Weekend Preview: vs UIC

Games 5-7 | Don Sanders Stadium (Huntsville)
Sam Houston (3-1, 0-0 CUSA) vs UIC (1-3, 0-0 Horizon)

Projected Starters
Game 1, February 20 – 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
SHSU: RHP Ryan Peterson (0-0, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 6 K, 1 BB)
UIC: RHP Mason Lei (0-1, 7.20 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 K, 1 BB)

Game 2, February 21 – 2:00 p.m.
SHSU: TBA
UIC: LHP Brandon Bak (0-0, 3.38 ERA, 5.1 IP, 4 K, 0 BB)

Game 3, February 22 – 12:00 p.m.
SHSU: TBA
UIC: LHP Jared Lessman (0-0, 2.45 ERA, 3.2 IP, 3 K, 6 BB)

HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston will take the field at Don Sanders Stadium for the first time in 2026 on Friday when it opens a 3-game series vs UIC.

Friday's home opener can be watched on ESPN+ with Jason Barfield on the call, while Carlos Zimmerman will have an audio broadcast on the Bearkat Sports Network for Sunday's game. Each game of the weekend can be followed via Statbroadcast or by following @BearkatsBSB on Instagram and X.

The Bearkats are off to a 3-1 start to open 2026, winning a road series at McNeese to kick off the year and holding on for a 4-3 win on Tuesday at HCU. The Flames, meanwhile, dropped two of three games last weekend at UIW before falling on Tuesday at UTSA.

SERIES vs the UIC
- This will be the first-ever meeting between the Bearkats and the Flames

- UIC will be the second opponent from the Horizon League the Kats have ever faced. The last Horizon League opponent to come to The Don was in 2018 when the Kats split a pair of midweek vs Wright State

QUICK HITTERS
- With a win on Friday, the Kats will be off to a 4-1 start to a season for the first time since 2022 when they won 3 of 4 games from Nebraska and took a midweek from No. 4 Oklahoma State to kick off the year

- Ryan Franden was named the CUSA Hitter of the Week on Monday after hitting three homers and driving in nine runs in the series at McNeese, becoming the first Kat since Hunter Hearn in 2018 to open a year with three straight games with multiple RBI. He had a go-ahead RBI walk on Tuesday at HCU, already putting him in double digits for RBI this year

- The Kats have already racked up 14 stolen bases in four games, leading CUSA after a week and ranking 13th in the nation. SHSU is one of 15 teams in the nation with at least 90+ steals as a team in each of past three seasons

- The Kats have reached double-figure hits in three of their first four games, including hitting six homers in the first three games of 2026. They did not hit their sixth longball of 2025 until Game 15 on March 9 at OU

- Sam Houston has won four of six home-opening series under head coach Jay Sirianni

Weekend Preview: vs UIC

Games 5-7 | Don Sanders Stadium (Huntsville)
Sam Houston (3-1, 0-0 CUSA) vs UIC (1-3, 0-0 Horizon)

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Franden

Ryan Peterson

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