UTSA Baseball Weathers Early Setback, Charges to Best Start in Program History

Despite losing star pitcher Rob Orloski in the first inning, the Roadrunners have surged to a 7-1 record to open the season.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Just two outs into UTSA's season, star pitcher Rob Orloski suffered an injury that could sideline him for an extended period. However, the Roadrunners' pitching staff has stepped up, and the team has charged to the best start in program history, winning seven straight games including a sweep of perennial NCAA Tournament team Dallas Baptist.

Why it matters

UTSA is looking to build on last year's historic first run to an NCAA Super Regional. Losing Orloski, their ace, in the season opener could have been a devastating blow, but the Roadrunners have shown resilience and depth to overcome the early setback.

The details

Despite Orloski's injury, UTSA's pitchers have stepped up, posting a 4.44 team ERA compared to 4.99 last season. The Roadrunners have also sustained their offensive success, ranking in the top 20 nationally in several key categories. A group of newcomers, including transfers Christian Hallmark, Lane Haworth, and Josh Arquette, have made immediate impacts at the plate.

  • Just two outs into UTSA's season opener, Orloski suffered his injury.
  • UTSA has surged to a 7-1 record to open the season.

The players

Rob Orloski

UTSA's No. 1 starter, described as 'basically our best player' by coach Pat Hallmark.

Pat Hallmark

UTSA's head baseball coach, in his seventh season with the program.

Christian Hallmark

UTSA outfielder and Pat Hallmark's son, a sophomore transfer from junior college.

Lane Haworth

UTSA outfielder, a first-year transfer from Wichita State.

Josh Arquette

UTSA third baseman, a sophomore junior college transfer.

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What they’re saying

“When he's pitching, we can beat anybody.”

— Christian Hallmark, UTSA Outfielder (expressnews.com)

“We're not overly talented in the grand scheme of things, when we put ourselves up against DBU (Dallas Baptist), or Texas, or even Texas State. But I just think, for the most part, we play winning baseball. We play clean defense, we have good at-bats, and we play hard. As long as we keep doing that, we're still going to keep playing winning baseball.”

— Christian Hallmark, UTSA Outfielder (expressnews.com)

“We're pitching well without one of the big guys, and that's a little bit of a surprise. We're not going to go out there and strike everybody out, throw 95 miles an hour. We're going to pitch with 90 mile an hour fastballs, sometimes less, and we're going to move the ball around and change speeds. ... It doesn't mean we can't beat people. We just have to be a little better at everything else.”

— Pat Hallmark, UTSA Head Baseball Coach (expressnews.com)

“They lost some guys from last year's team, and we knew that we had to fill those spots. Hallmark has coached us to the point where we are able to fill those spots to that, or better, than last year.”

— Lane Haworth, UTSA Outfielder (expressnews.com)

What’s next

UTSA will face a tough test this weekend at the BRUCE BOLT College Classic in Houston, taking on Ohio State, Baylor, and No. 9 Coastal Carolina.

The takeaway

Despite losing their ace pitcher in the season opener, UTSA has shown remarkable resilience and depth to charge to the best start in program history. The Roadrunners' scrappy, 'junkyard dog' mentality has them poised to build on last year's historic postseason run.