University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Baseball at USF for Three-Game Series
4/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| #22 HOUSTON (27-14, 7-5) at USF (27-14-1, 8-4) | |
| SERIES BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Tampa, Fla. - USF Baseball Stadium |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | GoUSFBulls.com | CBS Sports Network (Saturday) |
| GAMETRACKER | | | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and USF have met 27 times. |
| ALL-TME SERIES | Houston leads the all-time series, 17-10. |
| GAME NOTES | Houston Notes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION | |
| 5:30 PM - FRIDAY | HOU | RHP Andrew Lantrip USF | RHP Jimmy Herget |
| 3:30 PM - SATURDAY | HOU | RHP Kyle Dowdy USF | RHP Casey Mulholland |
| NOON - SUNDAY | HOU | TBA USF | TBA |
HOUSTON -- No. 22 Houston Baseball will hit the road for an American Athletic Conference showdown in Tampa, Fla. when it faces off against league-leader USF in a three-game series, beginning Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
The two teams will continue play on Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. CT start, televised nationally on CBS Sports Network and will wrap the series on Sunday at Noon CT.
TELEVISED NATIONALLY
The Houston-USF Saturday game at 3:30 p.m. CT will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network as part of the American Athletic Conference agreement, announced this season.
CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. To locate the channel in your area, visit www.cbssportsnetwork.com/channel-finder.
Television Talent: Carter Blackburn and Brandon Tierney
ON THE AIR
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. Saturday's game will be available on ESPN Deportes Houston 1180 AM.
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston, under fifth-year head coach Todd Whitting, has won four straight games, including a conference sweep of Cincinnati last weekend at Cougar Field. The Cougars return to play, having won a 5-4 midweek contest at McNeese State on Tuesday to improve their record to 27-14 overall. Houston currently sits in a tie for second place, one game behind USF with a 7-5 mark.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Homeruns have highlighted the offensive production this season as the Cougars have tallied 30 long balls after hitting just 17 the entire 2014 season. As a team, Houston is hitting .265 and slugging .391.
Leading the charge offensively is junior Chris Iriart with a .336 average, 49 hits, 36 runs scored and 31 RBI, while also sitting second in the nation and leading the league with 13 homeruns -- which broke a conference record.
Junior Josh Vidales follows with a .321 clip, a team-high 50 hits, 34 runs scored and 26 RBI, while junior Jacob Campbell is hitting .288 and is coming off a weekend where he hit two homeruns, including the team's first grand slam of the year. For that, he was named to the league's Honor Roll. Junior Kyle Survance paces the team with 23 stolen bases and holds a .268 average.
The team owns a .372 on-base percentage after drawing 197 walks and 44 hit-by-pitches.
ON THE BUMP
Houston's pitching staff owns a 3.41 ERA and in 366.1 innings, the Cougars have fanned 292 and walked just 98. Six Cougars have multiple wins this season and opponents are hitting just .259 against the staff.
Being named National Player of the Week and the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, Kyle Dowdy improved to 5-1 on the year and lowered his ERA to 2.83 after his 13-strikeout, complete game shutout vs. Cincinnati.
Leading the way with six wins as a starter is sophomore Andrew Lantrip, who holds a 2.53 ERA and has fanned 54 in 67.2 innings. Freshman Seth Romero made his third start of the year on Sunday and struck out seven in 8.2 innings, without allowing an earned run in the win. With that effort, he leads the team in ERA with a 1.79 and is 4-3 with 51 strikeouts in 45.1 innings.
Out of the bullpen, the Cougars have relied on the arm of junior Patrick Weigel, who is 4-0 and one save -- his first career save coming at McNeese State on Tuesday. He owns a 3.27 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 41.1 innings and a team-high 16 appearances.
QUICK HITS ON USF
USF will enter the weekend atop the American Athletic Conference league standings with an 8-4 record among conference teams, while holding a 27-14-1 overall record this season. The Bulls are 19-4-1 at home this season and are coming off a 7-5 win against Bethune-Cookman during midweek play.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
As a team, the Bulls are hitting .257 on the year and slugging .378 with 28 homeruns and 200 RBI. USF is led by Levi Borders' .321 average, 33 runs scored, 36 RBI and seven homeruns, while Kevin Merrell is hitting .309 with a team-best 51 hits, while swiping 16 stolen bases.
Defensively, the Bulls hold a .965 fielding percentage on 56 errors.
ON THE BUMP
On the mound, USF owns a team ERA of 3.90 with 13 saves and in 372.0 innings pitched, the Bulls have fanned 371 and walked 178. Opponents are hitting just .243 against the staff.
Leading the way with seven wins is Friday night starter RHP Jimmy Herget, who is 7-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 10 starts. He has fanned 76 in 65.0 innings and is holding opponents to a .196 average. RHP Casey Mulholland will start Saturday and is 4-5 with a 2.94 ERA and in 64.1 innings pitched, he has fanned 57.
Out of the pen, the Bulls have relied on RHP Tommy Peterson, who has 13 saves in 21 appearances, while owning a 1.76 ERA and a 3-1 record. He has fanned 41 in 30.2 innings.
SERIES HISTORY
· Houston and USF have met 27 previous times, dating back to 1997.
· The Cougars own the all-time series, 17-10 and have won four of the last five meetings.
· The Cougars won the 2014 season series at Cougar Field.
· Houston and USF are tied 6-6 when playing in Tampa, Fla.
· Houston has not played in Tampa since 2003 when the Cougars won the series, 2-1.
· Last Meeting: at Houston (Houston 5, USF 3) - April 19, 2014
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Friday, April 24 -- 5:30 p.m. CT
Houston: RHP Andrew Lantrip
USF: RHP Jimmy Herget
Saturday, April 25 -- 3:30 pm CT
Houston: RHP Kyle Dowdy
USF: RHP Casey Mulholland
Sunday, April 26 -- Noon CT
Houston: TBA
USF: TBA
ON DECK
Following the weekend series at USF, the Cougars will return home to host Sam Houston State in a midweek contest on Tuesday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. before hitting the road for a three-game conference series at Tulane next weekend.
HOUSTON TO INSTALL LARGEST COLLEGE BASEBALL VIDEO BOARD
Thanks to lead donations from Don Sanders and Joe Gutierrez, Houston Baseball and head coach Todd Whitting are proud to announce that Daktronics will design, manufacture and install a brand new LED video display to be named Sanders-Gutierrez Scoreboard at Cougar Field.
According to Daktronics, the new outfield video display will be the largest at an on-campus baseball stadium in the country. It will measure roughly 27.5 feet high by more than 55 feet wide to provide more than 1,500 square feet of space for live video, instant replays, statistics and scoring information, graphics and animations, and sponsor messages. The display features a 15HD pixel layout for crisp, clear imagery with wide-angle viewing for a great view from every seat at the ballpark.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
Single game tickets for the remaining eight 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.
