University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Earns Fifth Top 25 Preseason Ranking
1/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HOUSTON -- Houston Baseball earned its fifth preseason Top 25 ranking when it was tabbed No. 18 in USA Today Sports Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday afternoon.
The No. 18 ranking by USA Today Sports follows the Cougars' highest preseason ranking of No. 12 by Baseball America earlier this week.
Houston has also been ranked No. 16 by Perfect Game, No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 22 by D1Baseball.com.
According to the Coaches Poll, Florida holds the top spot on the preseason list, followed by Louisville and Vanderbilt rounding out the Top 3.
Among the Top 10 are Texas A&M, LSU, Miami (FL), Virginia, Oregon State, UCLA and Oklahoma State.
Houston is the only representative in the American Athletic Conference and one of only four schools representing the state of Texas.
For full poll, CLICK HERE.
Of the Top 25 ranked, Houston will play six games against ranked opponents (4 Texas A&M, 11 TCU, 22 Arkansas, 24 Rice), beginning with TCU and Arkansas in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. For tickets information, CLICK HERE.
Houston will host No. 4 Texas A&M on Tuesday, March 29 at Cougar Field with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch and play No. 24 Rice three times (Cougar Field -- March 22, at Rice -- May 10, at Constellation Field -- May 17).
Houston is coming off its second straight 40+ win season after it captured the American Athletic Conference regular-season title in 2015, its first league title since 2002 and eighth in program history.
The Cougars, led by sixth-year head coach Todd Whitting, who was named the 2015 ABCA South Central Regional Coach of the Year, finished with a 43-20 record and ranked No. 18 in the nation.
With its impressive regular-season play, Houston was awarded an NCAA Regional hosting bid and the No. 1 seed at Cougar Field - the first time hosting since 2000 and just the third time ever in program history.
Houston finished the year with a 26-8 mark at home, tallying the most home wins ever, while earning five weekend sweeps and eight shutouts on the season - a number that ranks among the nation's Top 10.
Also in 2015, the Cougars went on to capture their second straight Silver Glove series over Rice - the first time since the trophy was established in 1998.
Individual highlights were abundant as the Cougars were highlighted by Andrew Lantrip's Third Team All-America honor by Perfect Game, while Seth Romero, who led the league with a 1.94 ERA, was tabbed a Freshman All-American and the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.
Three Cougars were named to the All-Region Team (Kyle Survance, Andrew Lantrip, Chris Iriart) and seven Cougars earned All-Conference honors with Kyle Survance leading the way as a First Team selection.
Houston took a hit from the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft as eight Cougars were selected and all signed with respective organizations (Jake Lemoine, Patrick Weigel, Survance, Iriart, Kyle Dowdy, Taylor Cobb, Ashford Fulmer, Ian Rice). The eight Cougars drafted were the most since 11 in 2000.
Despite losing a core group of student-athletes, Houston Baseball refueled with its new class, sparked by 10 freshmen and seven JUCO transfers. 10 of the 17 newcomers are pitchers, four of which are southpaws, which was a focus for the coaching staff during the recruiting process.
FAN APPRECIATION DAY & ALUMNI GAME
Want a sneak peek of your nationally-ranked Houston Baseball team before Opening Night on Feb. 19? Join us at Noon on Saturday, February 13 for Fan Appreciation Day and Alumni Game. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as gates open at 10 a.m. All information on the day's activities can be found at UHCougars.com/Basefanday.
Gates open at 10 a.m. and fans must register for the event, which is free of charge, in order to receive your `print at home' ticket. All fans that register will be entered in to win a variety of Houston Baseball prizes, including but not limited to autographed memorabilia, tickets to home games and more. Winners must be present at Cougar Field when their name is called in order to receive their prize.
To register, CLICK HERE (or sign into your account) if you are a current season ticket member or CLICK HEREif you are a non-season ticket member ... you can also visitUHCougars.com/Basefanday .
PRIZES for REGISTERING & ATTENDING
For registering and attending Fan Appreciation Day, six individual prizes will be announced and distributed during the Alumni Game.
- Autographed hat
- Autographed ball
- Autographed helmet
- Watch BP at a home game
- Pair of tickets to a home game
- Throw out the first pitch at a home game
GRAND PRIZE FOR SEASON TICKET MEMBERS ONLY: 2016 Season Ticket members have the chance to win a trip with the Coogs to New Orleans, which includes hotel (two nights), airfare, and game tickets for two for the weekend series at Tulane, April 29 -- May 1.
In order to win, you MUST:
- be a season ticket member by Feb. 13 (you may sign up that day)
- be present on Feb. 13 until the drawing occurs following the Alumni Game
FAN APPRECIATION DAY & ALUMNI GAME ACTIVITIES
- Kids Zone opens at 10 a.m. (inflatables, face painter, balloon artist, and more!)
- Concession stands open
- Alumni Batting Practice begins at 10 a.m. - open to public
12 p.m.
- First Look at the 2016 Intro Video on the new video board
- Pregame `Anthem Buddies'
- 7-inning Alumni Game
All Day
- Schedule posters/cards distributed
- Photo op with Championship trophies
Postgame (following 7-inning Alumni Game)
- Postgame Kids Run the Bases
- Postgame autograph session with 2016 Cougars
- Grand Prize Drawing for one Season Ticket Member
- Meet & Greet with your 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship Team
The Alumni Game will feature your 2016 Cougars vs. a roster of former standouts. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to watch batting practice, which begins at 10 a.m.
BUY SEASON/ SINGLE-GAME / GROUP TICKETS
Houston Baseball will play 32 home games at Cougar Field this upcoming 2016 season and fans can purchase season tickets for as low as $99 online by visiting UHCougars.com/tickets and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
To purchase tickets in person, fans can 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.
Houston Baseball will offer variable pricing on its single-game tickets and group rates.
As noted in the table above, variable pricing occurs. For weekday (Tuesday/Wednesday) games, prices range from $5-$7 depending on the choice of seating.
Weekend ((Thursday) Friday-Sunday) online pricing will range from $6-$8 per game.
GROUP RATES
Group rates are also available (as noted in the table). Weekday (Tuesday/Wednesday) and Weekend ((Thursday) Friday-Sunday) pricing occurs. Groups of 10-24 are set at $4-$5 per person, while groups of 25+ are $3-$4 per person.
All UH main campus students are admitted FREE to regular-season baseball home games with a valid student ID.
2016 SCHEDULE QUICK HITS
Highlighted by 32 home games, 38 in the city of Houston, a neutral site matchup against the University of Texas, home contests against Texas A&M and Baylor and three first-time opponents, Houston Baseball and head coach Todd Whitting have unveiled an exciting 2016 schedule.
For the 10th consecutive season, Houston will open its slate at Cougar Field. In the five seasons under Whitting, Houston has accumulated a winning record of 14-1 in those season-opening series, which includes four weekend sweeps.
"We are excited about the challenges that are ahead during the 2016 season. Not only will we compete in the American Athletic Conference, which is one of the toughest leagues in the nation (#3 RPI in 2015), but we will once again play an aggressive schedule against non-conference opponents," Whitting, who will begin his sixth season at the helm said. "With 20 games against 2015 NCAA Regional teams, we must diligently prepare for success during this offseason. We are excited to build off back-to-back 40+ win seasons against some of the best competition in the country."
Houston will open the season hosting the Big East's Villanova Feb. 19-21. The Cougars and Wildcats will meet for the first time in the program's history.
OUR CITY
• 32 home games; 38 in the city of Houston
• First 12 games of the season will be played in the city of Houston
• 21 of the first 25 games will be played in the city of Houston
• 18 of the first 25 games will be played at Cougar Field
OPENING WEEKEND
• Houston will host Opening Weekend for the 10th consecutive season
• Cougars are 14-1 all-time during Opening Weekend under Todd Whitting
• Cougars have swept four of the five Opening Weekend series under Whitting
COLLEGE CLASSIC
• Houston to make 16th straight appearance in Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park
• Cougars to face Texas Tech, Arkansas and TCU
• Cougars own a 20-25 all-time record in tournament; has earned seven wins over Top 30 teams
FIRST-TIME OPPONENTS
• Houston has three first-time opponents on the schedule: Villanova, Grand Canyon, George Washington
RICE & TEXAS IN SUGAR LAND, TEXAS AT CONSTELLATION FIELD
• Houston will meet both Texas (April 12) and Rice (May 17) for non-conference, midweek games at Sugar Land's Constellation Field.
NCAA TOURNAMENT COMPETITION
• 20 games this season will be played against an NCAA-tournament team from 2015
• Arkansas, TCU, Texas Southern, Rice, Texas A&M, East Carolina, Texas, USF, Tulane
A LOOK BACK AT 2015
Houston is coming off its second straight 40-win season in 2015 as it captured its first American Athletic Conference regular-season title, first league title since 2002 and eighth in program history after recording a 16-8 mark among the toughest conference in the nation.
The Cougars, led by head coach Todd Whitting, who was named the ABCA South Central Regional Coach of the Year, notched its second straight 40-win season, finishing with a 43-20 record and ranked No. 18 in the nation.
With its impressive regular-season play, Houston was awarded an NCAA Regional hosting bid and the No. 1 seed at Cougar Field - the first time hosting since 2000 and just the third time ever in program history.
Houston finished the year with a 26-8 mark at home, tallying the most home wins ever, while earning five weekend sweeps and eight shutouts on the season - a number that ranks among the nation's Top 10. Houston went on to capture its second straight Silver Glove series - the first time since trophy was established in 1998.
Cougar Field saw a program-record 1,832 fans on average in 2015.
The Cougars were highlighted by sophomore Andrew Lantrip's Third Team All-America honor by Perfect Game and freshman Seth Romero, who led the league with a 1.94 ERA and was tabbed a Freshman All-American and the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.
Three Cougars were named to the All-Region Team (Survance, Lantrip, Iriart) and seven Cougars earned All-Conference honors with Kyle Survance leading the way as a First Team selection.
Eight Cougars were selected in the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft (Lemoine, Weigel, Survance, Iriart, Dowdy, Cobb, Fulmer, Rice) - the most since 11 in 2000.
Houston Baseball, once again, excelled in the classroom - posting a program-record 3.09 cumulative GPA and the fourth-highest spring GPA at 2.97 as 24 student-athletes posted a 3.0 GPA or better.
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.
