by Andrew J. Ferraro
Daily Cougar StaffSeven games into the 1996 baseball season, and the Cougars baseball team is 5-2, averaging more than 10 runs a game (10.1 to be exact) and 12.6 hits per contest.
Through the first week of the season, the Cougars are batting .349 (88-252) with seven home runs, 18 doubles and three triples. Design- ated hitter Jason Schreiber, catcher Brandon Milam and first baseman Scott Keithley are all tied for the team lead in extra base hits (four).
Keithley and true freshman catcher Bruce Rios each have two home runs this year.
"The hitting is a pleasant surprise," Houston coach Rayner Noble said. "It (power) is a tribute to our hitters being patient and trying to be tough outs."
In all fairness to the pitchers, the Cougars' defense really has not played all that well in the field, Noble said.
"The main thing we're stressing now is that we don't want our pitchers doing more than they're capable of," Noble said. "We've been getting hurt on one or two pitches in a given inning, but our problems can be resolved."
Unlike the Cougars, who have already played seven games this season, the Illinois Fighting Illini have not played thus far and are set to open their season with a three-game series beginning today, 2 p.m. at Cougar Field.
"We need to knuckle down and win these next three games," Noble said. "This series is the first of the year for the Illini, and it's just going to come down to which team will execute their skills the best."