THE RUNDOWN
No. 15 DBU (40-12, 23-4) completed the sweep of No. 22 UTSA (36-15, 19-7) on Sunday with a 9-6 win at Roadrunner Field. The victory clinches the Conference USA regular season title for the Patriots in DBU's first year in the league.
 
The DBU bats caught fire in a hurry. The first two Patriot hitters reached base to start the game, and Nathan Humphreys made it three in a row with a two-RBI double for a quick 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Humphreys became the third run to score when he advanced to home from third on a Grant Jay single.
 
In the second inning, three of the first four Patriots walked, and with one out and the bases loaded, Humphreys hit his second two-run double of the afternoon, scoring George Specht and Jace Grady. Ethan Mann added a double of his own to drive in Humphreys and Kodie Kolden, and Miguel Santos singled to push Mann across the plate and complete a five-run frame for DBU.
 
Down, 8-0, UTSA's Josh Killeen slammed a solo shot in the bottom of the second, and Matt King grounded into a fielder's choice to push across his teammate, Taylor Smith, narrowing the difference to six runs.
 
The Patriots responded in the top of the fourth when Kolden led off the inning with a solo home run to give the Patriots a 9-3 advantage.
 
The Roadrunners looked to minimize the gap and used a pair of two-run innings in the fifth and sixth to make the score, 9-6.
 
Those runs would be the last ones tallied by either team in the contest as both bullpens took over, including DBU's duo of Alec Baker and Kyle Amendt sealing the victory with a combined 3.1 innings of scoreless work.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Patriots C-USA title is their fourth regular season conference championship and their first C-USA title in their inaugural season in the league.
- DBU has homered in 18 consecutive games.
- Kodie Kolden finished the series against UTSA going 8-for-14 (.571) with five runs, two RBI, one triple, and one home run.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
12 - Kyle Amendt's save is his 12th of the year, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on DBU's list of saves in a single season.
40 - Sunday is the Patriots' 40th win this season. It is the 11th 40-win season in program history and DBU's eighth in the last nine complete seasons.
600 - Sunday also marks Head Coach Dan Heefner's 600th career win at the helm of the Patriots.
 
HEAD COACH DAN HEEFNER ON THE CONFERENCE USA REGULAR SEASON TITLE
"It means a ton. Championships are the goal…. I think the thing that makes it most meaningful is the group of guys that we have…. We had a feeling from the very beginning that this group was a little bit different. They gelled together immediately. I mean, we're two weeks into the fall, and they're about as tight as we've seen a group be. They show up every single day, and they love to play. They love to work. They love each other. That's what makes it even more meaningful. 
 
"One thing we talk [about a lot] in our program is humility and excellence. If you do something for yourself and you succeed, it's satisfying, but when you do something for each other and succeed, that's when you have true joy. I think that's what these guys can experience right now because they have been so much for each other."

DAN HEEFNER'S 600TH CAREER WIN
With today's win, Dan Heefner won his 600th career game. In 16 seasons at the helm, Heefner owns a career record of 600-306-1 and his .662 win percentage ranks ninth-best in the nation among active coaches. Heefner has also guided the Patriots to their fourth regular season conference title in program history and with a 40-12 record, DBU has won 40 games or more for the eighth time in the last nine years.

UP NEXT
DBU wraps up the regular season with a home series against Western Kentucky. The three-game series begins on Thursday at Horner Ballpark. Read Full Article