SHSU opens SLC Tournament on Wednesday
5/23/2017 6:45:00 PM | Baseball
GAME 1: 2017 Southland Conference Tournament
Wednesday, May 24 • 9 a.m. • Sugar Land, Texas • Constellation Field
No. 3 Sam Houston State (36-20, 19-11) vs. Stephen F. Austin (29-26, 17-13)
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SUGAR LAND – For as much as Sam Houston State has enjoyed success at Don Sanders Stadium over the last few seasons, Constellation Field has likely earned its claim as a home away from home.
The three-seed Bearkats open the Southland Conference Tournament on Wednesday at 9 a.m. against six-seed Stephen F. Austin. Sam Houston has played a combined 11 games at Constellation Field since 2015 including capturing a 5-4 win over No. 12 Houston just over a month ago.
The tournament appearance will be the 16th overall for Sam Houston including seventh straight. The Bearkats boast a 35-20 record all-time in the event and lead all current league members in winning percentage (.636) and tournament victories (5).
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Heath Donica, SHSU (8-1, 1.82 ERA) vs. RHP Tony Grabowske, SFA (5-3, 3.48 ERA)
HEATER TAKES THE HILL VS. LUMBERJACKS
Sam Houston will send right-hander Heath Donica to the mound on Wednesday as the Bearkats seek their fifth-consecutive opening game victory in the conference tournament. The senior was named Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday and is the returning tournament Most Valuable Player.
A season ago, Donica tossed a combined 16 innings against SFA at the event, striking out 18 while holding the Lumberjacks to a .132 average in two starts. The Corsicana product is 4-0 in two seasons against SFA including leading the Kats to a 3-2 win in Nacogdoches on April 13.
DO NOT ADJUST YOUR LINEUP CARDS
Sam Houston returns eight of nine positional players who started last year's Southland Tournament championship game vs. Southeastern Louisiana. With Donica added to the mix, it is possible that first baseman Blake Chisolm will be the only starter Wednesday who was not part of that matchup.
KATS CLOSE REGULAR SEASON ON HIGH NOTE
With an emphasis on getting hot at the right time, the Bearkats should be feeling good about their close to the regular season. Sam Houston enters Wednesday on a four-game winning streak following up an 8-2 win at No. 22 Texas A&M on Tuesday with a three-game sweep of Incarnate Word.
The Kats had a knack for coming through in the big game, winning six consecutive midweek outings to close the regular season, its best stretch since 2000. Tuesday's win at No. 22 Texas A&M was the fourth-straight against a top-25 team and fifth of the season.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE RECORD BOOK
No current player on the Sam Houston roster has spent more than three years with the program but the current team's impact on the career record book would not indicate that.
With 187 career strikeouts, Heath Donica is just one shy of moving into the top-10 in program history for the category and is five shy of reaching seventh. Elsewhere, with 222 career hits, Bryce Johnson is three away from moving into a tie for ninth and is three stolen bases shy of moving into a tie for fourth. Andrew Fregia's next triple will move him into sole possession for third. He has 12 presently.
As a pitching staff, Sam Houston needs just two more strikeouts to match the third-most in program history for a season (438) and three more to match the second-most (439), set a season ago. Offensively, the 2017 Bearkats have already produced more triples (27) than any other team in school history and sit one ahead of the 2012 team's 26.
QUOTEABLES:
Head coach Matt Deggs on sending Heath Donica to the mound…
“He's pretty special. In 22-plus years, he's one of the best arms I've ever had … not just on the mound but off the field and the way he prepares. You know what you're going to get and that's his absolute best. When you've been in this league a couple years, guys make adjustments but he's done an equally good job making adjustments to the hitters. To lead the league in ERA is no small feat.”
Head coach Matt Deggs on the Southland Conference Tournament…
“Every team that's in this tournament will scrap. You've got to be able to fill up the strikezone with multiple pitches, dominate routine plays, execute and drive in two-out RBIs. If we do that, we'll be really dangerous. I like where we're at. We're playing fast, hard and loose.”
Head coach Matt Deggs on the strong finish and tournament experience…
“Every day is a new day. You never know when everything will fall your way. That's why you have to keep grinding, showing up to work and punching the timecard. We feel extremely confident in that ballpark. There are seven other good teams but we can't get caught up in that. That ballpark is our second home. Good things have happened there for us. That's our mindset and expectation going in.”
