Head coach Todd Whitting brought in 20 new players for his second season with UH.| Paul Crespo/The Daily Cougar
The Cougars’ fall season concludes Sunday as they travel to Austin to take on the Longhorns for their second and final scrimmage.
Coming off Tuesday’s 14-inning scrimmage against Rice, head coach Todd Whitting said that the purpose of the exhibitions is to give meaningful experience to the new members of the team — freshmen and transfer students.
“We learned a lot from playing against Rice and we’ll learn a lot on how to play the game of baseball by playing Texas this weekend,” Whitting said.
“The goals are the same. We won’t play many returning players. The returners have been through the fires, they’ve been there, done that. It’s really just about gaining valuable experience.”
Whitting thought that the Rice game served his new players well.
“When you’re young and are trying to learn, there is nothing better than experience. Experience is the best way to learn.
“Every guy that played is better today than they were yesterday, because he now has more data, more experience and more things to fall back on.”
The class of new players was impressive against the Owls.
Freshman outfielder Price Jacobs led the way for UH, finishing 3-for-5, including a triple and a home run.
Three other Cougars recorded multi-hit games as well — freshman outfielder Keegan Sanford and junior infielders Casey Grayson and Wes Theiss.
Grayson and Theiss are both transfers from Navarro Junior College.
Nine pitchers took the mound for the Cougars also.
JUCO transfers Austin Pruitt and Matt Hernandez combined to scatter four hits over four innings of work.
Junior Aaron Stewart, who transferred from Blinn College, struck out the side in his only inning of work.
Freshman Aaron Garza and junior Ryan Bonnot also recorded multiple strikeouts for the Cougars.
“We have a lot of new guys and we have a lot of stuff to work on,” returning infielder Jake Runte said. “I think the outlook of the team looks good.”
The scrimmage against the Longhorns will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday at Disch-Falk Field in Austin.
