University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Baseball Meets No. 24 Sam Houston State on Road
4/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 16, 2012
| HOUSTON COUGARS (12-21-1) at SAM HOUSTON STATE (25-10) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | April 17, 2012 - 6:30 p.m. |
| Location | Huntsville, Texas |
| Radio | UHCougars.com (Jeremy Branham & Pat Cauley) |
| Live Stats | |
| Series History | Houston owns all-time series, 76-75 |
| Last Meeting | at Cougar Filed; UH won 12-2 (March 17, 2012) |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes  Conference USA Notebook |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
HOUSTON--The University of Houston baseball team will travel to Sam Houston State to take on the Bearkats in a non-conference contest on Tuesday. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. in Huntsville, Texas.
The Cougars return to play after a 1-3 week with a win against Lamar before being swept in a non-conference series at Texas Tech. Houston's last game came in a tough 10-9, 12-inning fall against the Red Raiders after rallying back to tie the game in the ninth inning, sparked by a six-run eighth inning.
In the three-game series, Houston posted a season-high 17-inning hit streak as a team. The streak began in the sixth inning of Game 1 and lasted until the fifth inning of Game 3. During that stretch, the Cougars recorded at least one hit in every inning, which included one in every inning of Game 2, despite the three-game sweep.
A LOOK AT HOUSTON
Houston sits at 12-21-1 overall after last week's 1-3 record. The Cougars have upped their team average to .265, which includes five starters hitting above .300. Leading the way is senior Codey Morehouse with a .344 average. He is followed by classmate John Cannon with a .308 average after tallying four hits in Houston's last game. Following Cannon is junior Jacob Lueneburg with a .305. Junior Chase Jensen leads the team with hits (39), RBI (27) and holds a .302 clip.
ON THE BUMP FOR HOUSTON
Houston's pitching is led by junior Austin Pruitt's 2.96 ERA as he sits with a 2-2 record in 8 starts. Also with eight starts this season is senior Jordan Lewis (7.50, 3-5) and with seven starts, senior Jared Ray (7.43, 1-4) and freshman Aaron Garza (4.80, 1-3). Of late and out of the pen, sophomore Chase Wellbrock (4.00, 2-1), senior Codey Morehouse (2.78, 1-2) and senior Mo Wiley (5.11, 1-0, 4 SV) have performed well.
A LOOK AT SAM HOUSTON STATE
Sam Houston polls in at No. 24 in this week's Baseball America poll and No. 20 in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll. The Bearkats are coming off a 2-1 weekend with a series win at Lamar and improved their overall record to 25-10. Sam Houston sits at 16-4 at home.
Leading the way offensively for the Bearkats is Anthony Azar with a 417 average, while Jake Arrington is hitting .355. As a team, Sam Houston State is hitting .305.
ON THE BUMP FOR SAM HOUSTON STATE
The pitching staff for the Bearkats is maintaining a 3.05 ERA, led by Michael Oros' 1.78 ERA and 4-0 record. Caleb Smith (2.57, 5-2), Cody Dickson (2.66, 4-2) and Justin Jackson (3.35, 6-3) all have nine starts to their name. Michael Burchett (2.81, 1-1, 4 SV) leads the team with four saves and has the second-most starts with three.
SERIES vs SAM HOUSTON STATE
Houston and Sam Houston State meet for the second time this season and 152nd time in history. The Cougars lead the all-time series, 76-75 after earning a convincing 12-2 win over the Bearkats at Cougar Field on March 13. Junior Austin Pruitt earned the win for Houston, tossing 5.0 shutout innings with four hits and four strikeouts. Junior Chase Jensen led the offense with a career-night, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and five RBI. SHSU's Michael Burchett suffered the loss, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk.
UP NEXT
Houston will return home for a three-game C-USA series vs. Marshall this weekend. The Cougars and Thundering Herd will meet on Friday at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 6:30 p.m. game on Saturday before wrapping up on Sunday at 11 a.m. Fans can follow the action at UHCougars.com via live audio and GameTracker or on Twitter @UHCougarBB.
