Sam Houston hosts SFA in weekend series
4/7/2016 5:24:00 PM | Baseball
HUNTSVILLE – If there is one thing the Sam Houston State baseball team has learned in Southland Conference play, it is that nothing is given to you. Of the Bearkats 12 league games, nine have been decided by three runs or fewer, including a trio of one-run games.
Sam Houston expects another challenge this weekend when Stephen F. Austin comes to town for a three-game set beginning Friday at 6 p.m. The squads will play Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 o'clock from Don Sanders Stadium.
“You can throw records out the window,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “You can throw stats out the window. This is a very gusty league and teams show up to play and they play hard every weekend. All we can do is be really good at playing pack baseball and be really good at what we control. If we do that, I like where we're at. If we don't, we're going to be in a dogfight.”
The Bearkats (16-13, 9-3 SLC) are in the midst of an eight-game league win streak, putting the team third in the conference standings, just two games behind leader Southeastern Louisiana, who pays a visit to Northwestern State this weekend.
During those wins, the Kats have hit at a .289 tilt while the pitching staff has limited opponents to a .223 average including posting a 2.50 ERA. Relievers Hayden Nixon and Greg Belton have each provided their own boost, owning a 1.12 ERA and 1.50 ERA respectively in those victories.
“We have a really good pace and we're playing really hard,” Deggs said. “We are really playing good defense and filling up the strike zone. We're coming up with the big hits and that's the formula. I think the key has been the back of our bullpen. We've had starters go deep in the game and we've had two or three guys step up and finish it off. That has boosted our confidence for sure.”
Catcher Robie Rojas has also shown strong command behind the plate, ranking second in the league for runners caught stealing (13) and is tied for first in fewest passed balls allowed (3). The junior is hitting .289 and ranks second on the squad with six RBIs in conference play.
“They are pounding the zone and getting that first pitch strike,” Rojas said of the relievers. “Now they are down and you can throw what you want in those counts. Especially Greg and Hayden, all of them, Miles (Manning) and Spence (Rahm), are looking really good now.”
Stephen F. Austin comes to town following a lopsided midweek win against Texas Southern and the squad's first league series win, taking two games off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In league action, the Lumberjacks (15-16, 4-8 SLC) rank first in batting average (.313) and third in runs (72).
“They are a solid ballclub,” senior Zach Smith said. “They play hard. In the Southland Conference, it's not a rollover in any means. This teams come in here ready to play.”
The Bearkats will counter with a weekend rotation that has been as effective as any in the league. In conference action, Friday right-handed starter Sam Odom (3-0, 2.56 ERA) is fifth in earned run average (1.11), third in opponent batting average (.168) and fourth for innings pitched (32.1).
Right-hander Heath Donica (4-2, 4.03 ERA) will take the mound on Saturday and Riley Gossett (3-0, 3.20 ERA) will get the ball in the finale. They will be backed by the league's top defense in conference play, with the Bearkats owning a .981 fielding percentage.
Tickets for the weekend series are available by calling (936) 294-1729 or by visiting GoBearkats.com. General admission seats start as low as $4 while reserve chairbacks are available for $8. Through 15 home games, the Kats have averaged 1,064 spectators per outing.
