University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW: Top Two Teams to Play at Cougar Field
5/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| #21 HOUSTON (33-16, 11-7) vs. EAST CAROLINA (31-18, 11-7) | |
| SERIES BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Houston, Texas - Cougar Field |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | UHCougars.com | CBS Sports Network (Saturday) |
| GAMETRACKER | | | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and East Carolina have met 44 times. |
| NOTES | UH and ECU are tied for first in conference. |
| GAME NOTES | Houston Notes | ECU Notes | American Notes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION | |
| 6:30 PM - FRIDAY | HOU | RHP Andrew Lantrip ECU | LHP Evan Kruczynski |
| 4 PM - SATURDAY | HOU | RHP Kyle Dowdy ECU | LHP Reid Love |
| NOON - SUNDAY | HOU | LHP Seth Romero ECU | LHP Jacob Wolfe |
HOUSTON -- A showdown for first place in the American Athletic Conference will take place at Cougar Field this weekend when No. 21 Houston Baseball welcomes in East Carolina for a three-game series, beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The series will continue at 4 p.m. on Saturday with the game televised nationally on CBS Sports Network and wrap on Sunday at Noon.
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-East Carolina Saturday game at 4 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 Darryl Hamilton
PROMOTIONS
Salute to Service Weekend
All active or past military (with ID) will receive $4 admission into each game -- only at Cougar Field ticket window.
Friday - 6:30 pm
Saturday (presented by Houston Community Newspapers) -- 4 pm (Nationally-televised on CBS Sports Network) -- First 250 Fans -- Salute to Service Rally Towel
Sunday (presented by Hilton) -- Noon
QUICK HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston, under fifth-year head coach Todd Whitting, has won eight of its last 10 games and is coming off a three-game winning streak, which includes a 9-2 midweek victory over McNeese State at Cougar Field on Tuesday. With the win, the Cougars are now 33-16 on the year and have also won four straight American Athletic Conference series to improve to 11-7 to sit in a tie for first place with East Carolina, who is town this weekend.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
As a team, Houston is hitting .267 and slugging .392 and three Cougars sit above the .300 mark on the year.
The offense has slugged 35 homeruns -- the most by a Houston team since the 2010 squad hit 44. Junior Chris Iriart is tied for the conference lead with 14 homeruns, while pacing the team with a .316 average and 35 RBI. Junior Josh Vidales is hitting .310 with a team-leading 40 runs scored and 58 hits.
Junior Jacob Campbell is third-best in average at .302 and has driven in 33 RBI, while junior Kyle Survance is second in the conference with 28 stolen bases. As a team, the Cougars have drawn 283 free passes for a .371 on-base percentage.
ON THE BUMP
The Houston pitching staff has been a punchout force of late, recording 87 total strikeouts in the last three weekend series for a season total of 357 to just 109 walks.
As a staff, the Cougars are holding opponents to a .255 average and own a 3.14 ERA with 12 saves.
Houston's pitching staff is coming off a week that saw two complete game shutouts thrown and held its opponents to four total runs in four games at American foe, Tulane.
Freshman Seth Romero leads the way with a 1.80 ERA in 17 appearances and five starts. He has fanned 67 in 60.0 innings and is 6-3 on the year with five saves following a Sunday win at Tulane.
Sophomore Andrew Lantrip is 6-3 with a 2.40 ERA in 12 starts. The right-hander has unfortunately suffered the no-decision in three of the last four outings, but despite the tough-lucked loss at Tulane last Friday, he struck out 10 to increase his strikeout total to a team-high 77 in 82.2 innings pitched.
Junior Kyle Dowdy, who was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week, is 7-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 15 appearances and eight starts and has worked his way into the Saturday role for the Cougars, starting the last four for the Cougars.
Senior David Longville has won his last three starts, including a winning effort vs. McNeese State on Tuesday at Cougar Field. 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 3.22 ERA. The hard throwing righty has fanned 41 in 44.2 innings and leads the team with 19 appearances.
Fletcher earned his first career save in the win at USF and now owns a 2.08 ERA in 14 appearances, all out of the bullpen.
QUICK HITS ON EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina will enter the weekend series with a 31-18 overall record and an 11-7 mark in the American Athletic Conference, tied with Houston for first place. The Pirates, like the Cougars, have won eight of their last 10 games, including a series win over UConn at home last weekend.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
East Carolina is hitting .287 as a team and slugging .380 with 26 homeruns and 63 doubles. The team has five Pirates hitting over the .300 mark, led by Kirk Morgan with a .343 average. Hunter Allen follows with a .338 clip and a team-leading 53 hits, while Luke Lowery paces the team with 40 RBI.
As a team, the Pirates have drawn 164 walks to its 264 strikeouts and swiped 36-of-66 on the base paths, while fielding .970 with 59 errors.
ON THE BUMP
East Carolina's pitching staff owns a 3.14 ERA with 12 saves and four complete games. In 438.0 innings, the Pirates have fanned 330 and walked just 119, while holding opponents to a .257 average.
East Carolina will start LHP Evan Kruczynski on Friday, who is 6-3 on the year with a 3.00 ERA. He has fanned 56 hitters in a team-leading 75.0 innings, while walking 15.
LHP Reid Love will get the start on Saturday with a 5-3 record and four saves and a 2.88 ERA. In 65.2 innings, he has fanned 55 and walked nine. Sunday's starter is listed as TBA, but the Cougars could see LHP Jacob Wolfe, who has seen action as a starter and out of the pen for East Carolina this season. Wolfe is 4-1 with a 2.99 ERA and has fanned 41 in 72.1 innings.
Out of the bullpen, the Pirates have relied heavily on RHP Joe Ingle's arm, who owns a 0.84 ERA with three saves in a team-high 23 appearances.
SERIES HISTORY
• Houston and East Carolina have met 44 times, dating back to 2002.
• The Pirates own the all-time series, 22-21-1.
• Houston has won the last four meetings between the two teams, sweeping the Pirates in four back in 2013 as part of Conference USA.
• Last Meeting: at Conference USA Championship (Houston 9, East Carolina 4) -- May 23, 2013 -- Reckling Park (Houston, Texas)
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION (based on last weekend's rotation)
Friday, May 8 -- 6:30 p.m.
Houston: RHP Andrew Lantrip
East Carolina: LHP Evan Kruczynski
Saturday, May 9 -- 4 p.m. -- CBS Sports Network
Houston: RHP Kyle Dowdy
East Carolina: LHP Reid Love
Sunday, May 10 -- Noon
Houston: LHP Seth Romero
East Carolina: LHP Jacob Wolfe
ON DECK
Following the weekend showdown with East Carolina, Houston will meet Rice for the third and final game of the Silver Glove Series this season with the trophy on the line as each team has won one game this season.
The game will take place in Sugar Land, Texas at Constellation Field -- home of the Sugar Land Skeeters. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets will run through the Sugar Land Skeeters Box Office and can be purchased by clicking here. All students will be required to purchase tickets at $7 with adult tickets at $10.
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 six 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.
