UTSA pitcher John Chomko photo gallery

UTSA's John Chomko pitching against Old Dominion on May 9 at Roadrunner Field. - photo by Joe Alexander
UTSA’s John Chomko pitching against Old Dominion on May 9 at Roadrunner Field.
John Chomko is a sophomore from Tomball, Texas.

The 6-foot-2 right-hander has made 12 appearances this season for UTSA including 4 starts.

Chomko compiled a 4.74 ERA and an 0-2 record with 25 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. He recorded a save against UAB on May 2.

Frisco takes 2nd straight from Missions; Abrams stays hot

Jose Azocar drives in Michael Curry with the Missions' first run in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jose Azocar drives in Michael Curry with the Missions’ first run in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. – photos by Joe Alexander
The Frisco RoughRiders beat the San Antonio Missions 8-2 on Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium.

The Missions have scored only two runs in the first two games of the series combined. Frisco and the Missions play the third in the six-game series on Thursday.

Missions shortstop CJ Abrams had three hits, a walk and an RBI. He is batting .333 on the season. Abrams is on a five-game hitting streak and is 9-of-21 (.429) over that stretch.

The Missions had 10 hits including doubles by Michael Curry and Jose Azocar but couldn’t put together a big inning.

Michael Curry heads for home with the Missions' first run in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Michael Curry heads for home with the Missions’ first run in the bottom of the second inning.

UTSA pitcher Grant Miller photo gallery

UTSA's Grant Miller pitching against TCU on March 10, 2021, at Roadrunner Field. - photo by Joe Alexander
UTSA’s Grant Miller pitching against TCU on March 10, 2021, at Roadrunner Field.
Grant Miller has pitched in 20 games this season for UTSA, matching Hunter Mason for most on the team.

Miller has made three starts and has a 1-3 record with a 7.04 ERA and one save.

The 6-foot-3 left-hander is a junior from Round Rock, where he earned all-district honors three times and all-state honors twice. He spent two years at McLennan Community College before coming to UTSA.

Texas Rangers prospect Hans Crouse makes Double-A debut pitching against Missions

Texas Rangers prospect Hans Crouse pitching for the Frisco RoughRiders against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium on May 18, 2021. - photo by Joe Alexander
Texas Rangers prospect Hans Crouse pitching for the Frisco RoughRiders against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium on May 18, 2021.
Four years ago, the Texas Rangers picked Hans Crouse in the second round of the amateur baseball draft.

The Rangers gave the high school pitcher from California a million-dollar-plus signing bonus that marked him as one of the team’s big hopes for the future.

Tuesday night, the 22-year-old Crouse pitched at the Double-A level for the first time as the Frisco RoughRiders’ starter against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium.

In his first game since Aug. 26, 2019, the 6-foot-4 right hander pitched one inning and retired the Missions in order while striking out one batter. According to the Prospect Times, Crouse threw 11 pitches, with eight of them strikes.

The Rangers already had another pitcher warming up when the game started, so it looks like the one-inning appearance was part of the team’s plan.

Crouse pitched in 19 games in 2019 in Class A ball, despite reportedly dealing with bone chips in his elbow. He recorded a 6-1 record with a 4.41 ERA. His last game before Tuesday night was August 26, 2019.

Rangers’ Brock Holt takes his cuts against Missions

Brock Holt of the Texas Rangers playing for the Frisco RoughRiders as part of his rehab assignment on May 18, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Brock Holt of the Texas Rangers batting for the Frisco RoughRiders as part of his rehab assignment on May 18, 2021, at Wolff Stadium.
Texas Rangers third baseman Brock Holt was in uniform for the Frisco RoughRiders on Tuesday against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium.

Holt is with Frisco as part of a rehab assignment. He is expected to play one more game with the RoughRiders on Wednesday against the Missions.

The 10-season major league veteran, who has already played in 15 games with the Rangers this season, went 0-for-3 with one walk on Tuesday as the RoughRiders’ designated hitter.

Missions drop home opener to Frisco as pitching dominates

The Frisco RoughRiders scored the only run of the game on a wild pitch to beat the San Antonio Missions 1-0 Tuesday night at Wolff Stadium.

The game marked the Missions’ first home game of the 2021 season and the first Missions game at Wolff Stadium since August 2019.

Frisco’s Diosbel Arias scored from third base on a wild pitch for what turned out to be the winning run.

Four Missions pitchers combined to hold the RoughRiders to one hit, but the Missions never came up with a timely hit of their own to score a run.

Caleb Boushley was the Missions’ starting pitcher and threw five scoreless innings with two strikeouts and two walks. Sam Williams was the first Missions relief pitcher and took the loss after giving up a leadoff single to Arias in the seventh inning that led to the winning run.

Henry Henry, whose wild pitch brought in Arias, pitching 1 2/3 innings. James Reeves pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with one strikeout.

The official attendance was 3,112, which was a sellout under the current covid rules in effect for the opening series of the season.

The Frisco RoughRiders' Diosbel Arias slides safely into home in front of San Antonio Missions pitcher Henry Henry to score the only run of the game on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Frisco RoughRiders’ Diosbel Arias slides safely into home in front of San Antonio Missions pitcher Henry Henry to score the only run of the game on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at Wolff Stadium.

UTSA pitcher Hunter Mason photo gallery

UTSA's Hunter Mason pitching against Middle Tennessee on April 10, 2021, at Roadrunner Field. - photo by Joe Alexander
UTSA’s Hunter Mason pitching against Middle Tennessee on April 10, 2021, at Roadrunner Field. – photo by Joe Alexander
UTSA’s Hunter Mason is a senior from Champion High School in Boerne.

Mason is tied for the UTSA team lead in pitching appearances this season with 20 heading into the Roadrunners’ final 2021 home game tonight. UTSA plays Incarnate Word at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field.

The 6-foot, right-hander has a 6-5 record, all in relief, with a 4.98 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings pitched.

Mason pitched seven times in last year’s covid-shortened seasona and 27 times as a junior in 2019.

Missions outfielder, Padres prospect Jose Azocar: a first look

Jose Azocar playing outfield for the San Antonio Missions in the 2021 season opener on May 4 in Corpus Christi. - photo by Joe Alexander
Jose Azocar playing outfield for the San Antonio Missions in the 2021 season opener on May 4 in Corpus Christi. – photo by Joe Alexander
Jose Azocar is on a batting hot streak as the San Antonio Missions return to town for tonight’s home opener at Wolff Stadium.

Azocar had hits in the last four games of the Missions’ recent road series in Midland. He was 7-of-18 (.389) over that stretch with a three-hit game and a two-hit game.

The 25-year-old outfielder from Venezuela is batting .283 for the season with three walks and three RBIs. He has played in all 12 Missions games this season.

Two years ago, Azocar batted .286 with 10 home runs in 129 games in Double-A in the Detroit Tigers organization. Azocar was originally signed by the Tigers in 2012. He was signed by the San Diego Padres as a free agent to a minor lealgue contract in November 2020.

UTSA outfielder Chris Shull photo gallery

UTSA outfielder and former MacArthur High School star Chris Shull playing against Rice on April 25, 2021, at Roadrunner Field. - photo by Joe Alexander
UTSA outfielder and former MacArthur High School star Chris Shull playing against Rice on April 25, 2021, at Roadrunner Field.
Chris Shull is a freshman from MacArthur High School in San Antonio.

The 6-foot-1 right-hander is listed as an outfielder and pitcher. He has seen action in nine games in the outfield for the Roadrunners this season and is batting .192 with two home runs and five RBIs.

Shull earned all-state honors as a junior at MacArthur. He earned all-district honors for three years. The 2020 high school season was halted, preventing him from being all-district for four straight seasons.

Is Missions’ CJ Abrams the next Padres star? a first look

CJ Abrams playing for the San Antonio Missions in the 2021 season opener on May 4 in Corpus Christi. - photo by Joe Alexander
CJ Abrams playing for the San Antonio Missions in the 2021 season opener on May 4 in Corpus Christi. – photos by Joe Alexander
It was four summers ago that Fernando Tatis Jr. was roaming the infield at Wolff Stadium.

In the short time since then, Tatis has gone from a prospect with the San Antonio Missions, to a starter with the San Diego Padres, to a bona fide major league star with a $330 million contract.

So the question in the minors is, who will be next?

CJ Abrams just might be the answer.

The 20-year-old shortstop is the No. 2 prospect in the Padres organization, and the top prospect who is not a pitcher.

Abrams and the rest of the Missions make their 2021 home debut at Wolff Stadium on Tuesday night – weather permitting.

The lanky 6-foot-2 infielder with a whip for an arm has played mostly at shortstop this season. He has also seen action at second base. Abrams also projects to be able to play center field, similar to Mauricio Dubon of the 2019 Missions, who now plays shortstop and outfield for the San Francisco Giants.

Abrams has played in all of the Missions’ 12 games so far this season. He is batting .306 with two home runs, four doubles and three stolen bases.

This is his second year in the minors – it would be his third if the 2020 minor league season hadn’t been wiped out by covid. In 2019, he batted .401 as an 18 year old in 32 games in rookie league with three home runs and 14 stolen bases. He also spent two games in Class A.

More recently, Abrams gained the experience of spending time with the Padres, including the likes of Tatis and Manny Machado, this February and March after being invited to join the major league team in spring training in Arizona.

San Diego Padres infield prospect CJ Abrams playing at a 2021 spring training game in Arizona. - photo by Joe Alexander
San Diego Padres infield prospect CJ Abrams playing at a 2021 spring training game in Arizona. – photo by Joe Alexander