Kats set for return to Minute Maid in 2018
3/5/2017 9:53:00 PM | Baseball
HOUSTON – For the second time in five seasons, Sam Houston State baseball will take part in the early-season action at the Houston Astros' Minute Maid Park.
The Bearkats are one of six teams invited to participate in the 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, held March 2-4. Sam Houston is joined by Houston, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt and will play all three Southeastern Conference programs.
“It's a great opportunity for Sam Houston State University to play on a national stage early in the season,” third-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “It will give everyone a glimpse in the future of what we're capable of doing on a stage that we're capable of playing on.”
In 2014, the Kats made noise at the then-Houston College Classic, defeating No. 12 TCU and No. 26 Texas Tech before falling 3-2 in the finale against No. 15 Texas. With the wins, Sam Houston cracked the national-rankings at No. 17.
“I know they went three years ago and had a tremendous amount of success,” Deggs said. “It paved the way for us to get back. It was highly attended. Sam Houston traveled extremely well.”
Outside of the annual matchup against Texas A&M, Sam Houston last faced off against the SEC during the regular season in 2005, coming in three games at Mississippi. This go-around, the Kats will get their crack at national-powers Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Kentucky.
The opportunity will be nothing new for Deggs, who served as an assistant coach in the league at Arkansas from 2003-05. During that time, the Razorbacks posted a 119-66 record, advancing to three-straight NCAA Regionals including a trip to the College World Series in 2004.
“Consistency is the best word for a league like the SEC,” Deggs said. “You're going to have your hands full. They have great coaching in that league and some of the best talent in the country that didn't sign. The thing that is kind of taken for granted in the SEC is how hard and tough they play.”
The classic will also present a unique opportunity for a slew of Houston area Bearkat players who grew up in the city, many as Astros fans. Among the current 34-man roster, 22 players hail from the greater Houston metropolitan area.
“Those are once-in-the-lifetime opportunities to play in a big league park, much less Minute Maid where all these guys are just about from,” Deggs said. “This group of sophomores who have been our backbone will all be juniors and I think we will be ready for the test. I would expect that we will embrace it and go make a splash.”
Sam Houston State University boasts over 60,000 alumni in the Houston area with its main campus located just 70 miles from Minute Maid Park.
“It's great for the fans,” Deggs said. “We are really well supported and there is a lot of passion in this fan base. They want Sam Houston to excel on a national level. To have it right there in Houston at a big-league venue, makes it that much more sweet.”
