Coogs Are Rolling But Huge Week Ahead

Save Our Season? Junior Jared Triolo had his best game as a Cougar – he went 5/5 at the plate, had 5 RBI, and scored a run. Since moving to the leadoff spot 21 games ago, Triolo has flourished: he’s hitting .337 with 22 RBI. Most importantly, UH is 17-4 since his move.

Arms Race – In 11 weekend games since the ECU series, Cougar starters have a 2.68 ERA, giving up 17 runs in 57 innings pitched. Lael Lockhart and Clay Aguilar have solidified themselves as UH’s 1-2 punch.
 
Anyone have Lael and Clay in the Friday and Saturday night spots before the season? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Yeah, me either. Aguilar has really come into his own as he’s been learning to pitch instead of just throwing. In 4 starts in this span, he’s given up just 6 earned runs (2.25 ERA) and no homers.

Bodacious Bullpen In the month since the ECU series ended, the Coogs have shot up 52 spots in ERA (74 to 22) and 31 spots in WHIP (55 to 24). That’s not just the starters – that’s stellar bullpen work.
 
The Cougar bullpen is on an all-time run in the last 15 games. Starters have averaged just 4.2 IP in that span – leaving the pen to cover almost half the game. And how have they done?
 
In 64.1 innings, covering 39 relief appearances, the Cougar pen has given up just 12 earned runs – a 1.68 ERA. That’s incredible.
 
20 of those 39 relief appearances have come from Sean Bretz and Devon Roedahl. The two have combined to throw 35.1 innings, giving up just 3 earned runs total. Their combined ERA and WHIP are both at .76 in the span.
 
If Fred Villarreal is back in form, and he pitched two perfect innings on Sunday, this staff could stack up well in a regional. Bretz, Roedahl, and Villarreal could be among the best 1-2-3 guys out of the bullpen as there is in the country.

8 Games To Go: The Coogs are at 36 in the RPI with 7 games left against top-100 teams. FAU comes in Wednesday at 34 in the RPI and, as midweek games go, this is a big one.
 
This weekend, second-place Tulane comes in for a crucial series. If the Cougars can win two games, they’ll be just a half game back of the Greenies and hold the tiebreaker. Tulane had a game rained out earlier in the season with Memphis.
 

 
Cincinnati finishes their AAC schedule this weekend in Memphis while UConn hosts USF. UH needs a second-place finish to ensure an NCAA berth.

Lagniappe – UH pitching went 18 scoreless innings this week, from the first inning of the Rice game until the 1st of the Sunday game.
 
Outside the first innings of the Rice and Sunday UNLV game, opponents scored 1 run this week.
 
Derrick Cherry was on-base 4 times Sunday (2 hits, 2 walks). He’s up to .278 for the season.
 
A year ago today, Kyle Lovelace had 8 hits, a .108 BA and was slugging .122. Today, he’s at 28 hits for the season, a .231 BA and a .281 slugging percentage. No one in this program has developed like Lovelace. His pitchers love him and now his offense isn’t dragging down the bottom of the lineup.
 
Sunday, Lovelace had an RBI double and drove in another on a beautiful sac bunt.