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Published Jun 2, 2022
Everything you need to know about the Austin Regional
Ben Carlisle  •  BleedTechBlue
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Twitter
@BCarlisle37

Louisiana Tech will be the #2 seed in the Austin Regional in Austin, Texas this weekend.

The Bulldogs will square-off with the #3 seed Dallas Baptist at 6:30 on Friday night.

Before we take a look at the match-up between the Bulldogs and Patriots, let's take a look at each team that will be playing in the NCAA Regional that is hosted by the Texas Longhorns.

#1 seed -- Texas Longhorns (42-19, 14-10 in the Big 12)

Key Position Players | 1B Ivan Melendez (.406, 29 HR, 87 RBI), RF Murphy Stehly (.377, 17 HR, 54 RBI), 3B Skyler Messinger (.353, 10 HR, 50 RBI), CF Douglas Hodo III (.311, 8 HR, 41 RBI), SS Trey Faltine (.278, 14 HR, 51 RBI), C Silas Ardoin (.276, 11 HR, 46 RBI)

Key Starting Pitchers | LHP Pete Hansen (10-1, 3.01), LHP Lucas Gordon (7-1, 2.41)

Key Relief Pitchers | RHP Marcus Olivarez (16 app, 1-0, 0.42), LHP Luke Harrison (29 app, 0-0, 3.03), RHP Jared Southard (21 app, 3-1, 3.18), RHP Aaron Nixon (25 app, 1-3, 4.75, 5 saves)

Quick Notes | The Texas Longhorns were the preseason #1 team in the country according to D1Baseball.com.

After sputtering in the middle portion of the season, David Pierce's squad is playing its best baseball as it enters the postseason having won 11 of its last 14 games overall.

Ivan Melendez leads a potent lineup with a .406 batting average to go along with 29 HR and 87 RBI.

#2 seed -- Louisiana Tech (42-19, 20-10 in Conference USA)

Key Position Players | SS Taylor Young (.358, 11 HR, 49 RBI), CF Cole McConnell (.332, 9 HR, 74 RBI), RF Steele Netterville (.311, 14 HR, 66 RBI), 3B Logan McLeod (.284, 1 HR, 25 RBI), C Jorge Corona (.281, 13 HR, 55 RBI)

Key Starting Pitchers | RHP Ryan Jennings (5-1, 3.74), LHP Jonathan Fincher (7-2, 3.63), LHP Cade Gibson (6-5, 4.87)

Key Relief Pitchers | RHP Kyle Crigger (35 app, 6-1, 1.79, 10 saves) RHP Landon Tomkins (22 app, 4-0, 2.25), LHP Ryan Harland (18 app, 3-0, 3.27)

Quick Notes | Louisiana Tech will be playing in its 3rd regional in 6 years down in Austin this weekend.

Lane Burroughs club won 4 of 5 games on its way to the Conference USA Tournament Championship in Hattiesburg last weekend.

Taylor Young, the Conference USA Tournament MVP, has established himself as one of the best shortstops in all of college baseball. Young is hitting .358 with 11 HR and 49 RBI in 2022.

The West Monroe, LA native has also stolen 26 bases in 28 attempts.

#3 seed -- Dallas Baptist (34-22-1, 11-9-1 in the Missouri Valley)

Key Position Players | 1B Cole Moore (.356, 10 HR, 44 RBI), LF Jace Grady (.307, 10 HR, 37 RBI), 3B Luke Heefner (.293, 7 HR, 28 RBI), SS Blayne Jones (.291, 12 HR, 44 RBI), 2B Miguel Santos (.285, 10 HR, 40 RBI)

Key Starting Pitchers | RHP Luke Eldred (5-2, 4.76), RHP Jacob Meador (7-3, 4.86)

Key Relief Pitchers | RHP Zane Russell (22 app, 4-0, 1.69), RHP Bubba Hall (25 app, 3-2, 3.47), LHP Brady Rose (20 app, 1-2, 4.50), RHP Chandler Arnold (19 app, 2-3, 4.57)

Quick Notes | Dallas Baptist will be playing in its 8th consecutive regional down in Austin this weekend.

Dan Heefner owns a 560-292-1 record over 15 seasons as the head coach of the Patriots.

Dallas Baptist enters the postseason having gone 1-4-1 over its last 6 games.

#4 seed -- Air Force (30-27, 15-15 in the Mountain West)

Key Position Players | 1B Sam Kulasingam (.414, 11 HR, 61 RBI), LF Gabriel Garcia (.353, 14 HR, 62 RBI), 3B Jay Thomason (.344, 16 HR, 52 RBI), C/RHP Paul Skenes (.326, 12 HR, 36 RBI), RF Jake Greiving (.317, 9 HR, 49 RBI), DH Braydon Altorfer (.284, 12 HR, 48 RBI)

Key Starting Pitchers | RHP Paul Skenes (10-2, 2.42)

Key Relief Pitchers | RHP Doyle Gehring (22 app, 3-3, 4.74), RHP Zach Argo (21 app, 2-1, 4.85)

Quick Notes | Air Force is making its first NCAA Regional appearance since 1969.

The Falcons earned their way into the postseason by winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament last weekend in San Diego.

Paul Skenes enters the Austin Regional as one of the most exciting players in all of college baseball. A two-way player that both catches and pitches, Skenes hits .326 with 12 HR and 36 RBI this season. On the mound, Skenes is 10-2 with a 2.42 era. All-American.

BleedTechBlue will have you covered throughout the weekend as Louisiana Tech plays in the Austin Regional in Austin, TX.

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