University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Baseball Back in Action at Memphis this Week
4/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| #14 HOUSTON (20-9) at MEMPHIS (17-7) | |
| SERIES BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Memphis, Tenn. - FedExPark |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio | ESPN Deportes |
| WATCH LIVE | GoTigersGo.com |
| GAMETRACKER | | | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and Memphis have met 54 previous times. |
| SERIES RECORD | Houston leads all-time series, 40-14. |
| GAME NOTES | Houston Notes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION | |
| 6:30 PM - THURSDAY | HOU | RHP Andrew Lantrip MEM | LHP Caleb Wallingford |
| 6:30 PM - FRIDAY | HOU | TBA MEM | TBA |
| NOON - SATURDAY | HOU | TBA MEM | TBA |
HOUSTON - Fresh off an 11-0 shutout win at Baylor, No. 14 Houston Baseball will continue its midseason road tour when it travels to Memphis to take on the Tigers in a three-game American Athletic Conference series at FedExPark, beginning Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Due to Easter Sunday, the series will continue on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and wrap on Saturday at Noon.
You can follow all the action by also listening in live at UHCougars.com/baseradio with Jeremy Branham on the call ... or by following via GAMEDAY CENTRAL at UHCougars.com/gameday. Friday's game will also air on ESPN Deportes 1180 AM.
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston, under fifth-year head coach Todd Whitting, won its 20th game of the 2015 season in an 11-0 rout of Baylor on Tuesday and the Cougars now hold a record of 20-9 and will continue league play at Memphis with a 1-2 record after dropping a road series at No. 6 UCF last weekend.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Houston is hitting .279 as a team and in 29 games, the Cougars are slugging .402 with 20 homeruns, 11 triples and 38 doubles. As a team, Houston has 142 walks this season and holds an on-base percentage of .384.
Leading the charge offensively is junior Chris Iriart with a .365 average with 38 hits, a team-high 27 runs scored and eight homeruns - the most by a Cougar since Chris Wallace in 2010. Iriart also is slugging .692 to rank among the best in the conference.
Junior Josh Vidales follows with a .364 clip and a team-best 39 hits. Vidales has reached base in 32 consecutive games, dating back to last season. Junior Jacob Campbell is hitting .304, while junior Kyle Survance is leading the league with 19 stolen bases and is fifth on the team with a .278 average.
Freshmen continue to shine in their debut season as Connor Wong is hitting .279 with a team-high 25 RBI, while Zac Taylor holds a .266 average, 24 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.
ON THE BUMP
Houston's pitching staff owns a 3.33 ERA and is coming off its fifth shutout of the season, lowering its ERA from a previous 3.45. In 262.0 innings, the Cougars have fanned 199 and walked just 74.
Six Cougars have multiple wins on the year, led by sophomore Friday starter Andrew Lantrip, who is 5-2 with a 2.84 ERA in seven starts. He has fanned 34 in 44.1 innings.
Freshman Seth Romero is 3-2 on the year with four saves and holds a 2.67 ERA. He has fanned 34 in 27.0 innings, including eight in 2.1 innings in the series vs. UCF.
Junior Kyle Dowdy earned the only win last weekend at UCF and is now leading the team in ERA at 2.05, while holding a 3-0 record. In 30.2 innings, Dowdy has fanned 15.
Recovering from an injury is junior Jake Lemoine - who is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts for the Cougars, while senior David Longville is 2-2 with a 4.12 ERA in four starts and six appearances and led the Cougars with the win at Baylor, throwing 5.0 shutout innings.
Out of the pen, the Cougars have relied heavily on a mixture of arms of late as freshman Aaron Fletcher (0-0, 1.59 ERA), junior Patrick Weigel (2-0, 3.30 ERA) and senior Aaron Garza (0-1, 5.28 ERA, 3 SV) have been consistent as relievers of late.
QUICK HITS ON MEMPHIS
Memphis will enter the series with Houston, holding a 17-7 overall record and despite coming off a 7-5 midweek loss to Ole Miss, the Tigers opened American Athletic Conference play with a road series win at East Carolina, winning 2-of-3 last weekend.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Memphis is hitting .286 as a team and slugging .383. Leading the way offensively is Kane Barrow with a .379 clip and a team-high 36 hits. Tucker Tubbs holds the team lead with 24 RBI and accompanying his .302 average are a team-high three homeruns, while Darien Tubbs paces the team with 28 runs scored.
On the base paths, Memphis is 36-of-47, led by Brandon Montgomery's nine stolen bases.
The team has drawn 70 walks to its 137 strikeouts for a .357 on-base percentage.
ON THE BUMP
Memphis' pitching staff owns a 2.84 ERA and in 211.0 innings, the Tigers have 160 strikeouts to 56 walks.
Four different Tigers have three wins for a team-high, led by Connor Alexander's 1.65 ERA and 3-0 record and in 32.2 innings, he has fanned 32 and walked just eight.
Caleb Wallingford is 3-2 with a 2.29 ERA and Dylan Toscano is 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA.
Out of the pen, Memphis has relied heavily on Blake Myers (2-0, 1.64 ERA) and Craig Caufield (3-0, 1.69 ERA) each with 12 and 10 appearances, respectively. Nolan Backwood has nine saves and has yet to surrender a run in 7.1 innings of work.
SERIES HISTORY
- Houston and Memphis have met 54 previous times, dating back to 1997.
- Houston owns the all-time record at 40-14 and the Cougars have won the last two meetings, which was part of a 2-1 series victory at Cougar Field in 2014.
- The last time Houston played at Memphis, the Cougars won the series, 2-1 in 2013.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Thursday, April 2 - 6:30 p.m.
Houston: RHP Andrew Lantrip (5-2, 2.84 ERA)
Memphis: LHP Caleb Wallingford (3-2, 2.29 ERA)
Friday, April 3 - 6:30 p.m.
Houston: TBA
Memphis: TBA
Saturday, April 4 - Noon
Houston: TBA
Memphis: TBA
ON DECK
Following the American Athletic Conference series at Memphis, the Cougars will travel to Lafayette, La. for the final game of its eight-game road stand when it takes on the Ragin' Cajuns at 6 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN3.com.
You can follow all the action by listening in live at UHCougars.com/baseradio with Jeremy Branham on the call or by following via GAMEDAY CENTRAL at UHCougars.com/gameday.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
With 31 home games set for 2015 at Cougar Field and a Top 10 nationally-ranked 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.
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.
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.
