PREVIEW: Softball Faces Ranked Opponent at Tiger Classic

BATON ROUGE, La. – The University of Houston Softball team hits the road for the first time in 2024, heading to Baton Rouge, La., for the Tiger Classic at Tiger Park.

Houston (10-1) will begin the weekend by facing off against Austin Peay (1:30 p.m.) and #6/#7 LSU (6:30 p.m.) on Friday. The tournament continues on Saturday with a 11 a.m. battle against rv/rv Boise State and a 4 p.m. rematch against the Tigers before concluding on Sunday with an 11 a.m. contest against Austin Peay.

The Cougars are coming off a successful opening slate at home the first two weekends of the season. This past weekend, Houston went 6-0 at the Houston Classic with three run-rule wins.

Tiger Classic
Teams				Houston, #6/#7 LSU, rv/rv Boise State, Austin Peay
Dates				Friday, Feb. 23 1:30 p.m. – Houston vs. Austin Peay 6:30 p.m. – Houston at LSU Saturday, Feb. 24 11 a.m. – Houston vs. Boise State 4 p.m. – Houston at LSU Sunday, Feb. 25 11 a.m. – Houston vs. Austin Peay
Location				Baton Rouge, La. \| Tiger Park
Live Streams				Games against LSU: SEC Network+
Live Stats				UHStats.com
Game Notes				Houston

HEAD COACH KRISTIN VESELY
Overall record: 196-164-1 (8th season)
At Houston: same

SERIES vs AUSTIN PEAY
First Meeting

SERIES vs LSU
Overall: 3-7
First Meeting: L, 0-13 (5), March 2, 2001
Last Meeting: L, 0-1, May 19, 2018
In Baton Rouge: 1-4
Houston Streak: L1

SERIES vs BOISE STATE
Overall: 1-2
First Meeting: L, 4-7, March 10, 2022
Last Meeting: L, 2-5, March 4, 2023
At Neutral Sites: 0-1
Houston Streak: L1

FIRST PITCH

With the win over Wichita State on April 16, 2023, Head Coach Kristin Vesely extended her streak and has defeated a top-25 opponent in each of her seven years at the helm.
Houston joined the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2023. The 2024 season marks Houston's inaugural softball season in the conference, with the team's first Big 12 game coming on March 8 at home against Texas.
Houston's 94 runs so far this season tied the program record for most runs through the first 11 games, originally set in 2014. The team's 8.55 runs per game rank sixth nationally and second in the Big 12.
The team is on their best 11 game start since 2008 when the program went 11-0.
The Cougars enter the weekend riding a seven-game win streak, its longest since 2020.
Bree Cantu's 20 RBIs so far this season rank second in the country and lead the Big 12.
While Houston boasts a new-look roster in 2024, the team does return a lot of experience. The team features 15 newcomers and just eight returners, however, six of the returners were starters on last year's team.
Turiya Coleman was voted to the Preseason All-Big 12 team by the league's coaches. She becomes Softball's first Big 12 honoree with the recognition.
Houston added two new assistant coaches over the offseason: Nadia Taylor and Hope Trautwein. Taylor joins the Cougars after a year at Michigan State while Trautwein served as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma last season. Both currently play professional softball, as Taylor plays for Athletes Unlimited and Trautwein plays in the WPF.

BUY TICKETS
Tickets for the 2024 Softball season are available now. This year's home slate features 30 games, including five Big 12 Conference series.

Season tickets cost $120, or just $4 per game, and include all neutral site games at Cougar Softball Stadium. Click here to ensure you don't miss any of the action during the Cougars' inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference in the same great seats!

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Softball by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective – and by joining the Diamond Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Softball for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarSB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Softball. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at @UHCougarSB.

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