University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Cougars Take Talents to No. 14 Ole Miss
3/7/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 7, 2012
| HOUSTON COUGARS (6-6 • 0-0 C-USA) at NO. 14 OLE MISS (10-2 • 0-0 SEC) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | March 9-11, 2012 - 6:30 p.m. / 1:30 p.m. / Noon |
| Location | Swayze Field • Oxford, Miss. |
| Radio | UHCougars.com (Gerald Sanchez & Pat Cauley) |
| Live Stats | |
| Series History | Ole Miss leads all-time series, 4-1 |
| Last Meeting | in Houston at Cougar Field Feb. 25-27, 2011 - Ole Miss won series, 2-1 |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes  Conference USA Notebook |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
HOUSTON-The University of Houston baseball team will load up for the first away weekend series of 2012 when it travels to Oxford, Miss. to take on No. 14 Ole Miss in a three-game series, beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The weekend series will continue on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., followed by the weekend finale on Sunday at Noon CT at Swayze Field. Houston has won three straight games over SEC schools, including a wins at the Houston College Classic this season over No. 4 Arkansas, Tennessee and a win last season over Kentucky.
Houston is coming off its first road game of the year, which resulted in a 3-1 loss to UL-Lafayette on Tuesday evening. Junior righty Austin Pruitt tossed a complete game, but suffered the loss to fall to 0-2 on the year. The Cougars weren't able to capitalize on their base runners, stranding nine. Senior John Cannon drove in Houston's only run, plating junior Casey Grayson who doubled to open the second inning. Grayson and sophomore Landon Appling led the Cougars with two hits each.
Offensively, Houston is hitting .276 as a team and has outscored its opponents' 54 to 46, despite a 6-6 overall record. The Cougars hold an on-base percentage of .376 with 51 walks and 14 hit-by-pitches.
Leading the offensive attack is senior Jake Runte with a team-best .341 average, 15 hits, 10 walks and four doubles. Following the shortstop is junior second baseman Chase Jensen with a .333 average and a team-high nine RBI.
ON THE BUMP FOR HOUSTON
Houston will stick with its usual three starters for this weekend's series, led by seniors Jared Ray and Jordan Lewis, along with freshman Aaron Garza.
Ray will get the call on Friday and is coming off his best career outing, fanning 10 in a win over Tennessee last week at the Houston College Classic. For his effort last week, Ray was named C-USA Pitcher of the Week and a College Baseball 360 Primetime Performer. Ray leads the team with a 1.42 ERA in 19.0 innings pitched. He holds a 1-0 record in three game starts and has fanned 20.
Lewis is also coming off a solid start in a win last week over No. 4 Arkansas. The southpaw leads the team with two wins and a 2-1 record and holds a 2.16 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched.
Garza is looking to rebound after a short outing vs. Texas Tech last weekend, which resulted in a no-decision. The freshman righty is 1-1 this year with a 3.77 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched.
A LOOK AT OLE MISS
Ole Miss enters the weekend series with a 10-2 record. The Rebels are coming off a 20-4 win over Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday. Ole Miss is ranked No. 14 by Baseball America is this week's poll. The Rebels earned a season-opening victory over then- No. 10 TCU and swept their series with UNC-Wilmington.
Offensively, Ole Miss is led by outfielder Zach Kirksey's .500 average, a team-best five home runs and 21 RBI. On Tuesday, Kirksey went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs, drove in seven and scored three runs. As a team, Ole Miss is hitting .317 and slugging .451 with 10 home runs and 88 RBI
ON THE BUMP FOR OLE MISS
On the bump, Ole Miss will look to RHP Bobby Wahl on Friday, RHP RJ Hively on Saturday and RHP Mike Mayers on Sunday.
Wahl enters the weekend with a 2-0 record in 17.0 innings pitched, accumulating a 2.65 ERA with 18 strikeouts.
Hively is also 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts.
Mayers is 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 16.0 innings pitched.
HOUSTON vs OLE MISS SERIES HISTORY
Houston and Ole Miss meet for the sixth time in school history this weekend. The Rebels own the all-time series, 4-1. The last time these two teams met was last season in a three-game series at Cougar Field, where Ole Miss took 2-of-3 from the Cougars. The series dates back to 1992 and this will be the first time Houston plays in Oxford.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can also stay connected to action at www.facebook.com/HoustonCougarBaseball or on Twitter @UHCougarBB. Live stats via GameTracker will be available as well as live audio at www.UHCougars.com, brought to you by Gerald Sanchez and Pat Cauley.
UP NEXT
Following the weekend series, Houston will return home to host Sam Houston State on Tuesday, March 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Cougar Field.
