By Cody Stark
It’s easy to forget that a few weeks ago the Sam Houston State baseball squad was in a dogfight trying to stay in the race for the Southland Conference regular-season championship.
After getting pounded by Texas-San Antonio in a three-game conference series sweep and dropping two of three to Northwestern State in March, the Bearkats were in sixth place in the league standings at 6-6.
Sam Houston State was putting runs on the board, but the starting pitching was really struggling and more often than not, the Kats were battling out of early and deep holes.
But then something clicked. Following a miserable 17-10 loss in the series finale against the Demons in which the Kats gave up 12 runs in the fifth inning and a nonconference loss to Dallas Baptist, Sam Houston jump started an unbelievable run with a three-game sweep of McNeese State in Lake Charles, La., to get back in the hunt.
Sam Houston did drop its next two contests at Rice and at home against Lamar, but rebounded to take the final two games of the series over the Cardinals.
Those two wins against Lamar not only kept the Bearkats in second place in the SLC, but it was the beginning of a 10 game winning streak. Since the Northwestern State series and the loss to Dallas Baptist, Sam Houston has won 13 out of its last 16 games with nonconference wins over Houston, Texas Southern, 15th-ranked Baylor and Houston Baptist.
The Bearkats (28-13) have also swept two SLC series at McNeese State and Nicholls State during the streak to remain in second place at 14-7 in SLC play, a game and a half behind Texas State (15-5).
Sam Houston State has been scorching during the 10-game winning streak, which is the longest by the Kats since moving up to the Division I level in 1986.
The Bearkats have outscored their opponents 118-46 and have posted double-digit runs in six games. First baseman Nick Zaleski is having a monster season and is batting .439 with 52 RBIs and seven home runs.
Second baseman Braeden Riley has been just as hot as Sam Houston State. The sophomore from Woodville has an 11-game hitting streak and has raised his average to .411. He also is leading the nation in hits with 81.
Catcher Mark Wyatt has homered three times in his last two starts. He is first on the team in home runs with nine and is second in RBIs (37).
But perhaps the most impressive thing during the win streak, especially in conference, has been the turnaround of the starting pitching.
Before the McNeese State series, the Bearkats moved freshman Sean Weatherford from the bullpen into a starting role and he has responded with a 2-1 record, including a 6-0 complete-game victory at Nicholls State in the series opener.
Sam Houston State then got two more complete games in the series from Jacob Howard and Brent Powers. Howard (4-2) gave up only five hits and struck out six in a 12-0 seven-inning run-rule victory, while Powers (2-0) sealed the sweep by allowing only two runs in a 9-2 win.
If the Bearkats can get more solid outings like that out of the starting pitching this weekend against Southeastern Louisiana, Sam Houston State could catch Texas State, which hosts McNeese State.
The Kats and Lions open the series today with a 6:30 p.m. start at Don Sanders Stadium.
Bearkat women’s golf takes sixth — The Sam Houston State women’s golf team gained some ground in the final round of the Southland Conference tournament to finish in sixth place Wednesday afternoon at the Koasati Pines Golf Club in Lake Charles, La.
The Bearkats closed the tournament with a 300 to finish with a 54-hole total of 929. Texas A&M-Corpus; Christi won the championship with a 912, followed by Texas-San Antonio (913) and McNeese State (918).
Sam Houston’s Wendy Joyner fired an even-par 72 in the final round to place fourth in the individual medalist standings. She finished the tournament with a 225.
UTSA’s Allie Jordan won the individual title with a 222. Former Huntsville standout Lacy McKinley of McNeese State tied with Ashley Watkins of A&M-Corpus; Christi for second with a 224.
