TONY BALDWIN
WRITING SAMPLES FROM 2012-13 SEASONS UTSA ATHLETICS
UTSA ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS TONY BALDWIN, ASSISTANT SID
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UTSA BASEBALL CONTACT: Tony Baldwin, Assistant SID (210/501-6819) DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 Perucki walk-off home run in 14th lifts UTSA past Sacramento State, 3-2 GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – RJ Perucki’s walk-off home run to lead off the bottom of the 14th inning ended the longest game in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament history and give No. 4 seed UTSA a 3-2 victory against fifth-seeded Sacramento State on Wednesday at QuikTrip Park. Perucki hit the first pitch of the frame from reliever Brandon Creel over the wall in left field to give the Roadrunners (32-23) their seventh win in their last eight games. “Off the bat I knew it was gone,” Perucki said of his game-winning blast and team-high 11th round-tripper of the campaign. “It was one of the best balls that came off my bat all season.” Prior to the final at-bat of the game, the Hornets (33-24) had retired 19 of the last 20 UTSA batters, allowing only a leadoff walk to John Welborn in the 13th before a double play erased him off the basepaths. Perucki finished the contest with two hits, including a double, while Jesse Baker was a triple away from the cycle in going 3-for-5 while crushing a solo home run to give the Birds a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Matt Sims (5-2), who entered the game with one out in the eighth, hurled 6.2 scoreless panels and retired the final nine hitters he faced. Starter Brock Hartson allowed just two runs on four hits in 7.1 innings before handing the ball over to Sims. Sacramento State took a 1-0 lead in the third on Andrew Ayers’ solo homer to left field. However, UTSA answered a frame later to tie the game. Perucki led off with a double and advanced to third on Tony Ramirez’s ground out to first base. Horacio Correa III drove in Perucki on the following pitch with another ground out. Baker gave the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead after depositing the first pitch of the seventh over the left-field wall. However, the Hornets responded in their next at-bat when Nathan Lukes hit an RBI triple to left center, which brought Dane Fujinaka all the way around from first with the tying run. Both teams went silent until Perucki stepped to the plate in the 14th. Creel (8-4) allowed one run on one hit and walked one in two-plus stanzas. UTSA will continue pool play against eighth-seeded San Jose State (17-39) at 3 p.m. on Thursday. The Roadrunners will send left-hander Michael Kraft (5-5, 4.02 ERA) to the mound, while the Spartans, who dropped their tournament opener to top seed CSU Bakersfield by a score of 11-3, have not yet announced their starter.
UTSA ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS TONY BALDWIN, ASSISTANT SID
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UTSA BASEBALL CONTACT: Tony Baldwin, Assistant SID (210/501-6819) DATE: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Perucki earns first-team All-Western Athletic Conference accolades DENVER – RJ Perucki, Riley Good, Brock Hartson and Daniel Rockett all earned Western Athletic Conference (WAC) postseason accolades, the league office announced on Tuesday night. Perucki was named to the first team, while Good, Hartson and Rockett all were second-team selections. Perucki, a junior infielder, was one of 18 players chosen to the first team. The 19th first-team all-league honoree in program history, he is enjoying a breakout season at the plate. The Tomabll native leads the the conference’s top hitting team with a .354 batting average, 43 runs, 75 hits, 10 home runs and 116 total bases. He also finished the regular season as the team’s top hitter in WAC play with a .367 batting average to go along with five doubles, five homers and 17 RBIs. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder, who was a third-team All-Southland Conference pick last season, ranks second on the team with 22 multiple-hit games, including eight with three or more, and he reached base safely in 29 consecutive contests earlier this spring. In UTSA’s final seven games of the regular season, Perucki hit .407 with a double, a homer and four RBIs. Good, also a junior, recovered from a mid-season foot injury to join two of his teammates on the 18-player second team. The 2011 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American is hitting .330 while serving as the Birds’ leadoff hitter for most of the campaign. He leads the WAC with six triples and has added eight doubles, a pair of round-trippers and 29 RBIs. The Grandview native also leads the team with 11 stolen bases in 15 attempts. UTSA’s left fielder is riding a 12-game hitting streak coming into this week’s league tournament. The 6-foot, 185-pounder is hitting .314 (16-for-51) with two triples and five RBIs during the stretch. Good ranks third on the team with 20 multiple-hit games and he has registered eight games with two or more RBIs this spring. Hartson, a redshirt freshman starting pitcher, became the first Roadrunners hurler to earn all-league laurels since Zach Calhoon (second team) and Bradley Chovanec (third team) were honored by the Southland in 2008. The right-hander, who is only 15 months removed from Tommy John surgery, leads the Birds’ with an 8-4 record and 3.31 ERA. Hartson, who was 6-2 with a 3.61 ERA in WAC play, has won his last three starts and allowed just five runs over 22.2 innings during that time. The Pearland native has registered a team-high seven quality starts, including 8.2 scoreless panels last Thursday at Louisiana Tech. Rockett, a senior outfielder, landed on the second team after leading the nation in hitting for most of the first half of the season. The Sugar Land native leads the team with a dozen doubles and 45 RBIs. He also is hitting .350 with two triples and nine home runs. Rockett, a two-time WAC Hitter of the Week (Feb. 18 & March 4), has amassed a team-high 23 multiple-hit games and 12 multiple-RBI contests. He tied the program single-game record with five hits in the Roadrunners’ season-opening 9-2 victory against Air Force on Feb. 15 and collected three or more hits seven times this season. Rockett also driven in four or more runs four times. WAC Regular Season Co-Champion CSU Bakersfield claimed three of the conference’s four superlative awards. Junior infielder Tyler Shryock was named Player of the Year, senior southpaw Jeff McKenzie earned Pitcher of the Year honors and Bill Kernen was tabbed Coach of the Year. Sacramento State designated hitter Chris Lewis was selected Freshman of the Year. No. 4 seed UTSA (31-23) opens WAC Tournament pool play against fifth-seeded Sacramento State (33-23) at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie.
UTSA ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS TONY BALDWIN, ASSISTANT SID
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UTSA BASEBALL CONTACT: Tony Baldwin, Assistant SID (210/501-6819) DATE: Saturday, March 2, 2013 Hartson, Rockett lead UTSA past Penn State on Saturday night, 3-2 SAN ANTONIO – Brock Hartson hurled seven-plus strong innings, Daniel Rockett raised his season batting average to .556 with three more hits and a three-run, fourth-inning outburst helped UTSA post a 3-2 victory against Penn State on Saturday night in the fourth game of the UTSA Classic, which is being played this weekend at Wolff Stadium. Hartson (1-1) gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits, walked two and struck out seven en route to picking up his first collegiate victory. The Nittany Lions (2-6) picked up an unearned run on a fielder’s choice in the third, but the Roadrunners (8-3) took advantage of a Penn State error and scored three times a frame later. Hartson and a pair of relievers — Wesley Cox and Matt Sims — made the lead stand up. Cox relieved Hartson after he issued a lead-off walk in the eighth. Four batters later, Sims was brought in and he forced a ground out, gave up an RBI single and walked a batter. Sims’ free pass to JJ White loaded the bases with one out, but the right-hander promptly struck out the next two hitters to quel the threat. The Cypress native then cruised through the ninth to pick up his first save. He forced a pair of ground outs and fanned Luis Montesinos to end the game. UTSA’s deciding inning started with two outs. Steven Hill struck out the first two batters of the fourth, but Horacio Correa III reached after an errant underhand toss from White sailed over Hill’s head at first base. John Welborn and Riley Good made Penn State pay for the error with back-to-back triples on the following two pitches, which gave the Birds the lead for good. Rockett followed Good with an infield single to cap the scoring. After three scoreless innings, the Nittany Lions scratched across a run, but they were unable to pull even. Hill (0-3) was saddled with the loss after yielding three runs (all unearned) on six hits in six innings of work. He also matched Hartson with seven strikeouts. UTSA will conclude tournament play at 4 p.m. on Sunday against former Southland Conference foe Stephen F. Austin (3-5). The Lumberjacks defeated Omaha, 9-2, in the day’s other contest and they have split their first two outings this weekend. Right-hander Clint Sharp (0-1, 4.22 ERA) is scheduled to start for UTSA, while SFA will turn to righty Cameron Gann (0-1, 2.16 ERA).
UTSA ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS TONY BALDWIN, ASSISTANT SID
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UTSA VOLLEYBALL CONTACT: Tony Baldwin, Assistant SID (210/501-6819) DATE: Sunday, December 12, 2012 Adams named Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year DENVER – Junior McKenzie Adams was named Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Player of the Year, the league office announced on Sunday night in conjunction with its all-conference release. Adams, who also was a first-team honoree, was one of five Roadrunners to earn postseason accolades in a vote by the league’s coaches. Freshman Annie Kunes was tabbed WAC Libero of the Year and was joined on the second team by senior Whitney Walls and junior Brandy Huskey, while Kunes and Kylie Schott were selected to the All-Freshman Team. Adams becomes the fourth Player of the Year honoree in program history and first since Tamara Luckemeyer earned her second Southland Conference Player of the Year honor in 1999. The 6-foot-3 outside hitter became the third player in WAC history to be named Player of the Week five times during the season (Hawai`i’s Kanani Danielson 2009/New Mexico’s Pauline Manser 1991). She leads the league with 4.88 points and 4.37 kills per set, while her mark of 3.77 digs is good for fifth. The Schertz native also owns a team-leading 19 double-doubles this fall, including a pair of 20-20 matches (26 kills-20 digs, vs. UAB, Aug. 24/23 digs-20 kills, at Seattle, Sept. 27). Kunes earned the league’s first-ever Libero of the Year award and became the third player in school history to earn the honor (Kelsey Jewasko 2008, ‘10). The Fontana, Wis., native leads the WAC with 4.99 digs per set and her 5.39 digs per panel in conference-only matches ranks fourth all-time in league history. She has amassed 454 stops this season, including a season-high 29 in a four-set victory against Denver on Nov. 8, and collected 15 or more in 23 contests this fall. Walls, a preseason All-WAC selection, garnered all-conference accolades for the fourth time of her career. The Arlington native ranks ninth in the circuit with 3.42 points and 3.06 winners per frame in conference-only contests, while her 2.84 kills in all contests stands second on the team. She has racked up 1,213 winners during her career, which ranks ninth in program annals. Huskey picked up her first postseason laurel in her first campaign as a setter at the collegiate level. She runs point for the league’s top attacking club and has handed out 10.83 assists per panel, which ranks second in the WAC. The Columbus native has accumulated 16 double-doubles, which is good for second on the club, and she dished out a season-high 59 helpers in UTSA’s five-set win against UTEP on Sept. 1. Schott ranks seventh in the league in blocks per set (1.06) and eighth in hitting percentage (.315). She established season highs of 11 kills against Belmont (Sept. 1), eight total blocks against UAB (Aug. 24) and four solo blocks against Texas State (Sept. 21). No. 3 seed UTSA (20-8) opens play at this week’s WAC Tournament, which is being played at the friendly confines of the Convocation Center, at noon on Monday against sixth-seeded San Jose State (14-15). The Roadrunners swept the season series, dropping just one set to the Spartans.
UTSA ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS TONY BALDWIN, ASSISTANT SID
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UTSA VOLLEYBALL CONTACT: Tony Baldwin, Assistant SID (210/501-6819) DATE: Friday, September 24, 2012 Roadrunners sweep I-35 rival Texas State on Friday night SAN ANTONIO – Junior McKenzie Adams posted 13 kills and UTSA swept I-35 rival Texas State (25-13, 25-15, 25-18) on Friday night at the Convocation Center on Friday. It marked the Roadrunners’ first home victory against the Bobcats in nearly four years (Sept. 27, 2008). Adams, who was the lone player in double figures, hit .323 in the match and sophomore Dempsey Thornton chipped in with nine winners on a matchhigh .500 hitting percentage. UTSA (9-4, 2-1 WAC), which trailed only twice in the match, hit .281 while limiting Texas State (6-8, 1-2 WAC) to a .045 hitting percentage while forcing 25 attack errors. The Roadrunners defensive effort was spearheaded by freshmen Kylie Schott and Annie Kunes. Schott posted a match-best seven blocks, including four solo stuffs, while Kunes collected a match-high 16 digs. Meanwhile, junior Brandy Huskey turned in her 10th double-double, and fourth straight, after handing out 30 assists and making 11 stops. The Bobcats received 15 assists from Caleigh McCorquodale and 10 digs from Laura Whalen. UTSA, which committed only one attack error in the opening set, started the onslaught early by racing out to a 7-3 lead. Texas State stayed close until an Adams winner put UTSA ahead, 13-9. The Roadrunners pushed their advantage to as much as 13 before claiming a 25-13 triumph. The two teams split the first 14 points of the second stanza before Adams started a 4-0 run that put the Roadrunners ahead for good. UTSA scored the final five tallies to take a commanding 2-0 lead into intermission. The Roadrunners jumped out to an 8-2 advantage in the final frame and cruised the rest of the way. Texas State pulled to within two (16-14), but a 9-4 run finished off the sweep. UTSA will return to the road next week when it travels to Seattle (6-7, 1-2 WAC) for a Thursday, Sept. 27, match. First serve is scheduled for 9 p.m. (CT).
UTSA ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS TONY BALDWIN, ASSISTANT SID
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UTSA VOLLEYBALL CONTACT: Tony Baldwin, Assistant SID (210/501-6819) DATE: Wednesday, June 19, 2012 UTSA announces addition of Tomasevic to coaching staff on Wednesday SAN ANTONIO – UTSA head coach Laura Neugebauer-Groff announced Wednesday that she has hired Sanja Tomasevic (SAHN-yuh toe-MAH-suhvitch) as an assistant coach. “I am very excited to add Sanja to our program,” Neugebauer-Groff said. “She brings instant credibility to our staff from her professional playing experience and All-American collegiate career. We are very fortunate to have a person like Sanja on our staff.” “I am definitely excited about the opportunity to work at such a distinguished institution,” Tomasevic said. “I have the opportunity to work with and learn from a great staff. I look forward to the challenge of helping the UTSA volleyball program continue its progress.” Tomasevic joins the Roadrunners after successful professional and collegiate careers. The Serbia native played seven years professionally, including the last two as a co-captain of POMI Casalmaggiore in Italy. She was named to four All-Star Games and was named the Best Server at the 2010 European Challenge Cup. She won three league championships, including back-to-back Greek titles with Panathinaikos in 2009 and ‘10. A two-time All-American and the 2005 Asics and CVU.com National Player of the Year at Washington, Tomasevic led the Huskies to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2005 National Championship, and a pair of Pacific-10 Conference titles. The former outside hitter ended her collegiate career as Washington’s all-time leader in points (2,159.5), kills (1,795) and service aces (156). She is one of only three players in Huskies history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Tomasevic graduated in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in communications.