University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Houston Baseball at Rice on Tuesday
4/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| HOUSTON (23-13) at RICE (23-15) | |
| SERIES BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Houston, Texas - Reckling Park |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | Houston All-Access |
| GAMETRACKER | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and Rice will meet for the 176th time. |
| LAST MEETING | Houston has won the last four meetings. |
| GAME NOTES | Houston Notes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP | |
| 6:30 PM - TUESDAY | HOU | TBA RICE | TBA |
HOUSTON - - Fresh off an American Athletic Conference series win, Houston Baseball will take on Rice Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Reckling Park for Game 2 of the 2015 Silver Glove Series.
The Cougars won Game 1, 8-3 at Cougar Field back on March 17 and have won the last four meetings over the Owls after a season sweep of Rice a year ago.
You can follow all the action by also listening in live at UHCougars.com/baseradio with Jeremy Branham on the call or tune into ESPN Deportes 1180 AM ... or by following via GAMEDAY CENTRAL at UHCougars.com/gameday.
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston, under fifth-year head coach Todd Whitting, is coming off a series win over Tulane this past weekend and will look to bounce back from a tough Sunday loss when it travels to Rice on Tuesday. The Cougars are 23-13 overall and hold a 7-6 record away from Cougar Field.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Homeruns have highlighted the offensive production this season as the Cougars have tallied 26 long balls after hitting just 17 the entire 2014 season. As a team, Houston is hitting .274 and slugging .396.
Leading the charge offensively is junior Chris Iriart with a .351 average, 46 hits, 32 runs scored and 26 RBI, while also pacing with a conference-leading 11 homeruns and .702 slugging percentage.
Junior Josh Vidales follows with a .328 clip, 48 hits, 30 runs scored and 23 RBI, while junior Jacob Campbell is hitting .297 and freshman Zac Taylor .275.
The team holds a .373 on-base percentage after drawing 165 walks and 35 hit-by-pitches.
ON THE BUMP
Houston's pitching staff owns a 3.49 ERA and in 322.1 innings, the Cougars have fanned 250 and walked just 89. Six Cougars have multiple wins this season and opponents are hitting just .265 against the staff.
Leading the charge in wins is sophomore Andrew Lantrip with a 6-2 record and a 2.70 ERA. He has fanned 44 in 60.0 inning to match the team-high in strikeouts with freshman Seth Romero, who has fanned 44 in just 36.2 innings, while holding a 2.21 ERA and a 3-3 record with four saves.
Junior Patrick Weigel is 3-0 with a 3.43 ERA with 38 punchouts in 91. Innings, while junior Kyle Dowdy is 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA and is coming off a 10-strikeout performance in the series-clinching win over Tulane last Saturday.
Senior David Longville has started the last three midweek games and is 2-2 with a 4.56 ERA. Against Rice last time, Romero made his first collegiate start and fanned a career-high nine in 6.1 innings.
QUICK HITS ON RICE
Rice will enter Tuesday's game with a 23-15 overall record after dropping a C-USA series at UAB this past weekend. The Owls salvaged a Sunday win to avoid the road sweep by the Blazers.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
As a team, Rice is hitting a solid .304 as a team, while slugging .397 with 65 doubles, 10 triples and 13 homeruns. Leading the way offensively for the Owls is Kirby Taylor with a .374 average and a team-leading 52 hits. John Clay Reeves follows with a .362 average, a team-high 40 RBI, while Ford Stainback leads the team with 37 runs scored.
The Owls have drawn 135 walks to their 212 strikeouts and are fielding .965 with 52 errors, while stealing just 19-of-28 on the base paths.
ON THE BUMP
Rice pitching owns a 3.63 ERA and in 334.2 innings, the Owls have fanned 328 hitters and walked 118. Opponents are hitting .254 against them.
Three Owls lead the charge in wins with four each, as RHP Austin Orewiler is 4-0 with a 2.66 ERA in six starts. RHP Kevin McCanna is 4-3 with a 3.52 ERA in nine starts and LHP Blake Fox is 4-1 with a 4.01 ERA.
RHP Jordan Stephens made the start last time against the Cougars. He is 3-3 on the year with a 3.72 ERA in four starts and 10 appearances.
Out of the pen, Rice has relieved heavily on RHP Matt Ditman, who is 2-1 with a 3.03 ERA with five saves in a team-leading 19 appearances.
LAST MEETING
Houston won 8-3 on March 17 at Cougar Field. Romero earned his second win as a Cougar in his first collegiate start, striking out nine in 6.1 innings, without allowing an earned run. Taylor, for Houston had a three-hit game, and Wong and Vidales each drove in a pair of runs.
SERIES HISTORY
• Houston and Rice will continue the series with the 176th meeting all-time, dating back to 1948.
• Rice leads the all-time series, 100-75, but Houston has won the last four meetings between the two programs.
• The Silver Glove Series officially began in 1998.
• The two teams have met at least once the last 44 years.
• Last Meeting: at Cougar Field - March 17, 2015 (Houston 8, Rice 3)
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday - April 14 - 6:30 pm
Houston: TBA
Rice: TBA
ON DECK
Following the midweek contest at Rice on Tuesday, the Cougars will continue its weekend home stand with a three-game American Athletic Conference series vs. Cincinnati this weekend at Cougar Field. The weekend series is set to begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. The set will continue at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and wrap at Noon on Sunday.
Reminder: Saturday's game will be part of Spring Fling, in conjunction with Houston Football's Spring Game and Houston Softball's doubleheader vs. UConn.
Fans can pre-purchase a Spring Fling ticket for just $5 that will allow general admission access to the Red & White Game, Houston Baseball vs. Cincinnati and Houston Softball vs. UConn. Tickets on the day of event are $10. All baseball and softball season ticket holders receive entry to the event with their season tickets. Admission for UH students is free with a valid student ID.
Fans can pre-purchase tickets online at UHCougars.com/spring, by phone at 713-462-6647 or in person at the Houston Athletics Ticket Office in the Athletics/Alumni Center at TDECU Stadium. Tickets on the day of the event will be available for purchase at the Houston Athletics Ticket Office located at Gate 1 on the northeast corner of TDECU Stadium beginning at 1 p.m., at the entrance to Cougar Softball Stadium beginning at 1 p.m. and the entrance to Cougar Field at 5:30 p.m.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
Single game tickets for the remaining 11 home games at Cougar Field can be purchased by clicking here: 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 offers 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.
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.
