Sam Houston, Baylor clash in Waco
4/10/2017 9:54:00 PM | Baseball
Game 33
Tuesday, April 11 • 6:35 p.m. • Waco, Texas • Baylor Ballpark
Sam Houston State (23-9) vs. Baylor (20-12) • Game Notes
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WACO – Sam Houston State begins a season-long nine-game road trip on Tuesday, seeking a statement non-conference victory against a Baylor team ranked No. 10 in the latest RPI.
Left-handed freshman Dominic Robinson (1-0, 3.72 ERA) will make his first start for the Bearkats, looking to continue what has been an impressive stretch for the Tomball product. Since allowing a pair of runs in his collegiate debut on Feb. 18, Robinson has posted a 1.86 ERA in 9 2-3 innings.
Sam Houston has won four straight in Waco against the Bears but is looking to respond after Baylor edged Sam Houston, 6-5, on March 7 in Huntsville. The Bearkats has won 21 of their last 26 games, hitting .337 as a team while boasting a 3.71 ERA in that stretch.
STARTING PITCHERS
LHP Dominic Robinson, SHSU (1-0, 3.72 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Ott, Baylor (1-0, 2.04 ERA)
OUT OF THE BOX
Sam Houston climbed back into the national rankings after a six-week absence, checking in at No. 29 according to Collegiate Baseball newspaper on Monday. The Kats were ranked as high as No. 18 in the poll on Feb. 20 and are receiving votes for a fourth-straight week in the USA Today Coaches Poll and National College Baseball Writers' Association poll.
Sam Houston ranks second nationally in triples per game (0.59), third in triples (19), fourth in sacrifice bunts (35), seventh in stolen bases (61), eighth in walks allowed per nine innings (2.56), 10th in stolen bases per game (1.91) and 12th in batting average (.315).
Three Sam Houston players ride double-digit streaks into Tuesday's matchup. Clayton Harp is on a 20-game reached base streak, Taylor Beene is on a 15-game reached base streak and Hunter Hearn has recorded a hit in each of his last 15 games. Harp and Hearn's streaks are the longest for any Bearkat player this season.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP VS. BAYLOR
Tuesday's meeting will be the 108th between Sam Houston and Baylor and 53rd overall in Waco. Baylor leads the overall series 63-44 but the series is split, 5-5 during the last 10 matchups.
Sam Houston has won four-straight games in Waco including a 6-5 victory a season ago. With two down in the ninth inning and runners on second and third, Clayton Harp lined a single to left, plating the go-ahead runs.
On March 7, Baylor edged Sam Houston, 6-5, in Huntsville. The Bearkats stranded 12 runners, including nine in scoring position. The Kats trailed twice, roaring back each time including three runs in the sixth to tie the game at 5-5 but miscues, including a hit by pitch and pair of walks in the seventh led to a Bears win.
MAKING HISTORY IN THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
Sam Houston has won a Southland Conference record 17-straight league games dating to May 8, 2016. The Kats have also won 13 straight three-game league series since dropping two-of-three at New Orleans, March 12-13, 2016. The 12-0 start to league play is the best in program history and second-best in conference lore.
