University of Houston Athletics
Baseball to Face Southwest Texas State on Tuesday
4/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 7, 2003
HOUSTON - Winners of nine of its last 11 games, the University of Houston baseball team looks to ride that momentum when it plays host to Southwest Texas State at 7 p.m., Tuesday at Cougar Field.
The Cougars (17-15) come into the game on the heels of a three-game sweep of Conference USA rival UAB last weekend at Cougar Field. With those wins and a Southern Mississippi loss, the Cougars jumped into a tie with the Golden Eagles for first place in the league standings. UH also moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season.
The game can be heard live on KAXF 88.3 FM or over the Internet at www.UHcougars.com with pre-game slated begin at 6:45 p.m. Fans also can view live stats at www.UHcougars.com by clicking on the "Gametracker" link on the Daily Calendar at the bottom of the main page.
Junior righthander Gene Flores will make his sixth start of the year against the Bobcats on Tuesday. This season, the Corpus Christi has compiled a 1-2 record with a 5.79 ERA and nine strikeouts in 18.1 innings.
However, he enjoyed considerable success in his last meeting against Southwest Texas State. During the second day of competition at the Lone Star Classic at Dell Diamond, Flores did not allow a Bobcat hit and struck out five on only 58 pitches in six innings on Feb. 16, 2002. He did not pick up a decision, though, as the Bobcats rallied late to take a 4-3 win.
Junior third baseman Hyung Cho continues to be the Cougars' Triple Crown leader with a .373 batting average, five home runs and 20 RBIs. The Toronto, Canada, native has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games.
Southwest Texas State enters the game with a 16-18 overall record but posted two wins in a Southland Conference series against Sam Houston State last weekend.
Junior outfielder Richard Martinez leads the Bobcats with a .345 batting average, while fellow outfielder Evan Tierce is tops with 24 RBIs. Marc Coles leads the team with three homers, but six other SWT players have smacked two home runs apiece.
Senior righthander Cory Covert is expected to make his ninth start of the year for Southwest Texas State. This season, Covert has posted a 2-5 record with 26 strikeouts and a 7.71 ERA in 37.1 innings.
This will be the fifth consecutive year that the Cougars and Bobcats have met on the baseball diamond. UH owns a 23-7 all-time mark against Southwest Texas State and is 22-5 against the Bobcats on their home field.
