2006 Baseball Preview
12/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 30, 2005
HOUSTON - Armed with one of the most experienced group of returning letterwinners in school history, the University of Houston baseball team looks to return to its winning ways during the 2006 season.
The Cougars return 20 letterwinners, including seven position starters, from last year's team. Those veterans have combined to earn nearly 30 letters and have played in nearly 900 games collectively. While the Cougars finished the 2005 season with a 29-30 overall record and missed the NCAA postseason for the second straight year, those numbers can be a little deceiving.
UH lost 11 one-run games in 2005 against a schedule which featured 29 games against nationally-ranked opponents.
Despite all those ups and downs, the Cougars managed to win 11 of their last 17 games and surprised more than a few people by finishing third at the annual Conference USA Tournament.
With all but five letterwinners returning from that team, Cougar coaches, players and fans are looking for a return to the postseason. Head coach Rayner Noble, who begins his 12th season in 2006, believes that this year's Cougar squad has the right combination of proven veterans and talented newcomers to compete deep into this season.
"I like the spirit of our ball club right now," Noble said. "Any time you have a year under your belt, it makes you better, and we have a lot of players with experience. We have injected some good transfers and some good young freshmen that are going to walk right in and be a big part of it."
Offensively, Noble was impressed with the power of his team during the recent fall campaign and expects that to carry over into the 2006 season.
"We're going to be more physical this year," Noble said. "We're going to put some guys in the lineup that can increase our slugging percentage overall. Our doubles and home run numbers should go up."
In addition to the power surge, the Cougar skipper also looked forward to depth in the lineup from both sides of that plate, an asset that could cause problems for opposing bullpens.
"We will have a good combination of left- and right-handed hitting," Noble said. "We could have as many as five left-handed hitters in our lineup, and it's big when you can do that."
With injuries running rampant throughout the team, Noble and his coaching staff were often forced to inject young, inexperienced players into the starting lineup to fill holes a year ago.
This season, those players have learned from that valuable experience and will be moving into positions where they can be more successful.
"Last year, we might have had some players that were a little out of position, but they did a marvelous job in doing what we asked them to do," Noble said. "This year, we are getting guys in the right seats on the bus. I look for us to play pretty solid defense."
In addition to the new players, the team welcomes a new member to the coaching staff. Jorge Garza, a former head coach at Houston's Lamar High School, joins the team in 2006 as a volunteer assistant coach.
"Jorge is going to be a big part of our operation," Noble said. "I look for him to be in our program for years to come," Noble said.
Pitching
If one word was used to describe the 2006 Cougar bullpen, that word would surely be depth. UH returns two of its three weekend starters, seven veterans out of the bullpen and a midweek starter who emerged late in the season but should be in the conference rotation in 2006.
"We have the returning experience. Everybody that is back on the pitching staff logged innings for us last year," Noble said. "We can probably go 8-10 quality pitchers deep on our staff. When you can do that, that bodes well for a pretty good pitching staff."
Senior southpaw Matt Farrington, one of only two 3-year letterwinners on the 2006 team, leads the way for the Cougar hurlers after emerging as the ace of the staff a year ago.
In 2005, Farrington pitched to an 8-5 record with a 3.24 ERA to lead the staff in both categories. The Sugar Land, Texas, native added 60 strikeouts in 97.1 innings of work on the way to earning All-Conference First Team honors.
Junior righthander Brad Lincoln struggled at times on the mound during the 2005 season but still became only the seventh player in school history to reach triple digits with a team-best 106 strikeouts. Lincoln added a 4-7 record with a 4.76 ERA and 102.0 innings of work.
During the summer, he continued his trade at the prestigious Cape Cod League where he received All-League honors as a utility player.
Sophomore righthander Aaron Brown emerged at the end of the 2005 season as a reliable starter during the final six weeks.
Although he finished with a 1-0 record and 5.30 ERA, the League City, Texas, native struck out 38 batters in 39.1 innings of work and held opponents to a paltry .238 average.
Like Lincoln, he enjoyed a successful summer season, competing in the Texas Collegiate League where he was recognized as the Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
Righthander Shea Hancock returns for his junior season in 2006. A year ago, the Houston native appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen, compiling a 1-2 record with 25 strikeouts and a 3.96 ERA in 25.0 innings of work. He earned his first win of the season after throwing 4.2 shutout innings against UAB during the Cougars' first win at the 2005 C-USA Tournament. He continued that success into his summer season where he was named to the Texas Collegiate League All-Star Game.
Hancock could continue his role out of the bullpen in 2006 but is more than capable of moving into the starting rotation.
Sophomore righthander Ricky Hargrove started the 2005 season as a starter before being moved into the bullpen. Last season, he finished with a 2-4 record, 3.48 ERA and 49 strikeouts with only nine walks in 51.2 innings of work.
Sophomore righthanders Brady Glos and Sean McLemore saw limited time out of the bullpen a year ago and will add depth there again in 2006.
Sophomore righthander Stephen Whalen, who saw considerable action a year ago at third base, impressed coaches during the fall and should see time out of the bullpen.
Junior righthander Clayton Boone returns in 2006 after missing the entire 2005 campaign with a redshirt and could emerge as the team's closer.
Junior southpaw Clint Corrigan will also compete during his first collegiate season after transferring from Blinn Junior College and sitting out 2005 as a redshirt to resolve eligibility issues.
Freshman Donnie deRegnier also returns as a redshirt in 2006.
Freshmen Luis Flores and Jimmy Raviele join the team as newcomers in 2006 and should challenge for playing time in the rotation.
Freshman southpaw Wesley Musick and sophomore righthander Chris Wright are projected to sit out the entire 2006 season following surgery during the fall.
Catching
Senior Brett Logan, another three-year letterwinner, returns after batting .261 with a pair of home runs and 16 RBIs a year ago.
Sophomore Cody Waller appeared in 20 games behind the plate last season and played errorless ball in 85 total chances.
Junior Brian Temko batted .250 with two home runs and 11 RBIs while splitting time at DH, catcher and first base.
Flores, the younger brother of former UH hurler Gene Flores (2001-05), joins the team after a stellar prep career and will challenge for the starting nod behind the plate.
Freshman Will Hutchins returns after sitting out 2005 with a redshirt and will add depth to the talented group.
Infield
After starting all 59 games at shortstop a year ago, junior Dustin Kingsbury will move over to third base in 2005.
Last season, Kingsbury finished with a .341 batting average six home runs and a team-leading 58 RBIs. The Houston native came on strong down the stretch and was UH's lone member of the C-USA All-Tournament Team.
In addition to his pitching duties, Lincoln could see time as the DH. Last season, he posted a. 337 batting average with seven home runs and ranked second on the team with 52 RBIs.
Sophomore Bryan Pounds batted .279 a year ago while making 50 starts at second and third base.
Whalen finished the 2005 season with a home run and six RBIs and will add depth at the hot corner in addition to his new pitching duties.
The Cougars will be boosted by the return of senior twin brothers Jeremy and Josh Aranda, who sat out the entire 2005 season after transferring from Sam Houston State a year ago.
They will be joined by fellow senior and former SHSU infielder Isa Garcia, who was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2005 after winning the team's Triple Crown.
Freshmen Travis Cougot could contend for the starting nod at shortstop, while junior Josh Stirneman may see plenty of action at first base. Junior Kyle Walton may also see time at first base as well as the outfield.
Outfield
For the second straight season, junior Jake Stewart will be looking to overcome a season-ending injury when Opening Day arrives.
A year ago, Stewart missed the final 31 games of the season after suffering a knee injury at Cincinnati. Prior to his injury, he was batting .292 with six doubles, 13 RBIs and a team-high-tying 13 stolen bases.
The Santa Fe, Texas, native is expected to be in the Cougars' starting outfield on Opening Day.
Sophomore Bryan Tully was inserted in the Cougar starting lineup late during the 2005 season and played consistently during his first collegiate season.
Last year, he batted .338 to lead all reserves and added eight RBIs as an outfielder and infielder. However, he is expected to see time primarily in the outfield in 2006.
Sophomore Chris Joseph started 28 games in right field a year ago and should contend for playing time in 2006. He batted .263 with six RBIs and became the first Cougar freshman since Kris Wilken in 1998 to blast two home runs in a single game after accomplishing that feat at TCU.
Sophomore Kori Williams appeared in 48 games and added 15 RBIs. The Sugar Land Texas, native made his impact felt quickly on the collegiate level, blasting a grand slam in only his third plate appearance against Pepperdine.
Sophomore Mark McGonigle started 32 games in right field and added 12 RBIs a year ago.
Keith Colquitt returns after sitting out a year ago as a redshirt and impressed coaches with his playmaking abilities in left field during the fall
The outfield corps welcomes Raviele. junior college transfer Matt Weston and freshman Tom Williams this season.
Schedule
Always known for playing a challenging schedule, the Cougars will continue that trend. UH will face 10 different opponents who advanced to the NCAA Regionals a year ago in 23 games during the 2006 season.
Eight of those games will be played against teams that competed at the NCAA College World Series.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Cougars will compete at the Minute Maid Park Classic with games against Texas, TCU and Texas Tech on the docket.
The Cougars will continue another trend as they head out west for the eighth straight year. UH will meet Arizona State on Feb. 17-19 and travels to California to face UC Irvine on March 10-12.
"Our schedule is true-to-form. It puts us in the right mindset," Noble said. "Once you get into NCAA Regional play, you have to nose up against those folks. I would just as soon test the waters early in the season and see what we need to do to prepare ourselves to function in an NCAA Regional or Super Regional."
With the new season comes a new Conference USA as Rice, UCF and Marshall join the league. Both teams will only add depth to a daunting list of league members, which include recent NCAA Regional participants Tulane, Southern Miss and East Carolina.
"The league is small, but it is very potent," Noble said. "Our league play is going to be very strong in itself."
The Cougars welcome Marshall to the league in the season-opening series March 24-26 at Cougar Field.
UH also will play host to Tulane, Memphis and UCF at the friendly confines of their home stadium.
The Cougars will hit the road to meet East Carolina, Southern Miss, Rice and UAB in league action.
The top eight teams during the regular season advance to the C-USA Tournament, scheduled for March 24-28 at Rice's Reckling Park. The winner of the annual postseason event earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regional.
