waltgreenberg
Legend
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I Root For: Rice Owls
Location: Chicago
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Rice Baseball vs. Sam Houston State (March 6)
The Bobkats come into Reckling with an overall record of 6-3, following a sweep of ULaLa and a big win over Nebraska in Frisco. All 3 losses were close games to Top 35 caliber teams (UT, Miss St., VA Tech). They're also coming in well rested, having not played since Saturday afternoon. Consequently, in all likelihood, we're going to see their regular Sunday starter on the mound this evening (especially since this weekend they play Houston Baptist).
Here's Perfect Games scouting report on SHS following last weekend's tournament in Frisco...
https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/Vie...icle=16194
Quote:Sam Houston State Bearkats
What Happened: Sam Houston State, the only non Power 5 school in the Frisco College Classic, stood toe-to-toe with the big boys and displayed the competitive character to overcome a seven-run deficit to walk-off Nebraska in Game 2 of the weather-shortened event. With a mix of veteran starting pitching and an aggressive in-your-face style of offense, the Bearkats play an extremely unified brand of team baseball. After dropping Game 1 to Mississippi State, by having the tying run picked off with their hottest hitter at the plate, Darien Sims redeemed himself from his baserunning mistake by delivering the walk-off RBI single against Nebraska.
Carrying Tool: Balance. Sam Houston will not enter the postseason with the biggest names, highest draft prospects or the highest ranking in the country, but they will have balance. The pitching staff will compete in the strike zone, the offense will create runs one way or another, and more importantly, they will play together. Superstars are not the headliners for the Bearkats but rather a collection of hard-nosed competitors that are fun to watch play. Showing the mental toughness to overcome some self-inflicted mistakes, Sam Houston rallied for a six-run bottom of the fifth in Game 2, after allowing eight runs in the top half of the inning to the Cornhuskers. It would have been easy to shut it down, especially in the wet and cold conditions, but there was not a sense of panic, frustration or gloom. The Bearkat lineup simply started stringing together quality at-bats, and a few big hits later, they were back in the ball game.
Concerns: Sam Houston State is not trying to make a name for themselves any longer. After a trip to the Super Regionals in 2017 and a disappointing finish to the 2018 season in the Southland Conference Tournament, the current squad is a mix of experienced pitching and aggressive offense. There are two concerns with this club, defensive consistency and depth of the pitching staff. When the pitching staff is right, the defense will have plenty of opportunities around the infield. Primarily a staff of sinker/slider arms in the rotation, there will be a premium placed on the defense around the infield. Riley McKnight is special defensively at second base, but the all-freshman left side of Diego Davila (shortstop) and converted outfielder Colton Cowser (third base) will have to play well.
Best Player on the Field: Colton Cowser, the freshman third baseman for the Bearkats was the most consistent and productive hitter during the event. Hitting in the three-hole, the lefthanded swinger barreled balls with a crisp and short swing, to all parts of the field, including a few loud outs directly at defenders. Finishing 3-for-7 in the event with a double, home run, four runs scored and a pair of RBI, Cowser displayed a level of comfort at the plate beyond his years. An outfielder in high school, he has the physical tools to make the switch to third base but learning the hot corner on the fly at the college level will be an adjustment. The aforementioned Riley McKnight also showed well during the event, especially on the defensive side of the ball but also at the plate with a three-hit performance in the finale against Nebraska.
Fearless Forecast: Regional. Sam Houston will make the postseason after falling short in 2018 and will be an extremely tough out, no matter where they are shipped off to. There are members of this team that were a part of the Bearkat team that advanced to the Supers in 2017, by winning on the road in the Lubbock Regional. There is a sense of purpose watching this year’s club and a togetherness that can be felt in observing how they interact with each other. Head coach Matt Deggs has a quiet confidence level in his group and you get the sense that he knows something special is brewing in Huntsville this season.
Colton Cowser
Standing 6-foot-3, 190-pounds, Colton Cowser hits in the third spot in the Sam Houston State lineup. On a team that shows fairly high offensive potential, he shows a level of confidence and maturity beyond his years. From an upright and open stance, Cowser has the ability to barrel the ball consistently to all parts of the field with aggressive but controlled swings early in counts. With two strikes, he also shows the ability to handle the bat and spoil pitches until he finds one he can work with. The only home run of the Frisco College Classic came off the bat of Cowser, who leaned on a ball after fouling off three pitches with two strikes. On a miserably cold afternoon and a thick mist setting in, he turned on a pitch on the inner-third and drove it out of the park with a fluid and easy swing. The no-doubt home run completed a comeback from a seven-run deficit and put Sam Houston State back on top of Nebraska.
Here's their individual and team stats to date...
http://www.nmnathletics.com/fls/19900/st...amcume.htm
And, finally, D1Baseball picked the Bobkats to finish first in the Southland Conference...
https://d1baseball.com/season-preview/20...southland/
Quote:Sam Houston State
The Bearkats didn’t reach the NCAA postseason last year, and that didn’t sit well with Matt Deggs and his staff during the offseason. The good news is the Bearkats welcome back a very intriguing club, beginning with a talented weekend rotation. Junior righthander Hayden Wesneski is ready to take a big step forward. He put together solid numbers last season, but the stuff was more crisp during fall workouts. Wesneski was 90-93 and up to 94-95 with his fastball in the fall, along with a solid slider at 82-84 and a changeup. He’s flanked in the rotation by a pair of fellow veterans in lefty Seth Ballew and righty Riley Gossett. Ballew is a pitchability guy who will sit 86-88 with his fastball, along with a breaking ball in the mid-70s. Ballew can hit 89-91 with his fastball when he really needs to rare back, but will sit in the upper-80s. Meanwhile, Gossett is back in as a starter after having multiple roles last season. He’s a talented righty who will steadily sit 88-91 with his fastball, while also showing a solid changeup and breaking ball. SHSU also has a strong midweek starting option in freshman lefty Matt Dillard, who was consistently 90-92 with his fastball in the fall, while the bullpen is loaded with righties Nick Mikolajchak and Landon Ausley and lefty Brad Demco leading the charge. Mikolajchak has a hard-nosed approach and will sit low-90s with his fastball, along with a nasty slider and a spiked curveball in the upper-70s. Meanwhile, Ausley showed huge upside in the fall with a fastball up to 94, along with a filthy power slider at 84-87. Demco will sit upper-80s and into the low-90s with his fastball, while he’ll attack hitters with a curveball and sliders. Options are abound with this pitching staff. The wild card on the roster could be lefty Kyle Backhus. Backhus was a standout pitcher as a freshman, but struggled with his command last season. He’s a tall lefty with a loose arm and can get up to 92-93 at times. However, consistency is the big key moving forward.
The Bearkats lost a couple of key bats from last year’s club, but the offense should actually be more dynamic. Hunter Hearn is a physical bat and returns nine home runs. He’ll be a key cog in the middle of the lineup, while Clayton Harp, Chase Cryer, Riley McKnight and Jordan Cannon are all experienced sluggers who have history of producing. Sophomore Jack Rogers hit just .262 last season, but Matt Deggs said he took a big step forward this past fall and is ready to take the next step as a hitter. Meanwhile, freshman third baseman Diego Davila has a mature, consistent offensive approach and Colton Cowser is expected to be an immediate impact bat. Cowser is a 6-foot-4, 190-pounder, who can really run (6.5 speed) and can hit for some legitimate power. Deggs believes he’s one of the more talented hitters to come through SHSU.
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