Friday, February 16
Houston, Texas
6:30 p.m.
University of Houston
1-0
8
vs
4
Binghamton
0-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Binghamton
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
8
2
Houston
1
0
0
1
3
0
3
0
X
8
11
2
Entire Lineup Hits in Opening Day Win
2/16/2024 11:18:00 PM | Baseball
Houston pitchers strike out 15, batters club 11 hits in opener
HOUSTON – The University of Houston baseball team opened up its 2024 season with a 8-4 win against Binghamton on Friday night from Sanders Field at Schroeder Park.
The Cougar pitching staff put on a strikeout clinic, punching out 15 Bearcats in the game, without allowing a walk. Houston's offense supported the pitching staff with 11 hits, including four doubles and one triple, with every hitter in the starting lineup recording a hit – the first time Houston (1-0) had its entire starting lineup record a hit since the Cougars did so on April 28, 2023, at UCF.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jaxon Jelkin made his Cougar debut as Houston's Opening Day starter by striking out the side in the first inning. Jelkin finished his debut going 4.0 innings with seven strikeouts.
The bullpen arms of seniors Chris Stuart (three strike outs), Owen Woodward (two) and Justin Murray (three) added eight more strikeouts to the K-column. Murray, Houston's 2023 save leader struck out the side in the ninth.
Houston senior Jake Rainess showed off why he was ranked the 13th-best shortstop in the nation by leading off the game with a triple in his first Cougar at bat before scoring the first run of the game the next batter.
The Cougars did have to fight back in the game as Binghamton (0-1) took a 2-1 lead in the second inning before their star second baseman Nick Roselli hit a solo home run in the third to make it a 3-1 game. Murray cut Binghamton's lead by scoring in the fourth inning on a failed pick-off attempt and then the Cougars took the lead in the fifth inning with their first of two three-run innings. Houston scored its three runs in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, a dropped fly ball and a wild pitch.
Houston scored three more runs in the seventh inning after Rainess led off the inning with a walk and senior third baseman Alex Lopez doubled to score Rainess. Senior right fielder Tre Jones singled for his third hit of the game and then stole second for his second steal of the game (a career-high) before junior center fielder Cameron Nickens drove in Lopez and Jones on a single through the left side to make it an 8-3 game.
With Murray's hit in the fourth inning, who started the game at first base, the utility man pushed his active hitting streak to 16 games dating back to last season, tying his career high.
UP NEXT
Houston and Binghamton meet again on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Schroeder Park. Left-handed pitcher Antoine Jean will start for the Cougars against righty Ryan Bates. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
BUY TICKETS
Don't miss any of the action, purchase your single-game tickets to any of the 34 Houston Cougar baseball games inside Schroeder Park by clicking here.
PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
The 2024 baseball season is set to be the biggest one yet, with four 2023 NCAA Regional teams set to play at Don Sanders Field at Schroeder Park in a 34-game home schedule including five Big 12 Conference home series. Click here to buy new season tickets as low as $136 per seat ($4 per game).
Ready to renew your season tickets? Click here to ensure you don't miss any of the action during the Cougars' inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference in the same great seats!
BUY FLEX PLAN
Can't make all 34 games this season? No problem, buy a flex plan and pick which games you want to attend in 2024 (excluding the Texas series April 12-14 – flex plan game selection begins in January).
SUPPORT THE COUGARS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by purchasing season tickets, supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective, giving to Houston Rise, and by joining the Dugout Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarBB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Cougar Baseball. Fans can also follow the team on Instagram at @uhcougarbb.
The Cougar pitching staff put on a strikeout clinic, punching out 15 Bearcats in the game, without allowing a walk. Houston's offense supported the pitching staff with 11 hits, including four doubles and one triple, with every hitter in the starting lineup recording a hit – the first time Houston (1-0) had its entire starting lineup record a hit since the Cougars did so on April 28, 2023, at UCF.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jaxon Jelkin made his Cougar debut as Houston's Opening Day starter by striking out the side in the first inning. Jelkin finished his debut going 4.0 innings with seven strikeouts.
The bullpen arms of seniors Chris Stuart (three strike outs), Owen Woodward (two) and Justin Murray (three) added eight more strikeouts to the K-column. Murray, Houston's 2023 save leader struck out the side in the ninth.
Houston senior Jake Rainess showed off why he was ranked the 13th-best shortstop in the nation by leading off the game with a triple in his first Cougar at bat before scoring the first run of the game the next batter.
The Cougars did have to fight back in the game as Binghamton (0-1) took a 2-1 lead in the second inning before their star second baseman Nick Roselli hit a solo home run in the third to make it a 3-1 game. Murray cut Binghamton's lead by scoring in the fourth inning on a failed pick-off attempt and then the Cougars took the lead in the fifth inning with their first of two three-run innings. Houston scored its three runs in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, a dropped fly ball and a wild pitch.
Houston scored three more runs in the seventh inning after Rainess led off the inning with a walk and senior third baseman Alex Lopez doubled to score Rainess. Senior right fielder Tre Jones singled for his third hit of the game and then stole second for his second steal of the game (a career-high) before junior center fielder Cameron Nickens drove in Lopez and Jones on a single through the left side to make it an 8-3 game.
With Murray's hit in the fourth inning, who started the game at first base, the utility man pushed his active hitting streak to 16 games dating back to last season, tying his career high.
UP NEXT
Houston and Binghamton meet again on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Schroeder Park. Left-handed pitcher Antoine Jean will start for the Cougars against righty Ryan Bates. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
BUY TICKETS
Don't miss any of the action, purchase your single-game tickets to any of the 34 Houston Cougar baseball games inside Schroeder Park by clicking here.
PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
The 2024 baseball season is set to be the biggest one yet, with four 2023 NCAA Regional teams set to play at Don Sanders Field at Schroeder Park in a 34-game home schedule including five Big 12 Conference home series. Click here to buy new season tickets as low as $136 per seat ($4 per game).
Ready to renew your season tickets? Click here to ensure you don't miss any of the action during the Cougars' inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference in the same great seats!
BUY FLEX PLAN
Can't make all 34 games this season? No problem, buy a flex plan and pick which games you want to attend in 2024 (excluding the Texas series April 12-14 – flex plan game selection begins in January).
SUPPORT THE COUGARS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by purchasing season tickets, supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective, giving to Houston Rise, and by joining the Dugout Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarBB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Cougar Baseball. Fans can also follow the team on Instagram at @uhcougarbb.
– UHCougars.com –
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stuart, Chris (1-0)
L: Driscoll, Gabe (0-1)
Batting:
3B: Gunning, Mike 1
HR: Roselli, Nick 1
RBI: Roselli, Nick 2 ; Haskell, Logan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gunning, Mike 1 ; Roselli, Nick 1 ; Bade, Devan 1 ; Haney, Sam 1
CS: Haskell, Logan 1
Batting:
2B: Lopez, Alex 1 ; Jones, Tre 1 ; Coll, Harold 1 ; Arbolida, Cary 1
3B: Rainess, Jake 1
RBI: Rainess, Jake 1 ; Lopez, Alex 2 ; Nickens, Cameron 2
SF: Rainess, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rainess, Jake 2 ; Lopez, Alex 2 ; Murray, Justin 1 ; Jones, Tre 1 ; Reese, Ace 1 ; Arbolida, Cary 1
SB: Jones, Tre 2
CS: Coll, Harold 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
1
RBI
1
3b/1b
AB
5
R
2
H
1
RBI
2
1b/p
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
UTL
/ Baseball
UTL
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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