Midweek series with Rice up next
3/23/2015 4:49:00 PM | Baseball
For the second consecutive week Sam Houston will play a midweek home-and-home series. The Bearkats travel to Houston to face No. 14 Rice Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. before hosting the Owls at Don Sanders Stadium Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Sam Houston (12-13) split a pair of games with Baylor last week with each team winning 4-3 on the opponent's home field. The Kats then won their weekend series against Nicholls, despite dropping the series finale.
Rice (16-9) had lost three straight games, including a midweek contest at Houston, before winning the series finale at Old Dominion. It marked the first time this season that the Owls lost consecutive games.
Prior to Rice's 8-5 win in Huntsville last March, the Bearkats had won four straight against the Owls. SHSU has gotten the better of Rice for the last four seasons, winning six of the last nine games between the two dating back to 2011.
The Owls are led offensively by a crop of seniors. Designated hitter and outfielder Kirby Taylor has a .429 batting average with 39 hits, 18 RBI and 17 runs scored. Catcher John Clay Reeves has started every game this season and is batting .376 with a 35 hits and a team-leading 28 RBI. Second baseman Ford Stainback has a .297 batting average with 30 hits and a team-high 23 runs scored.
As a staff Rice has compiled a 3.19 overall earned run average. The Owls' 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings ranks in the top-50 nationally. Closer Matt Ditman leads the team with 13 appearances and 36 strikeouts. He has recorded four saves with a 2.05 ERA in 26 1/3 innings pitched.
Despite having his streak of reaching base in 25 consecutive games snapped last week, senior outfielder Travis Lee has a .347 batting average with 33 hits and a team-high 21 runs scored. Lee also leads the team with 15 free bases and a .436 on-base percentage.
Dylan Ebbs has been a significant contributor at the plate and on the mound this season. The sophomore left-handed hitter is batting .352 with 10 RBI and 12 runs scored in 16 starts. Ebbs has also made five starts as a right-handed pitcher and has a 3-1 record with a 3.60 ERA in 30 innings pitched.
The schedule doesn't get any easier for Sam Houston as they make the long trip to Central Arkansas for a three-game Southland series this weekend. Both the Bearkats and Bears are 6-3 in league play going into the series.
