Houston Teams Set for NCAA Regionals It's official. Your great city of Houston is the baseball capitol of America. How many other cities can say they have three colleges in the NCAA Regionals? None! The action gets started Friday as Texas Southern, the University of Houston and Rice, all prepare for their journey to Omaha, Nebraska, home of the College World Series. Texas Southern is the surprise of the bunch. On the season, the Tigers were 16-32, but they won the SWAC Tournament and received an automatic bid after upsetting two-time defending SWAC Champion Prarie View in the title game. TSU faces a daunting task on Friday; they travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU, who is currently no. 5 in the nation with a 20-game winning streak. This will be TSU's second ever appearance in an NCAA regional. The last time was in 2004 when they shocked Rice on their home turf 4-3. With that in mind, TSU knows anything can happen in baseball. Next, we have the Houston Cougars. The Houston team was on the bubble coming into the C-USA tournament, but they punched their ticket by winning five games in four days and beating Marshall 3-2 on Sunday to capture their third C-USA title and their first in eight seasons. The Cougars will face Dallas Baptist on Friday. DBU is an independent team which is making their first appearance ever in an NCAA Regional. They are not to be taken lightly. DBU did it by playing on of the nations toughest schedule which included five wins over ranked teams such as Rice, Texas A & M and Oral Roberts. This game won't be a walk in the park for either team and there's nothing like an I-45 rivalry to get things under way. Finally, we have the Rice Owls. There are three things in Houston that are guaranteed. Heat, humidity and Rice baseball in postseason play. The Owls are looking to make another College World Series run and they have a chance by doing that as they host a regional on their home field. This is Rice's 14th straight season of 40 wins or more and also their 14th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance. The Owls take on Sam Houston on Friday and they're hoping for some improved play. At the C-USA tournament in New Orleans this past weekend, the no.9 ranked Owls went two and out; losing to Alabama-Birmingham 8-2 and East Carolina 4-3. We're pretty sure Wayne Graham gave a nice pep talk to the players after that showing in the Big Easy. Since the Astros are out of town this weekend, you have your choice to choose from this baseball buffet which is all within traveling distance. Whatever you choose, be safe and best of luck to all Houston teams. Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rogue, LA Friday at 6:00 p.m. Texas Southern Tigers (16-32) v. LSU Tigers (43-16-1) Tickets: Sold Out! Internet Radio: LSUSports.net Olsen Field in College Station, TX Friday at 12:30 p.m. Houston Cougars (39-22) v. Dallas Baptist Patriots (37-17) Tickets: Houston Cougars Tickets or 1-888-99-AGGIE Internet Radio: UHCougars.com Reckling Park in Houston, TX Friday at 6:00 p.m. Rice Owls (42-13) v. Sam Houston St. Bearkats (37-23) Tickets: Rice Owls Tickets or 713-522-OWLS Radio: KTRU 91.7 FM www.houstonist.com
Pretty cool to have 3 area teams in the hunt...TSU is a surprise and it'll be tough, but very cool if they win... What can you say about the Coogs, but Eat em' up.. As for Rice, let's hope they kick some azz...
awesome... really pulling for the owls since my cousin plays for them. i might try to make it out friday if i can get out of work early enough.
Don't forget about my Bearkats (if Huntsville isn't in the Houston area, it will be soon enough). We've already beaten Rice once this year. Hopefully we can do it again on Friday.
Unfortunately my Bears didn't play well enough to make it in the tourney, but I will so gladly root for the Coogs and Owls! Represent well, Houston teams!
If TSU could pull off the upset against LSU... That would be awesome. Ii sucks that I wont be able to make to any of the games this year after a perfect attendance record in 07... oh well, here's to a UH-Rice super-regional!
i think i was there for that TSU/Rice game. It was rainy friday, right? I wasn't watching ball at the Reck, but I was playing ball with some people at some indoor court. I didn't know Rice kids were wannabe and1 stars. That is the last place where I think those kind would be.
I have to work this weekend, so a trip to Collie Station is probably out of the question, but I might pop by Reckling to root for our C-USA comrades. Go Coogs and Owls!
3 Houston teams and 8 Texas teams, that's pretty impressive. Sam really should be considered Houston too, I commuted almost everyday for 4 years including 2 summers and it wasn't even a big deal. I knew many students that did the same, so if students are cummuting on an everyday basis, it should be considered local. Sam lost to Rice Friday and will play Texas today at 2. Eat Em Up Kats!!!
Aggies up on UH 21-4 in the 8th With the way we've been playing though in the last 2 weeks, it wouldnt surprise me to see them come back tomorrow and lose 2 in a row, or else they could win by 20 again. It'll be interesting.
Good game, Rice. The better team ended up winning. Texas kept battling back, but then the Owls would respond as well. Those 6 errors were a bit of an aberration, I'd assume. Get that shored up and take it to the Ags if they get past the Coogs.