A re-tooled and healthy Cougars squad is set for its first Big 12 season. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
Houston baseball’s 2023 campaign came to a halt with a loss against Tulane in the American Athletic Conference Semifinals, leaving head coach Todd Whitting with an expired contract. Now the Cougars look to step into their inaugural Big 12 season, four seasons absent from the NCAA tournament, with Whitting remaining in the driver’s seat for his 14th season in Houston.
“This is personal for me because I have been around the University for so long,” Whitting, a former student-athlete said. “There’s a lot at stake in the Big 12.”
Whitting attested to the preparedness of his team, who will face top-ranked teams in the likes of TCU, Texas and Texas Tech. All of them tout better records than Houston’s record of 36-23 in 2023 as well as an increase from 23 conference games to 30.
“Week in and week out, every team in this league is good and tournament-worthy,” Whitting said. “Up until the last couple of years the AAC was really good, so we have played on the highest stage, but our preparations for conference play just have to be quicker.”
UH will report to the diamond to compete in a series against Binghamton Feb. 16-18 before Big 12 baseball makes its way to Schroeder Park on March 8-10 when the Cougars take on Baylor for the first time since 2017.
Whitting points to the team’s balance and veteran leadership as the ball club’s strengths. With top players like senior catcher Anthony Tulimero and sophomore pitcher Paul Schmitz returning to health and new acquisitions, there is much confidence leading up to the season.
Tulimero battled through a grueling injury on his catching hand during the 2023 season. Despite being padded up, Tulimero recorded a .991 fielding percentage with 10 homers on the season.
“Tuli is one of the greatest catchers I have ever had behind the plate, and I don’t think I would have had the year I had last year without him,” Schmitz said. “I’m very excited about what we can craft up behind the plate this year.”
Last season, Schmitz tallied 36 strikeouts in seven starts for a UH pitching staff that recorded a 6.27 ERA in 2023, a regression from the previous season. But with new pitching coach Sean Kenny and a pitching staff that Whitting describes as the deepest during his tenure as head coach, Houston looks to take a curve upward on the mound.
Amongst new talents is junior pitcher Jaxon Jelkin, a transfer from South Mountain Community College who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2023 draft. Last season, Jelkin posted a 7-2 record in 14 starts. On the back end, senior utility player Justin Murray and graduate pitcher Jose Torrealba look to close out games. Torrealba, who sustained a bicep injury in 2023, cleared waivers to extend his collegiate eligibility.
“Almost every successful team has a back end of the bullpen. I am excited to have Jose back and play a big role for us,” Murray said. “It’s only a good thing for the team as a whole.”
Murray, who was named 2023 AAC newcomer position player of the year, led the team in batting average at .379 and recorded 10 saves on the season. He tallied the second most stolen bases for the Cougars in 2023 with 20, only behind sophomore infielder Brandon Burckel.
Murray will be joined in the lineup by senior infielder Jake Rainess, a transfer from Maine, who was recently named the No. 13 shortstop in Division-I. Last season, Rainess recorded 38 stolen bases alongside a .321 batting average and 16 homers.
The Cougars are filled with excitement to brave the uncharted territories as they match up against some of the best in the country.
“There’s a little unknown before every season and that’s what makes baseball great,” Tulimero said. “You never really know how good you are until you get out there and get the dirt on your spikes.”
