University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Baseball Welcomes Grand Canyon to Town
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| #19 HOUSTON (10-6) vs. GRAND CANYON (10-7) | |
| WEEKEND BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | UHCougars.com |
| GAMETRACKER | | | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and GCU will meet for first time. |
| SERIES RECORD | First meeting. |
| GAME NOTES | Game Notes |
| PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION | |
| 6:30 PM - FRIDAY | HOU | RHP Andrew Lantrip GCU | RHP Jorge Perez |
| 6:30 PM - SATURDAY | HOU | LHP Seth Romero GCU | LHP Ethan Evanko |
| 1 PM - SUNDAY | HOU | TBA GCU | LHP Jake Repavich |
HOUSTON -- No. 19 Houston Baseball continues its nine-game home stand and looks to continue its winning ways when it welcomes Grand Canyon to Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park this weekend for a three-game series, set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The series will continue at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and wrap at 1 p.m. Sunday.
FOLLOW ALONG
Listen Live: UHCougars.com/baseradio
Watch Live: UHCougars.com
PROMOTIONS
Friday, March 18 - 6:30 p.m.
Friday Frenzy: $1 popcorn, $2 hot dogs, $3 sodas, $4 beers* (must be 21 years)
Saturday, March 19 - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday Bingo: Play Bingo, Win Prizes.
Sunday, March 20 - 1:00 p.m.
Sunday Kids Day: Kids Zone with inflatables, Kids Run the Bases, Postgame Autographs
HOUSTON -- HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston will enter the weekend series with Grand Canyon with a 10-6 overall record after earning two midweek victories on the road at Lamar and at home vs. Texas Southern this week. The Cougars have won six of their last seven games, including a weekend series victory on the road at Alabama last weekend.
Houston's pitching has been key in the last two series wins as both Andrew Lantrip and Seth Romero have put up impressive outings for wins. Lantrip was named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week and the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week following his 13-strikeout, no walk, and 8.0 -inning gem in a win at Alabama. Romero was equally impressive, striking out 11 Crimson Tide hitters in his 6.0 innings last Saturday.
The pitching staff owns a 2.74 ERA and has struck out 155 hitters in 141.0 innings, while only walking 33. They are holding their opponents to a .214 average.
Saturday starter Romero is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA and has struck out 19 in 14.0 total innings of work, while Friday starter Lantrip is 2-2 with a 2.05 ERA with a team-leading 32 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.
Freshman Mitch Ullom made an impressive showing on Wednesday vs. Texas Southern when he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, before surrendering three base knocks. He had retired 22 straight Tigers before an eighth-inning walk, but managed to only face 29 hitters. With that outing, he lowered his ERA to 3.86 and is 2-1 as a starter.
Out of the bullpen, Houston has relied heavily on Nick Hernandez, who owns a team-high three saves and has a 2.25 ERA in six appearances all in relief.
Offensively, the Cougars are hitting .272 as a team and have belted 16 home runs in 16 games and are slugging .422 as a unit.
Success on the base paths continues as Houston is 29-of-35 in stolen bases, led by Zac Taylor with nine, Connor Wong with seven and Clay Casey with five each.
Joe Davis continues to pace the offense with a staggering .400 clip in his freshman campaign. He leads the conference in every offensive category, pacing the team with 26 hits and 22 RBI, while also having belted four home runs.
Wong has been a tone setter at the top of the lineup, reaching base in all 16 games thus far and riding an 13-game hit streak into the weekend. He is hitting .354 for second-best on the team.
ABOUT GRAND CANYON
Grand Canyon is a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and will enter the weekend series with the Cougars, owning a 10-7 overall record. The Lopes are coming off back-to-back midweek losses to New Mexico at home after earning a series win over Cal Poly last weekend.
GCU will open the weekend, hitting .297 as a team with 41 doubles and six home runs, while slugging .413 as an offensive unit.
Leading the way for the Lopes offensively is Austin Bull with a .404 average, while Paul Panaccione follows with a .383 clip and a team-leading 17 RBI.
The team is 19-of-26 on the base paths and is fielding .975 with 17 errors on the season.
On the pitching side, GCU owns a 5.82 team ERA and in 153.0 innings pitched, the Lopes have fanned 104 and walked 82. They are holding their opponents to a .295 average.
Grand Canyon will look to RHP Jorge Perez on Friday vs. the Cougars. He is 0-3 this season with a 6.14 ERA and in 22.1 innings pitched, he has struck out 21 and walked six.
LHP Ethan Evanko will get the nod on Saturday for the Lopes, who is 2-1 with an 5.19 ERA. In 17.1 innings pitched, he has struck out 14 and walked eight.
Sunday starter LHP Jake Repavich leads the team with a 1.00 ERA and is 2-0 in four starts, tallying 14 strikeouts in 27.0 innings pitched.
Out of the bullpen, the Lopes have relied on RHP Mick Vorhof, who has a team-high three saves in six appearances and is 2-0.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston and Grand Canyon will meet for the first time in program history this weekend.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, March 18
Houston: RHP Andrew Lantrip (2.05, 2-2, 26.1 IP, 32 K)
Grand Canyon: RHP Jorge Perez (6.14, 0-3, 22.0 IP, 21 K)
Saturday, March 19
Houston: LHP Seth Romero (1.29, 2-0, 14.0 IP, 19 K)
Grand Canyon: RHP Cameron Brendel (8.74, 2-0, 11.1 IP, 5 K)
Sunday, March 20
Houston: TBA
Grand Canyon: LHP Jake Repavich (1.00, 2-0, 27.0 IP, 14 K)
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.
