University of Houston
No. 25 Stanford
Preview: Round Rock Classic
2/20/2020 11:06:00 AM | Baseball
Houston joins Stanford, Tennessee and Texas Tech in inaugural field
HOUSTON -- The University of Houston Baseball program opens its road schedule participating in the inaugural Round Rock Classic in Round Rock, Texas, starting Friday.
Taking place at Dell Diamond, home of the Astros' Triple-A affiliate Round Rock Express, the Cougars will face Stanford, Tennessee and Texas Tech in a round-robin format. The Cougars will face Stanford at 3 p.m. on Friday, with bouts against Tennessee and Texas Tech at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Every game of the Round Rock Classic will be streamed on FloBaseball.tv. Fans can also get updates by downloading the Peak Events app by clicking HERE and entering their cell phone number.
UP TO THE PLATE
Houston (1-2) at Round Rock Classic
Feb. 21-23 | Dell Diamond | Round Rock, Texas
vs. Stanford: Live Stats | FloBaseball | Live Audio
vs. Tennessee: Live Stats | FloBaseball | Live Audio
vs. Texas Tech: Live Stats | FloBaseball | Live Audio
All-Time Series: First meeting
Complete Game Notes (PDF): Houston | Stanford | Tennessee | Texas Tech
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: Houston LHP Lael Lockhart Jr. (0-0, 1.93) vs. Stanford RHP Brendan Beck (0-1, 1.93)
Saturday: Houston LHP Clay Aguilar (0-0, 0.00) vs. Tennessee RHP Chase Wallace (1-0, 0.00)
Sunday: Houston TBD vs. Texas Tech RHP Bryce Bonnin (1-0, 2.25)
SINGLES
• Houston is coming off a 1-2 showing against Youngstown State on Opening Weekend at Sanders Field at Schroeder Park. The Cougars defeated the Penguins, 7-3, on Opening Day, before falling 6-3 (11 innings) and 8-6 (10 innings) on Saturday and Sunday
• Junior first baseman Ryan Hernandez paced the Cougars, going 5-for-13 with one double, two home runs, four RBI and six runs scored.
• Cougars Hernandez (2), Kobe Hyland, Steven Rivas, and Blake Way all homered against the Penguins. For their efforts, Houston is tied for 22nd in the nation, while Hernandez is tied for 16th.
• Senior southpaws Brayson Hurdsman and Tristen Bayless recorded standout performances out of the bullpen. Hurdsman tossed four innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win on Opening Day, while Bayless fanned eight batters over 4.1 innings, both career marks.
• Houston is batting .150 as a team and has a 3.60 ERA, compared to opponents' .228 average and 4.97 ERA.
• On Feb. 3, the program announced it would pay tribute to the Altobelli family by wearing a decal "JKA ALTO" with each of their initials on their batting helmets throughout the 2020 season.
• Houston was picked second in The American 2020 Preseason Poll released on Dec. 30. The Cougars finished with 54 points and three first-place votes, second only to ECU, which garnered 62 points and six total votes.
• Houston returns 18 letterwinners and welcomes 17 newcomers to the fold on its 2020 squad. Of those, five offensive starters and two weekend starting pitchers are back from a season ago.
ON TOURNAMENT FIELD
• Stanford comes into the weekend with a 1-3 record and is coming off a 3-2 loss at Santa Clara on Tuesday.
• The Cardinal, which is ranked No. 25 in the D1Baseball Poll and No. 26 by NCBWA, was picked third in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll.
• Stanford is batting .156 as a team and has a 3.09 ERA, compared to opponents' .244 average and 1.03 ERA.
• Tennessee, who plays Texas Tech on Friday, enters with a 4-0 record and is coming off an 8-2 win over Charlotte on Tuesday.
• The Volunteers, who are receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll, were tabbed to finish fourth according to the SEC Preseason Poll.
• Tennessee is batting .322 as a team and has a 1.25 ERA, compared to opponents' .144 average and 12.66 ERA.
• Texas Tech, who plays Tennessee and Stanford prior to its meeting with Houston, enters with an 4-0 record and is coming off a two two-game sweeps of Houston Baptist and Northern Colorado over the weekend.
• The Red Raiders, who check in as high as rank No. 1 in the country according to the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball Polls, were picked to win the Big 12 in the league's preseason poll.
• Texas Tech is batting .438 as a team and has a 3.09 ERA, compared to opponents' .152 average and 18.00 ERA.
ON DECK
Following the Round Rock Classic, the Cougars will open their midweek schedule with a Tuesday tilt vs. UTRGV before hosting Texas State in a weekend series at Sanders Field at Schroeder Park.
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets for the 2020 University of Houston Baseball season are on sale, and fans have the opportunity to renew and/or purchase tickets to games Don Sanders Field at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park starting for $100.
Those interested in purchasing their season tickets can do so by visiting UHCougars.com/Tickets, calling Houston Athletics Ticketing at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647), or visiting the Ticket Office located just outside of Gate 1 (northeast corner) of TDECU Stadium. For more, click HERE.
To see the promotions schedule, click HERE.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Baseball on Twitter and Instagram at @UHCougarBB, and "Like" UHCougarBB on Facebook.
JOIN DUGOUT CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Baseball program by joining the Dugout Club. To find out more information about the Dugout Club, visit UHCougarPride.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH.
– UHCougars.com –
