University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Baseball Travels to UAB for Weekend Series
4/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 26, 2012
| HOUSTON COUGARS (14-23-1, 3-8-1) at UAB BLAZERS (23-20, 4-8) | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | April 27-29, 2012 - 6:30 p.m. / 2 p.m. / 11:30 a.m. |
| Location | Birmingham, Ala. - Young Memorial Field |
| Radio | UHCougars.com (Jeremy Branham & Pat Cauley) |
| Live Stats | |
| Series History | Houston owns all-time series, 36-15 |
| Last Meeting | at Cougar Field; April 8-10, 2011; UAB won series 2-1 |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes  Conference USA Notebook |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
HOUSTON-The University of Houston baseball team will continue its quest of moving up in C-USA standings when it travels to Birmingham, Ala. to take on UAB in a three-game series this weekend. The weekend set will begin on Friday at 6:30 p.m., continue Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
The Cougars currently sit in eighth place in C-USA standings with a 3-8-1 conference record just behind UAB, who holds a 4-8 C-USA mark. Houston is 14-23-1 overall this season and 3-13-1 on the road.
Coming off a 2-1 series victory over Marshall last weekend at Cougar Field, the Cougars look to build on the successful weekend and move up in C-USA standings. The series win was the first since Houston won 2-1 at Oklahoma State back in mid-March. Senior Mo Wiley and sophomore Chase Wellbrock, who picked up wins, led the Cougars on the bump. Freshman Michael Pyeatt and sophomore Landon Appling each extended their hit streaks to seven and six games, respectively. Houston played all three games to a one-run decision and extends that streak to five games in a row, dating back to the series finale at Texas Tech two weekends ago.
A LOOK AT HOUSTON
Houston returns to play after going without a scheduled midweek contest for the first time all season this week. The Cougars upped their average slightly to .267 as a team following last weekend's successful series win. Houston is led by five players with a .300 or better average as freshman Michael Pyeatt (.364) has performed well of late to lead Houston's offensive attack. Senior Codey Morehouse (.324), junior Jacob Lueneburg (.305), senior John Cannon (.303) and sophomore Jonathan Davis (.303) are all also surpassing the .300 mark. Junior Chase Jensen holds a .295 average, a team-high 43 hits and 29 RBI.
ON THE BUMP FOR HOUSTON
Friday - RHP Austin Pruitt, Junior
3.02 ERA, 2-3, 11 AP, 9 GS, 1 CG, 62.2 IP, 40 K
Saturday - RHP Jordan Mannisto, Junior
3.51 ERA, 1-2, 13 AP, 2 GS, 25.2 IP, 11 K
Sunday - TBA
Out of the pen of late, Houston has relied heavily on the arms of senior Mo Wiley (4.55 ERA, 2-0, 4 SV, 29.2 IP, 35 K) and sophomore Chase Wellbrock (3.04 ERA, 3-1, 26.2 IP, 20 K).
A LOOK AT UAB
UAB enters the weekend series with a 23-20 overall record and is riding a three-game losing streak, having dropped two midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday to Kennesaw State and Samford. The Blazers currently are 4-8 in C-USA action after earning a series win over Marshall, taking one from Tulane and one from UCF. UAB is led offensively by Jeff Schalk's .311 average, while Ivan De Jesus is hitting .295 with a team-leading 49 hits. As a team, the Blazers post a .265 average with 18 homeruns, 162 walks and 314 strikeouts.
ON THE BUMP FOR UAB
UAB's pitching staff holds an ERA of 4.24, led by Ben Bullard's 2.89 ERA, 4-4 record and 10 starts. In 65.1 innings pitched, Bullard has fanned 67. Also seeing significant action as a starter is Michael Busby with a 3.86 ERA and 2-3 record in nine starts, along with Dillon Napolean's 4.58 ERA, 4-2 record and 10 starts. Seeing action out of the Blazer pen this season has been Chase Mallard with a team-leading 18 appearances and 1.99 ERA, while Ryan Nance has made 17 appearances and holds a 3.30 ERA and 2-2 record.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston and UAB will meet for the 52nd time in school history this weekend in Birmingham. The Cougars own the all-time series, 36-15. The last time these two teams met came last season in a three-game series on April 8-10 where UAB won 2-1 at Cougar Field. All-time, Houston is 14-5 on the road in Birmingham. The last time UH and UAB met in Birmingham was in 2010 when Houston earned a 2-1 series win.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can stay connected to all the action in Birmingham by logging onto UHCougars.com and tuning in to Jeremy Branham and Pat Cauley for live audio of all three games. You can also take advantage of free GameTracker at UHCougars.com or follow us on Twitter @UHCougarBB.
UP NEXT
Following the weekend series, Houston will return to Cougar Field on Tuesday, May 1 when it hosts UTSA in a 6:30 p.m. midweek contest.
