Sam Houston Tournament Notes
5/24/2011 8:57:00 AM | Baseball
BEARKATS LOOK TO CONTINUE SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT WIN STREAK
After a year's absence, Sam Houston State returns to the Southland Conference baseball tournament seeking to continue the event's longest winning streak. Under Bearkat head coach Mark Johnson, Sam Houston rolled unbeaten through the 2007, 2008 and 2009 tournaments to become the first Southland member to earn NCAA Regional berths by winning three consecutive league post-season championships. Sam Houston will put its 12-game streak on the line when the No. 5 seeded Bearkats take on No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday afternoon in San Marcos.
LONGEST SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT WINNING STREAKS
12 ....................... Sam Houston 2007-08-09
8 ....................... Texas State 1999-2000
6 ....................... Sam Houston 1996-97, Texas State 1997-98, Trinity University 1965-67
SAM HOUSTON STANDS 23-10 IN TOURNAMENT ACTION
Making its 10th Southland tournament appearance, Sam Houston owns a 23-10 record in the event. The Bearkats advanced to the NCAA with Southland tournament championships in 1996 (in Shreveport, La.), 2007 (Natchitoches, La.), 2008 (Huntsville) and 2009 (Corpus Christi).
BEARKATS OWN MOST TOURNAMENT TITLES
Sam Houston State's four Southland tournament team championships lead all teams in the league. Lamar, Texas State and Trinity University have won the event three times.
FAREWELL SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT FOR MARK JOHNSON
Mark Johnson, who a year ago became the 44th baseball head coach to total more than 1,000 career victories at the NCAA Division I level, will retire from coaching at the end of the 2011 season. Johnson ranks No. 17 in total victories among active Division I head coaches with 1,042 wins. Johnson's five-year tenure at Sam Houston in which the Kats have rolled up a record of 166-133 has been "record-breaking." The Bearkats stand as the only team to earn NCAA regional berths by winning three straight conference tournament titles.
Since Johnson's arrival at Sam Houston in 2007, the Kats have set 27 school records and had three players recognized as All-America and produced 35 All-Southland performers. During 21 years as head coach at Texas A&M, Johnson directed the Aggies to two College World Series appearances, 13 NCAA regionals, five conference championships and 876 wins. More important, however, is the effect he has had on young lives. More than 90 percent of his players have earned their degrees and many have received national, regional and conference all-academic honors. The recipient of prestigious honors as the Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching and the American Baseball Coaches Association "Ethics In Coaching" Awards, Johnson has played a leadership role in maintaining the integrity of the sport he loves.
SENIOR DOMINATED BALL CLUB
A group of 13 seniors has provided a strong foundation for Sam Houston to post another winning record and earn its 10th Southland tournament berth this year. Five of the seniors are starters in the field and three are starting pitchers.
Six of the seniors are four-year lettermen who helped lead Sam Houston to tournament titles in 2008 and 2009.
Pitcher Matt Shelton (career marks of 20-10 and 3.50 ERA) was the "Most Valuable Player" in the 2009 tournament in Corpus Christi. Brent Powers and Justin Jackson have made 66 and 58 mound appearances for Sam Houston since 2008.
Shortstop Braeden Riley stands as Sam Houston's all-time leader in career hits (288) and second baseman Ryan Mooney is one of only 10 Bearkats to total more than 200 career hits (220). Daniel Nottebart , the Kats' starting first baseman this season, has contributed both as an infielder and pitcher during the last four seasons.
Designated hitter Chris Andreas (.350 career average) and outfielder Mark Hudson (.301 career mark) have been starters the past two years after transferring to Sam Houston from junior colleges.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS BY SEEDS
Historically, being a lower seed in the Southland Conference post-season tournament has not been a disadvantage. In the 18 years since the league has decided its NCAA representative based on a post-season event seeded by results from regular season league play, the No. 1 seed has won the tournament championship once (Lamar in Beaumont in 2004).
The complete list of Southland tournament champions by seeds:
No. 1 seed (1) -- Lamar 2004
No. 2 seed (1) - Texas St. 1997
No. 3 seed (5) - UTSA 1994, La.-Monroe 1995, Texas St. 1999 & 2000, Lamar 2002
No. 4 seed (7) - McNeese 1993, Sam Houston 1996, 2007 & 2008, Nicholls 1998, UTA 2001, UTSA 2005
No. 5 seed (1) - UT-Arlington 2006
No. 6 seed (1) - McNeese 2003
No. 7 seed (2) - Sam Houston 2009, Lamar 2010
OPENING ROUND VICTORIES IMPORTANT
In the 18-year history of the Southland Conference post-season tournament since the current format was inaugurated in 1993, a total of 14 champions have opened the event with a victory and marched unbeaten through the tournament to claim the title.
Only three, Texas State (1997), McNeese (2003) and UT-Arlington (2006), bounced back from an opening round loss to fight their way through the losers' bracket and take home the trophy.
The 2001 UTA Mavericks won their opening round, but lost in semi-final action but fought back to take the title in an "as necessary" game.
