Sam Houston (13-7, 2-1 CUSA) vs Baylor (7-12, 2-4 Big 12)
Don Sanders Stadium (Huntsville)
Tuesday, March 19 | 6:30 PM | ESPN+
Projected Starters
SHSU: LHP Michael Watson (1-0, 3.77 ERA, 14.1 IP, 21 K, 8 BB)
BU: RHP Tanner Duke (0-1, 6.75 ERA, 6.2 IP, 9 K, 6 BB)
Wednesday, March 20 | 6:30 PM
Sam Houston (13-7, 2-1 CUSA) vs Northwestern State (5-15, 0-0 Southland)
Projected Starters
SHSU: TBA
NSU: TBA
HUNTSVILLE – With an eight-game road trip in the rearview mirror, the Sam Houston Bearkats will now kick off a six-game homestand with a pair of midweek games at Don Sanders Stadium, beginning Tuesday against the Baylor Bears.
Tuesday's game will be aired on ESPN+ with Jason Barfield on the call. Wednesday's with Northwestern State can be heard on the Bearkat Sprots Network with Carlos Zimmermann on the mic.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE BEARS
- The Bears are in their second year under head coach Mitch Thompson and were picked near the bottom of the Big 12 prior to the start of the year and backed that up by dropping seven of their first eight games of the year.
- But they come into Huntsville a hot ballclub, rebounding from a league-opening sweep at the hands of Houston to take two of three games from a ranked Texas Tech team last weekend.
- They are 2-2 in midweek games this season, defeating Lamar and Stephen F. Austin while falling to both Dallas Baptist and Abilene Christian.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE DEMONS
- The Demons are in their first season under head coach Chris Bertrand and will head to Huntsville just prior to opening Southland Conference play on Friday against Southeastern Louisiana. - NSU opened March with a strong series win over Troy, but have lost seven of eight games since with that lone win being last Tuesday over Louisiana Tech in Natchitoches before being swept in Ruston over the weekend.
- The Demons are 5-15 overall and are currently 0-7 away from Brown-Stroud Field.
QUICK HITTERS FOR THE WEEKEND AT NM STATE
- The Kats are 2-3 in midweek games in 2024, but are 2-0 at Don Sanders Stadium.
- The Bearkat pitching staff ranks third in the country with an average of just 2.81 walks per nine innings.
- Walker Janek is riding 20-game hitting streak to open 2024 and has hit in 24 straight games dating back to the end of the 2023 campaign. It is the longest hit streak to open a season since Andrew Kasparak hit safely in 22 straight to open the 2003 season. The 24 games overall is the fourth longest in program history.
- Hunter Autrey had the first multi-homer game of the year for the Kats at NM State, finishing with eight RBI in the game. Seven of his eight career home runs have come in 2024, with the eight-RBI game being just one shy of the SHSU single-game record and only the third time in program history a player has reached that mark in a game.
