Houston Cougars Baseball Stuns No. 21 Wake Forest in Season Opener
The Houston Cougars participated in the first NCAA Division I baseball game of the season on Friday morning in the Puerto Rico Challenge and beat No. 21 Wake Forest 8-2 in a massive upset.
This is the first ranked win for Houston since beating No. 8 East Carolina in April 2023. The game against Wake Forest took place in Ponce, Puerto Rico at the Estadio Paquito Montaner with an early first pitch of 8 a.m. central time.
Houston started the season off on a great note in a complete blowout performance. This was just the second time under head coach Todd Whitting that Houston started the season away from home at Schroeder Park.
Game Recap
COOGS HAND OUT THE FIRST UPSET OF THE SEASON‼️ 🚨@UHCougarBB opens it with a banger defeating No. 21 Wake Forest at the Puerto Rico Challenge, 8-2!#NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/0UGBV1l3HZ
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) February 13, 2026
The Cougars are an experienced team this year with five position starters returning as well as a majority of its at-bats and innings pitched from last season. It showed up in a special season opener.
Houston got the scoring started with a four-spot in the third inning. The first couple of runs took advantage of two mistakes from Wake Forest. Senior infielder Tyler Cox put down a sacrifice bunt, and the Demon Deacons had a throwing error from first base that resulted in freshman center fielder Blake Fields and sophomore third baseman Jackson LaLima to score.
Junior designated hitter Tre Broussard earned a walk, but a wild pitch allowed Cox to come around and score while Broussard advanced to second. The inning continued as senior second baseman Antonelli Savattere drove an RBI single into right field that allowed Broussard to score as well.
Houston added one run in both the fourth and fifth innings. Cox remained busy and hit an RBI single to shallow center field that allowed LaLima to come in from second base. Fields had a sacrifice fly to center field in the fifth, where senior catcher Dylan Maxcey scored. Houston was up 6-0 through five.
Wake Forest responded with two runs in the sixth, but the Cougars got those two back in the eighth thanks to a sac fly from Broussard. That drove in Fields for his second run of the day. Savattere then had an RBI groundout, and LaLima crossed home plate for the third time. Wake Forest had seven hits, but only managed two runs.
Senior right-hander Paul Schmitz started the game and got the win. He threw four shutout innings and only gave up two hits and two walks. Senior lefty Chris Scinta picked up his first career save and also threw a four-inning shutout with just two hits. This was his 46th career scoreless appearance.
opening day UPSET dubs >>> pic.twitter.com/VKOsz8I3B3
— Houston Baseball (@UHCougarBB) February 13, 2026
The Cougars remain undefeated against Wake Forest and are now 3-0 all time with all three under Whitting. Savattere posted his fifth career multi-RBI game with two runs batted in.
Houston continues the Puerto Rico Challenge and will take on another ACC school in Boston College at noon. The Cougars will also play Manhattan and Washington on Sunday and Monday to wrap up the tournament.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.