Sam Houston (19-13, 3-6 CUSA) vs Houston (16-15, 5-11 Big 12)
Don Sanders Stadium (Huntsville)
Tuesday, April 8 | 6:30 PM | ESPN+
Projected Starters
SHSU: LHP Gavi Coldiron (2-2, 5.01 ERA, 32.1 IP, 23 K, 8 BB)
HOU: TBA
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats will return to Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday when it hosts Houston at 6:30 p.m. in the second leg of the Don Sanders Cup series.
The game will be aired on ESPN+ with Jason Barfield on the call.
The Kats put the brakes on a 4-game losing skid in a big way over the weekend, scoring3 37 runs in a 2-game road sweep over New Mexico over the weekend. They'll now put their 5-0 home midweek record on the line when they try to square up the Sanders Cup series after the Cougars walked off the Bearkats at Schroeder Park on March 5.
SERIES NOTES vs HOUSTON
- Tuesday will be the 176th all-time meeting between the Kats and Cougars.
- The Kats are looking to reclaim the Don Sanders Cup for the first time since 2018.
- A 9-3 win by the Bearkats in 2023 in Huntsville snapped a 6-game losing skid in the series for SHSU, its longest vs the Cougars since dropping 13 in a row between the 1999 and 2008 seasons.
BEARKAT NOTES FOR THE WEEKEND
- Bearkat junior catcher Walker Janek was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List by USA Baseball last week. He is the third Bearkat in history to receive a watch list nod for the Golden Spikes, which is given out at the end of the season to the top amateur baseball player in the nation. He joins Carlos Contreras (2022) as the only Kats to be named to the Midseason Watch List and will be looking to add his name alongside Contreras and Colton Cowser (2021) as semifinalists for the award when the semifinalist list is unveiled on May 20.
- Janek has established himself as arguably the top defensive backstop in the nation and has thrown out 12 of 21 attempted swipers on the year. He finished a double shy of the cycle in each of the Kats' two wins at UNM over the weekend, including a 4-hit game in Sunday's finale.
- The Kats have been outstanding on the bases in their own right as they lead Conference USA with 58 steals for the season. Caleb Cotton and Jake Tatom lead the team and rank fourth in the league with nine swipes.
- The Kats' pitching staff is issuing just 3.24 walks per nine innings, a mark ranking 10th in the nation.
THE LAST TIME vs the COUGARS
- Sam Houston held a 1-0 lead for the bulk of the game behind a solo home run by Hunter Autrey in the top of the second inning.
- Michael Watson made his first start of the season and threw well, striking out six hitters in 5.0 shutout innings before taking a no-decision.
- Sam Houston had retired every leadoff hitter of the game until the ninth when Tre Jones drew a walk and eventually scored the tying run.
- The game-winner was a 2-run double by Houston freshman Ace Reese in the bottom of the ninth.
