University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Baseball to Open NCAA Regional vs. HBU
5/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| (1) HOUSTON (42-18) vs. (4) HOUSTON BAPTIST (28-25) | |
| SERIES BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Houston, Texas - Cougar Field |
| REGIONAL CENTRAL | REGIONAL CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | |
| GAMETRACKER | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and HBU have met 18 previous times. |
| NOTE | Houston is making 20th NCAA Regional appearance. |
| GAME NOTES | Houston Notes | Practice Quotes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION | |
| 7 PM CT - FRIDAY | HOU | TBA HBU | TBA |
HOUSTON - Houston Baseball will make its 20th NCAA Regional appearance on Friday when it opens play at 7 p.m. against No. 4-seed Houston Baptist at Cougar Field on ESPN3/Watch ESPN as part of the Houston Regional.
This game will follow the 2:30 p.m. matchup between #2 Rice and #3 Louisiana-Lafayette.
Both games on Friday will be aired on ESPN3.com/Watch ESPN or by clicking HERE.
You can also follow all the action by listening in live at UHCougars.com/baseradio with Jeremy Branham on the call or by following via REGIONAL CENTRAL at UHCougars.com/regionalcentral.
GATES/STADIUM INFORMATION - FAN GUIDE
Gates are scheduled to open TWO HOURS prior to first game of each day.
Gates will close at the end of the first game, allow for the stadium to be cleared, and reopen for Game 2.
Friday: 2:30 pm - Gates Open: 12:30 pm | 7 pm - Gates Open: TBA (tentative - based on Game 1 time)
Saturday: 2:30 pm - Gates Open: 12:30 pm | 7 pm - Gates Open: TBA (tentative - based on Game 1 time)
Sunday: 2:30 pm - Gates Open: 12:30 pm | 7 pm - Gates Open: TBA (tentative - based on Game 1 time)
Cougar Field will be cleared in between games on each day and fans will be required to reenter the stadium with the appropriate ticket for the second game of each day.
NOTE: If Game 1 goes over the 5 p.m. hour, gates for Game 2 will be delayed in opening.
TICKET INFORMATION
As of noon, Wednesday, all reserved all-session tickets are sold out. A limited number of all-session standing room only/berm tickets remain at the price of $50 and gain access to the entire Regional.
At this time, remaining standing room only/berm all-session tickets can only be purchased by Cougar Pride members, Houston Athletics season ticket members and University of Houston students.
All-session standing room tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at UHCougars.com/regional, by phone at 713-462-6647 or in person at Gate 1 of TDECU Stadium from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., Thursday.
With tickets returned from participating team blocks, there will be a maximum of 400 reserved single-game tickets available for each game that will go on sale 2.5 hours prior to the scheduled start of each game (12 p.m. for the first game and 4:30 for the second game of each day). The Houston Athletics Ticket Office will also remain open at Cougar Field for 30 minutes following the conclusion of each day's second game to sell single-game tickets for the following day.
HOUSTON REGIONAL CENTRAL
Fans can receive up-to-the-minute updates on game times/scores, tickets, NCAA bracket information and more at our Houston Regional Central Page: UHCougars.com/regionalcentral.
PARKING/TAILGATING
Parking for the Houston Regional is FREE, but lots may fill up fast, so plan on arriving early.
For general GAMEDAY parking, fans will need to park in Lots: 16B (across Cullen Blvd., behind RF wall), 16D (directly behind CF wall), 16E, 16J, 16I, 16H (along Cullen Blvd. towards I-45). See parking map, HERE.
TAILGATING
Fans are encouraged to tailgate outside the confines of Cougar Field, but there is no designated tailgating area assigned.
HOUSTON ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PREGAME PARTY
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Join the Houston Alumni Association as they host pregame parties prior to all Houston Cougar games in the 2015 Houston Regional with BBQ, music, giveaways, cash bar, games on our televisions and special guests!
All for only $15 per person (children under 10 free) in the Athletics/Alumni Center Great Hall.
The first party will be on Friday, May 29th beginning at 5:00 pm.
Subsequent parties will begin 2 hours prior to any UH game, so check local listings.
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston Baseball will enter NCAA play with a record of 42-18 and a 25-6 mark at Cougar Field this season. The Cougars have won 19 of their last 23 games and are coming off a 3-1 week, which saw Houston make its second appearance in the American Athletic Conference Championship title game in Clearwater, Fla.
Houston won its first regular-season conference title since 2002 and is hosting its first NCAA Regional since 2000.
ON THE OFFENSE
As a team, the Cougars are hitting .271 and slugging .398 after tallying 41 homeruns through their first 60 games. The team has 273 walks and an on-base percentage of .371, while swiping 72-of-93 on the base paths.
A balanced offense has five Cougars hitting over the .300 mark, led by freshman Corey Julks' .309 average. The left fielder has recorded a hit in 12 of the last 13 games, including five multi-hit games.
Following Julks is junior Josh Vidales with a .307 average and a team-leading 70 hits, while junior Chris Iriart leads the team with 14 homeruns and is hitting .306. Junior Jacob Campbell took over the team lead in RBI with 40 and is hitting .303, while classmate Kyle Survance holds a .301 clip, a team-leading 50 runs scored and 30 stolen bases.
As of late, junior Ian Rice and freshman Connor Wong - each named to the American Athletic Conference Championship All-Tournament Team, have produces as Rice leads the team with a solid .431 on-base percentage with 44 walks and Wong broke the conference tournament record with six RBI in a 17-3 win over Memphis.
ON THE BUMP
Houston's pitching has been dominant over the last month of the season, as its seen its ERA fall from nearly 3.65 to 2.99 in that time span. The Cougars own a 2.99 team ERA through 60 games and in 535.2 innings, Houston has 439 strikeouts to just 145 walks. Opponents are hitting just .245 against the Houston staff.
All three-weekend starters have at least seven wins, led by junior Kyle Dowdy with a 9-2 record and three complete games. The right-hander holds a 2.62 ERA in 11 starts and 18 appearances and has fanned 62 in 86.0 innings this season, while holding opponents to a .223 average.
Freshman and American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Seth Romero is 7-4 with a team-leading 2.15 ERA in seven starts and 21 appearances. He also paces the staff with seven saves and has fanned 84 in 75.1 innings.
Sophomore Andrew Lantrip ranks among the Top 3 in the conference in innings pitched and strikeouts as the righty has 107 strikeouts in 104.1 innings this season. Lantrip is 8-3 with a 2.50 ERA in 15 starts, holding opponents to a .245 average.
Senior David Longville (5-2, 2.95 ERA) has pitched mostly during midweek action this season, but in 10 starts, has recorded a complete game shutout.
Out of the bullpen, the Cougars have relied heavily on the young arm of Aaron Fletcher, who is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA and one save. In 26.0 innings, he has fanned 15 and holding opponents to a .221 average in 20 appearances.
Junior Patrick Weigel leads the team with 23 appearances and is 4-1 with two saves in 50.2 innings.
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON BAPTIST
Houston Baptist is coming off a Southland Conference Tournament Championship title and is making its first ever NCAA Regional appearance. The Huskies own a record of 28-25 on the year and are 15-10 away from home.
ON THE OFFENSE
As a team, HBU is hitting .289, led by five Huskies hitting over the .300 mark. The team is slugging .380 with 19 homeruns and has an on-base percentage of .355 with 149 walks, while stealing 42-of-60 on the base paths.
Leading the way offensively is Zach Nehrir with a .333 average, team-leading 73 hits and 43 RBI. Sasmm Wiggins follows with a .325 clip and five homeruns, while Thomas Clay is 15-for-15 in stolen bases.
ON THE BUMP
Houston Baptist's pitching staff owns a 3.30 ERA and in 463.0 innings, the Huskies have fanned 293 and walked 113, while holding opponents to a .269 average.
LHP Matthew McCollough is 8-2 with a team-low 2.55 ERA and has fanned 68 in 99.0 innings, while tallying four complete games this season.
RHP Taylor Wright is 8-6 with a 2.99 ERA in 14 starts, while RHP Curtis Jones is 6-6 with a 3.99 ERA in 14 starts as well.
Out of the bullpen, HBU has handed the ball around as six Huskies have at leas 14 appearances in relief this season. RHP Chris Garza is 1-1 with a 5.32 ERA in a team-leading 20 appearances and RHP Dylan Zarosky leads the team with three saves.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston and Houston Baptist have met 18 previous times in the history of the program. The Cougars currently own the all-time series, 13-5 and have won five of the last seven meetings. The Huskies, however, did win the previous meeting between the two schools this season, back on March 3 - 2-1 - at Cougar Field.
QUICK HITS ON (2) RICE
Rice will enter NCAA play with a record of 35-20 and is coming off a C-USA regular-season Championship. The Cougars and Owls have met three times already this season with Houston winning two of three to notch its second straight Silver Glove Series trophy.
QUICK HITS ON (3) LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
Louisiana-Lafayette was named the No. 3 seed in the Houston Regional after capturing the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Tournament title this weekend. The Ragin' Cajuns enter play with a 39-21 record. Houston and Louisiana-Lafayette met once this season, with the Cougars falling 6-5 on the road in midweek action (April 7).
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.
