Baseball Picked No. 1 in Conference Preseason Poll
12/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Fresh off an American Athletic Conference Championship title in its inaugural season a year ago, Houston Baseball has been tabbed Preseason No. 1 in the league, voted on by the eight head coaches. Along with be voted No. 1, the Cougars landed a league-best six on the Preseason All-Conference team.
Houston, led by fifth-year head coach Todd Whitting, finished ranked No. 11 in the nation after a banner 2014 season, which saw an American Conference tournament title and a Regional Championship title over LSU. The Cougars return all four starting pitchers in their rotation as well as six offensive starters.
Houston received six of the eight first-place votes, while UCF followed with two. East Carolina rounded out the top three, while UConn, USF, Tulane were picked to finish fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. Rounding out the conference poll was Memphis in seventh and Cincinnati in eighth.
The American Athletic Conference Championship will be held for the second straight season in Clearwater, Fla. at Brighthouse Field from May 19-24.
2015 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
1. HOUSTON (6), 48
2. UCF (2), 41
3. East Carolina, 35
4. UConn, 28
5. USF, 27
6. Tulane, 22
7. Memphis, 16
8. Cincinnati, 7
Named to the Preseason All-Conference Team were pitchers: Aaron Garza, Jake Lemoine, Andrew Lantrip and Jared Robinson, while third baseman Connor Hollis and outfielder Kyle Survance rounded out the Houston representatives.
Only 15 student-athletes were selected to the Preseason Team and six will wear a Houston jersey in 2015. Four of the six pitchers are Cougars, led by three starting pitchers in Garza, Lemoine and Lantrip - a trio that finished the year as Houston's weekend rotation in 2014.
The pitching staff, led by Frank Anderson, for Houston returns having ranked among the nation's Top 10 in six categories and as high as No. 2 in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings and No. 3 in strikeout-to-walk ratio, while ranking No. 8 in ERA.
2015 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON TEAM
P - Zach Rodgers, Sr., UCF
P - Jimmy Herget, Jr., USF
P - Aaron Garza, Sr., Houston
P - Andrew Lantrip, So., Houston
P - Jake Lemoine, Jr., Houston
RP - Jared Robinson, Sr., Houston
C - Max McDowell, So., UConn
1B - Bobby Melley, So., UConn
2B - Dylan Moore, Sr., UCF
3B - Connor Hollis, So., Houston
SS - Kyle Teaf, Jr., USF
OF - Ian Happ, Jr., Cincinnati
OF - Blake Davey, Jr., UConn
OF - Kyle Survance, Jr., Houston
DH - Matt Diorio, So., UCF
Preseason Player of the Year
Ian Happ, Jr., OF, Cincinnati
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Jimmy Herget, Jr., USF
Aaron Garza - Senior - RHP - Galveston, Texas
GARZA in 2014
Named to the American Athletic Conference Second Team...Went 9-5 in 17 starts for the Cougars...Led the staff with 108.0 innings logged...Owned a 2.92 ERA with two complete games and two combined shutouts...Allowed just 11 walks to his 57 strikeouts...Allowed just one earned run in his first four appearances...Opened the year with a 6-0 record...Became the first Cougar to record a 6-0 record in his first six starts since 2002...Was just one of eight pitchers in the nation that opened the season with a quality start in his first seven starts...Pitched complete games vs. College of Charleston (March 21) and at UConn (May 10)...Struck out a career-high seven in a shutout effort vs. 2014 College World Series participant Texas Tech (Feb. 28)...Named Houston College Classic MVP and American Pitcher of the Week (March 3) for that effort...Recorded a strikeout in all but two starts...Didn't walk a hitter in six straight starts (Feb. 28-April 5)...Held under a 1.00 ERA through his first four starts...Went at least 5.0 innings in 14 of his 17 starts...Was named to the Gregg Olson Award Watch List and to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Midseason Award Watch List...Helped Houston to a 48-win season, an American Conference tournament title, Regional Championship and appearance in an NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2003...Drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 29th round at No. 866
Andrew Lantrip - Sophomore - RHP - Livingston, Texas
LANTRIP in 2014
Named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year...Enjoyed one of the best freshman pitching campaigns in program history, bolstering a 6-0 record and a 1.87 ERA in 14 appearances and six starts...Struck out 33 and walked just seven in 43.1 innings of work...Made his first collegiate start at McNeese State (April 29), earning the win in 5.1 innings...Went a season-long 7.0 innings and struck out a season-high 10 in a win over Prairie View A&M (May 6) at home...Struck out seven in 5.2 innings in a start vs. Temple (May 21) in the American Baseball Championship opener to earn himself All-Tournament honors...Pitched a season-long 4.0 shutout relief innings, allowing one hit in the win over Texas State...Earned his first collegiate win in a 3.0-inning hitless outing with two strikeouts vs. Baylor (March 11)...Later picked up wins vs. Texas State (April 8) and Sam Houston State (April 22) all out of the pen to accompany wins over McNeese State (April 29), Prairie View A&M (May 6) and Temple (May 21) as a starter...Walked just one hitter in his first 10 appearances, which totaled 28.2 innings...Didn't allow a hit in his first 4.0 innings and two outings...Helped Houston to a 48-win season, an American Conference tournament title, Regional Championship and appearance in an NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2003
Jake Lemoine - Junior - RHP - Bridge City, Texas
Lemoine was recently named a Louisville Slugger Preseason Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for the upcoming season and was tabbed by Perfect Game as the No. 12 college prospect for the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
LEMOINE in 2014
Was named to USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team as part of the 24-man roster ... Helped Team USA to an 18-8-2 overall record ... Made five appearances on the bump with four starts ... Finished with a 2.45 ERA and a 2-2 record ... Struck out 15 in 18.1 innings ... Held opponents to a .194 average ... Tossed 5.0 shutout innings with six strikeouts in win over Chinese Taipei ... Also fanned five in 5.2 innings in tie vs. Chinese Taipei ... Threw 3.0 scoreless frames in first summer start vs. Fayetteville SwampDogs ... Was part of a team that traveled to The Netherlands and Cuba as well as met teams on USA soil.
Honored as the Premier Player of College Baseball, voted by the Fans...Named to the American Athletic Conference Second Team...Enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign, posting a 2.87 ERA and a 6-8 record in 17 starts...Combined for two shutouts and held opposing hitters to a .249 average...Tossed his first career complete game in a 9.0-inning, one-run, season-high nine-strikeout gem at Rutgers (April 5)...Went at least 7.0 innings in his first four starts...Didn't allow an earned run in his first 14.2 innings, posting wins over Nicholls State (Feb. 15) and Michigan (Feb. 22)...Led the pitching staff with 87 strikeouts, posting at least four in 13 of his 17 starts...Finished second-best on the team with 106.2 innings tossed...Earned wins over Nicholls State, Michigan, at UCLA (March 8), Towson (March 15), College of Charleston (March 22), Rutgers, and UConn (May 10)...Pitched 37.0 more innings and made seven more starts in 2014 compared to 2013...Allowed two hits in 10.0 shutout innings in back-to-back starts vs. Towson and College of Charleston to earn consecutive wins...Helped Houston to a 48-win season, an American Conference tournament title, Regional Championship and appearance in an NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2003.
Jared Robinson - Senior - RHP - Lubbock, Texas
ROBINSON in 2014
Played an integral role in the success of the Houston pitching staff this season, highlighted by a 6.1 inning shutout gem in relief at LSU (June 2) in the Baton Rouge Regional Championship game...For that, he was named to the Baton Rouge All-Regional team...Made 23 appearances tied for second-most on the team...Owned a 1.35 ERA and a 5-1 record out of the bullpen...Struck out 41 in 46.2 innings, holding opposing hitters to a .188 average...Didn't allow a run in his first four appearances, totaling 5.1 innings...Struck out a season-high eight hitters in the win at LSU...Logged a season-high 6.2 innings in relief in a team win vs. Bryant (May 30) in the Baton Rouge Regional opener...Allowed one run in his final 23.1 innings pitched out of the bullpen...Allowed just three extra base hits all season...Earned wins over Michigan (Feb. 22), Texas Southern (March 19), USF (April 17), Rice (May 13) and LSU (June 2)...Pitched 4.2 shutout innings vs. Rice (May 13), allowing just two hits with three strikeouts to help the Cougars sweep the season series...For that, he was named to the All-Silver Glove Series team vs. Rice... Helped Houston to a 48-win season, an American Conference tournament title, Regional Championship and appearance in an NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2003
Connor Hollis - Sophomore - 3B - Arlington, Texas
HOLLIS in 2014
Named to the American Athletic Conference Third Team at third base...Made a statement in his first collegiate season, hitting .321 to finish tied for first on the team...Appeared in 30 games with 29 starts in the infield...Tallied 34 hits and 15 runs scored with eight RBI...Broke into the starting lineup midway through the season on April 15 at Sam Houston State...Went 2-for-2 with two runs scored in his first collegiate start...Notched 12 multi-hit games, including three, three-hit games (at McNeese - April 29, vs. UCF - May 4, vs. UConn - May 22)...Had seven hits during NCAA postseason play, which included a two-hit, two-RBI outing vs. LSU in the Baton Rouge Regional Championship game...Drove in three on two hits in a win vs. Rice (May 13) to be named to the All-Silver Glove Series... Helped Houston to a 48-win season, an American Conference tournament title, Regional Championship and appearance in an NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2003
Kyle Survance - Junior - OF - Jersey Village, Texas
SURVANCE in 2014
Produced one of the best sophomore campaigns in program history as Houston's leadoff hitter...Was named to the American Athletic Conference Second Team...Hit .308 with a team-leading 78 hits, 53 runs scored and 31(of 38) stolen bases...He became the first Cougar since Michael Bourn (32) in 2002 to have at least 31 stolen bases in a single season...Appeared in 65 games, making 64 starts in the outfield...Totaled 11 doubles, two triples and two homeruns to slug .391, second-best on the team...Tallied six outfield assists...Had 35 walks and 11 hit-by-pitches to total 46 free passes...Hit .314 with 23 runs scored in conference-only games...Was 19-for-22 on the base paths in league games...Led the team with 23 multi-hit games and tallied a team-high 11-game hit streak...Reached base safely in 19 consecutive games and recorded eight multi-RBI games...Had three hits and scored in a run in the series sweep of Rice to earn All-Silver Glove Series honors...Tied his career-high with four hits in two games (at Cincinnati - April 27, vs. UCF- May 23)...Hit his first career homerun vs. Louisville (April 12)...Followed up with a go-ahead homerun at Cincinnati (April 25)...Had eight hits and scored eight runs during the American Baseball Championship, which included a four-hit, four-run day vs. UCF and a two-hit, three-run day vs. Louisville to capture the title...For that, was named to the All-Tournament team...Drove in a season-high three on three different occasions (vs. Towson - March 15, vs. College of Charleston - March 21, vs. Texas State - April 8)...Had eight games with at least two walks...Recorded a season-high four stolen bases and two hits in a win over Memphis (March 30)...Committed just three errors in 125 putouts in the outfield for a fielding percentage of .978...Had back-to-back NCAA games with three hits (vs. SLU - June 1, at LSU - June 1)...Totaled eight hits, six runs, and three RBI during the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional...Had the game-winning hit in the 11th inning in a come-from-behind win at LSU (June 1) to force a deciding game...For that, was named the Regional's Most Outstanding Player... Helped Houston to a 48-win season, an American Conference tournament title, Regional Championship and appearance in an NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2003
FAN APPRECIATION DAY & ALUMNI GAME
Poised and ready to embark on yet another exciting season, Houston Baseball invites fans, free of charge, to its annual Fan Appreciation Day and Alumni Game, slated for 1 p.m., Saturday, February 7 at Cougar Field.
Gates open at 11 a.m. and fans must register for the event, which is free of charge, in order to receive your 'print at home' ticket. All fans that register will be entered in to win a variety of Houston Baseball prizes, including a grand prize pack. Winners must be present at Cougar Field when their name is called in order to receive their prize.
To register, CLICK HERE.
PRIZES for REGISTERING & ATTENDING
For registering and attending Fan Appreciation Day, four individual prizes will be announced and distributed during the Alumni Game.
- Game hat
- Autographed ball
- Chance to watch BP during a select home game this season
- Dinner with Houston Baseball student-athletes
GRAND PRIZE: Autographed ball, game hat, game-worn jersey, chance to announce the Houston hitters for an inning and throw out the first pitch, while also receiving two tickets to a select home game this season
FAN APPRECIATION DAY ACTIVITIES
- Free admission - but must register and be present to win prizes
- Schedule posters/cards distributed
- Photo op with Championship trophy
- Kids Zone open
- Concession stands open
- Pregame 'Anthem Buddies'
- Postgame Kids Clinic (8th grade & under) / run the bases
- Postgame autograph session with 2015 Cougars
- Meet & Greet with your 2014 Regional Championship team
Former Houston standouts will make their way to Cougar Field in preparation for the Alumni Game, which featured over 60 players in years past, including names like Michael Bourn, Brad Lincoln, Doug Drabek, and Jesse Crain.
The game will feature your 2015 Cougars vs. a roster of former standouts. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to watch batting practice, which begins at 11 a.m.
Houston Baseball will open its 2015 season on Friday, February 13 when it welcomes Minnesota to Cougar Field for a three-game series, slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. The series will continue on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. and wrap on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m.
JOIN THE DUGOUT CLUB
LEVELS
PINCH HITTER
For a minimum monthly installment of $25 or a minimum one-time gift of $300, supporters can take advantage of the Pinch Hitter level, which will guarantee an invitation for two to exclusive Dugout Club events and Houston Baseball team apparel.
DIAMOND
For a minimum monthly installment of $100 or a minimum one-time gift of $1,000, supporters can take advantage of the Diamond level, which will guarantee batting practice passes for two to any home game, invitation for two to exclusive Dugout Club events and Houston Baseball apparel.
**Cougar Pride points will be applied accordingly.
For more information on joining the Dugout Club, please contact the Houston Baseball office at (713) 743-9396.
For more information regarding Cougar Pride, please call (713) 743-GOUH.
BUY SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets online by visiting UHCougars.com/Basetickets and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
To purchase tickets in person, fans can visit the Athletics Ticket Stadium Office located on the northeast corner of TDECU Stadium, just outside of Gate 1 off Cullen Boulevard. Parking is available in the TDECU Stadium parking garage with the first 30 minutes free of charge. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m., to 5:30 p.m.
All UH main campus students are admitted FREE to regular-season baseball home games with a valid student ID.
A LOOK AT THE 2015 SCHEDULE
For the ninth consecutive season, Houston will open its slate at Cougar Field, having accumulated a winning record of 14-6, which includes three straight weekend sweeps the past three seasons under Whitting - who will begin his fifth season at the helm.
"I'm really excited about this year's schedule," Whitting said. "It is probably one of the most competitive ones we have made since our staff took over in 2010."
Houston will open the season hosting Minnesota on Feb. 13-15. The Cougars and Gophers will meet for the first time since 1987 as they have met 25 previous times.
The home slate for the Cougars will continue with their third straight weekend series at Cougar Field when it welcomes first-time opponent Columbia for a four-game series, set for Feb. 27-March 1.
"Our fans will have a great opportunity to see us play against great opponents here in our city," Whitting said.
QUICK HITS
OUR CITY
• 31 home games; 36 in the city of Houston
• First seven games of the season played at Cougar Field
• 19 of first 21 games played in the city of Houston
• First five weekends played in city of Houston - four at Cougar Field
OPENING WEEKEND
• Houston will host Opening Weekend for the ninth consecutive season
• Cougars are 14-6 all-time during Opening Weekend under Whitting
• Cougars have swept the last three Opening Weekend series under Whitting
A LOOK BACK AT 2014
Houston is coming off a 2014 season that saw it ranked No. 11 in the nation to finish the year and notch one of the best seasons in program history, tying a program-record with 48 wins and earning its first trip to the NCAA postseason since 2008. The Cougars were ranked nationally for 13 straight weeks during the season, polling in as high as No. 5 in the nation during week 17.
Houston captured the Baton Rouge Regional title with back-to-back wins over LSU to advance to the Austin Super Regional (vs. Texas) - a first since 2003. 2014 also saw Houston win the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship tournament title with a win over Louisville. The Cougars posted the nation's No. 1 RPI in non-conference, regular-season play with an impressive 27-5 record.
The 27 regular-season, non-conference wins was the most since 27 in 2002 for the program. Houston posted a home record of 25-8 for the most home wins since Cougar Field was redone in 1995. The Cougars opened 2014 with four straight home weekend sweeps, marking the first time in program history to accomplish that feat. Houston saw itself earn a season sweep of Rice - first since 1991 to reclaim the Silver Glove trophy, which has been with the Owls since 2000.
The Cougars were led by one of the nation's top pitching staffs as senior relievers Chase Wellbrock (5-0, 12 SV) and Tyler Ford (9-0, 4 SV) combined for a 14-0 record and 16 saves. Freshman RHP Andrew Lantrip was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and the conference's Rookie of the Year, while eight other Cougars earned All-League honors.
The postseason saw sophomores Josh Vidales and Kyle Survance earn American Baseball Championship and Baton Rouge Regional Most Outstanding Player honors, respectively. Three Cougars were tabbed All-Region led by seniors Casey Grayson and Chase Wellbrock on the First Team and senior Tyler Ford on the Second Team. Off the field, the Cougars continued to excel in the classroom, led by sophomore Justin Montemayor, who was tabbed a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District award winner.
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.
