University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Baseball Set to Make First Road Trip
3/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| #20 HOUSTON (6-5) at #23 ALABAMA (10-2) | |
| WEEKEND BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Sewell-Thomas Stadium |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | UHCougars.com | Watch ESPN |
| GAMETRACKER | | | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and Alabama have met 15 times. |
| MORE ON THE SERIES | Houston owns series, 8-7. |
| GAME NOTES | Game Notes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION | |
| 6:30 PM - FRIDAY | HOU | RHP Andrew Lantrip ALA | RHP Geoffrey Bramblett |
| 2 PM - SATURDAY | HOU | LHP John King ALA | RHP Jake Walters |
| 1 PM - SUNDAY | HOU | LHP Seth Romero ALA | TBA |
HOUSTON â€" A Top 25 showdown will take place in Tuscaloosa, Ala. this weekend as No. 20 Houston Baseball is set to make its first road trip of 2016 when it travels to face No. 23 Alabama in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The three-game series will continue at 2 p.m. Saturday and wrap at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Houston enters the weekend series with a 6-5 record and hasn't played a road game thus far, while Alabama is 10-2, but will face Oregon on Thursday evening prior to the series with the Cougars.
FOLLOW ALONG
Listen Live: UHCougars.com/baseradio
Watch Live: UHCougars.com / SEC Network +
Friday (Watch ESPN) | Saturday (Watch ESPN) | Sunday (Watch ESPN)
ON DECK
Following Houston's weekend series at Alabama, the Cougars will travel to Beaumont, Texas to face Lamar at 6 p.m. Tuesday and return home to host Texas Southern at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
LAST AT-BAT HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston will enter the weekend series with a 4-4 overall record and will look to snap a four-game skid, which began last weekend in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park in losses to No. 23 Texas Tech, No. 18 Arkansas and No. 13 TCU.
Houston fell in midweek play this week, 3-2, to UTSA at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park. The Cougars managed to outhit the Roadrunners, 8-7, but were held to just two runs despite a stellar relief pitching performance by Aaron Fletcher, Seth Romero and Trey Cumbie â€" who each combined to throw 5.2 shutout innings with eight strikeouts.
The Cougars are hitting .272 as a team and have belted seven home runs and 18 doubles for 45 RBI in that stretch. Houston has been impressive on the base paths, stealing 15 bases in 16 attempts, led by sophomore Zac Taylor's perfect 7-for-7 effort.
Freshman Joe Davis continues to impress at the plate, hitting .533 with a team-leading 16 hits and 14 RBI for a slugging percentage of .833 in eight games played. He is followed by sophomore Connor Wong's .344 average and 11 hits.
Senior Justin Montemayor and sophomore Corey Julks have been consistent at the plate, hitting .300 for the Cougars.
On the mound, Houston owns a 3.86 ERA and in 70.0 innings, the Cougars have fanned 80 hitters, while walking just 18. Houston's staff is holding its opponent to a .226 average through eight games.
Friday night starter junior Andrew Lantrip leads the staff with a 2.38 ERA and is 1-1 in two starts for the Cougars. He has 12 strikeouts in 11.1 innings and is holding opponents to a mere .167 clip.
Midweek starter Marshall Kasowski is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA and has 10 strikeouts in 8.1 innings, while junior John King is 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings.
Out of the bullpen, the Cougars have relied heavily on the arm of sophomore Aaron Fletcher, who owns a 0.00 ERA and has fanned 11 hitters in 7.1 innings in his three appearances. Freshman Trey Cumbie has been equally sharp, owning a 0.00 ERA in four appearances with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched.
Sophomore preseason All-American Seth Romero returned to the mound on Tuesday and was sharp, holding UTSA to 3.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts.
ABOUT ALABAMA
Alabama will face Oregon on Thursday prior to meeting Houston this weekend in a three-game series. The Crimson Tide is currently 10-2 on the year and has won nine of their last 10 games.
The SEC foe is hitting .253 as a team and has hit four home runs and 17 doubles to accompany 53 RBI. Alabama is 12-for-15 on the base paths and holds a .979 fielding percentage with 10 errors in 12 games played.
The Crimson Tide is led offensively by Chance Vincent and Connor Short's .333 average, while Cobie Vance leads the team with 14 hits and is third-best in average with a .298 clip.
On the pitching side, Alabama's staff has been impressive, owning a 1.33 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 108.0 innings pitched. Looking to start on Friday for the Crimson Tide will be RHP Geoffrey Bramblett, the staff-leader in ERA and innings pitched with a 0.84 ERA in 21.1 innings.
Saturday starter Jake Walters is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA and has fanned 25 in just 16.2 innings of work.
Out of the bullpen, Alabama looks to LHP Thomas Burrows, who has four saves in six appearances, while maintaining a 0.00 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 8.0 innings pitched.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston and Alabama have met 15 previous times with the Cougars owning an 8-7 record over the Crimson Tide. The series dates back to 1976 and the two teams met in a three-game series last season at Cougar Field.
Houston won the 2015 season series, 2-1, with a 3-1 and 14-9 win, while Alabama won the series finale, 8-3. The Crimson Tide is 4-1 vs. the Cougars all-time at their home facility and the last time the two teams met in Alabama was back in 1998 where the Crimson Tide swept the Cougars in three.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Houston's starters based on last weekend
Friday, March 11
Houston: RHP Andrew Lantrip (2.45 ERA, 1-2, 18.1 IP, 19 K)
Alabama: RHP Geoffrey Bramblett (0.84 ERA, 1-0, 21.1 IP, 18 K)
Saturday, March 12
Houston: LHP John King (4.40 ERA, 2-1, 14.1 IP, 17 K)
Alabama: RHP Jake Walters (3.24 ERA, 1-1, 16.2 IP, 25 K)
Sunday, March 13
Houston: LHP Seth Romero (0.00 ERA< 1-0,="" 8.0="" ip,="" 8="">
Alabama: TBA
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
BUY SEASON/ SINGLE-GAME / GROUP TICKETS
Houston Baseball has 23 remaining home games at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park 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.
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.
