University of Houston Athletics
Baseball to Compete at Kia Baseball Bash
2/28/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 28, 2002
HOUSTON, Texas - As cold weather moves through the South, the University of Houston baseball team will likely be the envy of many people as it heads to sunny California to compete at the Kia Baseball Bash this weekend.
The Cougars, who are ranked No. 25 in the latest Baseball America poll, will compete against three other nationally-ranked squads. UH (6-4) starts the tournament with a 9 p.m. (Central) contest Friday against host No. 8 Cal State Fullerton.
From there, the team meets No. 18 USC at 4:30 p.m. (Central) Saturday before closing out the event at 3 p.m. (Central) Sunday against No. 6 and defending national champion Miami.
The tournament features four teams rich in NCAA Tournament history. Combined, the four squads have more than 100 all-time NCAA Regional appearances.
The Cougars should come into the tournament well-rested after Tuesday's scheduled game against No. 4 Rice was postponed due to the cold weather. UH also rides a wave of momentum into the game after taking a thrilling 12-11 win over then-No. 3 LSU on Sunday at Cougar Field
Junior infielder Jesse Crain led a UH team filled with offensive stars last week by batting .600 (12-for-20) with three doubles and two four-hit performances. For his performances, the Boulder, Colo., native and San Jacinto Junior College product was honored as both the Conference USA Hitter of the Week and National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
But Crain was not the only star in the Cougar offense, which batted .388 as a team against Baylor and LSU a week ago. Juniors Anthony Scalise and Chris Snyder are tied for second on the team with a .405 batting average with Scalise adding a team-best 11 RBIs, including five against LSU in the first game of that series.
Sophomore righthander Brad Sullivan is slated to make his fourth start of the year against the Titans. The Nederland, Texas, native has posted a 2-0 record with a miniscule 1.10 and 22 strikeouts this season to lead the UH pitching staff.
In his most recent outing, Sullivan set the tone for the entire LSU series by tying his career high with nine strikeouts and only four hits in 5.0 innings during the first game of the series.
Sophomore righthander Gene Flores is scheduled to start against USC on Saturday, while senior southpaw Keith Whatley will take the mound against Miami.
Cal State Fullerton (9-4) is led by Shane Costa who has tallied a .404 batting average, and Mike Martinez, who leads the team with two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Sophomore righthander Wes Littleton will face the Cougars on the mound Friday night. He has recorded a 3-1 record with 19 strikeouts and a 1.59 ERA in 28.1 innings this season.
