Houston Baseball Releases Updated Weekend Schedule Against Cincinnati
Houston baseball has struggled this season in conference play, and right now the Cougars sit last in the Big 12 with a 4-17 record.
The good news is that despite the record, Houston is only three wins back from 12th place, which would earn the Cougars an automatic bid into the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
The series against Cincinnati this weekend is vitally important, and due to inclement weather on Friday, the series will look a little different than originally planned.
Houston Baseball’s Updated Weekend Schedule
Because of weather, the game on Friday has been postponed, forcing a double-header on Saturday.
The series opener will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the second game following 45 minutes after game one. The series finale will be on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Series Overview
Houston baseball is in a really tough spot, being three games back with just three series left on the schedule.
On the other hand, Cincinnati sits right around the middle of the pack at No. 8 with a 10-11 conference record.
While anything can happen in baseball, the Cougars have to take advantage in the next two series against back-to-back teams with losing conference records.
The Bearcats have a clear advantage over Houston offensively as they rank No. 6 in the conference with a team batting average of .301 on the season.
The Cougars, however, have struggled all season long at the plate, ranking No. 13 in the conference with a team batting average of .260.
Cincinnati scores most of its runs via the long ball, and they have totalled 66 home runs this season compared to Houston’s 49.
On the pitching side, the two teams are similar; however, the Bearcats' ERA is an entire point lower on the season than Houston’s pitching staff.
With Cincinnati’s pitching ranking No. 3 in the conference alongside the No. 6 offense, the Cougars are in for another tough series at home.
Following this weekend’s series, the Cougars will take on Arizona in Tucson, and this is another important set of games for Houston to win.
Arizona ranks No. 12 in the conference with a 7-14 record, giving the Cougars a real opportunity to make up some ground in the Big 12 race.
The final series for Houston will be from May 14-16 against the No. 2-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils, which will be arguably the Cougars' toughest test this season.
The path to earning a Big 12 Conference Tournament bid for Houston is set, and it all starts this weekend against Cincinnati.
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Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).