UH coach Todd Whitting hopes his team is a hit during the postseason.
Cougars forced to make late run to capture spot in NCAA tourney
University of Houston coach Todd Whitting has no concerns the Cougars have a deep enough pitching staff to make a run at the American Athletic Conference baseball tournament.
It’s the Cougars ability to score runs that has been the problem all season.
“I’ve always thought you hit your way through the postseason,” Whitting said. “It’s hard to pitch your way through. You’ve got to hit.”
Now, nothing short of winning the AAC tournament will get the Cougars (33-22) into the NCAA Tournament for the third year a row.
The fourth-seeded Cougars open the doubleelimination AAC tournament at 2 p.m. Tuesday against No. 5 seed Cincinnati at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla.
A year after earning a spot as host regional, the Cougars are in jeopardy of not even making the 64-team field because of a lagging RPI that is 71, according to Boyd’s World. com, entering the tournament. Typically, a RPI in the top 45 is safe for an at-large bid and between 45-60 is considered on the bubble. The AAC has two teams that likely are guaranteed a spot (Tulane and East Carolina), and a third (Connecticut) has a chance depending on how it fares this week.
UH climbed into the 50s in RPI after beating No. 11 Tulane in the opener of the regular-season finale. The Cougars failed to gain any more ground by dropping the final two games of the series.
This year is reminiscent of 2013, when the Cougars finished 36-22 and had an RPI in the 60s. By most estimates, UH missed the postseason by one victory.
This time around, the Cougars have relied on a pitching staff that is second nationally in ERA (2.50) and with a four-toone strikeout to walk ratio. Opposing teams are hitting .222 against UH.
What has been baffling for the Cougars, however, is an offense that tied for the league’s second best batting average (.271) but struggled to produce in timely situations and finished with the third fewest runs (267).
The Cougars’ lineup is not devoid of capable hitters, with All-AAC first-team outfielder Corey Julks (.341) and first baseman Joe Davis (.336) ranking second and third, respectively, in the AAC in batting average.
Davis, who was named AAC Rookie of the Year on Monday, set school freshman records in with 11 home runs and 51 RBIs. Catcher/outfielder Connor Wong was a unanimous first-team selection at utility man after hitting .295 with a league-leading 41 walks.
“I still think we have one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the American Athletic Conference,” Whitting said. “We just have to get to Clearwater and up our ‘want-to’ a little bit, and I think we’ll be fine.”