ARLINGTON, Texas - UTA baseball head coach Darin Thomas and the Mavericks baseball program have signed three players to National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at UT Arlington beginning in the 2020 season. All three of the future Mavs are currently junior college sophomores.

 
OLIVER HOWITT | Sydney, Australia | Grayson College | 6-3 | 195 | RHP
Made eight appearances out of the bullpen … Pitched 17.0 innings and finished with a 1-1 record … Racked up 16 K's and owned an 8.47 strikeouts per 9 inn. average … Secured his first collegiate victory after pitching 3.0 innings of one-hit baseball with three strikeouts at Paris (March 26).

Coach Thomas on Oliver ...
"Oliver is originally from Sydney, Australia.  We have had the opportunity to see him develop at Grayson College here in Texas over the last two years.  Each time we have been out to see him he has continued to improve.  He is another quality arm that can run the fastball up into the low 90's with good secondary stuff.  He will be a great addition to the pitching staff for the 2020 season."
SPENCER SAWIN | Benbrook, Texas | Western Hills HS | North Central Texas College | 6-1 | 190 | RHP/1B/C
Played in 46 games in the field … Hit .273 with a pair of homers, 13 RBI and 27 runs scored … Picked up his first collegiate hit vs. Midland (Feb. 10) and first collegiate home run vs. Weatherford (Apr. 14) … Registered a hit in 23 games and hat seven multi-hit games … Made five appearances on the mound … Pitched 10.2 innings and tallied 12 strikeouts.

Coach Thomas on Spencer ...
"Spencer is a local product who we have followed over the past 3 to 4 years.  Originally from Keller Fossil Ridge High school who is in his second year at NCTC.  He is a competitive RHP with upper 80's low 90's fastball with a good slider.  He is a tough kid that works hard on and off the field.  We are excited to have Spencer join the Maverick family."
AUSTIN SMITH | Abilene, Texas | Cooper HS | Ranger College | 5-10 | 195 | LHP
Made two appearances for Ranger College in 2018, before suffering an injury … Pitched 11.0 innings and finished with a 1-0 record … Recorded 14 strikeouts on the season … Averaged 11.45 strikeouts per 9 inn … Pitched 5.1 innings, giving up five hits and fanning eight batters, en route to securing his first collegiate victory vs. New Mexico (Feb. 5).

Coach Thomas on Austin ...
"Austin was a two sport athlete in high school out of Abilene Cooper.  He was a star quarterback on the football team as well as on the baseball diamond for the Cougars. Austin is a great young man who works hard in the classroom and the baseball field.  He is a leader on and off the field and will be an immediate contributor for us. We are thrilled to have Austin on board for the 2020 season."


The Mavs will navigate a 52-game slate that includes 23 home contests, 28 road games and a neutral site match-up at Globe Life Park in 2019. The schedule also features nine total games against four teams (Baylor (2), Coastal Carolina (3), Dallas Baptist (2), Oklahoma (1), Texas A&M (1)) that participated in the 2018 NCAA postseason.
 
The start to the 2019 slate is road-heavy, as the Mavericks will play 10 of the first 14 games of the season away from home. UTA opens the season in Corpus Christi for a four-game set with Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Feb. 15-18.

The Mavs home slate begins with the UTA Classic (Feb. 22-24), before the squad heads back out on the road for six straight games. The Mavs will play four games during the Classic, including a pair against Stephen F. Austin (Feb. 22 and Feb. 24) and two versus Wichita State (Feb. 23 and Feb. 24).

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