Baseball To Open 2022 Season On Road Against UT Arlington

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball program will open its 2022 campaign this weekend by traveling to UT Arlington for a three game series at Clay Gould Ballpark.

The Islanders will play the Mavericks in a three game series this weekend after last facing them for the season opener in 2020. Barring 2021 as the exception, the two teams have played season openers against each other going back to 2018. Head Coach Scott Malone, entering his 15th year at the helm, knows the challenges facing his team this weekend and has prepared accordingly.

"UT Arlington is always top three in the Sun Belt, a really good baseball league," said Malone. "These guys always find a way to win. [UTA Head Coach] Darin Thomas always puts an ultra talented team on the field. Our pitching should be able to keep us in these three games. I don't think one of these games should get away from us and we should be in all three of these games."

During his tenure with the Islanders, Malone has established himself within the program and the conference, sitting as the winningest active Southland coach. He will return an experienced coaching staff as well with assistant coach Marty Smith entering his 13th season and assistants Seth LaRue and Dustin Williams both entering their third seasons. Michael Swanick, the director of video and analytics, is the lone newcomer in his first full year on the Island.

The baseball program was predicted to finish fourth in the conference and received a vote to be in first place. The team has set lofty expectations, such as looking to contend for a championship by the season's end. The Southland will have a new look to it this season as five teams left, leaving eight to hold strong. Despite the change, the coaching staff isn't fazed and looks to build on the 7-3 run the team ended on last season.

"These guys want to win a championship. It's our ultimate goal. I'd like to be one of the top three teams and competing for a championship down the run," said Malone.

While most programs tend to see a lot of roster movement between seasons, the Islanders return 30 players, five of which were named to Southland Preseason All-Conference Teams. Junior Hayden Thomas and sophomore Josh Caraway were named to the first team while sophomore Jaime Ramirez Jr., junior Justin Taylor and junior Brendan Ryan all claimed second team honorees.

Ryan was one of four batters to average over .300 in 2021, posting an average of .303. He will be making a position change for the new season, but the coaches feel confident he will succeed in the new role.

"Ryan moves over from right to center; I think he's ready for the move," said Malone. "He's gonna move into the heart of the lineup, that second or third spot, the old Itchy Burts/Luke Marbach spot where you put in Captain America and say 'go and lead the way.' I think Ryan is a top five or six player in our league, and that's bold. I think he's got that talent, he's got that work ethic."

Thomas is projected to be the Friday starting pitcher for the team to start the weekend off with a bang. Senior Leo Perez and junior Tyler Miller will look to take the mound on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, leading an experienced pitching staff.

Four new freshman pitchers will be making their way to the mound this season as Clay Westbrook, Zach Garcia, Kyle Dickey and Marco Gutierrez all look to make their first collegiate appearances. The coaches hold all of them in high esteem and believe they all offer a different talent to the team. 

"There's a role for all of them. It wouldn't surprise me if all four of them pitch on opening weekend and that's saying a lot with a team who has a lot of older pitchers on our roster," said Malone. "It'll be fun for all of us."

After the UT Arlington series, the team will get a day of rest before facing No. 1 Texas on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 22-23.

Schedule
Game 1: Friday Feb. 18 at 3:00 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 19 at 2:00 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 20 at 1:00 p.m.

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