Game 29 | Don Sanders Stadium (Huntsville) 
Sam Houston (7-21, 1-5 CUSA) vs Rice (6-23, 1-5 AAC) 
 
Projected Starters 
Tuesday, April 1 – 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ 
SHSU: RHP Connor Mondey (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.2 IP, 2 K, 2 BB) 
RICE: RHP Jackson Blank (0-4, 8.27 ERA, 16.1 IP, 21 K, 7 BB) 
 
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats will return to friendly confines of Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday when they host Rice for a midweek clash. 

First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. from The Don in a game set to be aired on ESPN+. 

The game will kick off a 9-game homestand for the Kats which includes three straight Tuesday midweeks in addition to weekend series vs both NM State and Kennesaw State.  

The Owls picked up a 6-1 win on a chilly day in Houston on February 19 in the first meeting between the schools this year, giving them wins in six of the last seven meetings since 2022. But much has changed for Rice since that game, mainly at the helm where they dismissed head coach Jose Cruz Jr. and quickly hired former Sam Houston, Tulane and Texas head man David Pierce. 

Since Pierce took over the Owls they are 2-6, most recently dropping all three games to East Carolina at Reckling Park over the weekend.  

The Kats are looking to put an end to a tough streak of their own, having dropped five games in a row overall after getting swept by CUSA-leading WKU over the weekend in Bowling Green.  

They will send freshman Connor Mondey to the mound to make his first career start. He did not make his first appearance until March 11, but has logged 4.2 total innings in five appearances without surrendering a run. That stretch includes two appearances last weekend at WKU where he retired nine of the 10 batters he faced. 

PROMOTIONS 
The game will serve as the Bugs & Baseball crawfish boil, an annual activity which partners the Department of Campus Activities & Traditions, Athletics and the Alumni Association to provide Bearkat students, alumni, and fans with the ultimate crawfish boil and tailgate experience.  

The tailgate will occur on Bowers Blvd. between Sycamore Dr. and Montgomery Rd. Beginning at 4:00 p.m. with free bugs and beer from sponsors being provided. Students will have access to the grass berm to bring in their crawfish and more will be available inside the gates after the start of the game vs Rice.