University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Baseball Wraps Up Regular-Season with UConn
5/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| #19 HOUSTON (36-17, 13--8) vs. UCONN (33-20, 11-10) | |
| SERIES BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Houston, Texas - Cougar Field |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | UHCougars.com |
| GAMETRACKER | | | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and UConn have played four total games. |
| NOTE | Houston holds a two-game lead on UConn. |
| GAME NOTES | Houston Notes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION | |
| 6:30 PM - THURSDAY | HOU | RHP Andrew Lantrip UCONN | RHP Carson Cross |
| 6:30 PM - FRIDAY | HOU | RHP Kyle Dowdy UCONN | LHP Anthony Kay |
| 1 PM - SATURDAY | HOU | LHP Seth Romero UCONN | Jordan Tabakman |
HOUSTON -- After a wild win on Tuesday in comeback fashion, No. 19 Houston Baseball will look to continue its winning ways when it welcomes American Athletic Conference foe, UConn to Cougar Field for a three-game series, beginning Thursday at 6:30 pm.
The series will continue on Friday with a 6:30 p.m. contest and wrap on Saturday 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.
The program will honor its four seniors prior to Saturday's first pitch as Aaron Garza, David Longville, Jared Robinson and Taylor Cobb will be recognized for their contributions to Houston Baseball.
University of Houston Commencement Parking
In anticipation of over 45,000 individuals on campus for commencement ceremonies, the University of Houston Parking and Transportation Department has allocated many University parking lots near TDECU Stadium and Hofheinz Pavilion for commencement parking ONLY.
Baseball Parking Information
Thursday, May 14- 6:30 p.m. and Friday, May 15- 6:30 p.m.:
Baseball GAMEDAY Parking in lots 17C/D near General Services Building on Elgin St.
Look for parking signage.
Saturday, May 16-- 1 p.m.:
Graduation Ceremonies will not affect baseball parking -- normal GAMEDAY parking.
Directions to Lot 17C/D
From I-45 South
1. EXIT 44C Cullen Blvd./Elgin-Lockwood onto Gulf Fwy.
2. FOLLOW Gulf Fwy. and TX-5 Spur S to Elgin St.
3. TURN right onto Elgin St.
4. TURN right into Entrance 17 to Lot 17C
From I-45 North
1. EXIT 44A Elgin/Lockwood/Cullen Blvd. onto Gulf Fwy.
2. FOLLOW Gulf Fwy. to Lockwood/Elgin St.
3. TURN left onto S. Lockwood/Elgin St.
4. TURN right into Entrance 17 to Lot 17C
Commencement Ceremony Information
• 2-4 p.m.- Thursday, May 14-- Hofheinz Pavilion
• 7-10 p.m.- Thursday, May 14-- Hofheinz Pavilion
• 4:30 -- 9 p.m.-- Friday, May 15-- TDECU Stadium
Additional Notes
• PLEASE expect significant traffic delays. Many will be arriving to UH campus at the same time.
• Cullen is closed from Elgin to Cougar Placeon Fridayfrom6-7 p.m.
• Handicap accessible parking available in parking lot 15H located on Elgin behind Cougar Field.
For any questions leading up to GAMEDAY, you can contact the Cougar Pride team by email at CougarPride@UH.edu or by phone at 713-743-GOUH (4684).
PROMOTIONS
Thursday -- Game sponsor: AT&T
Friday -- Friday Frenzy: $1 popcorn, $2 hot dogs, $3 sodas, $4 beers* (21+)
Saturday -- Senior Day (pregame) / Kids Day (FREE UH Baseball Clinic -- postgame)
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston, under fifth-year head coach Todd Whitting, has won 13 of the last 16 games down the stretch and will enter the series with UConn, holding an overall record of 36-17 and a 13-8 mark in conference play. The Cougars currently own a one-game lead on East Carolina and a two-game lead on Memphis, UConn, Tulane and USF.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
As a team, Houston is hitting .267 and slugging .393 and three Cougars sit above the .300 mark on the year.
The offense has slugged 38 homeruns -- the most by a Houston team since the 2010 squad hit 44. Junior Chris Iriart is second in the conference with 14 homeruns, while pacing the team with a .313 average and 39 RBI. Junior Josh Vidales is hitting .307 with a team-leading 44 runs scored and 62 hits.
Junior Jacob Campbell is third-best in average at .301 and has driven in 35 RBI, while junior Kyle Survance is second in the conference with 28 stolen bases. As a team, the Cougars have drawn 301 free passes for a .370 on-base percentage.
ON THE BUMP
Houston's pitching staff lowered its team ERA to 3.05 after holding Rice and East Carolina to just seven total runs in the last four games. As a staff, the Cougars have fanned 3815 and walked just 120 in 472.2 innings.
Freshman Seth Romero leads the way with a 1.75 ERA in 18 appearances and six starts. He has fanned 73 in 67.0 innings and is 7-3 on the year with five saves following a Sunday win vs. East Carolina.
Sophomore Andrew Lantrip is 7-3 with a 2.28 ERA in 13 starts. The right-hander earned the win, tossing 8.0 innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts on Friday vs. East Carolina.
Junior Kyle Dowdy is 7-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 16 appearances and nine starts and has worked his way into the Saturday role for the Cougars, starting the last five for the Cougars.
Senior David Longville has won three of his last four starts. He is now 5-2 on the year and has lowered his ERA to 2.70.
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 two saves and a 3.17 ERA. The hard throwing righty has fanned 44 in 48.1 innings and leads the team with 20 appearances.
Fletcher earned his first career save in the win at USF and now owns a 1.86 ERA in 16 appearances, all out of the bullpen. Sophomore Marshall Kasowski earned his first win as a Cougar in a hitless, 2.0-inning performance in the Cougars' comeback win over Rice on Tuesday.
QUICK HITS ON UCONN
UConn will enter the series at Houston with a 33-20 overall record and an 11-10 mark in league play, two games back of the Cougars. The Huskies have won five of the last seven games, including a series sweep last weekend vs. Cincinnati.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
UConn is among the league leaders in every offensive category, hitting .296 as a team and slugging .430 with 42 homeruns. The Huskies have walked 244 times and struck out 364 times for an on-base percentage of .394. The defense has committed 60 errors for a .970 fielding percentage.
Leading the way offensively is Vinny Siena with a .362 average, team-leading 85 hits and 50 RBI. Willy Yahn follows with a .359 clip and Bobby Melley is third-best with a .327 average. Jack Sunberg leads the league with 30 stolen bases.
ON THE BUMP
UConn's pitching tops the American Athletic Conference, owning a 2.89 ERA in 474.0 innings pitched. The Huskies have fanned 432 hitters and walked 175, while holding opponents to a .225 average.
UConn is led by Game 1 starter RHP Carson Cross, who is 10-2 with a 2.15 ERA. He leads the league with 103 strikeouts in 92.0 innings pitched, holding opponents to a mere .202 batting average.
Houston will face LHP Anthony Kay on Friday, who is 7-5 with a 2.00 ERA. The southpaw has fanned 80 in 90.0 innings of work this season.
The Huskies will go with RHP Jordan Tabakman, who is 3-4 with a 3.77 ERA in 13 starts for UConn. He has fanned 41 in 76.1 innings.
SERIES HISTORY
- Houston and UConn have met four previous times, all during the 2014 season.
- The Cougars currently own the all-time series, 3-1 over the Huskies.
- Last Meeting: UConn 7, Houston 2 (May 22, 2014 -- American Championship, Clearwater, Fla.)
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Thursday, May 14 -- 6:30 p.m.
Houston: RHP Andrew Lantrip
UConn: RHP Carson Cross
Friday, May 15 -- 6:30 p.m.
Houston: RHP Kyle Dowdy
UConn: LHP Anthony Kay
Saturday, May 16 -- 1 p.m.
Houston: LHP Seth Romero
UConn: RHP Jordan Tabakman
ON DECK
Following the series vs. UConn at Cougar Field, the Cougars will travel to Clearwater, Fla. next week to compete in the American Athletic Conference Championship with official pairings to be announced Saturday following the conclusion of regular-season play.
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 three 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.
