Sam Houston (24-17, 7-8 CUSA) at Louisiana Tech (30-13, 8-4 CUSA)
JC Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (Ruston, La.)
Friday, April 26 | 6:00 PM | ESPN+
Projected Starters
SHSU: RHP Coltin Atkinson (4-3, 4.06 ERA, 57.2 IP, 57 K, 18 BB)
TECH: RHP Reed Smith (4-3, 5.74 ERA, 47.0 IP, 50 K, 11 BB)
Saturday, April 27 | 2:00 PM | ESPN+
Projected Starters
SHSU: LHP Michael Watson (4-1, 3.30 ERA, 46.1 IP, 58 K, 16 BB)
TECH: LHP Luke Nichols (3-2, 4.05 ERA, 46.2 IP, 47 K, 15 BB)
Sunday, April 28 | 1:00 PM | ESPN+
Projected Starters
SHSU: LHP Marshall Wales (1-1, 1.59 ERA, 28.1 IP, 24 K, 9 BB)
TECH: RHP Turner Swistak (5-2, 5.44 ERA, 41.1 IP, 42 K, 13 BB)
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats will hit the road this weekend for a key Conference USA series at Louisiana Tech, beginning Friday night at JC Love Field.
Each game of the weekend will be aired on ESPN+ with Chris Mycoskie on play-by-play and Teddy Allen on analysis.
SERIES NOTES vs LA TECH
- The Kats are making their first trip to Ruston since March of 2019 when they played at the Love Shack just weeks prior to the April 25 tornado which tore through the area and reshaped several LA Tech athletics facilities, including JC Love Field.
- That year was a double-midweek trip to Ruston cut to a single game due to weather, but the Kats have not been to LA Tech for a weekend series since 2005. That is the last time SHSU picked up a win in Ruston, winning 2 of 3 games that weekend.
- Sam Houston is looking to snap a 3-game losing streak to the Bulldogs which dates back to 2007.
- The last time the teams met on the diamond was in 2020 in Huntsville in the Kats' final midweek game of the year prior to the COVID shutdown. The teams took a 3-3 tie into extra innings that night at Don Sanders Stadium before LA Tech erupted for 6 runs in the top of the 10th to win 9-3.
BEARKAT NOTES FOR THE WEEKEND
- Walker Janek added to his resume last week when he was named to the Buster Posey Award watch list for the third consecutive season. He is already on the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award watch list and is putting together arguably his best season at the college level, ranking in the top 5 in CUSA in batting average (.381), home runs (12), triples (3) and runs scored (42).
- Additionally, MLB Pipeline updated their draft rankings for July's MLB Draft on Wednesday. Entering the season Janek was ranked as the No. 48 prospect on the board, but his efforts this year have rocketed him up the board as the list - updated by MLB Draft analyst Jim Callis - ranked him at No. 25.
- Janek has thrown out 12 of 23 attempted base stealers this season and is doing it at the plate as well. He hit his team-best 12th home run of the year in the series opener at Middle Tennessee and now has 32 for his career, which puts him all alone in third place all-time at SHSU. Each of the two players ahead of him played 4 years for the Bearkats, while Janek is just in his third season.
- Easton Loyd reached a career milestone of his own on Tuesday with a single in his second at-bat at Baylor, giving him 200 hits for his career. He is the first Bearkat to reach 200 career hits since 2019 when both Clayton Harp and Hunter Hearn reached the mark.
- Sam Houston's pitching staff turned in one of its best weekend's of the sesason vs Middle Tennessee, holding the Blue Raiders to just 6 runs during the 3-game sweep. The Kats finished with 26 strikeouts and just 5 walks issued in 26.0 on the mound, holding MTSU to a .208 average and posting a 2.08 ERA.
- Chandler David, who was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List in the preseason and was also on the Midseason Watch List released earlier this week. He has moved back into his familiar role in the back end of the pen in recent weeks and has saves in 3 of his last 4 appearances. In 7 appearances since March 23 he has posted a 2.65 ERA with 4 saves, 20 strikeouts and just 4 walks issued in 17.0 innings. Opposing hitters are hitting just .180 in that span.
- The Bearkats' will throw starters Coltin Atkinson and Michael Watson at the Bulldogs in Games 1 & 2 with the pair combining to win 3 CUSA Pitcher of the Week honors in 2024. Atkinson's honors came after starts vs Oklahoma State and NM State, while Watson's came 2 weeks ago following a brilliant start against league-leading WKU. Watson has been on a hot streak on the mound of late, winning each of his last 3 starts. In that 3-start span he has logged 18.2 innings with a 0.96 ERA (2 ER) to go with 26 strikeouts and only 3 walks issued.
A LOOK AT THE BULLDOGS
- The Bulldogs are squarely in the mix for a CUSA title at 8-4, just 1.5 games back of league-leading WKU with four weekends left in the regular season, getting in that position after taking two of three games from No. 25 DBU a week ago in Dallas.
- They have been outstanding in defending the Love Shack, posting a 20-5 record at home, including wins in 11 of their last 12 games there.
- An older team with 24 upperclassmen, including 13 seniors, the Bulldogs are led at the plate by Cole McConnell who has team bests in average (.411), doubles (16), home runs (12) and RBI (52).
- But the key piece to the team may be 2-way player Ethan Bates, who has stood out at the plate in addition to being one of the top closers in the country on the mound. Bates is right there with McConnell at the plate with 10 home runs and 51 RBI to go with a .320 average, but his exploits on the mound play up as well. He has made a team-high 23 appearances out of the pen and leads the nation with 12 saves.
- Bates has punched out 41 hitters in 32.0 innings with a 2.81 ERA and is part of a dynamic 2-headed monster in the back of the Bulldog bullpen with Sam Brodersen who has made 22 appearances on his own with a 1.96 ERA and an eye-popping 67 strikeouts in just 36.2 innings of work.
