University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Baseball Travels to Tulane
4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| #20 HOUSTON (30-15) at TULANE (28-16) | |
| SERIES BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | New Orleans, La. - Turchin Stadium |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | UHCougars.com | CBS Sports Network (Friday) |
| GAMETRACKER | | | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and Tulane have met 66 times. |
| LAST SERIES | Houston won the first series, 2-1 at Cougar Field. |
| GAME NOTES | Houston Notes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION - based on last weekend | |
| 6 PM - FRIDAY | HOU | RHP Andrew Lantrip TUL | RHP Corey Merrill |
| 2 PM - SATURDAY | HOU | RHP Kyle Dowdy TUL | RHP Emerson Gibbs |
| 1 PM - SUNDAY | HOU | LHP Seth Romero TUL | RHP Alex Massey |
HOUSTON -- No. 20 Houston Baseball will leave the city of Houston for the final time during regular-season play when it travels to New Orleans, La. this weekend to take on Tulane in a three-game American Athletic Conference series, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
The series will continue with an afternoon contest on Saturday at 2 p.m. and wrap on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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.
TELEVISED NATIONALLY
The Houston-Tulane Friday game at 6 p.m. 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 Ray King
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston, under fifth-year head coach Todd Whitting, is coming off three straight wins, including win No. 30 vs. Sam Houston State on Tuesday after shutting out the Bearkats, 3-0. With that, the Cougars own a season record of 30-15 and are currently in a four-way tie for first place in the league at 9-6.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
The offense has shown its ability to score in needed situations of late, and has boosted its team average to .266 on the year and its slugging percentage to .394.
On the year, the offense has slugged 33 homeruns, led by junior Chris Iriart's conference-leading 13 long balls. He paces the team with a .321 average and joins junior Josh Vidales with a team-leading 52 hits, 37 runs and 31 RBI on the year, with Vidales hitting .302.
Junior Kyle Survance leads the team with 25 stolen bases and upped his average to .291 after hitting .400 in last weekend's series at USF and junior Jacob Campbell is third-best on the team with a .299 average and is now tied for the team lead with 31 RBI. As a team, the Cougars have drawn 260 free passes to its 292 strikeouts.
ON THE BUMP
The Houston pitching staff has been a punchout force of late, recording 62 total strikeouts in the last two weekend series for a season total of 327 to just 104 walks.
As a staff, the Cougars are holding opponents to a .260 average and own a 3.34 ERA with 11 saves.
Freshman Seth Romero, who was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, leads the way with a 1.92 ERA in 16 appearances and four starts. He has fanned 61 in 51.2 innings and is 5-3 on the year with five saves following a Sunday win at USF and a Saturday save in the game prior.
Sophomore Andrew Lantrip is 6-2 with a 2.37 ERA in 11 starts. The right-hander has unfortunately suffered the no-decision in his last three outings, but is coming off a career-high 13 strikeout effort at USF in his last start. He has now fanned 67 in 76.0 innings.
Junior Kyle Dowdy is 6-1 with a 3.21 ERA in 14 appearances and seven starts and has worked his way into the Saturday role for the Cougars.
Senior David Longville is coming off a complete game shutout win vs. Sam Houston State that led the Cougars to their sixth shutout of the season and second complete game shutout.
Out of the bullpen, the Cougars have relied heavily on the arms of junior Patrick Weigel and freshman Aaron Fletcher of late. Weigel is 4-1 with one save and a 3.35 ERA. The hard throwing righty has fanned 39 in 43.0 innings and leads the team with 18 appearances.
Fletcher earned his first career save in last Sunday's win at USF and now owns a 2.16 ERA in 16 appearances, all out of the bullpen.
QUICK HITS ON TULANE
Tulane will open the weekend series, riding a four-game win streak to up its season record to 28-16 on the year. The Green Wave currently sit at 8-7 in the American Athletic Conference and are coming off a sweep at Cincinnati last weekend.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Tulane is hitting .249 as a team and is slugging .347 with 23 homeruns. As a unit, the Green Wave have swiped 42-of-64 on the base paths and draw 162 walks to their 356 strikeouts.
Leading the offensive charge is Stephen Alemais with a .332 average, 61 hits, 37 runs scored and 22 stolen bases. He is followed by John Gandolfo with a .285 clip, while Hunter Williams paces the team with 25 RBI.
ON THE BUMP
Tulane's pitching numbers rank among the best in the American Athletic Conference with nine shutouts and an ERA of 2.81. In 393.2 innings, the Green Wave have fanned 307 and walked 157, while holding opponents to a .243 average.
RHP Corey Merrill holds a 1.82 ERA and is 3-3 in 12 appearances and 11 starts. In 74.0 innings, he has fanned 60 and walked 28, while holding opponents to a .215 average.
RHP Emerson Gibbs is 3-2 with a 2.74 ERA in nine starts and 13 appearances, totaling 62.1 innings with 44 strikeouts. RHP Alex Massey is 5-2 with a 3.26 ERA in eight starts and 13 appearances and has struck out 50 in 60.2 innings.
Out of the bullpen, Tulane has relied heavily on closer RHP Ian Gibaut, who is 5-3 with five saves and a 2.70 ERA in a team-leading 20 appearances.
LAST TIME OUT
Houston and Tulane met earlier this season at Cougar Field when the Cougars earned a 2-1 series win over the Green Wave. Houston went up 2-0 in the series after a 4-3 Friday win, a 6-1 Saturday win before falling 3-1 in the series finale.
Weigel picked up the win in relief in Game 1, while Dowdy fanned 10 for the win in Game 2.
SERIES HISTORY
· Houston and Tulane have met 66 previous times, dating back to 1986.
· Houston leads the all-time series, 37-29 and are 15-14 on the road vs. the Green Wave.
· Last Meeting: Houston won the early 2015 series, 2-1 at Cougar Field - W, 4-3 - W, 6-1 - L, 1-3
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION (BASED ON LAST WEEKEND'S ROTATION)
Friday, May 1 -- 6 p.m.
Houston: RHP Andrew Lantrip
Tulane: RHP Corey Merrill
Saturday, May 2 -- 2 p.m.
Houston: RHP Kyle Dowdy
Tulane: RHP Emerson Gibbs
Sunday, May 3 -- 1 p.m.
Houston: LHP Seth Romero
Tulane: RHP Alex Massey
ON DECK
Following the weekend series at Tulane, the Cougars will play the final eight regular-season games in the city of Houston with seven to be played at Cougar Field. Houston will return home to host McNeese State in a midweek contest on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
Single game tickets for the remaining seven home games at Cougar Field can be purchased by clicking here: UHCougars.com/Basetickets.
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 seven 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.
