Sports

First pitch

No fun in the sun as Cougars begin the season in California

By Stuart H. Clements
The Daily Cougar

Itis time to pass out the ammunition. The Houston baseball team is opening its season on the road today at the First Annual Battle at the Beach in Malibu, Calif.

Brian Viney/The Daily Cougar

The Cougars will face California-Santa Barbara, No. 43 Pepperdine and No. 47 Washington as they kick off the 2003 season at Pepperdineis Eddy D. Field Stadium.

Houston has opened with the Astros College Classic the past two seasons. The former Enron Field was a scene more familiar than Malibu, but the road opener will prove only a minor hiccup to the young team, which boasts only two seniors.

"I think you usually want to open at home, but this year things fell differently," head coach Rayner Noble said. "Weire going to learn early the importance of playing well on the road, and taking care of business."

California is a state that brought the Cougars good fortune last season.

In 2002, they traveled to Fullerton, Calif. for the Baseball Bash and defeated California-Fullerton, Miami and Southern California, three perennially good teams. Miami went into the Bash as the defending national champion.

The venue isnit the only new encounter this season. The Cougars have yet to face any of the three teams.

First up for the Cougars will be the UCSB Gauchos at 12:30 p.m. today.

The Gauchos began their 2003 season with a 2-1 win against San Diego State on Friday. But UCSB went on to lose the series to the Aztecs, dropping Saturdayis game, 10-2, and Sundayis, 6-3.

After losing a 5-2 contest to USC on Tuesday, the Gauchos enter todayis game with a 1-3 record and on a three-game losing streak.

The Cougars will likely face junior right-hander Matt Vasquez on the mound. Vasquez allowed only one earned run in six innings against the Aztecs in the Gauchosi season opener.

Houston will face Pepperdine 4 p.m. Saturday. The Waves, one of the most consistent West Coast teams in the country, have only finished with a losing record once in the past 25 years. Even that was a 31-32 mark.

Senior Kevin Estrada will be one hitter to watch. Estrada sat out last season with a hand injury, but in 2001 posted solid numbers at Florida, batting .351 with 41 runs and 35 stolen bases.

The Cougars will round out the weekend by facing the Washington Huskies at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Washingtonis junior right-hander Clay Johnson will toe the rubber against Houston.

Johnson had 12 starts last season, including a 3-1 win over Texas Tech in the 2002 Houston Regional. He helped the Huskies eliminate the Red Raiders from the tournament and push Washington into the final round game against Rice.

The Battle at the Beach will be the season-opening tournament for both the Waves and the Huskies.

The first opportunity fans have to see the Cougars play will be Friday at the Astros College Classic in the Houston Astrosi ballpark downtown.

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