No. 18 Bears Set to Host Sam Houston State

STORY LINES

• The Bears finish off a four-game homestand as they host Sam Houston State on Tuesday, April 16 at 6:35 p.m. CT at Baylor Ballpark. 

• The Bears are looking to even the midweek series with the Bearkats after dropping a back-and-forth contest earlier in the season in Huntsville, 8-7. 

• The Bears carry a two-game winning streak into Tuesday’s contest after taking two-of-three against visiting Oklahoma on the weekend. The Bears took the rubber game in the bottom of the 12th inning as Josh Bissonette delivered the game-winning hit with two outs to score Shea Langeliers from third to give the Bears the 3-2 win and the series victory. The Bears won their first series over Oklahoma in the Steve Rodriguez era. 

HOW TO WATCH AND STREAM

The game will be televised live on FOX Sports Southwest Plus and can be streamed on the FOX Sports Go App. 

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP

Tuesday, April 16 • 6:35 p.m. CT • RHP Jacob Ashkinos (0-2, 4.03 ERA) vs. LHP Seth Ballew (2-2, 6.81 ERA)

AGAINST SAM HOUSTON STATE

• The Bears are 3-4 against the Bearkats under the direction of fourth-year head coach Steve Rodriguez. The Bears lost the matchup between the two squads earlier in the season, falling 8-7 in a back-and-forth contest in Hunstville on March 19, 2019. The Bears are looking for their first home win over the Bearkats under the direction of Coach Rodriguez and first since February 28, 2012 as they look to snap a six-game home losing streak to SHSU. 

TOPS IN THE CONFERENCE 

• The Bears remain in first place in the Big 12 with a record of 8-3 and have won three-of-four series so far (the fourth series was a two-game split with Texas). The Bears started conference play 5-1, the best start to conference under Coach Rodriguez and the best over the first two weekends of the season since starting 6-0 in 2012. 

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

• The Bears rank 35th in scoring (7.0) and a top 25 pitching staff (14th in ERA). The Bears boast the eighth-highest batting average in the nation (.310), 22nd in total hits (376), 19th with 2.18 doubles per game, 26th with 74 total doubles, 14th in slugging percentage (.477), 27th in on-base percentage (0.398) and 35th in scoring (7.0).  The Bears’ fielding percentage of 0.979 ranks 21st nationally. On the mound the Bears rank 14th in ERA (3.22), fourth with just 6.68 hits allowed per nine innings and 23rd with a WHIP of 1.25.