ARLINGTON, Texas - Sitting 1.5 games back from first place in the Sun Belt West, the UT Arlington baseball team will host the first place Little Rock Trojans for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
 

PITCHING MATCHUP
First Pitch	UT Arlington (19-21, 7-5 SBC)	Little Rock (18-18, 9-6 SBC)
Friday 6:30 p.m. CT	RHP Carlos Tavera	RHP Hayden Arnold
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CT	LHP Kody Bullard	RHP Aaron Funk
Sunday, 2 p.m. CT	RHP David Moffat	LHP Jack DeCooman
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

UTA NOTES

• Carlos Tavera has been nearly untouchable his last two outings, striking out 19 batters in 11.2 shutout innings. Tavera currently ranks 15th in the NCAA in strikeouts with 78 and 10th in strikeouts per nine innings at 14.42.
• The Mavericks return 90 percent of their innings pitched and 95 percent of their strikeouts from a season ago.
• Josh Minjarez is closing in on a couple records for UTA. Against McNeese State he broke the all-time games play record, appearing in his 231st career game. His mark of 232 games played is also the 5th highest active mark in the country. He also has the 2nd most at-bats (835) and 7th most base hits (233), 5th most total bases (346), and 7th most home runs (23). Minjarez is also tied for 9th place in career doubles (38).
• The Mavericks record this year has been determined by the first three innings.  When leading after three, the Mavericks are 13-4.  However, when trailing or tied after three, UTA is just 6-17.
• Boone Montgomery has been a key figure at the top of the lineup for the Mavs this season. When leading off, the junior has a team-high .549 on-base percentage.
• When UTA's starter goes 5+ innings, the Mavericks are 16-11, compared to just 3-11 when they throw less than 5 innings. 
• When hitting a home run, the Mavs are 15-5. However, when UTA fails to hit one deep, they are just 4-17.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | LITTLE ROCK

• Aaron Barkley has been the ace out of the bullpen for the Trojans this season. He ranked 28th in the NCAA in saves (6), 22nd in strikeout-to-walk ration (7.80), 14th in walks per nine innings (1.02) and 8th in WHIP (0.81).
• The Trojans defense has thrived on doubles plays this season.  They rank 28th in the NCAA in double plays and lead the conference with 30.
• Five Trojans are hitting over .300 on the season.  John Michael Russ leads all qualifying Trojans with a .336 average.
• Eight Trojans have double-digit RBI on the season, including four with over 20.  Tyler Williams leads the team with 33 runs batted in.
• Little Rock is coming off a series win over Louisiana a week ago, taking two of the three games in Little Rock over the Ragin' Cajuns.

SERIES HISTORY
The Mavericks and Trojans have meet 25 previous times with UTA taking 16 of those games.  In Arlington, the Mavericks own an 11-4 record.  The two teams last met in Arlington in 2019 with the Trojans taking two of the three games, but the series ended with a Maverick run-rule victory.

2021 BASEBALL HOME GAME SPECTATOR POLICY
Due primarily to COVID-related space constraints, general-public spectators are not permitted at home UTA baseball games this season. UTA and the visiting team will be permitted a pass list – those individuals on the team-approved list will be allowed to attend. Those spectators will be seated in pods of four (4) socially-distanced seats, labeled for home or visiting team.
 
Guests are permitted to bring their own drinks and food as concessions will not be available. However, alcohol is not permitted. Tailgating is also prohibited.
 
The Mocek Patio down the left-field line will be closed to the public; this space will be allocated for expanded visiting dugout seating.
 
There will be no post-game guest interaction inside Clay Gould Ballpark. There will be a designated area outside the stadium for those on the pass list to meet with student-athletes.
Dogs are welcome, and a short online waiver – which is good for the entire season – can be completed upon arrival.
 
Mask wearing and social-distancing measures are in place whenever on campus, and Sun Belt Conference and university COVID protocols must be followed.
 
BASEBALL HOME GAME COVERAGE
For the first time in department history, UTA Athletics will broadcast nine (9) home baseball games exclusively on ESPN+ and the ESPN App. For all other home games not on ESPN+, there will be a live audio broadcast on UTAMavs.com. Live stats will be available for each game as well, in addition to social-media coverage and postgame content.
 
Due to contractual obligations between the Sun Belt Conference and ESPN, beginning in 2020-21 all live UTA Athletics game broadcasts must be shown on ESPN+ and adhere to minimum standards. Infrastructure is not in place to reach those standards; thus, there will be no live video broadcasts aside from the aforementioned nine (9) ESPN+ contests set forth in the Sun Belt-ESPN contract utilizing third-party equipment. UTA Athletics' goal is to have full ESPN+ capabilities beginning in the 2022 season.
 
ESPN+ SCHEDULE
Apr. 9 – vs. Coastal Carolina
Apr. 10 – vs. Coastal Carolina
Apr. 11 – vs. Coastal Carolina
Apr. 30 – vs. Little Rock
May 1 – vs. Little Rock
May 2 – vs. Little Rock
May 14 – vs. Louisiana
May 15 – vs. Louisiana
May 16 – vs. Louisiana

FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Baseball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter @UTAMavsBSB, on Instagram @UTAMavsBSB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsBSB.