University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Games to Air on MLB/American Digital Network
1/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HOUSTON - As of early January, Houston Baseball will have five games aired on two different networks, including all three College Classic games at Minute Maid Park on MLB Network and two American Athletic Conference games on the American Digital Network, announced by the Astros and The American office, respectively.
The Cougars' Feb. 26-28 weekend at Minute Maid Park will feature games against Texas Tech, Arkansas and TCU and all three will air on the MLB Network, while Houston's Saturday, April 2 game at East Carolina and its Saturday, May 7 home game vs. Memphis will air on the American Digital Network.
ABOUT THE SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN COLLEGE CLASSIC ON MLB NETWORK
The Astros Foundation and Shriners Hospitals for Children® have announced a multiyear naming rights agreement for the annual Houston College Classic held at Minute Maid Park, renaming the tournament the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. The Astros Foundation will continue to operate the tournament.
The Astros Foundation has also reached an agreement with MLB Network to air all nine games of the 2016 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic.
2016 Shriners Hospital for Children College Classic Schedule*
Fri., Feb. 26
Houston at Texas Tech 12:05 p.m.
UL Lafayette at TCU 3:35 p.m.
Arkansas at Rice 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 27
Texas Tech at UL Lafayette 12:05 p.m.
Houston at Arkansas 3:35 p.m.
Rice at TCU 7:05 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 28
Arkansas at Texas Tech 11:05 a.m.
TCU at Houston 2:35 p.m.
UL Lafayette at Rice 6:05 p.m.
(home teams listed second)
* - times subject to change
For more information about the tournament, please visit Astros.com/CollegeClassic.
ABOUT SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, worldclass research and outstanding medical education. Our 22 locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, provide advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Learn more at ShrinersHospitalsforChildren.org.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN DIGITAL NETWORK GAMES
- Saturday, April 2 - at East Carolina - 3 p.m. CT
- Saturday, May 7 - vs. Memphis - 6:30 p.m. CT
The games will air on www.TheAmerican.org/DN free of charge and fans will be able to follow their teams through a multitude of platforms including desktop, mobile, tablet and Roku devices.
SAVE THE DATE
Houston Baseball will once host its annual Fan Appreciation Day and Alumni Game on Saturday, February 13 at Cougar Field. Time is TBA and more information will be released in early January. The event will once again feature the 2016 team vs. a crop of former greats, while providing a fun-filled day of activities for fans of all ages.
BUY SEASON 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.
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 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.
