Houston Ready to Begin NCAA Regional Play
5/29/2018 10:17:00 AM | Baseball
(3) Cougars to take on (2) Purdue at 6 p.m. CT Friday in Chapel Hill, N.C.
HOUSTON – (3) Houston Baseball will embark on its 22nd NCAA Regional appearance and fourth in the last five years this weekend when it opens play with (2) Purdue, out of the Big Ten, at 6 p.m. CT Friday in the Chapel Hill Regional.
The winner of (3) Houston – (2) Purdue will face the winner of (1) North Carolina – (4) NC A&T at 5 p.m. CT Saturday, while the losing teams will square off in an elimination game at 12 p.m. CT Saturday.
FULL BRACKETÂ |Â TICKET INFORMATION
TICKET INFORMATION
**Tickets for the general public will be available through the North Carolina Athletics Ticket Office |Â GoHeels.com
All-Session Packages - On sale Wednesday, May 30 at 11 a.m. CTÂ
Single Session Packages - On sale Thursday, May 31 at 11 a.m. CTÂ
Tickets can be purchased through the UNC Ticket Office HERE.
FOLLOW ALONG FROM CHAPEL HILL
Listen Live:Â UHCougars.com/baseradio
Watch Live:Â ESPN3 / Watch ESPN
Live Stats:Â NCAA.com
The NCAA Chapel Hill Regional games will air on ESPN3/Watch ESPN App with a TV provider login.
The NCAA Regional will run from Friday, June 1 to Monday, June 4 at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. and is a double-elimination format.
The Chapel Hill Regional is paired with the DeLand Regional, hosted by a Stetson. The DeLand Regional features American Athletic Conference foe (2) South Florida, (3) Oklahoma State and (4) Hartford. The winners of the Chapel Hill and DeLand Regionals will meet in a Super Regional the weekend of June 11-13.
2018 marks the fourth NCAA Regional appearance in the last five years for Houston and the first time away from Schroeder Park in postseason play since 2014. Houston put together a strong overall resume, highlighted by an American Athletic Conference regular-season crown and 10 wins over Top-50 RPI teams, including a series sweep at ECU and a series win at UConn.
HOUSTON HITS
- Houston enters NCAA postseason play with a 36-23 overall record.
- The Cougars captured their 16th overall conference title and 10th regular-season title in program history this season.
- Houston has earned its 22nd NCAA Regional bid in program history and fourth in the last five years.
- Houston notched its sixth straight 35+ win season under head coach Todd Whitting.
- Joe Davis broke the Houston all-time home run record with his 32nd long ball of his career, surpassing the previous record of 31 held by Pat Hewes from 1985-86.
- Todd Whitting earned his first American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honor in his eighth season at the helm.
- As a team, Houston is hitting .259 with 94 doubles, nine triples and 30 home runs, led by Davis with 10.
- Davis joined sophomore Lael Lockhart Jr. on the All-Conference Second Team as the duo earned honors at DH and the utility position, respectively.
- Leading the way offensively is sophomore Jared Triolo with a .343 average, a team-high 80 hits, while starting all 59 games.
- Davis follows with a .308 average, 16 doubles and a team-best 52 RBI. Senior Connor Hollis paces the team with 47 runs scored.
- The Houston pitching staff owns a 3.66 ERA and has struck out 471 in 525.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .236 against the hurlers.
- Junior Aaron Fletcher earned American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year honors, marking 2018 the second straight season a Cougar has won the award with Trey Cumbie being honored in 2017.
- Fletcher leads the staff with a 2.43 ERA and is 6-3 in 14 starts.
- Cumbie becomes the eighth Cougar all-time to record a 100+ strikeout season as he has fanned 101 hitters in 96.2 innings and is 7-3 on the year through 15 starts with a 3.44 ERA.
- Junior Ryan Randel has made 16 appearances and 12 starts and owns a 4.54 ERA.
- Out of the bullpen, Carter Henry paces the staff with 27 appearances. He is 5-1 with six saves and owns a 2.17 ERA.
- Senior Joey Pulido has 25 appearances and is 5-2 with six saves.
PURDUE HITS
- Purdue enters NCAA postseason play with a 37-19 overall record and fell short in the Big Ten tournament to Minnesota.
- The Boilermakers have on 21 of their last 24 games and the 37 wins are tied for the most in school history.
- Purdue will make its third NCAA appearance in program history (1987, 2012) and first since 2012.
- As a team, the Boilermakers are hitting .280 and doubled 97 times, tripled seven times and belted 25 home runs.
- Leading the way offensively is Alex Olund with a .344 average, while Skyler Hunter leads the team with 73 hits and 46 runs scored while hitting .330.
- The pitching staff owns a 3.84 ERA and has 403 strikeouts to 230 walks in 498.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .256 against the hurlers.
- RHP Tanner Andrews will get the nod against the Cougars on Friday with a 7-4 record and a team-best 2.71 ERA through 15 starts. He has fanned 75 in 93.0 innings and opponents are hitting .270.
- LHP Ross Learnard leads the staff with 15 saves in 28 appearances and is 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA.
NORTH CAROLINA HITS
- North Carolina was granted the No. 6 national seed and will host the Chapel Hill Regional.
- The Tar Heels, out of the ACC, will enter the NCAA postseason with a 38-18 overall record.
- North Carolina won the ACC Coastal Division and will make its 31st NCAA appearance.
- The Tar Heels are hitting .282 as a team with 49 home runs and 356 RBI.
- Leading the way offensively is Kyle Datres with a .339 average, 78 hits and 10 stolen bases.
- Michael Busch has belted 11 home runs and leads the team with 52 RBI, while hitting .313.
- The UNC pitching staff owns a 3.60 ERA and has fanned 555 hitters through 502.0 innings. Opponents are hitting .236 against the hurlers.
- RHP Austin Bergner leads the starters with a 6-2 record through 11 starts and owns a 4.26 ERA. He has fanned 73 in 69.2 innings.
- RHP Brett Daniels is 6-0 with two saves and a 2.35 ERA in 33 relief appearances to pace the bullpen.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T HITS
- North Carolina A&T will play as the No. 4 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional.
- A member of the MEAC, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Aggies enter postseason play with a record of 32-23.
- NC A&T will make its second NCAA appearance in program history and first since 2005.
- Earns the MEAC automatic bid after winning the conference.
- The Aggies are hitting .276 as a team, led by Dawnoven Smith's .340 clip and 44 RBI.
- The pitching staff owns a 3.99 ERA and has fanned 351 hitters. Opponents are hitting .249 against the staff.
- RHP Michael Johnson paces the starters with a 3.27 ERA and is 7-1 in 12 starts.
- RHP Josh Stikeleather leads the relievers with a 1.82 ERA and is 2-3 with five saves through 19 appearances.
HOUSTON vs. CHAPEL HILL REGIONAL OPPONENTS ALL-TIME
- Houston and Purdue have never met in program history.
- Houston and North Carolina have never met in program history.
- Houston and North Carolina A&T have never met in program history.
2018 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Schedule
Friday, June 1
Game 1: #1 North Carolina (38-18) vs. #4 North Carolina A&T (32-23), 1 p.m. CT
Game 2: #3 Houston (36-23) vs. #2 Purdue (37-19), 6 p.m. CT
Saturday, June 2
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12 p.m. CT
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5 p.m. CT
Sunday, June 3
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 12 p.m. CT
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 5 p.m. CT
Monday, June 4
Game 7, if necessary, 3 p.m. CT
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