University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Baseball Welcomes Marshall to Cougar Field
4/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2012
| HOUSTON COUGARS (12-22-1, 1-7-1) vs MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD (13-23, 1-8) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | April 20-22, 2012 - 6:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. / 11 a.m. |
| Location | Houston, Texas - Cougar Field |
| Radio | UHCougars.com (Jeremy Branham & Pat Cauley) |
| Live Stats | |
| Series History | Houston owns all-time series, 18-4 |
| Last Meeting | at Marshall; UH won 10-7 (April 17, 2011) |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes  Conference USA Notebook |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
HOUSTON-The University of Houston baseball team returns to Cougar Field for its first home weekend series in April when it hosts Marshall in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. The three-game set will continue on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and wrap up on Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Cougars and Thundering Herd meet for a crucial C-USA series as both teams currently make up the bottom two in the official conference standings. Houston holds a record of 12-22-1 and 1-7-1 in C-USA play and is coming off its bye weekend where it was swept in a three-game non-conference series at Texas Tech. Marshall enters the weekend at 13-23 and is 1-8 in C-USA action coming into this weekend.
A LOOK AT HOUSTON
Despite dropping its last four games, Houston fell in the last two by one run in each game, which included a 10-9, 12-inning fall at Texas Tech and a 5-4 loss at No. 24 Sam Houston State on Tuesday. The Cougars' last weekend win came in the Sunday finale at Southern Miss on March 25. Since that time, Houston is 0-8-1 over the past three weekends.
As a team, the Cougars are hitting .265 as a team, but have hit well of late, notching around a .300 mark since the win against Lamar. Senior John Cannon is leading the offense with a .306 clip, followed by junior Jacob Lueneburg's .295 and junior Chase Jensen's .293 and team-leading 39 hits and 27 RBI. Senior Codey Morehouse is hitting .354, but is a few at-bats away from officially qualifying as the team leader, while freshman Michael Pyeatt holds a .283 mark in just five starts.
ON THE BUMP FOR HOUSTON
Seven Cougars have made at least one start for Houston this season, led by junior Austin Pruitt (2.96, 2-2, 1 CG, 54.2 IP, 35 K), senior Jordan Lewis (7.50, 3-5, 36.0 IP, 21 K) and freshman Aaron Garza (5.40, 1-4, 31.2 IP, 21 K) all with eight each, while senior Jared Ray (7.32, 1-4, 39.1 IP, 30 K) has seven starts. Getting his first start of the season last weekend was junior Jordan Mannisto (4.12, 1-2, 19.2 IP, 10 K), while junior Matt Hernandez (6.23, 0-2, 21.2 IP, 13 K) made his second debut of 2012 a week ago. Senior Codey Morehouse (2.78, 1-2, 1 SV, 22.2 IP, 19 K) has also made a start on the bump and recorded one save, while senior Mo Wiley (4.91, 1-0, 4 SV, 25.2 IP, 27 K) leads Houston with four saves.
A LOOK AT MARSHALL
Marshall is coming off a 7-2 loss to Morehead State on Tuesday and was swept in its last C-USA series against Rice this past weekend. The Thundering Herd's only C-USA win came in a 7-4 victory at UAB on March 23. As a team, Marshall is hitting .264 and holds a .956 fielding percentage. Leading the way offensively is Sergio Leon with a .326 average, while Nathan Gomez follows with a .321 clip.
ON THE BUMP FOR MARSHALL
Marshall's pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.65 heading into the weekend series. LHP Mike Mason (3.33, 3-5, 54.0 IP, 45 K) and RHP Aaron Blair (4.53, 1-6, 53.2 IP, 56 K) both have nine starts this year to lead the team, while RHP Terrence Moore (6.75, 1-2, 26.2 IP, 24 K) has six. RHP Jesse Fernandez (3.52, 3 SV, 15.1 IP, 19 K) paces the Thundering Herd with three saves.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston and Marshall have met 22 times in history, as the Cougars own the all-time series, 18-4. At Cougar Field, Houston is 10-1 against Marshall with its only loss coming on May 15, 2012 in a 5-3 fall. The Cougars won the 2011 series, 2-1 in West Virginia, which included a 12-1 series opening victory. The last time these two teams met was during the 2011 series on April 15-17.
FROM MARKETING/PROMOTIONS
The University of Houston baseball team will recognize First Responders and Earth Day on Sunday, April 22 in the series finale against Marshall at 11 a.m. at Cougar Field.
FIRST RESPONDERS DAY
- Tickets are only $5 for police, fire & rescue, and their families
- All First Responders are invited to participate on the field during the National Anthem
- Kidzone activities available beginning at 10 a.m. (inflatables, speed pitch, face painting, activities, and more)
EARTH DAY
- Green UH, the university's Sustainability Taskforce will be present
- Demonstrations, practices to increase awareness about sustainability
- Fun facts on video board; Shasta present
- Recycled material games for fans throughout the day
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can stay connected all game long by following Houston Cougar Baseball on Twitter @UHCougarBB or by tuning into UHCougars.com IMG Sports Network with play-by-play voice Jeremy Branham and color with Pat Cauley. All three games will also be available to view at UHCougars.com via All-Access and free through GameTracker.
TICKETS
Tickets are still available for the weekend series. Fans can purchase single game tickets at UHCougars.com, by calling the UH Ticket Office at (713) GO-COOGS (462-6647) or by visiting the Athletic Center Box Office.
UP NEXT
Following the three-game series this weekend at Cougar Field against Marshall, Houston will rest without a midweek game before traveling to Birmingham, Ala. for a three-game set with UAB next weekend.
