing just 16 walks and 57 hits, striking out 51. In his last start on Friday at Texas State, Patterson earned his seventh win in 10 decisions, working 6.1 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs - four earned - walking one and striking out five on 89 pitches.

After the season-ending injury to UTA midweek starter Reid Petty (1-0, 4.50 ERA) after the third week of the year, the Mavs have used five different midweek starters to fill the void as a fourth starter. Senior righty Matt Michalski (0-2, 6.75 ERA) has made three midweek starts and started the regular-season finale at Texas State on Saturday as the Mavs rested regular starter Hernandez for the tournament. Michalski worked three-shutout innings vs. the Bobcats and has struck out 18 in 18.2 innings. Junior lefty Jake Wilcox (2-1, 7.41 ERA) and junior righty Jordon West (0-2, 8.47 ERA) have each made two midweek starts with lefty Brad Vassar (3-2, 7.97 ERA) starting UTA's final midweek game of the year at No. 6 TCU, where he took a shutout into the sixth inning before allowing the game-deciding grand slam. Senior righty Austin Gardner (2-1, 2.36 ERA) and junior lefty Adam Meyer (0-3, 2.55 ERA) have each made early season midweek starts but have carved out elite roles in the back of the UTA bullpen.

LEADING THE MAVS
UTA has hit .278 as a team with 296 runs scored in 54 games, ripping 78 doubles, 11 triples and 30 homers, stealing 42 bases. Defensively, the Mavs have fielded .971, turning 48 double plays and throwing out 18 would-be basestealers. On the bump, the Mavs have a 3.99 team ERA in 483 innings, leading the league with 18 saves, allowing 478 hits and 163 walks, striking out 406.

Junior first baseman Omar Salinas leads the Mavs at the plate, pacing the club in average (.333), runs (45), hits (64), doubles (11), homers (11), RBI (44), slugging (.563), on-base percentage (.438) and walks (33). Sophomore catcher Will Olson has charted a .326 average with nine doubles, two homers and 28 RBI, owning a .438 on-base percentage. Senior leftfielder Quintin Rohrbaugh hits for a .301 average with nine doubles, two triples, four homers and 36 RBI, stealing seven bases. Sophomore rightfielder Aaron Funk sports a .299 average with four doubles, two triples, one homer and 15 RBI, freshman infielder Zac Cook has hit .295 with four doubles and eight RBI and junior shortstop RJ Williams owns a .253 average with 11 doubles, 22 RBI and a .350 on-base percentage. Sophomore centerfielder Noah Vaughan has hit .265 with eight doubles, four triples, seven homers and 41 RBI, stealing 11 bases. Senior third baseman/catcher Brady Cox has ripped 10 doubles and driven in 16 and junior centerfielder Phil Berthiaume has hit .264 with a homer and 11 RBI.

In relief, right-handers Austin Gardner (2-1, 2.36 ERA) and Daniel James (0-3, 3.81 ERA) and lefty Adam Meyer (0-3, 2.55 ERA) have been a dynamic trio in the late innings. James leads the circuit in saves (13), while Gardner has fanned 50 and walked 10 in 42 innings. UTA has also used lefties Jake Wilcox (2-1, 7.41 ERA) and Brad Vassar (3-2, 7.97 ERA), and righties Dylan Schneider (1-2, 3.86 ERA), Matt Michalski (0-2, 6.75 ERA) and Jordon West (0-2, 8.47 ERA) have each appeared in double-digit games in relief.