LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Riding the momentum of a weekend sweep, Little Rock returns home Tuesday for a two-game nonconference series against UT Rio Grande Valley at Gary Hogan Field.
The Trojans (23-17, 12-4 OVC) will face the Vaqueros (18-21, 12-12 Southland) at 6 p.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Wednesday. With the sweep of Eastern Illinois, Little Rock moved into a tie for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings alongside SIUE.
Both games will stream on ESPN+ with Max Coltrane on play-by-play. Tuesday's broadcast will feature a special guest in the booth as Little Rock School for the Blind student Dallas Cathey returns for color commentary after debuting last season. Tuesday's game will also air on 106.7 Buz2 with Michael Westbrook on the call.
GAME INFO
Who: Little Rock (23-17, 12-4) vs. UT Rio Grande Valley (18-21, 12-12)
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 21; 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 22
Where: Gary Hogan Field, Little Rock, Ark.
Video: ESPN+
Radio: 106.7 Buz2 (Tuesday)
Live Stats: LRTrojans.com
SERIES HISTORY
•The series is tied 8-8.
COACH SPEAK
"UTGRV has a quality program that is coming off of a great weekend," Trojans head coach Chris Curry said. "They have one of the best hitters in the country in the middle of the lineup in Raygoza and they have won some championships the last few years. The weather will be great and it should be a fun two game series to watch for a crowd, and I hope they come out and support us."
TROJAN TIDBITS
•Little Rock racked up 47 hits in its series sweep of Eastern Illinois, including 35 hits across the first two games and 12 more in Sunday's run-rule victory.
•The sweep marked the Trojans' second of conference play. Little Rock has also secured two additional series wins.
•Senior outfielder Ty Rhoades continued his strong season with four hits in Saturday's 11-6 win over Eastern Illinois and surpassed the 200-hit milestone for his career. The Jonesboro native now owns 205 career hits.
•Redshirt junior Nic Bronzini earned his first OVC win after tossing five innings in Sunday's victory over EIU, allowing just three hits while striking out two. It came one week after making his first conference start at SIUE.
•Little Rock enters the week tied for first in the OVC standings and will look to maintain its position with a road series at Lindenwood this weekend. The Lions enter on an eight-game winning streak.
SCOUTING THE VAQUEROS
•UT Rio Grande Valley has posted 30+ wins in each of the past three seasons and shared the 2025 Southland Conference regular-season title.
•The Vaqueros opened the year with a win over Kansas and took two of three from Houston.
•UTRGV has won four of its last five games.
•Thomas Williams leads the team with a .327 batting average.
•Armani Raygoza paces the Vaqueros with 13 home runs and 38 RBI.
•Julius Ramirez leads the team with 43 RBI.
•Mason Engel is expected to start on the mound Tuesday. He has appeared in nine games with five starts, posting a 5.59 ERA with opponents hitting .278 against him. Wednesday's starter is to be determined.
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