The injuries keep piling up, but the Bearkats’ latest could be the biggest.
Sam Houston State senior running back James Aston is likely done for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in the first half of last week’s win over Northwestern State.
Aston is third in the Southland Conference in rushing yards (566) and touchdowns (eight) and he leads the league in kickoff return average (25.1 yards). He also has 235 receiving yards and a touchdown reception to go along with an 89-yard score on a kick return.
“It’s tough. James hasn’t worked all week and it appears he won’t play this week and maybe not for the rest of the year,” SHSU head coach Todd Whitten said Thursday. “He is such a great guy and has been an inspiration to our team. He plays so hard and has made a lot of great plays. He is an exceptional young man.”
With Aston out for Saturday’s clash at McNeese State, the bulk of the carries will go to junior running back Chris Poullard, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2007.
Poullard has carried the ball 86 times this season for 326 yards and three scores. He has also caught six passes for 47 yards.
Sophomore Torian Wilkins will see time in the backfield as well Saturday. He has 10 carries for 32 yards this season.
“We will probably be more of a one-back situation this week,” Whitten said. “Poullard is a great running back and we are lucky to have him able to fill in. Torian is also going to get some touches Saturday, but we won’t have as much two-back stuff.”
The Bearkats will also be without safety Victor Carmichael this week. Carmichael injured his hand against Northwestern State and had to have surgery.
Sam Houston has been hit hard with the injury bug this season. The Kats lost starting offensive tackles Travis Watson and Chris Crockett and safety Randy Stewart for the year before the season began.
Starting quarterback Blake Joseph suffered a sprained ankle in a win over Nicholls that forced him to sit out a loss at Stephen F. Austin.
Backup quarterback Jeff Welch returned for an ACL injury he sustained in spring practice in time to play against the Lumberjacks, but was lost for the season when he re-injured his knee in the first half in Nacogdoches.
Fullback Matthew Powledge and guard Travis Best both were injured in a loss at Tulsa and missed some time, but have since returned.
“Victor had surgery on his hand, so we are a little thin there,” Whitten added. “We are to the point where we are running out of bodies late in the season. We have had tough trouble with injuries, so hopefully that will go away.”
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SHSU running back likely out for season
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- Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
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Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark. -
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark. -
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.
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Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds
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Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.
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BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.
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SHSU MEN'S BASKETBALL — Kats sign ‘winner’ from Trinity Valley
Will Bond, a 6-3 guard from Trinity Valley Community College, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Sam Houston State University and play men’s basketball for head coach Jason Hooten.
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BEARKATS BASEBALL — Sam Houston wasn't going to be denied regular-season title
With four conference games left to play, all that kept Sam Houston from a Southland Conference regular season championship was just one win. Whether it was at Central Arkansas later in the week or in the Kats’ conference home finale on Sunday, just one victory would hand Sam Houston it’s first regular season conference title in 23 years. Relaxed and ready to pounce, Sam Houston jumped all over Southeastern Louisiana’s pitching staff early and relied on a strong starting pitching performance from senior Michael Oros. The Kats cruised to an 8-3 victory over the second-place Lions and the celebration was on.
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