Sam Houston opens practice Friday
1/28/2016 5:40:00 PM | Baseball
With exactly three weeks until Opening Day, the Sam Houston State baseball program, along with teams across the country, open preseason practices on Friday, as the Bearkats look to make final determinations for starters on a roster filled with 29 newcomers.
“There's not a spot that's sewn up,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “I think that drives guys. When you look across the field in intrasquad and you know that guy is gunning for you, the competition is good. It's up for grabs at this point.”
Along with the new faces, including 19 freshmen, the Bearkats are excited to utilize their new AstroTurf playing surface at Don Sanders Stadium, a $1.4 million project that has already shown its ability to cut the maintenance while allowing play in virtually any whether condition.
“When you look out there, several guys are hitting between classes on their own,” Deggs said. “The functionality of being able to go out and work without the setup and breakdown saves us tremendous time and effort. We've had several times since it finished that's it has rained several inches and we're on it. For my money, it's one of the top surfaces in the country.”
According to Deggs, this year's squad, which spent a majority of their 45-day fall practices at Holleman Field while AstroTurf was installed, is a reflection of the old gritty hallowed grounds, something fans should expect to see at the park this spring.
“They're going to see a team that will fight, compete and play hard,” Deggs said. “Texas is a blue-collar state and this entire region and area reflect that. When people pay for a game, they want a little bang for their buck and they're going to see a lot of guys who fly around the field, get after it and most importantly, play for each other.”
Sam Houston opens its schedule with three games at preseason No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette, a place Deggs helped shape into a national power as hitting and third base coach from 2012-14. Even with the lofty beginning to their season, which also includes hosting Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor and Rice, the Bearkats say the focus remains internal.
“The biggest thing you have to remember is we're not preparing for UL, Oklahoma, Texas Tech or whoever it might be,” Deggs said. We're setting out to play our best baseball come April, May and June. Make no mistake, we need to be good early, but it's a long season. If you get caught in the trap of trying to look too far down it will overwhelm you a little bit. We have pound-for-pound probably one of the toughest schedules in the country out of conference.”
A season ago, Sam Houston finished 31-28 overall and 17-12 in the Southland Conference, but was able to make a run late, winning eight straight in April. The Kats entered the Southland Conference Tournament as the No. 5 seed, downing McNeese and A&M-Corpus Christi twice before eventually falling to Houston Baptist in the tournament title game.
Season tickets are currently on sale for the 28-game home slate with reserved seating priced at $200 and general admission seating available for $99. Friday at 5 p.m. is the deadline for 2015 season ticket holders to renew seats for the upcoming season.
“I've said it since I've walked on campus, we have great facilities, support and location,” Deggs said. “We draw better than anyone in the league and it is a definite edge and home-field advantage for us. I expect us to give them plenty of reasons to get it rocking. I always tell our guys that people will pay to see a fight. People will pay to watch a team scrap and work hard. That's who we are.”
