University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Opens Season on Friday at Minute Maid Park
2/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 12, 2004
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team opens its 2004 season Friday during the first day of the Minute Maid Park College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
The Cougars meet Kansas State at 11 a.m., Friday in the opening game of the round-robin event. The game can be heard live over the Internet at www.UHcougars.com with C.B. Devoy and Pat Cauley calling all the action. The pre-game show is slated to begin about 15 minutes before first pitch.
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.
Head coach Rayner Noble returns for his 10th season at the helm of the Cougar program and is poised to become the second-winningest coach in school history this year. Six starters and 16 letterwinners return for the Cougars, who advanced to the championship game of an NCAA Super Regional for the third time in the last four seasons.
Friday's game marks the 58th Opening Day in UH Baseball history. During that time, the Cougars have posted a 34-23 all-time record in their initial games of the season but will be looking to reverse some tough recent history, losing three of their last four contests.
Senior righthander Matt Varner, a transfer from Louisiana Tech, will make the Opening Day start against the Wildcats. He becomes the first first-year Cougar pitcher since Jason Hart in 1991 to make the Opening Day start.
A year ago, Varner battled through injuries to post a 3-7 record with 43 strikeouts and a 4.83 ERA in 59.2 innings at Louisiana Tech. He joined the staff at Louisiana Tech after an award-winning career at Angelina Junior College.
Offensively, the team will be led by sophomore centerfielder Travis Tully who enters the 2004 campaign as the team's leading returning hitter. As a true freshman in 2003, Tully batted .350, the highest average by a Cougar freshman in a decade.
He also added nine doubles, 12 stolen bases and 28 RBIs and was one of only two players to have more walks than strikeouts.
The Cougars also will be boosted by the return of senior infielder/pitcher Brett Cooley. In 2002, Cooley blasted a team-best 18 home runs, the second-highest total in UH single-season history.
The Round Rock, Texas, native was on pace to do similar things a year ago but suffered a severe hamstring injury in late February and was lost for the remainder of the season. After a successful rehabilitation program, Cooley should be at 100 percent on Friday.
This will be the first time that the Cougars have met Kansas State on the baseball diamond.
Friday's game also will be the season opener for KSU. Senior southpaw Brett Bagley (2-2, 5.87 ERA in 2003) is expected to make the start for the Wildcats.
