University of Houston Athletics
Baseball's Fan Appreciation Day a Hit
2/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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HOUSTON - With national buzz surrounding the Houston Baseball program and the season approaching in less than one week, nearly 2,000 fans flocked to Cougar Field to take part in the 2015 Fan Appreciation Day and Alumni Game on Saturday afternoon.
Celebrating the recent success of the Championship titles won a year ago by Houston Baseball and showcasing the talent the program has produced over the years, Saturday's event represented a vast array of excitement as college baseball officially returns to Houston this coming week.
"Today's Fan Appreciation Day was a hit," head coach Todd Whitting said. "It was great to see the turnout we had by our fans and I'm thrilled by the amount of support this program had leading up to the event. Our team was excited to return to game-like action and I felt like we did a lot of great things today as a ball club as we look towards Opening Weekend in less than one week."
Ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation, the 2015 Cougars met a crop of talented Alumni for its annual Alumni Game, which featured over 50 former players. Despite facing an Alumni lineup that featured current professional players, the 2015 Cougars set the tone early and never looked back as they went on to earn an 8-1 win over the Alumni in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000 Cougar Faithful.
"Our former players helped shape this program and I can't say enough about the amount of support we have from them all season long. It was great for them to be able to return to Cougar Field and enjoy the day," Whitting said.
The 2015 Cougars jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run homerun by junior Ashford Fulmer and an RBI-single by freshman Michael Wisz.
The team padded its lead with two more runs in the third on RBI-singles by junior Chris Iriart and freshman Corey Julks. Two more runs came in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by junior Kyle Survance, scoring freshman Zac Taylor, who opened the frame with a bunt single. The inning's scoring was capped by a solo homerun off the bat of junior Josh Vidales to make it a 7-1 game. In the final inning of play, Taylor tripled to extend Houston's lead to seven with an 8-1 advantage.
Seeing action on the mound for the Cougars and getting the game's start was junior and Preseason All-American honoree Jake Lemoine. Sophomore right-hander Michael Kasowski followed out of the pen, while freshman southpaw Seth Romero, junior righty Patrick Weigel and junior right-hander Kyle Dowdy all saw an inning of action apiece.
The Houston Alumni plated its only run of the game on an RBI-double in the fourth inning off the bat of Brett Logan (2002-06).
With IMG sponsors and memorabilia for sale, the day began with an appreciation for community support. It continued with the opportunity for fans to catch a sneak peek of what they will see under the lights this season, while also awarding fans with prizes for their participation and commitment to the program.
Brian Poole was named our Grand Prize winner, which featured a collection of prizes like an autographed jersey, hat, ball, two tickets, chance to throw out the first pitch and announce the Houston hitters for an inning.
Fans were able to take part in the Kids Zone, prizes, in-game activities and well as Kids Run the Bases and postgame autographs with the current Cougars. The day wrapped with a chance for those wanting to participate in the Season Ticket Slugfest, the opportunity to swing for their seats and win season tickets.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
With 31 home games set for 2015 at Cougar Field and a Top 10 nationally-ranked preseason program representing the University of Houston, the Cougars are proud to announce that single-game tickets are now on sale at UHCougars.com/Basetickets.
Along with the online option, fans can purchase tickets by visiting the Athletics Ticket Office at TDECU Stadium Monday through Friday, 10 a.m., to 5:30 p.m. or can call 713-GO-COOGS.
Houston Baseball will offer variable pricing on its single-game tickets and group rates.
For the first time ever, the pricing breakdown will be determined whether or not you purchase your single-game tickets online vs. at the gate the day of the game as well as whether the Cougars play on a weekday (Monday-Thursday) or weekend (Friday-Sunday).
| 2015 Houston Baseball Single-Game Ticket Prices | ||||
| Weekday | Weekend | Weekday Walk-Up | Weekend Walk-Up | |
| Reserved 1 | $7 | $8 | $9 | $10 |
| Reserved 2 | $6 | $7 | $8 | $9 |
| GA | $5 | $6 | $7 | $8 |
| 2015 Houston Baseball Group Rates | ||||
| Weekday | Weekend | |||
| 10-24 | $4 | $5 | ||
| 25+ | $3 | $4 | ||
Weekday: Monday-Thursday; Weekend: Friday-Sunday.
As noted in the table, variable pricing occurs. For weekday (Tuesday nights) online purchases, fans can take in a game, ranging from $5-$7 depending on the choice of seating. If you choose to purchase the day of the game as a Weekday Walk-Up, you will pay roughly $2 more than the online price ($7-$9).
Weekend (Friday-Sunday) online pricing will range from $6-$8 per game, while Weekend Walk-Up pricing the day of the game will run a fan anywhere from $8-$10.
GROUP RATES
Group rates are also available (as noted in the table). Weekday (Tuesday) and Weekend (Friday-Sunday) pricing occurs. Groups of 10-24 are set at $4-$5 per person, while groups of 25+ are $3-$4 per person.
With single-game tickets available now, Houston Baseball still encourages supporters to become Season Ticket members and enjoy the attractive pricing and rewards that come with up-front purchasing for the entire 2015 season.
WHY ARE SEASON TICKETS MORE ATTRACTIVE?
Season Tickets are as low as $99 for general admission seating and the program offers an Anytime Tickets package that allows fans to use the 31 tickets how they choose (1 per game, multiple per game or all in one game). The Anytime Tickets are only available in general admission seating.
For just $200, you can enjoy reserved chairback seating on the lower level of the concourse at the stadium.
A new additional "Reserved 2" seating option for the 2015 season is also available with an assigned seat in sections 200, 201 and 202 for $150.
If you breakdown the season ticket pricing of $99 General Admission, the pricing of $150 for Reserved 2 or even the pricing of $200 for Reserved 1 (chairback), you are spending less money per game than purchasing single-game tickets.
HOW TO PURCHASE
To purchase tickets in advance, fans must 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. or you can call 713-GO-COOGS.
JOIN THE DUGOUT CLUB
Nationally-ranked Houston Baseball would like to encourage those wishing to support the efforts and success of the baseball student-athletes to consider joining the Dugout Club for as low as $25 a month or $300 annually.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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.
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
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.
