University of Houston Athletics
Preview: Baseball Welcomes USF to Town
4/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| HOUSTON (20-15, 3-6) vs. USF (18-19, 3-6) | |
| WEEKEND BREAKDOWN |
| LOCATION | Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park | Houston, Texas |
| GAMEDAY CENTRAL | GAMEDAY CENTRAL |
| LISTEN LIVE | UHCougars.com/baseradio |
| WATCH LIVE | UHCougars.com |
| GAMETRACKER | | | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Houston and USF have met 31 previous times. |
| SERIES RECORD | Houston owns the series, 20-11. |
| GAME NOTES | Game Notes |
HOUSTON â€" After its midweek game was postponed due to flooding in the city, Houston Baseball will return to action this weekend at home when it welcomes American Athletic Conference foe USF to town 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 with a nationally-televised game on CBS Sports Network at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Cougars return to play with a 20-15 overall record and are looking to rebound after being swept at UConn last weekend in their American Athletic Conference series.
FOLLOW ALONG
Listen Live: UHCougars.com/baseradio
Watch Live: UHCougars.com
GAMEDAY Central: UHCougars.com/gameday
PROMOTIONS / SPONSORS
Friday, April 22 - 6:30 p.m. â€" Greek Night
Friday Frenzy: $1 popcorn, $2 hot dogs, $3 sodas, $4 beers* (must be 21 years)
Saturday, April 23 - 6:30 p.m. â€" Ladies Night
Ladies Night: $4 General Admission tickets (Online Promo Code: UHLADIES)
Enter to win a $100 gift card to Lewis Jewelers (register at GAMEDAY Central)
Saturday Bingo: Play Bingo, Win Prizes.
Sunday, April 24 - 1:00 p.m. â€" nJoy Vision
Sunday Kids Day: Kids Zone with inflatables, Kids Run the Bases, Postgame Autographs
ON DECK
Following the weekend series vs. USF, Houston Baseball will continue its homestand with two midweek matchups at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park next week with Sam Houston State on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
HITS ON HOUSTON
Houston will return to play with a 20-15 overall record and is coming off a postponement of its midweek game vs. Texas A&M-CC after the flooding in Houston washed out Tuesday's game.
The Cougars are now 3-6 in American Athletic Conference play and last played at UConn, where they were swept in a three-game series in Storrs, Conn.
The pitching staff still remains among the nation's top staffs with a 2.47 ERA. The Cougars have fanned 294 and walked just 68 in 306.0 innings this season. Opponents are hitting .217 against the staff.
Houston is led by sophomore starter Seth Romero, who is 4-2 with a 1.99 ERA in eight appearances and seven starts. The southpaw has fanned 63 in 49.2 innings this season, while holding opponents to a .174 clip.
Junior Andrew Lantrip owns a 2.05 ERA and is 4-5 in nine starts with two complete games. He has struck out 59 and walked just four in 66.0 total innings.
Freshman Mitch Ullom owns the team-lead in wins with five and is 5-2 with a 2.80 ERA in eight appearances and seven starts in his debut season.
Junior Bubba Maxwell made his first career start in last week's midweek win over Texas. He left with the no decision, but showed well. He owns a 2.14 ERA with two saves in nine appearances and one start.
Out of the bullpen, the Cougars hand the ball to junior Nick Hernandez, who has six saves, a 1-0 record and a 1.78 ERA in a team-leading 17 appearances.
Offensively, the Cougars are hitting .258 and slugging .363 with 21 home runs, 44 doubles and eight triples.
Senior Michael Pyeatt paces the team in average with a solid .339 clip and is riding a nine-game hit streak into Tuesday's game.
Following him and leading the team in hits (47), home runs (7), doubles (10) and RBI (33) is freshman Joe Davis with a .338 average.
Senior Josh Vidales has 128 career walks to his name and is now four walks away from tying the all-time record (132) and five from owning it outright.
HITS ON USF
USF will travel to Houston and carries an 18-19 overall record and a 3-6 American Athletic Conference record into the weekend series.
The Bulls return to action after beating Bethune-Cookman, 6-2 at home on Tuesday in midweek action after having dropped a league series at UCF this past weekend.
Offensively, USF is hitting .249 as a team and slugging .360 with 55 doubles, six triples and 24 home runs. Luke Maglich leads the Bulls with a .284 average, followed by David Villar's .279 clip, team-leading 36 hits, 24 runs and four home runs.
USF is 50-of-59 on the base paths, led by Garrett's Zech's 15 stolen bases. The Bulls are fielding .968 with 45 errors.
The pitching staff owns a 3.67 ERA with eight saves and has fanned 363 hitters and walked 178 in 336.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .235 against the staff.
RHP Phoenix Sanders is 4-2 with a 3.26 ERA in nine starts for the Bulls this season. He has fanned 61 in 58.0 innings as the Friday night starter.
RHP Brandon Lawson has been USF's Saturday starter and owns a team-best 2.25 ERA and is 3-3 in nine appearances and eight starts. He has struck out 73 hitters and walked 18 in 60.0 innings of work.
RHP Joe Cavallaro is a perfect 4-0 for the Bulls and owns a 2.89 ERA in nine starts, while holding opponents to a .185 average. He has fanned 56 in 56.0 innings this season.
USF has relief on the work of RHP Tommy Eveld, who leads the team with seven saves in 16 relief appearances and is 0-3 with a 1.65 ERA.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston and USF have met 31 previous times, with the first ever meeting dating back to March 21, 1997.
The Cougars own the all-time series, 20-11 and have won the last three meetings against the Bulls, including a game in the American Athletic Conference Championship last season.
The last time Houston and USF faced off at home was in 2014 when the Cougars earned the series win, 2-1. The Cougars are 8-4 all-time vs. USF at home.
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 12 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.
