Houston QB Conner Weigman Takes the Mound Before Cougars’ 11–3 Win
After completing a four-game sweep of the Puerto Rico Challenge, the Houston Cougars' baseball program generated buzz from the national media. There upset over No. 21 Wake Forest even led the Cougars to getting top-25 votes in the NCBWA Poll.
On Friday night, Cougars' quarterback Conner Weigman traded the gridiron for the diamond, throwing the ceremonial first pitch ahead of Houston baseball's home-opener at Schroeder Park. The Cougars took on the UTRGV Vaqueros in the first of a three-game weekend series.
He's still got it 🔥 @UHCougarFB's @ConnerWeigman fired in a strike to start our home opener! pic.twitter.com/zagIQu4MkW
— Houston Baseball (@UHCougarBB) February 21, 2026
Weigman, who transferred to Houston ahead of the 2025 college football season, has quickly become one of the most recognizable faces on campus. After leading Houston football to a 10-win season and a bowl-game victory over LSU, the quarterback revealed that he would be returning to the program for another season.
“It was cool, I grew up playing baseball," Weigman told Cougar Sports One. "I was scared. That was my first time touching a baseball in 4-5 years. I was nervous I was going to throw it to the backstop or something.”
“It was a good pitch, I think,” he added.
As for the pitch itself, Weigman fired a strike to begin Houston's brief homestand. More importantly, it seemed to give the baseball team a little extra spotlight on a night when the Cougars are trying to build on their strong start to the season.
Cougars Roll in Game One
Against a solid UTRGV baseball program, the Cougars set the tone for the series with arguably their best performance of the year. The Vaqueros, known for their ability to hit, managed just three runs in the Houston's first home game of the year as the Cougars rolled to an 11-3 win.
Paul Schmitz, the Friday-night starter for the Cougars, built off of his impressive performance against the Demon Deacons last week by tossing 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, while striking out seven batters.
Ryne Rodriguez and Caden Cooper also had solid showings out of the bullpen as they combined for 3.0 scoreless innings, while allowing one hit and striking out four batters.
There's only one word to describe the Cougars' offense so far this season: Relentless. Houston has been the first team to score in all five games they've played, and that trend continued on Friday night. Tre Broussard and Dylan Maxcey both recorded three-hit games with Broussard driving in three runs.
Riley Jackson and Xavier Perez also recorded multi-hit games with Jackson driving in three runs of his own. The junior catcher helped set the tone for the game with a home run in the second inning.
