University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Opens 2007 Season vs. Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday
2/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Houston-Stephen F. Austin Baseball Game Notes (Feb. 6, 2007) in PDF Format
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Feb. 5, 2007
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team opens its 2007 season at 2 p.m., Tuesday when it plays host to Stephen F. Austin at Cougar Field.
UH returns eight position starters, two weekend starting pitchers and 15 letterwinners from last season's squad that finished 39-22 overall, placed second in a competitive Conference USA and finished ranked among the Top 25 in all four final national polls.
In addition to the excitement of Opening Day, the Cougars will be looking to exact some revenge against Stephen F. Austin, which enjoyed a 3-2 upset in Nacogdoches on May 2, 2006, in the two teams' last meeting. That setback snapped an 18-game winning streak against the Lumberjacks.
Tuesday's game can be heard live on UHCougars.com with former UH letterwinner Nick Torina calling the play-by-play action and Pat Cauley and Matt Dunaway providing color analysis. Fans can follow live stats via the Internet by clicking the "Gametracker" link on the UH front page or on the Cougar Baseball schedule page.
Fans also will have one last chance to celebrate former Cougar pitcher and 2006 National Player of the Year Brad Lincoln before he leaves for spring training with the Pirates. Lincoln is slated to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Tuesday.
Redshirt freshman southpaw Wes Musick will make the first start of his collegiate career when he toes the rubber against Stephen F. Austin.
Musick joined the Cougars out of Lufkin High as a true freshman in 2006 but was forced to sit out the entire year as a redshirt after undergoing both Tommy John and knee surgery.
He becomes the first freshman pitcher (redshirt or true) to make the Cougars' Opening Day start on the mound since true freshman Jason Hart against Texas Southern on Feb. 7, 1991. In that game, Hart allowed one hit with a pair of strikeouts in two shutout innings to help lead the Cougars to a 9-0 win over the Tigers.
The Cougars open their 61st season of intercollegiate baseball when they play host to Stephen F. Austin. In their previous 60 Opening Day games, the Cougars have posted a 36-24 (.600) all-time record.
In 2006, the Cougars started their season in thrilling fashion as Lincoln's three-run, walk-off homer in the 10th inning lifted UH to an 11-10 win over Texas-San Antonio at Cougar Field. It was UH's second Opening Day win in the last three seasons.
Tuesday's game will be a bit of a rarity for Cougar fans as they enjoy Opening Day at home. It marks only the second time since 2000 that the Cougars have started the season in front of the hometown fans. It also is the first time since 1993-94 that the Cougars have opened the season at home in consecutive years.
The Cougars have enjoyed tremendous success on Opening Day, reeling off 13 consecutive wins from 1975-87.
The Cougars meet Stephen F. Austin for the second straight season when the two teams square off. UH owns a 30-10 (.750) lead in the all-time series which began in 1947 and was played at least twice every since from 1988 to 1994.
Stephen F. Austin eliminated the baseball program following the 1995 season, but the series against the Cougars resumed in 2006, the first year of the Lumberjacks' return.
The two teams split the regular-season series with each team winning on its home field. UH enjoyed an 8-1 win over the Lumberjacks on Feb. 14. However, SFA shocked the Cougars with a 3-2 in Nacogdoches on May 2, 2006, snapping the Cougars' 18-game winning streak against the Lumberjacks.
It was Stephen F. Austin's first win over UH since taking a 4-3 win in Nacogdoches in the first game of a doubleheader on Feb. 22, 1990.
Senior righthander Jake Leonhardt is scheduled to make his first start of the season against the Cougars. The Lumberjacks (1-1) come into the game after splitting two games at Texas Tech last weekend. After losing the first game of the weather-shortened series, SFA jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Sunday and held off the Red Raiders to split the series.
