University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Prepares for Silver Glove Series Finale
4/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 15, 2002
HOUSTON, Texas - For the fifth and final time during the 2002 regular season, the seventh-ranked University of Houston baseball team meets Rice at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Reckling Park.
The two teams meet annually during the regular season in the Silver Glove Series. Although Rice captured the 2002 series crown after winning the first three games, the Cougars can claim the most recent success after shutting out the Owls for the first time in 12 seasons on April 2 at Cougar Field.
UH (27-10) comes into the game on the heels of an offensive explosion against Memphis in a C-USA series last weekend. In three games, UH outscored the Tigers 46-10, outhit Memphis 47-21 and struck out 47 Tiger batters on the way to the series sweep. It was the most runs ever scored by UH in a C-USA three-game series.
Junior outfielder Brett Cooley led the way for the Cougars last week and was rewarded for his hard work when he was named C-USA Hitter of the Week on Monday. In four games, Cooley batted an amazing .706 with five doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs, a 1.529 slugging percentage and a .750 on-base percentage.
As a result, the Round Rock, Texas, native jumped into the team lead with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs.
Sophomore pitcher Brad Sullivan was named both C-USA Pitcher of the Week and Collegiate Baseball National Pitcher of the Week after setting a school record with 16 strikeouts against the Tigers in game one of the series.
With their offensive outburst, the Cougars saw their team batting average jump 10 points to its current .307 mark. Junior utility player Jesse Crain continues to lead the team with a .333 batting average with junior catcher Chris Snyder second at .328.
Senior southpaw Keith Whatley will make his second straight midweek start when he takes the hill against the Owls. This season, the Atlanta, Texas, native leads the Cougars and is tied for the C-USA lead with seven wins and has added 30 strikeouts and a 4.10 ERA in 48.1 innings.
In his last start, Whatley scattered four hits with 4.0 shutout innings against No. 18 Texas A&M on April 9 to collect the win and snap a two-game losing skid.
Rice (31-8), ranked No. 3 in the latest Baseball America poll, comes into the game after sweeping Western Athletic Conference rival Nevada last weekend by a combined score of 34-14.
Vincent Sinisi continues to lead the team with a .407 batting average, while Enrique Cruz tops the Owls with nine home runs. Eric Arnold has recorded a team-best 52 RBIs.
Freshman righthander Jeff Niemann is scheduled to start against the Cougars. This season, Niemann has posted a 4-0 record with a 3.02 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.
