Houston’s troubles in Big 12 play continued on Friday night when Baylor came to Schroeder Park and claimed a 6-2 victory.
As the Cougars continue to look for a workable solution to the starting rotation, they chose right-handed freshman Connor Udland.
Udland pitched well, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing just two runs on five hits, and he added three strikeouts.
The Houston offense struggled against Baylor starter Lucas Davenport who pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed just one run.
A Blake Fields RBI single in the sixth inning was followed by Jackson LaLima’s sixth home run of the season in the seventh inning, a solo shot to deep left-center field, and that was the extent of the Cougars’ run production.
Right-hander Harrison Boushele pitched for the second game in a row, and just as he was dominant against Texas on Tuesday night, he was equally brilliant in shutting down the Baylor offense . . . Boushele allowed the Bears nothing over the final 2 1/3 innings, with a lone base runner reaching on a fielding error at third base which was of no consequence.
Boushele also struck out four batters for the second straight game.
Houston only had five hits in the game, and only one of them was for extra bases.
The Cougars and the Bears return to action Saturday at 1pm at Schroeder Park.
Houston played its first Big 12 road game at Kansas on Friday
By Steve Parkhurst
A four-run first inning was not enough for Houston on Friday night in Lawrence as the Cougars fell to Kansas 12-10 in the series opener.
The Cougars got off to a fast start when leadoff hitter McClane Helton walked on four pitches before Tre Broussard drove him home on a double to the wall in left-center field . . . Two pitches later Xavier Perez was hit by a pitch . . . With one out, Easton Winfield drove in his first run as a Houston Cougar when he singled to left field to drive in Broussard.
Kansas went to the bullpen just five batters into the game, but it was more of the same for Houston as Blake Fields walked on five pitches . . . One out later, Antonellie Savattere hammered a single to right field to drive in two runs and the Cougars had a 4-0 lead and batted around in the inning sending 10 hitters to the plate.
Houston scored a pair of runs in the third inning on a Savattere RBI single and a Tyler Cox sacrifice bunt and the Cougars led 6-1.
It was not long before the Jayhawks reversed things, scoring six runs in the bottom of the third inning and chasing the second Houston pitcher of the game, in the bottom of the fourth inning
The Cougars were in danger of hemorrhaging pitchers in game one of the series, but freshman Connor Udland took the mound with two outs in the fourth inning trailing 9-6 and pitched some terrific baseball over the next 4 1/3 innings.
After allowing one fourth inning run, Udland settled in and did not allow another run until the bottom of the eighth inning, striking out six batters along the way.
While Udland was keeping the Jayhawks off the scoreboard, the Cougars crept back into the game, thanks in part to a three-run sixth inning . . . Perez hit a two-run home run to right field and Fields doubled in a run and Houston was within a run at 10-9.
Cox tied the game at 10 in the top of the eighth inning with a double down the third base line to bring home Fields.
Kansas got to Udland for a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and that was the difference in the ballgame . . . It was a great outing by the freshman and one that should pay dividends for Houston as the season plays out.
Kansas pitching walked 10 Houston batters, but also struck out 15, and the Cougars left 14 runners on base . . . Houston did force Kansas to use five pitchers in the game, with the Cougars only using three, this is worth watching over the final two games of the weekend.
The Cougars and the Jayhawks will play again on Saturday in Lawrence, with a first pitch scheduled for 2pm.
Ryne Rodriguez silenced the Kansas State offense for six innings on Sunday.
By Steve Parkhurst
After being walked-off via run-rule two nights in a row to open Big 12 play this season, Houston returned the favor as it walked off Kansas State 16-6 in eight innings Sunday afternoon at Schroeder Park.
The afternoon got off to a rough start and things looked bleak in the top of the first inning as the Wildcats took a 4-0 lead on a grand slam.
Left-hander Ryne Rodriguez took the mound in relief to start the second inning with the Cougars still trailing by four . . . Rodriguez promptly pitched the next six innings allowing just one unearned run and only three hits on a career-high 88 pitches.
It was an effort the Cougars pitching staff desperately needed after two rough games to open the series.
The Cougars clawed back as Rodriguez was quieting the potent Wildcats offense.
In the bottom of the second inning, Jackson LaLima hit a three-run home run to left-center field, his fourth long ball of the season, and Houston only trailed by a run, 4-3.
Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, shortstop Tyler Cox tied the game at five with a one out solo home run to left field . . . The dinger was the first for Cox in a Houston uniform, his last home run was hit for Dartmouth three years ago to the day.
After Houston went to the bullpen for the eighth inning, Kansas State took a 6-5 lead when a leadoff walk came home to score.
Ball four appeared to be a strike on the outside corner, low and away on that leadoff walk and the umpires heard about the missed call for a while from the Houston dugout . . . When the runner crossed the plate as the go-ahead run a few minutes later, the chatter increased and Houston head coach Todd Whitting was ejected from the game.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, McClane Helton led off with a pinch-hit single on the infield, little did anyone know that he would bat again, and single again, in the frame.
With Helton on second base, Cox (2-for-3) singled to tie the game at six, his second time in as many at-bats to tie the game . . . Tre Broussard was then intentionally walked after the count on him reached 2-0, he would also bat again in the inning.
Riley Jackson then took the next pitch off his batting helmet to load the bases with one out . . . Dylan Maxcey (3-for-4) doubled to the wall in left-center field to drive in two runs and Houston took its first lead of the game, 8-6.
After the Wildcats went to the bullpen, Antonelli Savattere singled into right-center field to plate two more Cougars just before Blake Fields (2-for-2) was hit by a pitch on his lower left leg and he took his place at first base . . . Both Savattere and Fields moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.
LaLima followed by flying out to the warning track in center field, the sacrifice fly RBI made it 11-6 with two outs.
Helton (2-for-2) singled in his second at-bat of the inning, this one to left-center field drove in a run and kept the merry go round moving.
Cox was hit by a pitch as he was attempting to bunt, he was the third batter hit by a pitch in the inning . . . Perez then powered an 0-1 pitch off the center field wall for a double and the Cougars held a 14-6 advantage.
Broussard ended things when he drove a towering shot to center field on a 1-0 pitch, and when the ball bounced off the batter’s eye and back onto the field of play, the Cougars were walk-off winners as chaos ensued around home plate . . . The Cougars scored 11 runs in the frame, more than the nine total runs they had scored in the previous two games.
In postgame comments, Broussard called the previous two days “embarrassing.” But, Broussard was quick to point out that the response to the previous two games was about sticking to the process and executing the game plan.
When asked about the electricity in the dugout as his team battled back, Broussard kept it simple.
“A good dugout, means a good team.”
The Cougars are now off until Wednesday when they will host the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns in a midweek matchup before heading off to Kansas for a Big 12 weekend series in Lawrence . . . First pitch on Wednesday is scheduled for 6:30pm at Schroeder Park.
Andres Perez held Kansas State scoreless for four innings Wednesday night.
Houston impressed in all facets of the game Wednesday night in Arlington and walked away 9-2 victors over Kansas State to advance in the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
The Cougars, serving as the visiting team, went to bat first in the top of the first inning and we sat down quietly . . . The Wildcats then scratched across two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead.
They were the only runs of the game for Kansas State.
Meanwhile, the Houston offense went to work in the top of the second inning against Kansas State ace Jacob Frost . . . A strikeout to lead off the frame seemed to be setting the Cougars up for another inning like the first one, but Tyler Cox quickly changed things as he doubled to get on base.
Brandon Bishop quickly followed with a double of his own to score Cox and cut the Kansas State lead in half . . . Malachi Lott singled home Bishop to tie the game at two and then he stole second base . . . Tre Broussard drew a two out walk in front of Kenneth Jimenez who hammered a run-scoring single to give Houston a 3-2 lead.
Second baseman Connor McGinnis doubled in two more runs to make it 5-2 Houston and Kansas State went to the bullpen.
The five-run second inning was the third such inning for Houston in their last four games, the Cougars did it in back-to-back frames in the first game against Arizona last weekend at Schroeder Park.
After the first two Kansas State batters of the bottom of the second inning reached base via free passes, Houston also went to the bullpen in favor of right-hander Andres Perez.
What Perez did over the next four innings was nothing short of spectacular . . . Perez worked around the two inherited runners and escaped the frame without allowing Kansas State to claw back at the Houston lead.
Perez then faced the minimum in the third inning getting two swinging strikeouts and a fly ball out . . . Perez worked a scoreless fourth inning and started to show signs of tiring a bit in the bottom of the fifth inning as he approached and surpassed the 60-pitch mark, although he did strike out two batters in the frame, including the last batter he faced in the contest.
McGinnis (3-for-5) led off the top of the fifth inning with a single and X. Perez tripled to drive him home and expand the Houston lead to 6-2.
David Stich was next out of the Houston bullpen and he pitched a scoreless sixth inning, facing just four batters.
The Houston offense went to work again in the top of the seventh inning, starting with McGinnis leading off the inning with a double, his third hit of the game . . . X. Perez (2-for-5) singled home McGinnis and subsequently stole second and third base . . . Coby DeJesus was the third straight batter of the inning to reach base as he took a free pass and stole second base . . . Evan Haeger, a mid-game replacement for Bishop, singled home both runners on base and pushed the Houston lead to 9-2.
After the seventh inning stretch, right-hander Brady Fuller took the mound for the Cougars protecting a seven-run lead . . . The ballgame was Fuller’s at that point as he tossed three scoreless frames and retired nine of the ten batters he faced . . . Fuller earned the save for his effort, his first of the season.
Prrez pitched a career-high four innings and allowed just two hits, and the win improved his record to 3-1.
His postgame comments were as efficient as his outing against the Wildcats, “I was expecting to go in and do my job,” Perez said.
Perez did his job, first he stopped the bleeding and then he worked through a potent Kansas State offense without allowing anything that looked like momentum.
Head coach Todd Whitting agreed. “Andres getting out of that big jam the inning he came in, I thought was huge,” Whitting said. “Then, we just kept pouring on the runs. Stich comes in and gets his inning and Fuller comes in and does his job.”
“Overall, top to bottom, just a great team effort,” Whitting said.
Houston pitching allowed just five base hits in eliminating the Wildcats from the Championship field . . . The Cougars combined for 11 hits offensively and McGinnis, X. Perez, and Haeger each had two RBI.
The nine runs scored by Houston was the most runs scored by any team on day one of the 2025 Big 12 Championship, the next closest team was Cincinnati, which scored six runs in eliminating Texas Tech.
Houston will next face TCU on Thursday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington . . . The Cougars played the last game of the day on Wednesday, and the original start time was mercifully pushed back only 15 minutes . . . Thursday’s matchup with the Horned Frogs is a 7:30pm scheduled start, but with three games being played before it, look for a possible later start.
Houston left-hander Antoine Jean was just named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year by the Conference this afternoon.
In perhaps his most dominant outing of the season for the Cougars, Jean pitched five scoreless innings at UCF in March . . . Jean recorded 15 outs in the road victory, 11 of them by strikeout.
Jean also turned in a terrific performance in his outing against Kansas State on April 27 . . . Jean took the mound with just one out in the first inning as things had started to unravel for the Cougars . . . Jean pitched thru the seventh inning and set up Houston for the eventual 6-5 victory to salvage a game in the road series . . . Over 6 2/3 innings, Jean struck out eight batters in the potent Kansas State offense.
In Big 12 play this season, Jean went 3-0 with 72 strikeouts. Jean struck out five or more batters in nine of the 12 Big 12 games in which he pitched.
Jean was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team, the only Houston player named to any of the All-Big 12 lists.
Houston and Kansas State will play the final game of the first day of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday at 8:00pm CT . . . Houston will enter the Championship as the #11 seed of the 12 teams in the field, Kansas State will be the #6 seed.
With three games scheduled to be played before the Houston/Kansas State game, delays in the start time are both possible and to be expected . . . With games scheduled at 9:00am, 12:30pm, and 4:00pm and the necessary field preparations between the game, an 8:00pm start is unlikely.
The Cougars and the Wildcats played a three-game series in Manhattan in April, with Kansas State winning the first two games before Houston claimed the finale.
The winner of the Wednesday night game will face #3 seed TCU (37-17, 19-11) in the last game Thursday night, technically scheduled to get underway at 7:30pm . . . The game will be TCU’s first game of the Championship as they are one of the four teams to get a first day bye in Arlington.
Houston concluded its regular season earlier today with a loss to Arizona at Schroeder Park . . . The Cougars finished the regular season with an overall record of 29-24 and a 12-17 record in Big 12 action.
Antoine Jean was dominant in his two innings pitched Saturday.
The Cougars fell to the Mountaineers 9-8 Saturday night at Schroeder Park as West Virginia claimed the weekend series.
For the second night in a row, the West Virginia offense got to Houston pitching for nine runs . . . But the Cougar bats came alive to give Houston a chance to even the series . . . The eight runs Houston scored Saturday ties their season best in a Big 12 game this season when they scored eight runs in a loss to Texas Tech.
With the game scoreless in the bottom of the first inning, Xavier Perez took a one-out walk and moved up on a passed ball and a groundout, and later scored on a wild pitch to get Houston on the board first . . . Designated hitter Kenneth Jimenez worked a two-out walk to bring up Coby DeJesus who sent a ball over the left field wall for a two-run home run and a 3-0 lead.
West Virginia tied the game up in the top half of the second inning before taking the lead in the top half of the third inning.
Trailing 9-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Houston made it a closer game . . . Tre Broussard was hit by a pitch with one out, and he subsequently stole second base, his 27th stolen base of the season . . . Coby DeJesus walked with two outs to keep the line moving for Houston . . . Malachi Lott then snuck a ball over the right field wall for a three-run home run to cut the Cougars deficit down to two runs, 9-7.
After the seventh inning stretch, Jimenez, DeJesus, and Lott took three consecutive walks to open what looked to be a promising inning . . . A fourth straight walk to Cade Climie forced in a run to get the Cougars to within a run at 9-8.
Antoine Jean pitched the eighth and ninth in an attempt to keep the game close in the late going in the hopes that the Cougars offense might gain an edge . . . Jean was as filthy and dominant as he has been all season, recording six outs in the game, all of them by strikeout, three swinging, three looking.
But the Houston offense was unable to get a base runner against the Mountaineers bullpen in the bottom of the ninth inning and West Virginia walked away with the series-clinching victory.
Chris Scinta was the victim of a defensive error behind him which led to three runs crossing the plate in the fourth inning . . . Graysen Drezek pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief without allowing a run and he struck out three batters.
DeJesus was 2-for-3 and Perez was 2-for-5, the only two Houston hitters with multiple hits Saturday night.
Houston and West Virginia conclude their weekend series on Sunday morning with a first pitch slated for 11:35am . . . At this time Houston has not announced a starting pitcher.
Eric Van Valkenburg was great out of the Houston bullpen Friday night.
Houston dropped the weekend opener against West Virginia 9-2 Friday night at Schroeder Park.
After being retired in order through the first three innings, the Houston offense showed signs of life to start the bottom of the fourth inning . . . Aaron Lugo led off the inning with a liner just inside the third base bag for a double . . . Two outs later, designated hitter Kenneth Jimenez lined a double between the shortstop and the second base bag into center field to score Lugo from second base to cut the Houston deficit to 5-1.
After the Mountaineers added a run in the top half of the fifth inning, the Cougars got a run back in the bottom half when Cade Climie went the opposite way and hit a home run over the right field wall with one out, but Houston still trailed 6-2.
West Virginia added a run in the sixth inning and two more runs in the eighth inning on their way to a 9-2 victory.
Three defensive errors by the Cougars made five of the West Virginia runs unearned . . . The three errors hurt three of the four Houston pitchers in Friday’s game.
Malachi Lott took the mound with two runners on base and no outs in the top of the sixth inning, he retired the only three batters he faced in the frame, striking out two of them . . . Lott retired the first six batters he faced before two singles and an error cost him a run in the eighth inning . . . Right-hander Eric Van Valkenburg was solid over 1 2/3 innings to close out the game without allowing a base hit or any runs, he faced five batters and recorded five outs.
The Houston offense recorded five base hits in the game, each of them by a different player.
The Cougars and the Mountaineers resume the weekend series on Saturday night at Schroeder Park . . . Richie Roman will start the game for Houston and he will deliver the first pitch at 6:35pm.
Houston completed its weekend series at Baylor on Sunday.
Houston topped Baylor 4-2 on Sunday at Baylor Ballpark in Waco to win the Big 12 road series as they continue a stretch of eight games in ten days.
The Cougars went with a new lineup of sorts for the Sunday afternoon game and the changes paid immediate dividends when Coby DeJesus, batting in the leadoff spot, singled up the middle to get the first inning started . . . An error down the third base line on a liner by Xavier Perez allowed the ball to roll into foul territory up the line as DeJesus moved all the way to third base and Perez stopped at second base . . . Tre Broussard (2-for-4) singled home DeJesus before Aaron Lugo grounded out to bring Perez across the plate for a 2-0 early Houston lead.
Broussard stole second base before the first inning came to a close, he improved his perfect stolen base streak to 21-for-21.
After Tyler Cox led off the top of the second inning with a single, Baylor went to the bullpen, after which Riley Jackson sacrificed Cox to second base . . . DeJesus (2-for-5) followed with his second single in as many innings, this one after a solid at-bat in which he saw seven pitches from the new Baylor pitcher . . . With Cox at third base and DeJesus at second base having taken an extra base on his single, Perez drilled a single into right-center field to drive in two runs for a 4-1 Cougars lead.
The Cougars had to rely on their pitching staff after the second inning as the offense was stymied the rest of the way.
Chris Scinta took the mound in the bottom of the third inning in relief of Houston starter Kendall Hoffman protecting a 4-2 lead . . . Scinta immediately induced a double play ball to erase an inherited runner before ending the inning without allowing a run.
Scinta took the game through the sixth inning without allowing Baylor to get closer than the two-run margin . . . Over four scoreless innings, Scinta allowed just two base hits, recorded six outs on fly balls, and faced the minimum in the fifth inning setting the side down in order.
Antoine Jean, who has shined in previous weeks in a Friday night long relief role, took the mound after the seventh inning stretch . . . Despite a walk and single in the seventh inning, Jean worked around both and struck out three Baylor batters . . . Jean struck out two more batters in the eighth inning, working around a two-out single to get an inning-ending groundout.
Jean struck out the only three batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth inning to close out the 4-2 victory and secure the series win . . . Jean struck out eight of the nine outs he recorded in his Sunday appearance, bringing his weekend total to 13 strikeouts over five innings pitched.
Scinta earned the win with his four scoreless innings and improved to 4-1 this season . . . Jean earned his second save of the weekend and brought his total for the season to three.
The Cougars have won both of their Big 12 road series this season, first at UCF and now at Baylor . . . Neither team hit a home run in the three games this weekend, strong winds and damp weather were keeping the baseball in the ballpark, though the sun did begin to peek out during the sixth inning Sunday through the rest of the game, the temperature remained below 50 degrees for the entire game.
The Cougars return home for their next five games, including a busy midweek with games on Tuesday and Wednesday . . . Houston will first host Rice at Schroeder Park on Tuesday night holding a 1-0 advantage in the Silver Glove Series with two games left this season . . . First pitch Tuesday night is set for 6:35pm.
Houston continued its weekend series at Baylor on Saturday.
Houston had the bats go cold like the weather in Waco Saturday afternoon as they fell to Baylor 4-3 at Baylor Ballpark to even the Big 12 weekend series.
For the second day in a row, neither team hit a home run as the cold and wet conditions were keeping baseballs in the ballpark, and for the second straight day the game was decided in the eighth inning.
Baylor scored a run in their half of the opening inning when a leadoff double eventually came around to score . . . The Bears added another run in the bottom of the third inning when a batter who was hit by a pitch with one out later scored on a double for a 2-0 lead.
A wild and somewhat fortuitous top of the fourth inning started with Tre Broussard and Aaron Lugo both reaching base on one-out singles followed by a walk to Kenneth Jimenez to load the bases.
Evan Haeger came to the plate with two outs and took a full swing at a 2-2 pitch . . . The ball was chopped to the first base side of the pitcher’s mound, the Baylor starter dropped to the ground to get a hold of the ball, and once he had the ball in his hand, he was laying on the right side of his body . . . The left-hander attempted to toss the ball toward first base, but the ball was well out of reach of the diving first baseman and as the ball rolled all the way to the wall up the line in foul territory the Cougars cleared the bases and Haeger stopped at third base on the throwing error as Houston took a 3-2 lead.
Those would be the only runs Houston could score on Saturday afternoon.
Houston starter Richie Roman left the game after five innings of work in the line for the win . . . After Houston went to the bullpen, two consecutive one out walks on eight pitches were followed by a double to tie the game at three when the Cougars went to the bullpen with two on and one out.
Graysen Drezek took the mound for the second straight day and he got a line-out and a ground ball to retire the side and keep the game tied going to the seventh inning.
Baylor scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a two out single and held on to win the game 4-3.
The Cougars only had three hits in the contest with Lugo accounting for two of them
Houston and Baylor will decide the series tomorrow afternoon in Waco with a first pitch scheduled for 1pm . . . No official starter has been named at this time, but expect to see Kendall Hoffman make the start as he has in past weeks . . . It is also likely that Antoine Jean could be available if needed after only throwing 29 pitches in his outing on Friday night.
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