Sam Houston locked in entering league opener
3/10/2016 6:20:00 PM | Baseball
With 14 non-conference games behind them, the Sam Houston State baseball team turns its attention to the Southland Conference slate, opening league play at New Orleans this weekend.
Friday's three-game opener is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. as right-handed pitcher Sam Odom (1-0, 4.87 ERA) looks to get the Bearkats (5-9) off to a quality start against a Privateers program that downed No. 27 Tulane on Wednesday and comes in at 11-2.
“We can practice all we want, but you can't pay for the experience we got tonight and through the first 14 games,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said following Tuesday's loss at Texas. “Our season starts Friday. We can't wait to get on the road.”
The Bearkats, who were picked third during the preseason by the league's head coaches, dropped a 12-3 contest at Texas on Tuesday. Despite the struggles, Sam Houston has won two straight weekend series, doing so in impressive fashion with a sweep against No. 25 Oklahoma and two-of-three at Wichita State.
Sam Houston has claimed all six matchups against UNO since the program joined the Southland but under first-year head coach Blake Dean, the turnaround has begun. The Privateers recorded their first sweep against a Power Five opponent since 1988, taking all three against Pittsburgh last weekend.
The Kats pitching staff, which struggled to find the strike zone on Tuesday, will be tested against a UNO squad that is hitting .348 while averaging over 11 hits per game; however, Sam Houston has faced its share of perennial offenses early on, as well.
“They don't crown the champion at the beginning,” Deggs said. “This is all part of learning process for us. We set the schedule up like this so we could learn and be weathered. This will be a heck of a ball club moving forward, it's just a matter of time.”
Excluding last Friday's 15-11 extravaganza, Sam Houston pitching has owned a combined 3.13 ERA during five games the past two weekends. Saturday starter Heath Donica (1-1, 4.58 ERA) has posted a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings during his last two starts against Oklahoma and Wichita State, while Sunday starter Riley Gossett (1-0, 2.45 ERA) owns a 1.42 ERA in 12 2-3 innings during the same span.
Offensively, Sam Houston is headed by left fielder Zach Smith who leads the squad in batting average (.383), slugging percentage (.596) and on base percentage (.408). The senior is one of three regular starters hitting above .300 including Bryce Johnson (.355) and Matt Broadbent (.313).
The Privateers will throw right-hander Shawn Semple (3-0, 1.96 ERA) on Friday. The sophomore struck out eight Pittsburgh hitters over six innings in his last outing and has held opponents to a .169 tilt in 18 1-3 innings. UNO turns to Riley Hodge (1-0, 3.12 ERA) for the 2 o'clock Saturday start and Jordan Priddle (1-0, 5.93 ERA) in the 1 p.m. Sunday finale.
The weekend series closes out a seven-game, three-state road trip that began in Wichita, Kan., a week ago. The Kats return home a week from Friday for the conference home opener against Northwestern State. Tickets are currently on sale by calling (936) 294-1729 or by visiting GoBearkats.com.
“We're a weathered ball club already,” Deggs said. “This schedule has callused us up. It has given us an opportunity to grow and learn. All along, we've had one goal to go out and win the league. We understand it's a 30-game grind. The team that shows up for 10 straight weekends ready to play and executes will win the league.”
