Over the winter break, UTA’s men’s and women’s basketball teams represented the university in multiple sporting events, while other sports programs released their 2023 spring season schedules.
The men’s basketball team went 2-6 over the break, while the women’s basketball team went 2-4. The Mavericks currently rank 13th in the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball standings, while the Lady Mavericks rank fifth in the women’s standings.
In mid-2022, the WAC introduced a new seeding system for its basketball rankings, which is meant to put wins and losses into better context. For example, beating a team ranked first in the conference would give a better score than beating a team ranked 10th in the conference.
This has proven advantageous for the women’s basketball team, as their 2-4 conference record would normally rank them ninth. However, with this new system and its strong non-conference schedule, the team currently ranks fifth.
Meanwhile, the baseball and softball teams, both led by first-year head coaches, released their schedules for the upcoming seasons. The baseball team will play 56 games and the softball team will compete in 48 regular-season matches.
Here’s a breakdown of everything you may have missed over the winter break.
Redshirt junior guard Marion Humphrey dribbles down the court during the game against the University of Nevada, Reno on Nov. 18 at the College Park Center.
Men’s basketball
The Mavericks (6-13, 1-5) snapped a six-game losing streak Saturday when they took down New Mexico State University 66-55 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. This was UTA’s first conference victory this season.
On Dec. 19, the team defeated the University of San Francisco in what’s commonly known as a “buy game.” In these games, the home team will pay a team to come in to play them.
These games usually result in big wins for the home team. However, UTA came in and spoiled the party, taking home the victory and a $20,000 bonus.
Now, as the team looks to rebound after a six-game losing streak, it’ll be up against the new conference standings system. The Mavericks currently rank 13th in the new system.
The top 12 teams will travel to Las Vegas to compete in the conference tournament.
Redshirt senior forward Starr Jacobs drives down the court during a basketball game against the University of North Texas on Nov. 29 at College Park Center.
Women’s basketball
The Lady Mavericks (8-10, 2-4) struggled over the break, losing three games in a row before a 76-70 road victory against Tarleton State University on Jan. 14.
The team was picked to finish second in the preseason conference poll and currently sits in fifth in the WAC’s new resume seeding system.
Two of UTA’s conference losses have come from lower-ranked teams: an 83-73 home loss to 10th-ranked University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a 92-72 road loss to seventh-ranked Abilene Christian University.
The good news for the Lady Mavericks is that fifth-year guard Jireh Washington has returned from injury after missing almost a month. Washington is averaging 11.5 points per game this season.
The baseball team watch for a foul ball during a game against Coastal Carolina University on April 10, 2021, at Clay Gould Ballpark.
Baseball
Head coach Clay Van Hook announced the full 2023 schedule Dec. 20. It includes five games against opponents who advanced to regionals in the NCAA Tournament last season, including the University of Oklahoma, who went all the way to the championship game.
The Mavericks will play Dallas Baptist University at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at Globe Life Field before traveling to Fort Worth to play Texas Christian University at 6 p.m. Feb. 22.
UTA will open conference play March 10 against Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. The team’s first home conference game is March 17 versus Abilene Christian University.
The team will also play notable games against in-state schools. UTA will face Texas Tech University twice, TCU three times, the University of Houston twice and the University of Texas at Austin once.
When the season wraps up, the Mavericks will travel to Mesa, Arizona, to compete in the WAC baseball tournament May 23-27.
Sophomore third baseman, Jadyn Erickson catches an air ball April 10, 2021, against Georgia State at Allan Saxe Softball Field. UTA lost 0-2 in the first game of the double header on April 10.
Softball
Head coach Kara Dill announced the 2023 schedule for the softball team Dec. 19. The Mavericks will play 48 regular-season games, 24 at Allan Saxe Field.
UTA will open conference play Feb. 10 when it hosts Texas Tech University and University of Tulsa at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively, in the Maverick Invitational. The Mavericks will play both schools twice, once on Friday and once on Saturday.
In February, UTA will travel to play two in-state tournaments. The Mavericks compete in the Tracy Beard Tournament in Denton, Texas on Feb. 17-19. Then, they will travel to San Marcos, Texas, to compete in the Texas State Classic from Feb. 23-25.
In March, the team will host three notable in-state opponents: the University of Texas at Austin at 6 p.m. March 8, Baylor University at 11:30 a.m. March 22 and the University of North Texas at 6 p.m. March 29.
The Mavericks will play their first conference match at 1 p.m. March 17 against Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah and their first home conference game at 4 p.m. March 31 against Utah Tech University.
When the season concludes in early May, UTA will head to Phoenix, Arizona, for the WAC softball tournament May 10-13.
Freshman Tara Gorinsek hits the ball during a match against Troy University on March 27, 2022, at the UTA Tennis Center.
Tennis
The men’s and women’s tennis teams released their schedules Dec. 16. The men’s team is coming off a 13-12 season, winning 10 of 14 games at home. If the team can keep this home success, it could prove advantageous in the postseason when UTA hosts the WAC tennis tournament in late April.
The women’s team will look to continue last year’s success, winning a program-record of 23 games. It fell short 4-3 in the Sun Belt Championship game against South Alabama. As the team enters a new conference, it attempts to sustain their home-field advantage, where it went 16-2 last season.
The men’s team starts its season Friday, playing two games in Albuquerque, New Mexico. UTA will face off against the University of New Mexico on Friday before facing Gonzaga University on Saturday.
The men’s team will play its first home game at 10 a.m. Jan. 29 when they host Prairie View A&M University. The team will open conference play at home April 2 opposing University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
The women’s team opens its season at home with a Jan. 28 doubleheader, hosting Dallas Baptist University at 10 a.m. and Prairie View A&M at 2 p.m.
The women’s team will play its first WAC game against Abilene Christian University on March 17 in Abilene, TX. The team will play its first home conference game March 24 against New Mexico State University.
The WAC men’s and women’s tennis tournaments will be played April 27-29 in Arlington.
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