PREVIEW: Houston Travels to Northern California

BERKELEY, Calif. – For the first time since 2018, the Houston Baseball team travels to California as the Cougars get ready to face Cal in a three-game series Friday-Sunday at Stu Gordon Stadium.

HOUSTON (2-1) at Cal (3-1)
Date \| Time	Friday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. CT Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. CT
Opponent	Cal (3-1)
Location	Stu Gordon Stadium \| Berkeley, Calif.
Watch	ESPN+ \| Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Listen	The Varsity Network \| Lonnie King
Live Stats	UHStats.com
Game Notes	Houston \| Cal
Media Center	Notes, media guide/record book, rosters, box scores, photos

THE MATCHUP

This is the 10-12th meetings between the two schools.
This is only the second meeting in Berkeley, Calif.
Junior Paul Schmitz tossed 1.0 scoreless innings against Cal on Opening Day (Feb. 17, 2023).
The first meeting between Houston and Cal dates to 1984.

PROBABLE ROTATION
Friday: RHP Ryan Dollar (0-1, 54.00 ERA) vs. RHP Austin Turkington (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Paul Schmitz (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Eddy (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Graysen Drezek (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Foley (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

QUICK HITTERS

Houston head to Berkeley, Calif., to play Cal in a three-game series after having its first two midweek games of the season canceled due to frigid temperatures.
This is the first time Houston has played in California since 2018 when the Cougars played Cal State Fullerton in a three-game series.
Houston's trip to Northern California marks the first trip north of the Grapevine since 2010 when the Cougars played Cal, Cal Poly and San Francisco in March 2010.
Infielders Connor McGinnis and Aaron Lugo each drove in three runs in Houston's two wins against Minnesota. McGinnis' three-RBI game helped Houston to a 4-2 win on Saturday and Lugo's propelled the Cougars to an 8-7 win on Sunday.
Sophomore Richie Roman only appeared in eight games as a freshman coming off Tommy John surgery, but was named the #67 sophomore nationally by Perfect Game and the #5 sophomore in the Big 12 by D1Baseball.com. Roman began 2025 with 3.0 innings, striking out six without allowing an earned run.
Junior Carsten Sabathia III hit the Cougars' first home run of the season. The son of Hall of Fame inductee C.C. Sabathia hit the solo home run in on Opening Day.
The Cougars boast the Big 12 Conference Preseason Newcomer of the Year in third baseman Cade Climie – who hit .394 with a 1.300 OPS with 20 home runs and 76 RBI at Blinn JC in 2024 with 27 multi-hit games on his way to winning NJCAA World Series MVP. Climie is the #1 JuCo transfer hitter in the nation according to D1Baseball.com, the #64 MLB Draft prospect among college player and the #12 third baseman nationally.
Junior Tyler Cox continued the Dartmouth-Houston pipeline following after Houston standout Justin Murray's graduation. Cox played two seasons at Dartmouth earning All-Ivy League First Team in 2022 while being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year.
Senior outfielder/left-handed pitcher Malachi Lott returned to Houston after spending the 2024 season at Sam Houston. He is one of five athletes to return to his current institution after playing at a different D1 school in 2024.
Head Coach Todd Whitting enters his 15th season as the Cougars head coach amassing 446 wins, the second-most in program history and the third-highest winning percentage (.568).
Matt Reida was promoted to Associate Head Coach after one season in Houston.
Cougar legend Woody Williams was promoted to assistant coach following a season as the Director of Pitching Strategy. Williams will wear the same number he did when he was a student-athlete – #18.
With the addition of Clay Van Hook to the coaching staff, two different father-son duos have coached for the Cougars since their first season in 1947. The Stocktons (Bragg and Russell) with Russell joining the 1992 staff after his father Bragg coached two stints for Houston from 1981-94 and again this year the Van Hooks with the addition of Clay Van Hook after his father, Kyle, coached the Cougars for two seasons (1984-85).

LAST TIME OUT

Houston took two of three games from Minnesota to three on Opening Weekend.
Richie Roman earned two saves on the weekend out of the bullpen.
Houston's midweek games at Texas on Tuesday and vs. Oregon State on Wednesday were canceled due to frigid temperatures.

SERIES HISTORY
Houston record vs Cal                     5-4
Last meeting                                          W, 8-6, 2/19/23, Home
Streak                                                         Houston, W1

SUPPORT THE COUGARS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by purchasing single-game tickets, renewing season tickets or by buying single-game tickets, supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective, and by joining the Dugout Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarBB 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 Cougar Baseball. Fans can also follow the team on Instagram at @uhcougarbb.

– UHCougars.com –

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Players Mentioned

Cade Climie

Tyler Cox

Ryan Dollar

Graysen Drezek

Malachi Lott

Aaron Lugo

Connor McGinnis

Justin Murray

Richie Roman

Carsten Sabathia III

Paul Schmitz

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