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Riding an eight-game winning streak to start the season boosted by five straight games at home, the Texas Longhorns will end that homestand on Tuesday evening at UFCU Disch-Falk Field against the Sam Houston State Bearkats before traveling to Houston this weekend to face three SEC opponents.
It’s the eighth straight season the Longhorns and Bearkats have played, with Texas holding a 6-3 advantage in that stretch and a 78-19 edge overall.
Sam Houston State comes to Austin sitting at 5-1 this season, with wins over St. Mary’s and Loyola Marymount and an extra-inning loss to the Gaels. It’s the first road game for the Bearkats this season after finishing 31-25 last season.
The Bearkats will send junior left-hander Jack Rogers to the mound. He’s appeared in one inning of one game this season, striking all three batters that he faced.
At the plate, Sam Houston State has only hit two home runs through six games and boasts a .270 batting average, but has enough team speed to hit five triples so far. In 141 plate appearances, the Bearkats have only drawn six walks, so expect an aggressive approach at the plate for the visitors. Junior third baseman Corbin Vines leads the team with a .412 average. Rogers also plays in the infield for the Bearkats and was 7-for-12 against Loyola Marymount with four extra-base hits and five RBI.
Freshman left-hander Pete Hansen will get the start for the Horns, the first of his career. In two appearances, Hansen has pitched five innings without allowing a run, scattering four hits and striking out six batters. As usual for midweek games, expect Hansen to pitch three or four innings with ample help from the bullpen.
Hansen will look to continue a remarkable start for the Texas starting pitchers, who currently have a 1.42 ERA with a .177 batting average against and 46 strikeouts. After struggles in the field last season, particularly at shortstop and catcher, the Longhorns have improved the team’s fielding percentage from .966 to .977 so far.
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central on Longhorn Network.