Conner Shepherd hit TCU’s only home run, a solo shot down the left-field line in the fourth inning of a 6-3 victory over UTSA on Wednesday.Lefty-hitting Conner Shepherd drilled TCU’s only home run on a night that felt like it was made for right-handed batters to go deep.
Shepherd’s opposite-field blast down the left-field line in the fourth inning was part of a nine-hit attack by the Horned Frogs in a 6-3 victory over UTSA at Roadrunner Field on Wednesday.
UTSA got home runs by right-handed batters Nick Thornquist and Kyle Bergeron, but had only one other hit in the game. The wind was steadily blowing straight out to left field all night.
TCU is No. 11 in the NCAA rankings and No. 9 by Baseball America.
Shepherd, a senior from California, played for the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio during the 2020 Texas Collegiate League season. He started at third base for TCU on Wednesday. He is hitting .294 and Wednesday’s homer was his first of the season.
TCU’s Luke Boyers, a freshman from Boerne Champion High School, walked and scored in the first inning. The Frogs grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with two hits and a UTSA error. TCU led the rest of the way.
TCU’s Luke Boyers scores in the top of the first inning against UTSA on Wednesday.UTSA’s Kyle Bergeron celebrates with coach Pat Hallmark after hitting a fifth inning home run against TCU on Wednesday.UTSA’s Nick Thornquist celebrates in the dugout after hitting a sixth-inning home run against TCU on Wednesday.
UTSA’s Jonathan Tapia tags out a UT-Arlington runner trying to steal second base on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at Roadrunner Field.Jonathan Tapia is a junior at UTSA and has started six of seven games so far this season, hitting .350 and seeing action mostly at second base but also in the outfield.
Tapia played his high school ball not far from UTSA at O’Connor. He played in 44 games as a UTSA freshman in 2018 and 51 games as a sophomore in 2019. He also saw action in 15 of 17 UTSA games in 2020 in the covid-shortened season.
Tapia played in the 2020 Texas Collegiate League, starting the season in Victoria and moving to the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio later in the summer.
Jonathan Tapia
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Jonathan Tapia from UTSA and O’Connor High School made his debut with the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio against Texas USA on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020.
Flying Chanclas players gather for a photo after their game July 29 at Wolff Stadium.The Flying Chanclas de San Antonio’s season ended with a 7-3 loss to the Brazos Valley Bombers on Wednesday in Bryan in the Texas Collegiate League playoffs.
The Bombers will play for the TCL title on Saturday against either the Amarillo Sod Squad or Tulsa Drillers.
It’s been fun to watch college baseball players at Wolff Stadium over the last month. The Chanclas had lots of local talent. Both the Chanclas and the visiting teams had some top players from some of the big schools.
Bryan Aguilar playing for the Flying Chanclas at Wolff Stadium during the 2020 season.Bryan Aguilar is an infielder from Marshall University and East Central High School.
He joined the Flying Chanclas after the season started and played second base.
Aguilar played in 13 games during the 2020 Texas Collegiate League season.
Arturo Guajardo, pitching against the Amarillo Sod Squad at Wolff Stadium on July 29, led the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio in strikeouts this season.The Flying Chanclas de San Antonio had eight pitchers who appeared in at least eight games this summer.
Tyler Flores led the team with 10 appearances.
Connor Schmidt, Arturo Guajardo, Johnny Panatex and Garrett Egli had nine appearances each. Zach DeLeon, Matthew Sesler and Jaime Ramirez Jr. had eight each.
Guajardo led the Chanclas in strikeouts with 30 in 17 1/3 innings. Of the busiest relievers, Flores had the best ERA at 0.61, followed by Schmidt at 0.69.
– Tyler Flores, No. 16, 6-foot-1 left-hander from A&M-Kingsville and Clark High School
– Connor Schmidt, No. 10, 6-foot-7 right-hander from St. Mary’s and Devine High School
– Arturo Guajardo, No. 28, 6-foot-2 right-hander from UTSA and Laredo United High School
– Garrett Egli, No. 47, 6-foot-4 right-hander from Sam Houston State and Smithson Valley High School
– Johnny Panatex, No. 4, 5-foot-8 right-hander from St. Mary’s and Pflugerville High School
– Matthew Sesler, No. 40, 6-foot-5 left-hander from A&M-Kingsville and Harlingen High School
– Jaime Ramirez Jr., No. 14, 5-foot-11 left-hander from A&M-Corpus Christi and Holy Cross High School
– Zach DeLeon, No. 32, 6-foot right-hander from UTSA, UT-Rio Grande Valley and Hondo High School
Austin Krob pitching for the Flying Chanclas at Wolff Stadium during the 2020 season. – photo by Joe AlexanderAustin Krob tied for the Flying Chanclas team lead in games started on the mound this season.
The 6-foot-3 left-hander from TCU appeared in five games, all starts. He compiled a 1-3 record with a 5.94 ERA and struck out 17 batters in 16 2/3 innings.
In his most recent outing, Krob pitched five shutout innings and allowed four hits with five strikeouts against the Amarillo Sod Squad on July 28 at Wolff Stadium.
Marcelo Perez pitches for the Flying Chanclas at Wolff Stadium during the 2020 TCL season. – photo by Joe AlexanderMarcelo Perez tied for the Flying Chanclas’ team lead for starts by a pitcher this season with five.
The 5-foot-11 right-hander from TCU and Laredo Alexander had a 1-0 record and 0.44 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.
Perez earned his win in his most recent outing. He threw six shutout innings with four hits and eight strikeouts as the Chanclas beat the Amarillo Sod Squad 5-1 on July 29.
Eric Cervantes playing for the Flying Chanclas at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderEric Cervantes is a catcher from Howard College and Marshall High School.
Texas Collegiate League stats show he appeared in three games for the Flying Chanclas this season including the home opener at Wolff Stadium. He also played in Saturday night’s Chanclas vs. Texas USA game.
Grant Smith from Incarnate Word playing third base for the Flying Chanclas at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderGrant Smith is an infielder from Albuquerque, N.M., and University of the Incarnate Word.
Smith has been holding down third base for the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio. He has 19 hits and 11 RBIs in 25 games and has stolen three bases.
During the shortened 2020 college season, Smith led Incarnate Word in batting at .339 in 16 games. He had one double, one triple, one home run and 15 RBIs.
