Jan. 22, 2007

Fresh off their return to the NCAA postseason, the 2007 University of Houston baseball team looks to build on that success from a year ago and advance even further this season.

Eight starters and 15 letterwinners return from last season's team which compiled a 39-22 record, returned to the NCAA postseason and ranked among the Top-25 leaders in all four final national polls.

Those veterans, combined with 13 newcomers, should challenge for the championship in Conference USA - one of the nation's premier college baseball leagues - and a spot in the NCAA postseason.

If the fall season was any indication of things to come, Noble was pleased with the way that his team came together.

"We have a close-knit group of guys, and they all have a common bond and goal of making themselves into the best team they can possibly be," Noble said. "Our work ethic is really impressive."

Although the Cougars lost a lot of power in 2006 national player of the year Brad Lincoln, Matt Weston and Isa Garcia, Noble said the 2007 Cougar lineup may be even more consistent as a whole.

"From top to bottom, we may have a little better hitting team," Noble said. "We are more of a singles, doubles team. We have guys that can hit the ball out of the park, but I don't know if we are going to have multiple guys hitting 12-15."

For the Cougars to be successful in 2007, team defense, especially up the middle, must be solid. As a result, UH's fall practice and the early portion of spring practice were critical in finding the best players to put in the right positions.

"The area that we need to shore up more than anything is our play in the middle of the diamond and making sure that we have good combinations there," Noble said. "It doesn't do you any good to have great pitching and not be able to field the ball in the middle of the diamond."

PITCHING
The Cougars return a pair of weekend starters in junior righthander Ricky Hargrove and sophomore righthander Luis Flores, a 2006 Freshman First-Team All-American.

Although the pitchers as a group started the fall season slowly, they came on strong down the stretch and gave Noble and his coaching staff a promising glimpse of the 2007 campaign.

"They came a long way in a matter of 14 days," Noble said following the fall season. "If we have 8-10 solid guys, then we are going to be fine. With Ricky, Luis and Wes (Musick), our pitching is going to be just fine and right where it needs to be.

With those three guys and then you add (Dereck) Cloeren, (Aaron) Brown, (Barry) Laird and (Shea) Hancock, it begins to be more promising." Hargrove returns for his junior season and should be the Cougars' No. 1 starter entering the 2007 season.

A year ago, the Katy native finished second on the staff with eight wins and 82 strikeouts in 100.2 innings of work. Hargrove also finished with a 3.31 ERA and was honored as C-USA Pitcher of the Week for May 7, 2006, after striking out a career-high nine batters while allowing only one earned run in 8.1 innings against league foe UCF.

Hargrove maintained his success over the summer as he was named to the Cape Cod League All-Star Game as a member of the Chatham Athetics.

Flores is expected to continue to pull the unique double duty of catcher and pitcher in 2007. The Corpus Christi native is expected to be the No. 2 starter in the Cougars' weekend rotation.

Last season, Flores finished second on the staff with a 3.00 ERA while adding a 6-3 record with 67 strikeouts in 87.0 innings of work.

Cougar fans will long remember his performance against nationally ranked Tulane in the semifinals of the 2006 C-USA Tournament. Against the Green Wave, Flores single-handedly propelled the Cougars into the title game after scattering three hits with seven strikeouts in nine shutout innings.

Combined with his offensive numbers, Flores was an easy selection as a First-Team Freshman All-American.

Junior righthander Aaron Brown led the Cougars with 28 appearances a year ago but began the season as a starter. The League City native will challenge for a spot in the Cougars' starting rotation after throwing 50 strikeouts in 43.0 innings in 2006.

Senior righthander Shea Hancock is one of only three 3-year letterwinners on the team and should emerge as a leader of the pitching staff.

A year ago, Hancock finished second on the staff with two saves while posting a 2-3 record and 44 strikeouts in 42.2 innings.

Hancock earned his first collegiate save on April 26, 2006, against area-rival Sam Houston State. With the Cougars clinging to a one-run lead and runners on first and second and no outs, Hancock struck out the first two batters he faced and then induced a flyout to end the threat and the game.

Junior righthander Sean McLemore came on strong down the stretch last season and should contend for playing time ouf of the bullpen.

The Pearland native appeared in only nine games but picked up his first save with three innings of shutout ball at area-rival Sam Houston State last season.

Sophomore righthander Barry Laird showed glimpses of a promising future after leaving the Cougar Football team to focus primarily on baseball. Laird appeared in 16 games last season and picked up a win in relief against McNeese State after throwing 2.1 shutout innings.

Armed with a solid fastball and a nasty split-finger pitch, Laird could emerge as the team's closer by Opening Day.

Sophomore righthander Chris Wright sat out a year ago following shoulder surgery but should be at 100 percent by Opening Day and will add depth out of the bullpen.

Sophomore southpaw Jimmy Raviele appeared in four games a year ago as a true freshman with four strikeouts in only three innings. The Richmond native should be a valuable asset as a lefthander out of the bullpen.

The Cougar staff also should be bolstered by the return of redshirt freshman southpaw Wes Musick. Musick sat out the entire 2006 campaign following Tommy John and knee surgery.

Like Wright, the Lufkin native should be healthy by the 2007 season opener against Stephen F. Austin and will challenge for a place in the starting rotation.

Senior righthander Dereck Cloeren (Little Cypress-Mauriceville HS/Northwestern State) was a Freshman All-American at Northwestern State in 2005 and will compete for a place in the starting rotation.

Righthander John Touchton (Kingwood HS) and freshmen southpaws Donnie Joseph (Hays HS) and Chris Bergmann (Memorial HS) also are expected to contribute from the mound during their first seasons in a Cougar uniform.

CATCHING
Besides his pitching duties, Flores should be the starter behind the plate on most of the days he does not throw. In 2007, Noble envisions Flores pitching one game, catching two and playing in the field or at DH one game each week.

Last season, Flores recorded a .288 batting average with 30 RBIs and eight home runs, only one long ball short of the UH freshman record.

The Corpus Christi native was the only Cougar slugger to belt two home runs in a game twice in 2006, accomplishing that feat in back-to-back games at C-USA rival Southern Miss and at Texas A&M.

Flores is only the latest in a string of two-way players at Houston, joining standouts like Lincoln, Noble, Jesse Crain, Woody Williams and Keith Darter. Cougar fans should become accustomed to players that can handle duties at multiple positions, according to Noble.

"We are going to make ourselves into Two-Way Player University," Noble said. "We are going to see that as this year's recruiting class unfolds. Kids who are two-way players will know that this is the place to go."

Freshmen Austin Goolsby (Coppell HS) and Chris Wallace (Cy Fair HS) will challenge for playing time and add depth to the catching corps.

INFIELD
Senior Dustin Kingsbury should anchor the infield defense for the third consecutive season, playing at third base. He is one of three 3-year letterwinners on the team and is the only member of that group in the infield.

A year ago, Kingsbury batted .290 with five home runs and 31 RBIs and finished second on the team with 14 stolen bases.

The Houston native has started each of the last 120 games for the Cougars and is poised to rank among UH's all-time leaders in that category.

Senior first baseman Josh Stirneman broke into the starting lineup midway through the 2006 campaign and made it difficult for UH coaches to take him out.

The Cuero native finished as the team's fourth-leading hitter with a .315 average and added seven home runs and three triples.

Although he sat out the entire fall season with a broken finger, Stirneman should be at 100 percent by Opening Day and will be a regular in the heart of the Cougar lineup.

Junior Bryan Pounds competed in 28 games last season, adding seven runs scored and five RBIs. A versatile player, Pounds is capable of playing at second or third base and should see plenty of playing time in the infield this season.

Junior college transfers Ryan Lormand (Midway HS/McLennan JC), Jimmy Cesario (Jesuit HS/Delgado JC) and Felix Fanaselle (Lamar HS/Angelina JC) are expected to challenge for starting nods in the infield.

OUTFIELD
Senior Jake Stewart is another three-year letterwinner on the 2007 team and the only member of that group in the outfield.

A year ago, Stewart batted .321 33 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. The Santa Fe native also displayed some power from the leadoff spot, blasting a career-best seven home runs, while playing injury free for the first time in three seasons.

After helping lead the Cougars into the C-USA Tournament championship game, he was named to the league's All-Tournament Team.

Stewart again should be a fixture in left field and batting near the top of the Cougar lineup in 2007.

Junior Bryan Tully returns as the leading hitter from a year ago after batting .322 with six home runs and 28 RBIs. The Houston native was a steady performer in the middle of the Cougar lineup, finishing third on the team with 21 multi-hit games.

Junior Chris Joseph competed in 20 games with 10 starts a year ago. Joseph scored three runs and added a pair of RBIs during that time and will challenge for playing time at either of the corner outfield positions.

Freshmen Zak Presley (Southlake Carroll HS), Paul Mummey (Flower Mound HS) and Mikey Kennedy (El Campo HS) and junior college transfer Christian McCray (Angelina JC) join the Cougar program in 2007 and will compete for playing time.

SCHEDULE
The Cougars open their 2007 season on Feb. 6 when they play host to Stephen F. Austin at Cougar Field, the first of 26 home contests.

On the non-conference side, UH will meet Sam Houston State (Feb. 13), McNeese State (Feb. 20), Lamar (March 6), Louisiana-Lafayette (March 13) and Texas-San Antonio (April 24) in midweek games with UC Irvine (Feb. 16-18), Northwestern State (March 2-4) and Princeton (March 9-11) coming in for non-conference weekend series.

When UH enters C-USA play, UAB (April 6-8), crosstown rival Rice (April 13-15), East Carolina (May 4-6) and Southern Miss (May 17-19) are slated to make weekend appearances at Cougar Field.

The Cougars always play well in front of the hometown fans, setting a facility record with an .846 winning percentage (22-4 record) in 2006. For the first time since 2003, the Cougars will compete in two tournaments during the regular season.

The Cougars will play in one of the nation's premier collegiate tournaments when it competes at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park, home of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. This marks the seventh consecutive season that the Cougars will compete at the Houston College Classic.

UH will meet Baylor (Feb. 9), Texas A&M (Feb. 10) and Arizona State (Feb. 11) at that tournament.

In addition to that, the Cougars will play at the Southwest Diamond Classic on Feb. 22-24 at Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas. There, UH will square off against Texas-San Antonio (Feb. 22), host Dallas Baptist (Feb. 23) and Texas-Arlington (Feb. 24).

The Cougars will face another formidable road schedule in 2007, starting with the team's annual journey to the West. UH will meet San Diego on March 16-18, the ninth straight year that the Cougars have traveled west during the regular season

UH also travels to meet Lamar (March 27), Baylor (April 3), Stephen F. Austin (April 10), Texas A&M (April 17), McNeese State (May 1) and Sam Houston State (May 15) in midweek games.

In C-USA action, the Cougars face UCF (March 23-25), Tulane (April 20-22), Marshall (April 27-29) and Memphis (May 11-13) in unfriendly environments.

The Top Eight teams from Conference USA will head to Tulane's Turchin Stadium on May 23-27 for the annual C-USA Tournament. The winner of the league's annual postseason event earns its automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, which begin June 1.

A year ago, Conference USA emerged as the No. 4 league in college baseball. As teams continue to grow and improve, Noble said he sees the league moving even higher in the RPI rankings.

"We are going to see a major jump in several programs," Noble said. "When they do that, that is what is going to make this league jump ahead of some of the other conferences. When they do that, we have a chance to jump into the No. 3 hole nationally."