University of Houston Athletics
Baseball to Open Home Season against Baylor on Wednesday
2/19/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 19, 2002
HOUSTON, Texas - The University of Houston baseball team opens its 2002 home schedule Wednesday when it plays host to No. 17 Baylor in a 7 p.m. game at Cougar Field.
The game is the first of five straight home games for the Cougars against three top 20 teams. Following Wednesday's game, the Cougars meet No. 3 LSU in a three-game, non-conference series starting Friday and then face Rice in game two of the Silver Glove Series on Feb. 26.
UH (3-3) comes into the game riding neither a winning streak nor a losing streak after alternating wins and losses through its first six games. In UH's most recent outing, sophomore pitcher Gene Flores did not allow a hit through the first five innings but did not pick up the win as host Southwest Texas State rallied for four runs in the sixth inning on the way to a 4-3 win at the Lone Star Classic on Saturday.
Senior southpaw Keith Whatley returns to the mound against the Bears after collecting the loss to the Bobcats on Saturday. This season, Whatley is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
Earlier this season, UH opened its season on a winning note and snapped a four-game losing streak to the Bears with a 3-2 win at the Astros College Classic on Feb. 8. Junior catcher Chris Snyder blasted a walk-off, solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead UH to the win.
Snyder has been the team's most consistent offensive performer during the young season and went 4-for-7 with two runs and an RBI at the Lone Star Classic last weekend. This season, Snyder tops the team with a .444 batting average, four runs, a .667 slugging percentage, four HBPs and a .565 on-base percentage.
Third baseman Jesse Crain has also swung a hot bat lately for the Cougars, extending his hitting streak to a UH season best four games with a personal best two hits against Southwest Texas State on Saturday.
Baylor comes into the game on the heels of a three-game sweep at then-No.6 USC last weekend. Freshman Trey Taylor is scheduled to start on the mound for the Bears. Taylor has struck out six batters in 4.0 innings during two relief appearances this season.
Tim Hartshorn, the Most Outstanding Player at the Astros College Classic, is the Bears' leading hitter with a .533 batting average, two home runs and a .933 slugging percentage.
