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| NOTE: Saturday's orginally scheduled game at 6:30 p.m. has been moved up to 2 p.m. For any weather updates throughout the weekend, please check UHCougars.com or follow us on Twitter @UHCougarBB.
Winners of three of its last four, Houston returns to action with a 31-18 overall mark and a 9-9 mark in Conference USA to sit in sixth place with six games to go.
The Cougars are coming off a dominating 11-5 win over McNeese State on Tuesday, which saw every Cougar record a hit and score a run, including an eight-run first inning. Freshman starter Jake Lemoine picked up his seventh career win after a career-night featuring eight strikeouts in 8.0 innings.
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON
· Houston is hitting .266, led by freshman Justin Montemayor's .326 clip and team-leading 61 hits and 38 runs scored.
· Sophomore Michael Pyeatt has continued his tear of late, hitting .545 over the last two weeks to up his season average to .323.
· Juniors Frankie Ratcliff and Caleb Barker continue to pace the team in RBI with 38 and 36, respectively, while Ratcliff holds a team-leading .444 slugging percentage on 10 doubles, seven triples and two homeruns.
· Freshman Josh Vidales leads Houston and C-USA with 43 walks and is just seven shy of tying Cougar Great Michael Bourn's all-time freshman walk record of 50.
· Houston has notched 72 stolen bases, led by C-USA leaders Vidales and freshman Kyle Survance with 15 each, while junior Landon Appling has 11 and Ratcliff adds 10 to the speedy mix.
· Houston pitching owns a 3.84 ERA with 31 wins and 12 saves.
· Saturday starter Austin Pruitt leads the team in ERA (2.95), wins (7-5), starts (12), complete games (4), shutouts (2), innings (91.2) and strikeouts (77), while holding his opposing hitters to a .230 clip.
· Friday starter Daniel Poncedeleon is 6-4 with a 4.30 ERA in 12 starts. Through 69.0 innings, Poncedeleon has fanned 58 and thrown one complete game. The righty paces Houston with a 4-1 Conference USA record.
· Sophomore Aaron Garza is second-best in ERA with a 3.59 in 11 starts, while striking out 36 in 57.2 innings.
· Lemoine shares the team lead in wins with seven (7-3) and is one shy of the freshman all-time win record of eight, which was set by Chase Dempsay in 2008.
· Junior reliever Chase Wellbrock leads the Cougars with a career-high nine saves in a team-best 20 appearances, while senior Matt Hernandez is 4-1 in 12 appearances and three starts with a 3.31 ERA.
· Houston has fanned 331 hitters and walked just 137, while holding the opponents' average to .269.
QUICK HITS ON UAB
· UAB sits ninth in C-USA with an 18-31 overall record and 4-14 mark among league opponents.
· The Blazers are coming off a series loss against Rice, dropping the final two after earning a series-opening win.
· UAB is hitting .258, led by John Frost's .330 average, 61 hits, 15 doubles and 31 RBI.
· Three other Blazers notch a .300 average or better, while the team is slugging .323.
· The Blazers are 36-of-53 in stolen bases, led by Ivan De Jesus' 9-of-12 effort.
· UAB pitching holds an ERA of 5.24 with 18 wins and eight saves.
· Friday starter LHP Turner Lee is 1-2 with a 5.97 ERA in four starts. Through 37.2 innings, Lee has fanned 37 and walked 15.
· Saturday starter LHP Sam Kelley is 3-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 10 starts. Through 54.0 innings, Kelley has fanned 22 and walked 19.
· Opponents are hitting .276 against the Blazers pitching staff.
SERIES HISTORY
· Houston and UAB have met 51 previous times dating back to the first meeting in 1997.
· The Cougars own the all-time series, 35-16, but have lost five of the last six meetings to the Blazers.
· At Cougar Field, Houston is 14-8 against UAB.
· UAB swept the 2012 series in Birmingham, while earning a 2-1 series win at Cougar Field in 2011.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
Houston: RHP Daniel Poncedeleon (4.30 ERA, 6-4)
UAB: LHP Turner Lee (5.97 ERA, 1-2)
Saturday
Houston: RHP Austin Pruitt (2.95 ERA, 7-5)
UAB: LHP Sam Kelley (5.00 ERA, 3-6)
Sunday
Houston: TBA
UAB: TBA
STAY CONNECTED
Stay up to date with all Houston Baseball news and highlights by following us on Twitter @UHCougarBB or on Facebook at /HoustonCougarBaseball. Fans can also follow head coach Todd Whitting @toddwhitting on Twitter. WEEKEND PARKING ADVISORY
Fans, please be aware of limited parking in lots surrounding Cougar Field on both Friday and Saturday due to Commencement ceremonies taking place in Hofheinz Pavilion.
TICKETS
Single-game tickets begin as low as $6 for youth and $8 for adults in general admission seating (Level 200) and as low as $8 for youth and $10 for adults in reserved seating (Level 100). Click HERE to purchase tickets or call the Houston Athletics Ticket Office at (713) GO-COOGS.
UP NEXT
Following the weekend series, Houston will welcome league-leader Southern Miss to Cougar Field for a three-game set on May 16-18. Note: Series is Thursday-Saturday due to the C-USA Championship the following week |
