UH Women's Basketball

Tennis Notebook

By Keenan Singleton
Daily Cougar Staff

In the midst of a seven-game homestand, the Cougars head into game four as they enter the Hilton Houston Plaza Invitational against Oral Roberts (Oklahoma), Sam Houston State and Oklahoma.

UH should have no difficulty dismantling the three average-at-best teams this weekend at Cougar Field.

The Eagles veer in to face UH ace Kyle Crowell after dropping their opener to McNeese State, 10-8, in the Lake Area Classic.

Kyle Crowell

ORU defeated its next two opponents, New Orleans and Milwaukee-Wisconsin, to close out the tournament 2-1.

Roberts is paced by All-American center fielder Jeff Stalling, shortstop Steve Holm and pitcher Mike Rose.

Holm leads the team in RBIs with five, while Stallings has ORU's only home run.

Supposed staff leader Rose has stumbled out of the gate with an astronomical 9.00 ERA, which stemmed from a .300 opponent batting average in only four innings of work.

UH's most dangerous opponent, Oklahoma, will leave the cozy confines of Mitchell Park where they easily defeated no-name schools such as Central Oklahoma, Missouri Southern and Oklahoma Baptist, but were defeated twice in the final two games of the homestand against Oklahoma City.

Last season, the Sooners surprised the Cougars by beating them 6-1 in the first game of last year's invitational.

OU is led by shortstop Tommy Whiteman (.636 BA, two homeruns, three RBI's) who has been scorching hot. He and No. 1 pitcher Jeff Bajenaru need to be on top of their games if they wish repeat last year's victory over Houston.

Shane Nance

Shane Nance will take the hill on Saturday for UH.

The perpetually lousy Sam Houston Bearkats (1-6) clawed their way to a 9-0 shutout over the near-extinct Rice Owls.

Staff Ace Andy Warren fired a two-hit shutout as he finally secured the Bearkats' first victory of the young season over the soon-to-be unranked Owls.

Offensive powerhouse infielder Kelly Eddlemon paces the SHSU attack as he has became the first Bearkat to hit .400 or better since 1987.

Eddlemon finished the season with a .416 average, 26 home runs and 95 RBIs, which were all new school records.

UH opens the series against Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. Friday at Cougar Field, before they face off against the Sooners Saturday at 4 p.m. and finish the series Sunday against Sam Houston State at 4 p.m.