Kats picked second in Southwest Division poll

DENVER, Colo. – The Sam Houston Bearkats were picked second in the WAC Southwest Division and Coltin Atkinson was named a preseason all-WAC selection on Wednesday as the league made its annual preseason announcements leading up to the February 18 season opener.

The Kats were selected in a tie for second place with UTRGV in the 6-team Southwest Division while Abilene Christian, last year's Southland Conference champions, was chosen to take the top spot, securing five of six first-place votes. UTRGV claimed the remaining first-place vote, while Lamar, Stephen F. Austin and Tarleton were picked to round out the remaining spots in the league standings.

For Atkinson, it is his first honor of any kind as a Kat after a stellar true freshman campaign where he led Sam Houston with a 2.72 ERA in 46.1 innings of work. He finished with a 6-1 record, striking out 52 while walking just 12 with a .236 opponent batting average.

More impressively was how he finished the season, going 2-0 with a save in his final four appearances, including a complete game win vs Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the SLC Tournament.

Sam Houston is in its first season in the WAC after being the class of the Southland Conference for the last decade and a half and are coming off a run to the 2021 SLC Tournament title game in May. The teams will play a 30-game WAC schedule this year, playing each team in a pair of 3-game series for the division title before eventually mixing it up with the West Division in late May at the WAC Touranment.

The WAC Tournament is set to be played at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. It is the Spring Training home of the Oakland A's.

The Kats kick off the 2022 season on February 18 at Don Sanders Stadium when they host Nebraska for a 4-game series. They then spend a week in the DFW area, taking on No. 7 Oklahoma State on Feb. 22 at Globe Life Field in Arlington before battling No. 22 Dallas Baptist that weekend in a 3-game set.

Sam Houston then returns to The Don to host the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, Texas, on March 1.

Season tickets are currently on sale while single-game tickets go on sale on February 13 and can be purchased at GoBearkats.com or by calling the Bearkat Ticket Office at 936-294-1729.

Kats picked second in Southwest Division poll

Players Mentioned

Coltin Atkinson

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