Kats back home, face ACU this weekend
4/21/2016 5:46:00 PM | Baseball
HUNTSVILLE – When Sam Houston State takes to the friendly confines of Don Sanders Stadium on Friday, it will have been 12 days since the Bearkats last played at home. The road warriors showcased their skillset on the six-game trip, possibly reaching the apex of their momentum to this point.
The Bearkats, who sit just ½ a game back of league-leader Southeastern Louisiana, welcome Abilene Christian for a three-game set beginning on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Saturday's middle game is slated for 3 p.m. and Sunday's finale will be at 1 p.m.
“We've got a core group of guys that are really on a mission right now and it is fun to watch,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “This is the time of year that you play for. When you're wrapping up school, have baseball on your mind and are fighting for a championship – it doesn't get any better than that.”
Sam Houston (22-16, 14-4 SLC) is riding a four-game winning streak and has won 16 of the last 20 overall. In league games, the Bearkats tops all conference foes in batting average (.328), hits (202), slugging percentage (.463) and stolen bases (33).
The squad hit .466, tallying 43 runs and 61 hits in its latest three-game sweep at Incarnate Word. Sam Houston re-set the school record for hits (30) in a 23-3 drubbing of the Cardinals on Friday, highlighted by a record-setting 7-for-7 performance from freshman Clayton Harp.
As an encore, Harp lined a two-out, two-run single to left in the ninth inning on Tuesday, giving the Bearkats a 6-5 win at Baylor. Not to be outdone, the pitching staff record 12 strikeouts, tied for third most this season.
“It adds to your belief and confidence,” Deggs said of the win. “It validates everything you've done all year and all the work you've put in. This is a group of battlers and grinders and we've been to the depths. Right now, we're still climbing to the top. We don't want anything given to us, we want to go out and earn it.”
Standing in the Bearkats way of continuing that success will be an Abilene Christian (13-21, 5-10) squad coming off a series win at A&M-Corpus Christi. The Wildcats, who rank 10th in the league in batting average (.259), used a pair of strong pitching performances to defeat the Islanders 4-0, twice.
“It's a big weekend,” shortstop Taylor Beene said. “We need to take care of business. We just need to do what we know how to. We always talk about being the spark at the beginning of the inning (referring to starting Tuesday's ninth inning comeback with a single). When it went 2-1, I swung at a high fastball that could have been ball three. He left a hanging slider and took it to left.”
With 12 conference games remaining, a major key to the recent surge has been the defining of individual roles on the team, which can serve challenging when welcoming 19 freshmen and 26 newcomers.
“I don't think it's going to come together any better,” Deggs said. “It was kind of trial and error the way we came across it. Everyone has a definite role offensively and on the bump. We have a core group of guys with a lot of belief and they are on a mission.”
That may be no truer than in the bullpen where the Bearkats saw effective work this past week from right-handed junior Dakota Mills. Mills tossed two quality innings against the Bears, fanning two without allowing a run. His addition bolsters an already sturdy unit.
“Coach (Jay) Sirianni helped iron out my mechanics,” Mills said. “All you really need to do with our defense is fill up the zone. Once I've been able to do that, it has been pretty easy. Any chance I get to get to help out the team, I am happy to do so.”
The bullpen saw limited work a weekend ago, and is hoping this weekend will be more of the same. Right-handed junior Sam Odom (5-0, 2.53) makes his usual Friday night start with right-hander Heath Donica (6-2, 4.03 ERA) going Sunday and right-hander Riley Gossett (4-0, 3.55 ERA) on Sunday.
“You are going to get a steady performance every time he takes the bump,” Deggs said of Odom. “He gives us a chance to score off the other team's ace. He's been our backbone. It's always a good feeling not just for me, but for everybody, when Sam is going out there.”
Tickets are available for the series starting as low as $4 by visiting GoBearkats.com or calling the Sam Houston ticket office at (936) 294-1729. Admission is free for faculty, staff and students with a valid Bearkat OneCard.
