UT Arlington Heading to NCAA Regional after Southland Tournament Win
POSTGAME QUOTES
SAN MARCOS, Texas - UT Arlington is headed to the NCAA tournament after
winning the 2012 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament Saturday with a 13-4
victory over Southeastern Louisiana at Bobcat Stadium.
The Mavericks will learn their regional site with Monday's
announcement of the 64-team bracket at 11 a.m. on ESPNU. UTA will make its fifth
all-time trip to an NCAA regional, with the most recent coming in 2006. The
Mavericks also went in 2001, 1992 and 1990.
UTA got back to the NCAA tournament by going a perfect 4-0 during
the four-day Southland tournament. Senior starter Lance Day picked up two of
those wins, including the title-clincher after pitching in the tournament opener
on Wednesday.
Day worked 5.2 innings and gave up three runs against the Lions,
who were playing their second game Saturday. Southeastern had to beat Stephen
F. Austin earlier in the day for the right to play UTA.
Ryan Walker led the Mavericks with four hits, while adding two
RBI. Preston Beck hit a grand slam in the eighth. Preston Morrow drove three
for UTA, which totaled 14 hits off nine Southeastern pitchers.
The Lions tried to get those runs back in the fourth, getting two
runners in scoring position with one out. Day bucked down with a strikeout and
ground out to escape the jam.
The Mavericks added three runs in the fourth on four hits. Sibley
singled, Walker tripled, Beck doubled and Preston Morrow singled to start the
inning.
Southeastern cut a 6-0 UTA lead in half in the sixth inning. The
Mavericks responded with a run in the bottom of the inning on Jordan Vaughn to
score Morrow. Walker scored his third run of the game on another hit by Guerra.
Beck came home shortly after on
The Mavericks threatened in the bottom of the first, loading the
bases with two outs on a single and two walks. Matt Shortall, though, grounded
out to end the inning.
Greg McCall, Guerra, Beck, Sibley and Day were named to the all-tournament
team. Sibley also was named the tournament's most valuable player.
2012
All-Tournament Team
MVP: Travis Sibley (3B), UT Arlington
C: Greg
McCall, UT Arlington
1B: Bobby Loveless, Stephen F. Austin
2B: Michael Guerra, UT Arlington
SS: Hunter Dozier, Stephen F. Austin
OF: Jeff McVaney, Texas State
OF: Ladd Rhodes, Southeastern La.
OF: Preston Beck, UT Arlington
DH: Max Lamantia, Stephen F. Austin
P: Lance
Day, UT Arlington
P: Dylan
Hills, Southeastern La.
Tournament Results
Wednesday,
May 23
Game 1: No. 4 UT Arlington 6, No. 5 McNeese State 2
Game 2: No. 8 A&M-Corpus Christi 9, No. 1 Sam
Houston State 2
Game 3: No. 3 Texas State 11, No. 6 Stephen F. Austin
1 (7 innings)
Game 4: No. 2 Southeastern La. 6, No. 7 Central
Arkansas 3
Thursday, May
24
Game 5: No. 1 Sam Houston State 7, No. 5McNeese State
1 (Cowboys eliminated)
Game 6: No. 6 Stephen F. Austin 7, No. 7 Central
Arkansas 2 (Bears eliminated)
Game 7: No. 4 UT Arlington 10, No. 8 A&M-Corpus
Christi 5
Game 8: No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 7, No. 3 Texas
State 1
Friday, May
25
Game 9: No. 1 Sam Houston State 4, No. 8 A&M-Corpus Christi 3 (Islanders
eliminated)
Game 10: No. 6 Stephen F. Austin 9, No. 3 Texas State
7 (Bobcats eliminated)
Game 11: No. 4 UT Arlington 7, No. 1 Sam
Houston State 6 (Bearkats eliminated)
Game 12: Stephen F. Austin 4, No. 2 Southeastern La. 3
Saturday, May
26
Game 13: Not necessary
Game 14: No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 5, No. 6 Stephen
F. Austin 4 (Lumberjacks eliminated)
Championship:
No. 4 UT Arlington 13, No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 4 (Lions eliminated)
UT Arlington is the 2012 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament
Champion