Kats open Lubbock Regional on Friday
6/1/2017 4:15:00 PM | Baseball
2017 NCAA Lubbock Regional
Friday, June 2 – Monday, June 5 • Lubbock, Texas • Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park
Arizona (37-19) vs. Sam Houston State (40-20) • 6 p.m. Friday • Game Notes
NCAA Regional Bracket • KSAM 101.7 (online) • ESPN3 • @BearkatsBSB on Twitter
LUBBOCK – Sam Houston is making its 11th NCAA Regional appearance including eighth in the last 11 seasons and fifth in the last six years. The three-seed Bearkats open the 2017 NCAA Lubbock Regional on Friday at 6 p.m. against two-seed Arizona.
For a second-straight season, Sam Houston is paired with Arizona in NCAA Regional play. The two-seed Wildcats defeated the three-seed Bearkats in the 2016 NCAA Lafayette Regional opener, 7-3 before sending Sam Houston packing with a 6-5 elimination-game win.
With a win in the Southland Tournament championship game, Sam Houston not only locked up a berth in the NCAA Tournament but also eclipsed the 40-win plateau for a second-straight season. The victory marked the first time in Division I program history that the team had accomplished the feat in consecutive years.
The Kats enter the NCAA Lubbock Regional on an eight-game winning streak, matching the longest of the season. During the stretch, the team is hitting .361 and averaging 9.12 runs per game. The pitching staff has been equally as impressive, posting a 1.67 ERA while limiting opponents to a .185 batting average.
QUOTEABLES:
Head coach Matt Deggs on facing Arizona in the opener…
“We have a ton of respect for those guys. Jay Johnson does an incredible job. They are a very formidable opponent as is everyone in the regional. I thought we matched up and playing well against them a year ago. They will come in their hungry. Texas Tech has been in Omaha the last two years and Delaware can really swing the bat. We're not a mid-major school that's happy to be here. We're a program that this has been part of our mission and vision from day one. We want to pick up where we left off.”
Catcher Robie Rojas on familiarity with the regional field …
“My freshman year I was at Oklahoma State and we had a three-game with Tech that year. We played them three times last year. So, with Tech we are familiar and then Arizona as well after playing them twice in the regional last year. We are familiar with two of the three teams, which makes it fun.”
Catcher Robie Rojas on the team's eight-game winning streak…
“We feel really good and our bats are showing what we are capable of doing. Our pitching has been really good and attacking hitters, but we are going to have our hands full with these two teams who are both very good.”
Heath Donica on the mindset entering the regional…
“We are really excited. Coming into this time of the year, it's the most exciting time of year for us. We are playing really good baseball right now, which all of these teams are, but we are looking forward to playing and having some fun.”
Bryce Johnson on having the experience of last year's regional…
“Last year our whole lineup was full of freshman. Everyone was getting their first shot at a regional, and I was too even though I was a sophomore. Now we have a bunch of guys that have that experience and have matured from last year and throughout this year and that can only be beneficial for us.”
