Finding their way
Bearkats weather late-season adversity before rebounding to earn NCAA regional berth
S am Houston State lost its way.
After going 23-5 between Feb. 26 and April 13, with six- and eightgame winning streaks mixed in, the Bearkats stumbled to a 7-11 record from April 14 to May 14, dropping four of five Southland Conference series.
A beacon of hope through the darkest stretch was their mid-week brilliancy.
When they beat Texas A&M for a school-record sixth straight mid-week win, they rediscovered the path to glory, going 4-0 in the Southland tournament for their second straight championship.
“We got to a point where … our focus waned, and we got taxed for it several times,” coach Matt Deggs said.
“You saw our focus and intensity pick back up when we reeled off six straight (midweek) wins, three against U of H, Baylor on the road, (Dallas Baptist) at home and then A&M on the road, and we kept that focus going into the tournament.
“We knew this was what we had been playing for all year, and they went out and played extremely good baseball.”
Far from satisfied
Sam Houston’s 9-4 win over Central Arkansas in the title tilt clinched a fifth NCAA regional berth in six years.
SHSU(40-20) opens with Arizona (37-19) at 6 p.m. Friday in Lubbock.
“We’re showing up expecting to win the thing,” Deggs said. “That’s our mindset.
“This is not a ballclub that is satisfied or looking at this as a cherry on top. This is the standard and expectation.
“We want to be the first team to win a regional from this school and this conference.”
The Bearkats’ unprecedented midweek success is a good indicator of their potential to pen another historic chapter.
Houston (40-19) claimed the American Athletic Conference tourney championship and is hosting at-large bids Texas A&M (36-21) and Baylor (3421) at its regional, and Dallas Baptist (40-19), which won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, earned a place in the Fort Worth Regional. The Bearkats beat them all. Their 8-2 win over then-No. 22 Texas A&M on May 16 was their second straight over the Aggies in College Station.
They also beat A&M 5-0 last year before winning the Southland tourney.
“We played extremely well on the mid-weeks, and we parlayed that game against A&M into momentum against UIW, and then we started a new season in the conference tournament and the boys … played nasty,” Deggs said.
But their record against their eventual tourney foes was ugly.
Sam Houston went 1-2 at Stephen F. Austin, including a 12-2, eight-inning loss, 1-2 at Southeastern Louisiana and 0-3 at Central Arkansas — then swept all three teams in the Southland tournament.
“We had played extremely well, and for one reason or another — I can’t put my finger on it so much — we lost … a little momentum,” Deggs said.
“One thing that has a lot to do with that, and stops momentum, is pitching, and Riley Gossett (arm) hasn’t been with us all year. We were 14-1 when Riley Gossett pitched (last year), and at some point in the season you’re going to miss that.
“So we went through a little bit of that … and then it got to crunch time, and the boys’ backs were against the wall, and any time you give this team something to play for, they’re going to get after it.”
Catcher Robie Rojas certainly did.
The senior from Jersey Village went 10-for-16 with two home runs and seven RBIs en route to tourney MVP honors.
Center fielder Bryce Johnson, first baseman Blake Chisolm and third baseman Taylor Beene were clutch at the plate, too, and every arm Deggs ran out was effective, from starters Heath Donica, Dakota Mills and Hayden Wesneski to relievers Riley Cooper, Kyle Backhus and Nick Mikolajchak.
“We had our ups and downs throughout the season,” Rojas said. “(But) we knew we were still the best team in the league.”
Rematch on tap
Now the Bearkats want to prove they’re the best in Lubbock.
The field, paired with Tallahassee for the super regionals, includes host Texas Tech (43-15) and Delaware (34-21).
But they’re laser-focused on a Wildcats reunion.
Sam Houston and Arizona met twice in last year’s Lafayette Regional, with the Wildcats winning 7-3 and 6-5.
“Funny things happen in baseball,” Deggs said. “It’s crazy. What are the odds? There are X amount of teams, and we match up with a team that we have a lot of respect for.
“I have a ton of respect for their coaching staff and the way they play the game. So I guess it was meant to be, and we’ll see what happens.”