University of Houston
East Carolina
Baseball Opens Conference Slate with No. 8 ECU
3/30/2023 6:01:00 PM | Baseball
Cougars prepare for three-game set against Pirates
| EAST CAROLINA - GAME 1 | ||||
| Date | Time | Friday, March 31 | 6:30 p.m. CT | |||
| Location | Schroeder Park | Houston, Texas | |||
| TV | ESPN+ | Matt Pedersen (pxp), Kyle Rogers (analyst) | |||
| Radio | The Varsity Network | Lonnie King | |||
| Live Results | StatBroadcast | |||
| Game Notes | Houston | East Carolina | American | |||
| EAST CAROLINA - GAME 2 | ||||
| Date | Time | Saturday, April 1 | 6:30 p.m. CT | |||
| Location | Schroeder Park | Houston, Texas | |||
| TV | ESPN+ | Matt Pedersen (pxp), Kyle Rogers (analyst) | |||
| Radio | The Varsity Network | Lonnie King | |||
| Live Results | StatBroadcast | |||
| Game Notes | Houston | East Carolina | American | |||
| EAST CAROLINA - GAME 3 | ||||
| Date | Time | Sunday, April 2 | 1:00 p.m. CT | |||
| Location | Schroeder Park | Houston, Texas | |||
| TV | ESPN+ | Matt Pedersen (pxp), Kyle Rogers (analyst) | |||
| Radio | The Varsity Network | Lonnie King | |||
| Live Results | StatBroadcast | |||
| Game Notes | Houston | East Carolina | American | |||
SERIES HISTORY. The Houston baseball program welcomes East Carolina to the Bayou City for the first time since 2019 when the Cougars last tallied a win against the Pirates in the first of a three-game series. The two teams faced off last year in the American Championship game which Houston dropped 6-1.
LAST TIME OUT. The Cougars dropped its first game of a season-long competition between Houston and Sam Houston in the Don Sanders Cup. Houston came up short dropping the contest 9-3.
AMERICAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK. Sophomore outfielder Cameron Nickens earned his first Conference Player of the Week award on Monday. During the week, he had nine runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and nine RBI.
HAPPY HOMER. Zach Arnold touted three home runs in the game against UTA. The junior hit the three jacks in straight at bats tying a career-high and seven RBI in the game.
REACHING SAFELY. Zach Arnold and Justin Murray are both on a 21-game reached base streak. Arnold has reached in every game that he has played this season while Murray's dates back to the second game of the season against Cal on Feb. 19.
HOME RUN HAVEN Last week, the Cougars recorded 14 home runs. Cameron Nickens led the team with five including two in Sunday's game against UTA. Zach Arnold followed with three and Anthony Tulimero notched two while Ian McMillan, Justin Murray, Drew Bianco and Brandon Burckel all had one.
STEALTHY STEALING. Houston sits at 48 for 56 on stolen bases this season moving to No. 22 nationally. Over the week, Houston went a perfect 15 for 15 on stolen bases. The charge is led by Brandon Burckel who is ranked 40th in the nation with 13 stolen bags.
MLB OPENING DAY. Two former Houston baseball players made their respective MLB Opening Day rosters on Thursday. Hometown hero Corey Julks made the hometown teams' Opening Day roster (Astros) while Connor Wong secured a spot on the Red Sox roster. Both Jared Triolo (Pittsburgh) and John King (Rangers) are currently on their clubs 40-man roster but were option to their respective Triple-A teams.
TWO-WAY. Houston currently has two players who play on both sides. Starting pitcher Malachi Lott is also a regular in Houston's batting lineup in the outfield. As well, first baseman Justin Murray can also pitch. He made his debut on the mound for the Cougars in the Sunday game against UTRGV. Against Sam Houston, both Lott and Murray played both hit and pitched.
BIANCO IN THE OUTFIELD. Twice this season center fielder Drew Bianco has made the Sports Center Top 10 plays. Against Incarnate Word, Bianco made an over-the-wall catch, robbing a home run. The play was picked up by ESPN, Sports Center and the MLB among others. It was the second week in a row that Bianco had a play on the Sport Center's Top 10 list. The week previous Bianco stole a home run against the Golden Bears' Caleb Lomavita. The graduate transfer added another outfield save against UTA on Friday.
TICKETS ON SALE
Houston Baseball flex plan packs and single-game tickets are on sale for the 2023 season. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 713-G0-COOGS (462-6647) or by click here.
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