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Sports

Cougars hunt for rhythm

Houston will face SHSU tonight at home after going 1-2 in tournament this weekend

by RONNIE TURNER
The Daily Cougar

Houston has gotten off to a respectable 2-2 start for the 2007 season, but four games does not make a season.

The team doesn't have much figured out this early in its 2007 campaign. The current starting pitching rotation isn't set in stone, and the question still lingers as to when injured junior right-hander Ricky Hargrove (shoulder) and sophomore right-hander Luis Flores (forearm) will be available to pitch again. The pecking order in the bullpen hasn't even been determined.

So while fans will analyze the Cougars' 2-2 record in a number of ways, the team realizes the season is still young and it makes no sense at this point to speculate about the distant future.

However, the Cougars can think about the immediate future with a game against Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. tonight at Cougar Field. And considering the team enters tonight's game after being thrashed in an 11-1 loss to Collegiate Baseball No. 16 Arizona State on Sunday, there's a lot to think about.

"We've got a lot of work to do," UH head coach Rayner Noble said after the loss. "(ASU) has got a good hitting ball club, (and) I think they proved that so far this season.

"I don't think we played very well in all facets of the ballgame. If we would have played a little bit of defense in that first inning (when ASU scored four runs), we might have been able to keep it (close)."

The Cougars barely survived the weekend's tough slate at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park, but managed to hold their own with a 1-2 finish in the three-day tournament. They hung close in their first two games, defeating No. 20 Baylor 4-2 on Friday before dropping a 3-2 decision to Texas A&M on Saturday.

"I thought we did an admirable job on Friday and Saturday," Noble said. "I was fairly pleased, (but) you never really want to go 1-2."

The Cougars have a chance to right the ship with a against Sam Houston State (1-2), something they've had no problem doing in the past. Sam Houston State hasn't defeated Houston in quite some time, having lost nine consecutive games to the Cougars. The Bearkats' last victory over Houston came on March 10, 1999, in Huntsville.

Senior right-hander Shea Hancock will make his first start of the season against the Bearkats. Hancock has posted a 5.40 ERA and two strikeouts in 1.2 innings of relief work in 2007. 

Hancock gave up two runs, two hits and a walk in 0.2 innings in Houston's win over Baylor.

Sam Houston State head coach Mark Johnson also hasn't announced his starter, but the Cougars can be assured that it won't be Jacob Howard, who was named the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

The sophomore right-hander tossed six shutout innings in the Bearkats' 8-0 victory over Brigham Young on Sunday and could have made life difficult for a Houston offense that struggled to score runs this weekend.

"From an offensive standpoint, we need to get a few guys going," Noble said. "There is no doubt about that."

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