Coaching Staff

Ryan Aguayo
Assistant Coach

Ryan Aguayo is in his fourth season as UTSA’s assistant coach, recruiting and offensive coordinator in 2023. He joined the staff in July of 2019.

Aguayo has had a major impact through his first three seasons, helping shepherd UTSA through a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020 and spearheading a rapidly rising offensive attack in 2021 and 2022 that ranked as some of the nation’s best, breaking multiple school records.

In 2022, Aguayo oversaw a Roadrunner lineup that had eight players above the at-bat threshold have .300+ batting averages. UTSA’s offense produced 467 runs on the year, tying the school record for most in a single season set back in 2008. The Roadrunner offense also produced 440 RBI, setting a new school record.

UTSA led Conference USA in batting average (.304), hits (627), triples (15) and sacrifice flies (36). The Roadrunners also ranked top-40 nationally in multiple offensive categories. The .304 batting average was the 23rd highest in the country while their on-base percentage (.400) ranked 25th. UTSA was also 25th in scoring, averaging 8.1 runs a game and had the 31st most hits in the country.

Five returning Roadrunners increased their batting average in 2022 under Aguayo’s tutelage. Senior Chase Keng brought home a C-USA Hitter of the Week award (5/23) thanks to his stellar play.

After the Roadrunners played just 17 games over four weeks in 2020 before the season was cancelled, Aguayo helped lead an explosive attack at the plate in 2021.

UTSA finished the year ranked among the nation’s top-25 in several categories, including ninth in runs per game (7.9), 18th in batting average (.302), 19th in slugging percentage (.480) and 21st in on-base percentage (.396). The Roadrunners also ranked 26th in hit by pitches.

The offensive surge under Aguayo was boosted by the performance of a pair of all-conference standouts, including catcher Nick Thornquist and infielder Griffin Paxton. Thornquist earned first-team honors behind the plate while leading all league catchers in average (.331), homers (13) and RBI (47), with Paxton leading UTSA with a .335 average.

Paxton’s season was buoyed by his power surge as the senior slugged his first seven career homers under the tutelage of Aguayo, adding a team-high 16 doubles while driving in 43 runs. He was not the only player who developed a power stroke under Aguayo, as shortstop Joshua Lamb belted his first five career homers in his fourth season, while setting new career marks in batting average (.324) and RBI (39).

Aguayo’s first season in 2020 was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic but he helped lead UTSA to a 10-7 record that included winning Notre Dame’s Irish Alamo Classic with a 3-1 record that included a win over the Fighting Irish.

Prior to UTSA, Aguayo served as an assistant coach at Incarnate Word from 2015-19, including the previous two with Hallmark, primarily as the hitting coach. He also worked with the infielders and recruiting. Under his guidance, three players earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America honors over the last two seasons.

UIW outfielder Ridge Rogers earned a spot on the team after the 2018 campaign, after posting a .350 (72-for-206), with 34 runs scored and driving in 34 runs. Catcher Taylor Smith hit .322 (49-for-208), including 11 doubles, 16 home runs and four triples with 42 runs scored and 35 RBIs, securing his spot on the 2019 team. Third baseman Antonio Valdez was named to the 2019 squad after posting a .302 average (65-for-215), including 14 doubles, six triples and four home runs, scoring 52 runs and driving in 31.

In Aguayo’s first season with the Cardinals, the defense posted the third-highest fielding percentage in school history, while the offense’s batting average and slugging percentage improved from the previous campaign. In 2019 UIW established a Division I era school record’s in defense and batting average. The Cardinals committed just 50 errors in 2,209 chances and posted a .305 (622-for-2,038) team batting average with 64 home runs in 59 games. They led the Southland Conference in all three categories, ranking 14thin the nation in batting average, 31stin fielding percentage and 47thin home runs.

Aguayo served as an assistant on the Cuesta College staff in 2013-14, which claimed consecutive conference championships and the school’s 18thand 19thpostseason berths in a row. More than a dozen players advanced to play for major college programs.

He served as the associate head coach from 2011-14 with the San Luis Obispo Blues of the California Collegiate Summer League helping guide the team to back-to-back CCL championships in 2011 and 2012. Aguayo played for the Blues from 2008-10 and was named to the All-CCL team twice.

Aguayo began his collegiate career at Cal State Fullerton before transferring to Cuesta College where he assisted the Cougars to a 24-14 record and a Western State Conference Championship title in 2009. He hit .401 with an on-base percentage of .470, scoring 57 runs and driving in 56. His list of postseason awards included, All-Southern California First Team, all-state honors, Western State Conference Player of the Year and his team’s Most Valuable Player.

After a successful 2009 season, he transferred to New Mexico State and played 118 games in two seasons, compiling a .351 average (156-for-445), with 44 doubles and 17 home runs. He scored 124 runs and registered 125 RBIs. As a junior, he garnered All-WAC honors and was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award – given annually to the nation’s top shortstop - after recording 92 hits, including 14 doubles and 12 long balls and scoring 76 runs. He earned All-WAC academic honors in 2010 and graduated from New Mexico State with a bachelor’s degree of individualized studies with a minor in business associates, marketing and management.

In high school, Aguayo played shortstop and second base for the Servite Friars in Anaheim, California. He was a two-time all-league honoree and was the 2006 Orange County All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. During his senior campaign, he helped lead the Friars to an 18-7 mark, capturing the league championship.  He played on the USA Youth National team in 2004 and was a selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2006 Amateur Draft.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT AGUAYO

“Ryan has done an awesome job of recruiting and developing players. He’s had my respect long before his UIW days. He’s hard working, loyal and can really coach young men. He’s one of the top up and coming assistant coaches in the country.” – Seth Thibodaux, Nicholls Head Coach
 
“Having known Ryan for over 10 years as a player and coach, UTSA is getting a tremendous person and great young coach. He will be a great leader of young men. I have nothing but high praise for Ryan and wish the program much success.” - Chal Fanning, Cal Poly Assistant Coach
 
“Ryan was an extremely important piece of the turnaround that occurred at UIW. As anyone in college athletics knows, you’re only as good as the players that are on your roster. Ryan did an unbelievable job at bringing in an extremely talented roster in a not so easy situation to recruit to. Ryan is the definition of hard work and when you pair his work ethic with his ability to diagnose talent and build relationships, you easily see why he has had tremendous success so early in his career. UTSA is lucky to have a recruiter like coach Aguayo.” – Nick Magnifico, Southern Illinois Assistant Coach

Zach Butler
Assistant Coach

Zach Butler is in his third season as UTSA’s assistant and pitching coach in 2023. After eight years on the staff at Nicholls, Butler, regarded as an elite pitching coach in the South, was announced by head coach Pat Hallmark on Jan. 21, 2021.

Under Butler, the 2022 Roadrunner pitching staff shattered the school record for most strikeouts in a season, posting 519 and breaking the previous record of 454. Amongst C-USA teams, Butler’s pitchers allowed the third fewest hits, second fewest doubles and fourth fewest triples of any staff. UTSA’s 519 punchouts were the third most in the conference.

Luke Malone shined under Butler in 2022, going 9-3 and being named First Team All-Conference. Malone’s nine wins were the second most in a single season in school history and he was just the fourth pitcher in school history to earn All-Conference first team recognition. Malone finished the season with a 2.67 ERA with two saves and 62 strikeouts.

Also shining under Butler in 2022 was newcomer Daniel Shafer. Shafer was on pace to shatter the school record for msot saves in a single season but was sidelined for the back half of the year with injury. Opponents had the lowest batting average when facing Shafer and he earned a Pitcher of the Week (3/6) recognition for his performance against No. 2 Stanford.

Butler relied on newcomers to the roster in 2021 as they accounted for 67 percent of his innings pitched after the season-ending injury to ace Shane Daughety, Butler relied on a bevy of first-year players to lead the pitching staff.

Butler is a veteran coaching mind, spending eight years coaching pitching at Nicholls. He joined the Nicholls staff as the volunteer assistant in 2013 and took over in a full-time role starting in 2015. Three times during his tenure, Nicholls finished with a top-two team ERA in the Southland Conference and twice the Colonels sported a top-20 team ERA in the nation.

He served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator during his time with Nicholls, where he coached four players selected in the MLB Draft, including a pair who earned Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year accolades under his tutelage.

Five pitchers were taken in the MLB Draft during Butler’s time with Nicholls, including southpaw Taylor Byrd (Seattle Mariners), lefty Grant Borne (Washington Nationals), lefty Stuart Holmes (Toronto Blue Jays), righty Ryan Deemes(Houston Astros) and right-hander Cole Stapler (Arizona Diamondbacks). Under Butler’s tutelage, Justin Sinibaldi and Byrd earned SLC Pitcher of the Year honors. Sinibaldi and Holmes additionally earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors.

Butler’s 2019 pitching staff composed the Southland's second-lowest team ERA, posting a 3.53 mark on the season. Senior Jacob Bedevian led the way, pitching a team-best and league top five 102.1 innings.

In 2017, the Colonels led the league in weekly pitching honors with four, two each by in Mike Hanchar and Cole Stapler while the 2015 squad notched the lowest team ERA in the Southland Conference for a second consecutive season. in 2014, Butler helped coach Nicholls to a 32-26 overall record and a 20-10 mark in league action, good for a school best in total conference wins (20).

Butler was hired as a volunteer assistant coach and camp coordinator for the Nicholls baseball team in the summer of 2013 after a stint coaching the Acadiana Cane Cutters of the Texas Collegiate League.

Butler, a graduate of McNeese State University, was drafted in the 34th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays organization and played for the Gulf Coast Rays, Princeton Rays and Charlotte Stone Crabs. He finished his career with a 1.95 career ERA in the minors.

A two-year starter for the Cowboys, Butler helped lead McNeese to the Southland Conference tournament during his senior campaign, earning the title as team captain. Prior to joining the Cowboys, he won a conference championship at Temple Junior College, making an appearance in the national tournament both years.

A native of Houston, Butler starred at Dulles High School for coach Clinton Welch before beginning his collegiate career.