Kats open Southland play
3/13/2014 5:03:00 PM | Baseball
The Sam Houston State baseball team heads to New Orleans this weekend to open Southland play in search of a third straight league title. The series begins Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at the newly renovated Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark.
The Bearkats are13-4 and have the best record in the league heading in the conference play while the Privateers sit 4-9. New Orleans has had a bit of misfortune as they have missed their last two midweek games because of inclement weather.
SHSU's last action was a 9-2 loss to Texas-San Antonio Tuesday at Don Sanders Stadium. The Kats had a solid weekend though, sweeping Cal State Northridge and not allowing an earned run in the series.
WEEKEND PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: RHP TYLER EPPLER (3-1, 1.48 ERA) vs. RHP Alex Smith (0-2, 5.75 ERA)
Saturday: RHP SAM ODOM (3-0, 0.47 ERA) vs. RHP Darron McKigney (0-2, 3.86 ERA)
Sunday: RHP DIRK MASTERS (0-0, 0.42) vs. RHP Nick Halliday (2-0, 2.91 ERA)
QUICK HITS
• A week after the Bearkats debuted in the national polls they have now moved up to their highest ranking ever at the Division I level, No. 18 in the Baseball America Poll. Last week was the earliest in the season that SHSU had ever appeared in the national rankings.
• SHSU started the season 10-1 for just the second time in school history, before losing to ranked Rice and Texas. The 1964 team posted wins over Rice, Texas, SMU, and TCU to get to 10-1.
• The Kats have a .303 team batting average with six different Bearkat regulars batting better than .300. Both right fielder Hayden Simerly and center fielder Colt Atwood are hitting over .400.
• Run production has come from all over. Eight Kats have driven in at least seven runs while O'Hearn has the team lead with 14. Simerly, Atwood, Azar and Ryan Farney have all driven in more than 10 runs.
• SHSU has been active on the base paths with 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts, already nearly half way to last season's total of 43.
• The Bearkat pitching staff has compiled a 2.18 team ERA through the first 17 games of the season. Starters Dirk Masters (0.42) and Sam Odom (0.47) have only given up one earned run apiece, while the SHSU closer Jason Simms is yet to allow an earned run. Friday night starter Tyler Eppler has compiled a solid 1.48 ERA in 24 1/3 innings pitched (the most on the team).
NOTES
HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC PUTS SHSU IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Bearkats' performance at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park brought national attention to Sam Houston State. The underdog Kats defeated No. 12 TCU, 9-4, Friday and No. 26 Texas Tech, 10-6, Saturday. SHSU starting pitcher Tyler Eppler out dueled TCU's Brandon Finnegan, who is projected to be a first round MLB draft pick. Saturday the Kats exploded for three home runs against Tech. No. 15 Texas narrowly edged SHSU, 3-2, on Sunday after the Kats had scored two first-inning runs. With the performance, the baseball team made its earliest debut in the Division I national rankings in school history.
PITCHING KEYS SWEEP OF CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
The Sam Houston State pitching staff didn't allow an earned run in a three-game sweep of Cal State Northridge at Don Sanders Stadium. Starter Tyler Eppler set the tone for the weekend with his complete-game shutout Friday. Anthony Azar's two-run homer in the first inning of Saturday's ballgame provided the winning runs. Sam Odom started and allowed one unearned run in five innings. Alan Scott and Jason Simms worked the final four scoreless innings. The Kats needed 13 innings to get the win Sunday after a pair of unearned runs tied the game, 2-2. Ryan Farney's walk-off sacrifice fly sealed the win. Dirk Masters had his best outing of the season, tossing 6 1/3 innings and scattering five hits.
EPPLER TOSSES FIRST COMPLETE GAME
Friday night starter Tyler Eppler was name the Southland Pitcher of the Week after he tossed his first career complete-game. The junior righthander gave up just three hits in the shutout. Eppler struck out one and walked just one in his nine-inning performance. The righthander induced 15 fly outs and nine ground outs while keeping his pitch count under 100. Friday's complete game came just a week after shutting down the nationally ranked TCU Horned Frogs for six scoreless innings. Eppler improved to 3-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 1.48. Eppler was the Kats midweek starter as a sophomore in 2013 and picked up wins over Houston, Rice and Texas.
KATS SPLIT REGULAR-SEASON SERIES WITH RANKED RICE
It took just three runs to take down the Owls behind Ryan Brinley's seven-inning gem at Reckling Park, Feb. 25. Sam Houston won 3-1, for their fourth straight win over Rice and the sixth in the last eight games between the two schools. Brinley allowed just two hits while striking out two Rice Owl batters. The performance earned Brinley the Southland Pitcher of the Week honors. The return game, March 5, at Don Sanders Stadium didn't go as well. SHSU committed five errors and lost 8-5. Four unearned runs crossed the plate in the game and Logan Boyd was credited with the loss. The loss snapped the Kats four-game winning streak against the Owls.
SIMERLY SOLID AT THE PLATE AND IN THE FIELD
Primarily a designated hitter in 2013, Hayden Simerly has made his home in right field this season and has started every game. The junior has been a mainstay in the top half of the batting order as well, hitting .426 and sharing the team lead with six extra-base hits. Simerly has only hit one home run this season, against Texas Tech in the Houston College Classic, but that number could grow as the year progresses considering he shared the team lead with nine homers last season in just 41 starts.
TWO-HOMER GAME
First baseman Ryan O'Hearn is the first Sam Houston player to hit two homers in a game since the 2011 season. O'Hearn blasted the first pitch he saw for a homer against No. 26 Texas Tech in the Houston College Classic and his second long ball provided the winning runs in the sixth inning. He also narrowly missed hitting a grand slam, but did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly. O'Hearn was named the Southland Conference's Hitter of the Week for his performances. Former Kat DH Chris Andreas hit two in an 8-5 win over No. 6 Texas A&M in College Station, April 26, 2011. Andreas hit a first inning homer and a 12th inning game-winning blast. He also hit two homers against Nebraska earlier that year.
HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL
Senior left fielder Luke Plucheck has always been known among Bearkat fans for his defense. As a sophomore Plucheck made his ESPN SportsCenter Top-10 debut with a great diving catch. 17 games into this season, the Tomball product has been featured a stunning three times on ESPN's top plays. While at the Houston College Classic, Plucheck made cameo appearances as the number two and number three plays on consecutive days of ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10. His most recent highlight reel catch was against Cal State Northridge at Don Sanders Stadium.
ATWOOD A MULTI-HIT MACHINE
Colt Atwood has started every game this season and not only does he have a hit in nearly all of them but he's managed to have multiple hits in 11 games. The junior center fielder has six two-hit ballgames and five three-hit games. Atwood is batting .405 this season and leads the team with 30 hits. The Katy product has 13 RBI, 12 runs scored, four doubles and a triple. Atwood is a career .322 hitter in 137 starts for the Bearkats and has missed just two games in his entire career, both in his freshman season.
SIMMS LOCKS DOWN THE LATE INNINGS
Reliever Jason Simms has been a shutdown arm in the back end of the bullpen for the Bearkats. A preseason Stopper of the Year nominee, Simms has picked up four saves this season while maintaining a 0.00 ERA in 11 1/3 innings pitched. The senior righty has struck out 11 batters, walked just four and opponents are hitting just .214 off of him. Simms has been put into some tough spots with runners on but he has only allowed two out of 10 inherited runners to score.
MASTERS SEARCHING FOR FIRST DECISION
Sam Houston starting pitcher Dirk Masters sports an astounding 0.42 ERA in 21 1/3 innings pitched but has yet to record a decision in four starts this season. The sophomore righty has allowed just one earned run and opposing batters are hitting just .216 off of him. Other than a little tough luck, Masters' 16 walks to nine strikeouts have made it tough for him to pick up a win. The Angleton product tossed five innings in each of his first three career starts allowing just one run, to Dallas Baptist. Masters kept the Texas Longhorns off the board for five innings but also issued five walks, ending his day early.
AZAR WILLING TO MAKE SACRIFICES FOR TEAM
The preseason Southland Conference Player of the Year, catcher Anthony Azar has had a slow start at the plate in 2014. But that doesn't mean he hasn't found ways to contribute. The senior dropped down the first sacrifice bunt of his career in the seventh inning of the series-clinching win over Dallas Baptist. With the Kats leading just 2-1 with runners on first and second and nobody out Azar got the bunt down to advance the runners. After an intentional walk to load the bases, shortstop Carter Burgess delivered a single to left to score both runners and extend the lead to 4-1.
SHSU RALLIES FOR SERIES WIN OVER DBU
The Bearkats rallied from a Friday night loss to Dallas Baptist to take the three-game series against the Patriots with a 12-2 thumping Saturday and a 4-1 win Sunday. Shortstop Corey Toups had two hits in each game of the series, scoring four runs and driving in one. Relief pitching was key in the two victories. Saturday freshman Sam Odom tossed four shutout innings to register his first career save. Simms pitched the final two innings of Sunday's game to get his second save of the season.
AZAR ON BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST
Senior catcher Anthony Azar has been named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, the award given annually to the top division one collegiate catcher. Azar is a two-time member of the All-Southland Conference first team and was selected to the preseason all-league team. The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced the official watch list for the 2014 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com. Seventy-two catchers were nominated for the award. The Southland is represented on the list by Azar, Houston Baptist's Samm Wiggins and SFA's Joseph Olson.
TWO-TIME COACH OF THE YEAR
After guiding the Bearkats to a second consecutive regular-season title, Sam Houston's David Pierce repeated as the Southland coach of the year. Sam Houston finished 20-7 in conference play and was selected to the NCAA Regionals for the second straight year. The Kats picked up big non-conference wins over Baylor, Houston, Rice, Texas, and Texas A&M. Pierce is the first Southland coach to win consecutive honors since Texas-San Antonio's Sherman Corbett (2007-08).
BACK-TO-BACK SOUTHLAND CHAMPIONS & NCAA REGIONAL APPEARANCES
The expectations are high for the Bearkats, who return several key players from squads that have played in NCAA Regionals the last two seasons. The combined 78 wins under head coach David Pierce is the second-most in school history behind the 89 wins from 1986 to 1987. After winning the school's first Southland regular-season title since 1989, the team went back-to-back for the first time ever. A program that had placed teams in the NCAA Regionals for three consecutive seasons, from 2007-2009, the Kats had never been an at-large selection until 2012. Sam Houston has now had a team in the regionals five of the last seven seasons.
SIX ON PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND TEAM
Six Kats are members of the Southland's preseason all-conference team. Catcher Anthony Azar and outfielder Luke Plucheck are first-team members, while second baseman Ryan Farney, shortstop Corey Toups, third baseman Carter Burgess and outfielder Colt Atwood were all named to the second team. Azar was predicted by Baseball America as the preseason favorite to be the 2014 Southland Conference Player of the Year.
BEARKATS PICKED FOR A SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE THREE-PEAT
The Bearkats were the overwhelming favorites in the both the coaches' and SID polls, receiving the 10 first-place votes and 120 points from the coaches and eight first-place votes and 117 points from the SIDs. Sam Houston returns 15 letterwinners, seven starters and seven pitchers from a Bearkat squad that won its second consecutive regular-season title and advanced to an NCAA regional for the fifth time in seven years.
