The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts 19th-Ranked Houston This Weekend
4/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 17, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB baseball team will look to makeup ground in the Conference USA standings this weekend when it hosts 19th-ranked Houston for a three-game series at Young Memorial Field. The series gets underway Friday night at 7:00 p.m. with game two of the series to follow on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The series finale is slated for 12:00 p.m. on Sunday.
David Crane will have the call for all three games this weekend. Friday night's game can be heard on Blazer All-Access at UABsports.com, while Saturday and Sunday's games can be heard locally on 690 AM WSPZ as well as on All-Access.
UAB baseball mini helmets will be given away at all three games this weekend. UAB basketball season ticket holders receive free admission to Friday's game.
The Blazers enter the weekend with a record of 15-21 (1-8 C-USA) and needing to make up ground in the league standings with five weekends of league play remaining.
Offense is what the Blazers used to give first place Rice all it could handle last weekend and Brian Shoop's squad will look to get similar production this weekend against the league's second place team.
Left fielder Phil Bell, a Conference USA Co-Hitter of the Week this week, hit .542 with three home runs and 16 RBI last week and has not showed any signs of slowing down as he was 3-for-6 with four RBI, a home run and a stolen base in the team's midweek series with Kennesaw State, which the Blazers split, 1-1.
First baseman Ryan Keedy still ranks second in Conference USA with his .411 batting average and leads the league with 18 doubles and a .500 on base percentage.
Shortstop Jonathan Merritt leads Conference USA with his .500 batting average in league play.
The Blazers are scheduled to start right-hander James Oliver (2-2, 5.60) on Friday night, while right-hander Mitch Kloskowski (4-3, 4.31) will get the nod on Saturday. Rounding out the weekend rotation for the Blazers will be right-hander Kyle Roberson (4-3, 3.31).
Houston enters the weekend with an overall record of 24-12 and in second place in the Conference USA standings at 7-2 after earning series victories against East Carolina, UCF and Tulane.
The Cougars have won eight of their last 10 games and are led by third baseman Bryan Pounds who is batting .421 with eight home runs and 44 RBI. Infielder Ryan Larmond ranks second on the club with a .331 batting average, 33 RBI and a team-best 17 stolen bases. Houston leads Conference USA with 88 thefts this season.
Wes Musick leads the Cougar pitching staff with his 7-1 record and 2.85 ERA and will start on the mound Friday night. The left-hander has 51 strikeouts on the campaign and has held opponents to a .240 batting average.
Left-hander Ty Stuckey (2-2, 5.62) is projected to get the start on Saturday, while no Sunday starter has been announced by the Cougars.
Houston leads the all-time series with UAB, 26-7.
