Friday, March 13
Huntsville
6:30 PM
vs
Jax State
Photo by: Molli Larsen
Weekend Preview: vs Jax State
3/12/2026 1:11:00 PM | Baseball
Games 17-19 | Don Sanders Stadium (Huntsville)
Sam Houston (8-8, 0-0 CUSA) vs Jax State (14-3, 0-0 CUSA)
Projected Starters
March 13 – 6:30 p.m.
SHSU: RHP Ryan Peterson (1-2, 1.57 ERA, 23.0 IP, 35 K, 6 BB)
JSU: LHP Eli Pillsbury (2-0, 0.90 ERA, 20.0 IP, 25 K, 5 BB)
March 14 – 2:00 p.m.
SHSU: RHP Collin Aloisio (3-0, 1.35 ERA, 20.0 IP, 15 K, 5 BB)
JSU: LHP Beau Bryans (2-0, 2.55 ERA, 17.2 IP, 24 K, 12 BB)
March 15 – 12:00 p.m.
SHSU: TBA
JSU: TBA
HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston baseball will open Conference USA play this weekend at Don Sanders Stadium when it hosts Jax State.
The 3-game set is scheduled to begin on Friday night with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. It can be followed via Statbroadcast or by following @BearkatsBSB on Instagram and X.
Sam Houston had won four games in a row before dropping a midweek decision at Baylor on Tuesday but will have the chance to claim its second straight weekend series on its home turf this weekend. Despite Tuesday's 13-5 loss to the Bears, Sam Houston continues to pitch it well this year, ranking third in the CUSA with a 4.13 team ERA.
Weekend pitching has been even better with Bearkat starting pitchers going at least 5.0 innings in nine of 12 weekend starts, headlined by junior Ryan Peterson and freshman Collin Aloisio who both sport sub-2.00 ERAs. Peterson earned his first win of 2026 last week vs Prairie View and enters CUSA play with a league-best 35 strikeouts, while Aloisio already sports a 3-0 record for the year.
They'll need to be on their game against a Jax State team off to a scorching 14-3 start with only a 6-5 loss to Alabama blemishing the last 15 total games. The Gamecocks, under third-year head man Steve Bieser, lead the league with a 3.12 team ERA and CUSA-best 181 strikeouts. They'll counter the Bearkat right-handed duo of Peterson and Aloisio with a pair of lefties in Eli Pillsbury and Beau Bryans in the series opening two games. Neither team has declared a starter for Sunday's series finale.
SERIES vs JAX STATE
- Sam Houston holds a 5-2 lead in the all-time series with the Gamecocks, including 4-2 in the two series since the program's joined CUSA for the 2024 season
- Prior to the Kats and Gamecocks joining CUSA, the teams had not played each other on the diamond since 1986 with SHSU getting the win in a game played in Troy, Ala.
- Sam Houston swept JSU in Huntsville in the final series of the 2024 season. The Kats avoided a sweep in Jacksonville a year ago with a 12-4 win in the series finale
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QUICK HITTERS
- Jeric Curtis has been hot in his last five games, reaching base in 12 of 21 plate appearances in that span with eight runs scored. Hunter Alvord has also been hot, turning in two straight multi-hit games with five RBI in those contests
- The top two base-stealing teams in CUSA will be squaring off this weekend with JSU leading the way with 41 swipes while the Bearkats are right behind with 39 as a team
- The Kats' defense will be challenged by the Gamecock running game, but the catching duo of Wes Baker and Ty Marthiljohni has been up to the task so far in 2026 with a league-best 11 runners caught stealing between them in 19 total attempts
Sam Houston (8-8, 0-0 CUSA) vs Jax State (14-3, 0-0 CUSA)
Projected Starters
March 13 – 6:30 p.m.
SHSU: RHP Ryan Peterson (1-2, 1.57 ERA, 23.0 IP, 35 K, 6 BB)
JSU: LHP Eli Pillsbury (2-0, 0.90 ERA, 20.0 IP, 25 K, 5 BB)
March 14 – 2:00 p.m.
SHSU: RHP Collin Aloisio (3-0, 1.35 ERA, 20.0 IP, 15 K, 5 BB)
JSU: LHP Beau Bryans (2-0, 2.55 ERA, 17.2 IP, 24 K, 12 BB)
March 15 – 12:00 p.m.
SHSU: TBA
JSU: TBA
HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston baseball will open Conference USA play this weekend at Don Sanders Stadium when it hosts Jax State.
The 3-game set is scheduled to begin on Friday night with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. It can be followed via Statbroadcast or by following @BearkatsBSB on Instagram and X.
Sam Houston had won four games in a row before dropping a midweek decision at Baylor on Tuesday but will have the chance to claim its second straight weekend series on its home turf this weekend. Despite Tuesday's 13-5 loss to the Bears, Sam Houston continues to pitch it well this year, ranking third in the CUSA with a 4.13 team ERA.
Weekend pitching has been even better with Bearkat starting pitchers going at least 5.0 innings in nine of 12 weekend starts, headlined by junior Ryan Peterson and freshman Collin Aloisio who both sport sub-2.00 ERAs. Peterson earned his first win of 2026 last week vs Prairie View and enters CUSA play with a league-best 35 strikeouts, while Aloisio already sports a 3-0 record for the year.
They'll need to be on their game against a Jax State team off to a scorching 14-3 start with only a 6-5 loss to Alabama blemishing the last 15 total games. The Gamecocks, under third-year head man Steve Bieser, lead the league with a 3.12 team ERA and CUSA-best 181 strikeouts. They'll counter the Bearkat right-handed duo of Peterson and Aloisio with a pair of lefties in Eli Pillsbury and Beau Bryans in the series opening two games. Neither team has declared a starter for Sunday's series finale.
SERIES vs JAX STATE
- Sam Houston holds a 5-2 lead in the all-time series with the Gamecocks, including 4-2 in the two series since the program's joined CUSA for the 2024 season
- Prior to the Kats and Gamecocks joining CUSA, the teams had not played each other on the diamond since 1986 with SHSU getting the win in a game played in Troy, Ala.
- Sam Houston swept JSU in Huntsville in the final series of the 2024 season. The Kats avoided a sweep in Jacksonville a year ago with a 12-4 win in the series finale
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QUICK HITTERS
- Jeric Curtis has been hot in his last five games, reaching base in 12 of 21 plate appearances in that span with eight runs scored. Hunter Alvord has also been hot, turning in two straight multi-hit games with five RBI in those contests
- The top two base-stealing teams in CUSA will be squaring off this weekend with JSU leading the way with 41 swipes while the Bearkats are right behind with 39 as a team
- The Kats' defense will be challenged by the Gamecock running game, but the catching duo of Wes Baker and Ty Marthiljohni has been up to the task so far in 2026 with a league-best 11 runners caught stealing between them in 19 total attempts
Players Mentioned
RHP
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