McNeese
Series preview: at McNeese
2/12/2026 12:37:00 PM | Baseball
Games 1-3 | Joe Miller Ballpark (Lake Charles, La.)Â
Sam Houston (0-0, 0-0 CUSA) at McNeese (0-0, 0-0 SLC)Â
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Projected Starters (2025 stats)Â
Friday, February 13 – 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)Â
SHSU: RHP Ryan Peterson (2-9, 6.29 ERA, 73.0 IP, 75 K, 32 BB)Â
MCN: LHP Cooper Golden (3-3, 4.71 ERA, 65.0 IP, 46 K, 17 BB)Â
Saturday, February 14 – 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+)Â
SHSU:Â TBAÂ
MCN:Â TBAÂ
Sunday, February 15 – 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+)Â
SHSU:Â TBAÂ
MCN:Â TBAÂ
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HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston baseball team will kick off its 2026 season this weekend when it travels to Lake Charles, La., for three games vs McNeese at Joe Miller Ballpark.Â
Each game of the weekend can watched on ESPN+ with Chaston Tavares and Gordon Fontenot on the call. Games can also be followed via Statbroadcast or by following @BearkatsBSB on Instagram and X.Â
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SERIES vs the COWBOYSÂ
- McNeese is one of 10 programs the Kats have played at least 100 times in its history. The 163 all-time meetings makes the rivalry with the Cowboys the second-longest in SHSU history, only behind 180 games played vs HoustonÂ
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- Sam Houston leads the all-time series by a 104-59 margin. The 104 Bearkat victories are the most against one opponent in SHSU historyÂ
- This will be the first weekend series between the programs in Lake Charles since the 2018 season when the Kats swept the CowboysÂ
- The teams were Southland Conference rivals from 1987 thru the 2021 season when the Kats left the SLC to join the WACÂ
- The last meeting between the teams as Southland Conference members came in the title game of the 2021 SLC Tournament in Hammond when the Cowboys held on for a 2-1 win to earn a regional berthÂ
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NOTESÂ
- The 2025 Kats had the largest roster turnover in program history with 26 new players entering the season and will have a similar feel this year with 18 new players. The total includes nine transfers and nine newcomers from the high-school ranksÂ
- Among the returners is junior right-hander Ryan Peterson who is in his third year with the program and a year removed from making 14 weekend starts. He will assume the role of Friday-night starter to open the year, getting the ball on Opening Night for the second straight season. Peterson was the only Kat in 2025 to make a start in every weekend series and led the team in both innings pitched (73.0) and strikeouts (75). He finished the regular season ranked sixth in CUSA in strikeouts and will notch his 100th career K with his first punchout of 2026Â
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- In addition to a handful of returning arms, the Kats will also look to a bevy of newcomers to strengthen the staff, including a host of talented freshmen who will likely be leaned on for key innings as the year progresses. Lefty Jakob Holzer could find his way onto the weekend as a starter after an all-league year at Murray State College in 2025 where he went 8-1 for a 2.64 ERA and 76 strikeouts in only 58.0 inningsÂ
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- Despite scoring just 4.94 runs per game in 2025, Sam Houston's lowest average since 2002, the Kats still ran wild on the bases. The team ranked fourth in CUSA with 93 successful stolen bases, ranking fourth in the league. It was the third straight season for SHSU to swipe 90+ bags as a team, the first time since 1979-81 they have done it in three consecutive yearsÂ
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- That speed was paced in 2025 by Jace Martinez and Parker Blackman who return in 2026 after leading the way on the bases with 22 steals apiece, a total which finished the season ranked fifth in CUSAÂ
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- Sam Houston will welcome back a pair of key additions who missed significant time in 2025 in outfielder Caleb Cotton and infielder Addison Smith. Cotton had a breakout sophomore campaign in 2024, finishing with 18 stolen bases and 42 total hits before missing all of 2025 with an injury. Smith, meanwhile, had recovered from a slow start to 2025 to hit safely in 13 of his final 14 games before suffering an injury on April 1 vs Rice which cost him the remainder of the year
