ARLINGTON - The UT Arlington baseball team will commence the 2022 season this weekend with a four-game home stand. The Mavericks will take on Texas A&M - Corpus Christi for three games (February 18-20) before concluding the home stand with a noon game against the Michigan Wolverines on Monday, February 21.
UTA NOTES
- This marks the fifth straight season that the Mavericks and Islanders have been scheduled to open up against each other. Last year, the series was canceled due to the winter storm that swept through Texas.
- The Mavericks will have quite the different lineup this season. UTA lost all but two of their starting fielders from a season ago - Boone Montgomery and Cason Gregory. All-in-all, through graduation, the MLB Draft and the transfer portal, the Mavericks lost 19 players from a season ago. The Mavs brought in 17 newcomers to replace them - including nine freshman.
- Recruiting Coordinator Taylor Dugas hit the transfer portal hard last spring, bringing in transfers from LSU (Mitchell Sanford), Clemson (Matt Lumsden), Wichita State (Connery Peters & David VanVooren) and Oklahoma State (Cade Sumbler), as well as a former Kentucky Wildcat (Jaden Brown).
- Head Coach Darin Thomas enters his 15th season at the helm of the UTA baseball program and 22nd overall. Thomas needs just 11 more wins to reach 400 career wins. He already has the second most wins in program history - trailing only Butch McBroom (756).
- The Mavericks have once again put together a resume-worthy schedule, facing five non-conference opponents who appeared in an NCAA Regional last season.
- Michigan (Feb. 21)
- Nebraska (Mar 4-5)
- Army (Mar 8-9)
- Dallas Baptist (Mar 22)
- TCU (Mar 1, Apr 5, Apr 19).
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | TEXAS A&M - CORPUS CHRISTI
- The Islanders are coming off 25-29 season that saw them 20-14 in the Southland Conference. UTA and TAMUCC were scheduled to play last season, but the games were canceled due to the winter storm that swept through Texas.
- Five Islanders were selected to the Southland Conference Preseason Team. Hayden Thomas (starting pitcher), Josh Caraway (utility), Jaime Ramirez Jr. (starting pitcher), Justin Taylor (catcher) and Brendan Ryan (outfielder)
- Returners Hayden Thomas and Jaime Ramierez Jr. combined for 11 of the Islanders wins last season, while striking out 145 batters.
- Corpus Christi hit .265 as a team last season and return three of their highest batting averages - Justin Taylor (.333), Brendan Ryan (.305), Josh Caraway (.291)
SERIES HISTORY
The Mavericks own the all-time series over the Islanders 31-17, including a 20-9 mark at Clay Gould Ballpark. Coach
Darin Thomas is 27-11 in his meetings against the Islanders. UTA currently rides a five game win-streak over Texas A&M - Corpus Christi.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | MICHIGAN
- Michigan went 27-19 last season, playing all but their final two games against Big 10 opponents. The Wolverines lost to UConn and Central Michigan in their first two games of the South Bend (Ind.) NCAA Regional.
- Michigan plays three games at Globe Life Field Feb. 18-20 before taking on the Mavericks. The Wolverines will play Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Oklahoma to begin the season.
- Willie Weiss will be an arm to look out for against Michigan. The senior is capable of starting or closing games. Armed with a live fastball and a wipeout slider, Weiss has averaged nearly 1.5 strikeouts per inning as a Wolverine.
- The Wolverines hit .269 as a team last season and return their top hitter in Ted Burton. Burton slashed .342/.434/.667 on the season and finished with 28 RBI, 12 doubles and seven home runs.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the first meeting on the diamond between the two clubs. It will mark the 27th all-time meeting against a Big 10 opponent, with UTA owning a 16-10 record against those opponents dating back to 1978.
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