Kats, DBU square off Wednesday at The Don
5/9/2017 8:24:00 PM | Baseball
Game 49
Wednesday, May 10 • 6:30 p.m. • Huntsville, Texas • Don Sanders Stadium
Sam Houston State (31-17) vs. Dallas Baptist (30-17) • Game Notes
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HUNTSVILLE – In many ways, Sam Houston State and Dallas Baptist possess similar resumes – both over the last decade and this season. The two mid-major programs will meet Wednesday in Huntsville as each look to continue making a case for postseason contention.
The 6:30 p.m. first pitch will feature a pair of teams separated by one victory and share more in common in recent memory. During the last 10 seasons, Sam Houston has accrued seven NCAA Regional appearances while Dallas Baptist has registered six. Each team reached a regional a season ago.
The Patriots have put together a strong performance in the Missouri Valley Conference, sitting in second. Likewise, the Bearkats look to surge in their final six Southland Conference games, sitting just 2 ½ games back of league-leader McNeese, who has three league games remaining.
PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Colin Cameron, SHSU (0-0, 4.26 ERA) vs. RHP Trevor Conn, DBU (2-2, 4.58 ERA)
A LOOK BACK: KATS DROP PAIR, CAPTURE FINALE AT SOUTHEASTERN
Sam Houston dropped a pair of one-run games at Southeastern Louisiana last weekend including a 2-1, 11-inning defeat in the opener before storming back for a 10-3 victory in the finale.
Friday's opener offered up one of the nation's premier matchups -- and it lived up to the billing. Sam Houston starter Heath Donica tossed 10 innings, scattering six hits while fanning nine. Southeastern's Mac Sceroler went nine-plus, striking out 13. The Kats used three singles to score one run in the ninth to force extras.
In the finale, Sam Houston jumped out to a 5-0 advantage after three innings and tacked on five more in the ninth for insurance to cap the series with a 10-3 win.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP VS. DALLAS BAPTIST
Wednesday's meeting will be the 41st all-time between Sam Houston and Dallas Baptist with the Bearkats owning a 25-15 overall advantage including a 6-4 mark in the last 10 games.
The meeting will be the first between the two programs since the opening game of the 2014 Fort Worth NCAA Regional. Sam Houston downed DBU, 2-1, in that game, using an eighth-inning RBI single to break a 1-1 tie. It will also be the first regular season matchup between the pair since 2014. That season, Sam Houston hosted the Patriots in a three-game set with the Kats winning a pair.
Sam Houston has won four of the last five at home against Dallas Baptist and is 6-3 all-time vs. the Patriots at Don Sanders Stadium since moving into the facility in 2006.
QUOTEABLES:
Head coach Matt Deggs on facing Dallas Baptist and similarities between the programs…
“I have a ton of respect for the job Dan Heefner and his coaching staff do. That's one of the best coaching staffs in the country. We're a lot alike in the fact that we're mid-majors who have overachieved and have played much bigger than we are. They have gotten to a super regional and nearly got to Omaha. Obviously, that's where we're pushing to get to. They're first class people as well as a great team. We're excited about them coming down. It ought to be a great game.”
Head coach Matt Deggs on winning four-straight midweek games…
“We've pitched it well and made a lot of big plays and got clutch hits. That will be your formula for success any time. It just happens that we've put it all together really good in the midweek games against quality opponents. It will be a good test and great battle for us tomorrow night.”
Head coach Matt Deggs on the victory in the Sunday finale vs. Southeastern Louisiana…
“It speaks to the level of the character and heart of this ballclub. They are throwback guys who are very good at being uncomfortable and Sunday was about as uncomfortable as it gets with half the team and coaches fighting food poisoning. We had just two heartbreakers. We had every reason to give less than our best and we went out there and gave 110 percent. It was all about guys picking each other up. I couldn't have been any more proud of those guys the way they finished that series.”
Head coach Matt Deggs on the evaluation of the team through 48 games…
“To put everything in perspective, to be in a position to win an outright conference championship and still push our RPI up to the point of an at-large … any time you are doing those things at this time of year means you've had a pretty good year so far. We are still in a position to accomplish everything we sought out to achieve. We would love to go out and win this league and finish the way we're capable of. Obviously, we expect to go to Sugar Land and compete to win the conference tournament. We expect to continue playing good baseball and see what happens with the RPI. Would we like to have a game or two back? Yeah, but that's baseball. Every time in America would say the same thing. We're still intact and still climbing this mountain. I think perseverance and grit will the great separator as to who finishes where.”
