University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Opens C-USA Season at Memphis this Weekend
3/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 17, 2005
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Houston baseball team begins Conference USA play for the ninth consecutive season when it meets Memphis at Nat Buring Stadium this weekend.
That series begins at 6:30 p.m., Friday, continues at 2 p.m., Saturday and wraps up at noon, Sunday. Fans should note that Sunday's game time was moved up earlier in the week to accommodate the UH travel plans. All three games can be heard live on the Internet at www.UHCougars.com with former UH letterwinners Nick Torina and Pat Cauley calling all the action.
Fans can follow play-by-play action by clicking on the "Gametracker" link on the schedule at www.UHCougars.com.
The Cougars (7-11, 0-0 C-USA) come into the series well rested after their showdown against No. 24 Texas Tech in Midland, Texas, was rained out and cancelled.
Junior southpaw Matt Farrington takes the hill Friday when the Cougars meet Memphis in the opener of a Conference USA series. This season, he has compiled a 3-0 record with 19 strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA in 28.0 innings of work.
His ERA and win total are both team bests.
In his last outing, Farrington held the offense of No. 35 Long Beach State in check in winning his career-best third consecutive game. The Sugar, Land, Texas, native struck out six while holding the Dirtbags to only one run off four hits in a career-best eight innings of work.
The Sugar Land, Texas, native is the only Cougar southpaw to start a game since Game Three of the NCAA Super Regional at Reckling Park on June 9, 2003.
Friday's game will be Farrington's second appearance on the mound against Memphis but his first start. He threw 0.2 innings of relief in the 2004 series finale, allowing a hit and walk during that time.
In addition, has compiled a .409 average (9-for-22) with four doubles and seven RBIs in six games against the Tigers as an outfielder.
Junior infielder Kevin Roberts lead the Cougars with a .323 batting average, while sophomore shortstop Dustin Kingsbury is tops with 12 RBIs. Junior outfielder Travis Tully tops UH with a pair of home runs.
Freshman infielder Bryan Pounds remains one of the team's hottest hitters and enters this weekend's series on a career-best five-game hitting streak. During that time, he is batting .389 with three runs scored.
The Cougars will be looking to continue their success in the all-time series against the Tigers. UH has won all but four of the 25 games against UM since 1997.
However, the Tigers can boast of the most recent success at Nat Buring Stadium after winning two of three games during the 2003 regular-season series.
For the ninth consecutive season, the Cougars will face Memphis on the baseball diamond. The series dates back to 1997 when the two teams began competing as members of Conference USA.
Houston owns a 21-4 (.840) all-time lead in the series and enters this weekend series on a three-game winning streak after sweeping the 2004 series at Cougar Field.
The Cougars are 8-4 (.667) all-time against the Tigers in Memphis. However, Memphis can boast of the most recent success after winning two of three games during the 2003 series.
The Cougars' 4-1 loss in the 2003 series snapped a nine-game winning streak against the Tigers and was only UH's second loss in 17 games since 1998.
Memphis comes into the series with a 6-8 overall record after falling at Mississippi State 11-8 in the completion of a suspended game Tuesday and 4-2 on Wednesday. That extended the Tigers' losing streak to three straight games.
Junior righthander Stephen Gostkowski is scheduled to take the hill for Memphis in the opener. This season, Gostkowski has compiled a 1-2 record with a 6.75 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched.
Senior outfielder Chad House leads the Tigers with a .432 batting average, while senior DH Ryan Martin and sophomore first baseman Adam Amar are tied for team-high honors with a pair of home runs. Martin also paces the team with 16 RBIs.
