Privateers Baseball Starts Conference Slate vs. Sam Houston State

SAM HOUSTON STATE AT NEW ORLEANS
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 11-13 | 6:30, 2:00, 1:00 PM
MAESTRI FIELD AT FIRST NBC BALLPARK | NEW ORLEANS, LA.

LIVE STATS | TWITTER | AUDIO | VIDEO | GAME NOTES | WEATHER

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans baseball team (11-2) begins their conference journey on the heels of a dramatic victory to close the mid-week as the Privateers will host the Sam Houston State Bearkats (5-9). The series is scheduled to start on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark.
 
UNO battled back from a six-run deficit to defeat Tulane 10-9 in walk-off fashion. Aaron Palmer delivered the game-deciding hit and the winning run scored on an error during the same play. The Privateers moved to 11-0 at home and scored 24 runs over their two mid-week contests to run their season total to 120 runs.
 
"What we have to improve on is winning consistently in conference," said Coach Blake Dean. "Sam Houston State is a tough opponent. They have a good coach, they can swing the bats and we have to keep fighting and make sure we stay engaged and focused."
 
The Privateers have been able to rely on every bat throughout the lineup in different parts of the season. On Wednesday, it was the 7-8-9 hitters in Preston Marsh, Chaz Boyer, and Jay Robinson who collected six hits and helped lift the Privateers out of an early hole and into the victory. Keaton Brewer also pitched 3.1 innings and gave up just two hits and a run in that span, keeping the Tulane bats at bay long enough for UNO to come back.

"Hopefully we can continue to play the game well," said Dean. "We've got to make sure we continue to play consistent defense. Our lineup can surge at any time. If we continue to give ourselves a chance to win, who knows what will happen."
 
The rotation is scheduled to remain the same for UNO. Shawn Semple will throw Friday, Riley Hodge will pitch on Saturday, and Jordan Priddle is scheduled for the series closer on Sunday. There is a threat of severe weather at the beginning of the weekend, which could have an impact on the schedule. The Privateers and Bearkats have had weather affected series each of the past two seasons.
 
For Sam Houston State, they will throw all right-handers during the weekend. Former Freshman All-American, Sam Odom will start Friday. Heath Donica and Riley Gossett will follow on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
 
The Bearkats are hitting .256 as a team and opponents are hitting .289 against Sam Houston State pitching. Bryce Johnson leads the team offensively with 22 hits and is the only Bearkat to have started in every game. Matt Broadbent has driven in 13 runs to lead Sam Houston State in that category.
 
The two teams have met seven times with Sam Houston State taking each of the last six meetings in conference weekends. UNO's only win against Sam Houston State came in the postseason in 1989. Sam Houston State won the last meeting between the teams in extra innings, taking a 3-2 decision in 10 innings.
 
Season tickets for the 2016 campaign are available for as low as $125 and single-game tickets start at $5. For additional information, contact the UNO Atheltics Ticket Office at (504) 280-GAME (4263) or log on to the internet at http://www.unoprivateers.com.
 
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