Baseball opener one month away
1/18/2010 9:00:00 AM | Baseball
With the season opener with TCU one month away, the Sam Houston baseball team has started preseason practice and looks for another exciting year.
The Bearkats earned an NCAA Division I regional tournament berth for the third year in a row in 2009. Sam Houston extended its Southland Conference tournament winning streak to 12 games, again sweeping through the post-season event unbeaten.
"We've been fortunate to have some outstanding student-athletes have banner seasons for us during the past three years," Bearkat head coach Mark Johnson said. "We have a lot of new faces in the lineup this year and will look for more young men to step up. This is an exciting time of the year."
Only 10 lettermen return in 2010 including four pitchers, four infielders, a catcher and a designated hitter.
Second baseman Braeden Riley, who led NCAA Division I baseball and set Southland Conference and Sam Houston school records with 111 total hits in 2009, heads the list of returning players. Riley is a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Assocation preseason All-America selection in 2010. He started 60 games for the Kats at second base. His .387 batting average including a 16-game hitting streak.
Ryan Mooney, who started 27 games at third base and 24 at shortstop last year, also is back. Mooney hit .305 as a sophomore including 17 multiple hit performances.
First baseman Daniel Nottebart (24 starts), third baseman Peter Goudeau (15 starts), designated hitter Jordan Bunch (10 starts) and catcher Brandon Yates (two starts) also return.
Four veteran pitchers with multi-season experience return. Right hander Matt Shelton was Southland tournament "Most Valuable Player" in 2009. Shelton rolled up a 7-0 record and 1.99 earned run average playing in 22 games in relief. He was the winning pitcher in tournament victories over No. 3 UTSA in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Texas State in the finals. Right hander Dallas Gallant was an honorable mention all-league selection and candidate for "Freshman All-America" in 2008. He has compiled a 13-8 record in two years. Right hander Justin Jackson is 5-0 and left hander Brent Powers is 5-6 in their two years.
Again, the Bearkats have strengthened their lineup with several top off-season signings and a group of NCAA Division I transfers. Catcher John Hale (Rice), outfielder Jared Wondra (Louisville), pitcher/outfielder Michael Heard (Texas A&M) and first base/designated hitter Taylor Davis (LSU) joined the Kats after red-shirting in 2009.
Junior college transfers include outfielders Chris Andreas (Angelina), Tyler Fiebrich (Galveston), Mark Hudson (Alvin) and Payton Wisener (Temple); pitchers Brandon Kimbrel and Paul Spinn (both from Temple) and catcher Doug Oney (Temple).
Talented freshmen with the opportunity to make their mark include Michael Burchett (Carthage), Tyler Farrow (Elkhart), Rustin Harris (Grandview), Michael Hilliard (Cy-Woods), Tyler Jones (Tomball), Andrew Massey (Georgetown), Jacob McMurty (Troy), Kevin Miller (Pearland), Will Murray (Conroe), Greg Olson (Clear Creek) and Jessie Plumlee (Rowlett).
Season tickets for Sam Houston State 2010 home baseball games are on sale now at www.gobearkats.com/tickets . Baseball season tickets are available at the "early bird" price of $275 for a season Bearkat Champion reserved seat. Special mini-plans for all Southland Conference baseball home games also are available for $125 per seat.
Complete information about Bearkat baseball tickets is available on-line at www.gobearkats.com or from the Sam Houston State athletic ticket office.
The ticket office is located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
