Sam Houston heads to No. 14 Texas Tech
4/11/2016 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
LUBBOCK, Texas – With a formidable early season non-conference schedule, the Sam Houston State baseball team is no stranger to squaring off against top 25 programs.
Following consecutive weekends of Southland Conference games, the Bearkats take on No. 14 Texas Tech on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The Red Raiders (24-9) are coming off a 3-1 week including an 8-4 win against No. 5 Florida State and a three-game road sweep at No. 16 Oklahoma State.
“This is a unified group,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “We love going on the road. It will be good for us to get out of town for a week and be us. Sometimes, that's good for a ballclub. We love playing at home but these are two big games at Texas Tech. They have a good RPI and an 11-1 record in the Big 12. This is a big challenge for us and we're going up there looking to get after it.”
The Bearkats (18-14, 11-4 SLC) are on a hot stretch of their own, winning 10 straight in league action before dropping the finale, 8-4 on Sunday against Stephen F. Austin. The squad has won 12 of its last 14 games. Over the last 15 games, seven players are hitting .300 or better, led by Bryce Johnson, who is batting .418 in that span with 12 RBIs and a .492 on base percentage.
“We're working to get better every day,” Deggs said. “We love the challenge of competing against a Big 12 school on the road in the middle of conference. We just love to play baseball. To have a chance to get up there and play on the road is big time.”
Sam Houston right-handed pitcher Spence Rahm (0-2, 4.50 ERA) will make his second start on Tuesday. The last time the Red Raiders and Bearkats met, on Feb. 24 at Don Sanders Stadium, the senior played first base, recording a 1-for-4 performance with one run scored.
In that game, the Bearkats took an early 3-0 lead, only to squander a six-run third inning on the way to an 11-6 loss. Sam Houston tallied a then-season-high 11 hits but permitted 10 walks and as many two-out runs. The Kats are 3-3 on the season against the Big 12, with all three victories coming against Oklahoma.
“These are big games for RPI and for the program itself,” second baseman Lance Miles said. “Texas Tech isn't over there saying, 'great, we've got Sam Houston coming in, we're going to let our freshmen and backups get time in.' Moving forward, the legacy I want to leave as a Bearkat is that schools don't think they can take an off-day because we're a mid-major. This year is a good start.”
Tuesday's game will be the start of a six-game road trip that will also send Sam Houston to Incarnate Word for three weekend games and Baylor for a midweek next Tuesday. The Kats 6-8 on the road this year but have won four of the last five.
“They are going to pitch and swing it,” catcher Robie Rojas said of Texas Tech. “They are on a little run right now. Our goal right now is to get them off that train. We're beyond ready to go to Tech. We had a lead on them and gave it away so we know we have a shot.”
