Finally it is really going to happen. After two months on the job I am going to finally be able to unveil my new assistant coaches. Coach Bobby Williams and Ms. Bobbie Hilliard were very gracious in letting me get the two candidates that I wanted from the beginning.
I am so excited about these two young, energetic and hard working guys. They both have been in winning programs, and worked under some great head coaches already at such an early stage in their careers. They will officially begin working Monday June 1. They have officially been hired so I can release there names at this time, Alvin Brooks III and Chris Mudge.
Alvin has been at Bradley University the past three years, and before that won a national championship as an assistant at Arkansas Fort Smith and Midland College. Back to back years at two different places is pretty amazing! He will bring a lot of great things to the table: recruiting, coaching, player development, academic monitoring and the list goes on and on. Alvin is a young guy who we coaches call a budding star. I am looking forward to working with him and hopefully helping his career grow even more. He is really excited to be at Sam Houston State and back at HOME!!!
Chris Mudge is what we coaches in the business call a GRINDER! He works 24-7 and loves the game of basketball. He will always turn over every rock and never leave a loose end untied. I am really excited about Chris because in essence he really reminds me of myself when I was that age many moons ago. His tireless work ethic will come in handy with recruiting, film preparation, player development, and all the ends in outs of the day to day operation of a program.
Chris is very intelligent and has also been a part of some Championship caliber basketball at Midland College as an assistant coach. He also was under the tutelage of coach Barnes at the University of Texas as a graduate assistant. Coach Barnes is a very good friend of mine and called on Chris's behalf. Was very complimentary of his work ethic and desire to become a Division One assistant coach. By the way, we will be making a trip to Austin, Texas, on November 23rd of this upcoming season for a contest with the Horns.
As for the basketball program, we are starting to slow down just a bit. Our guys finished up the semester strong academically, and we are looking forward to summer school where we will have the largest participation of our players that we've ever had. Lance and Josten will graduate first summer session and walk in August. Of course they both have another year of eligibility remaining and will use it! Corey finishes up in the Fall semester with two classes that he can take on line while he pursues a professional basketball career. Preston as I mentioned in an earlier piece, will have to take all of next year to finish due to his preparation to get into Physical Therapy School. Arthur and DeLuis finished this May.
Our recruiting is almost complete. I know a lot of you are wondering how we can sign all these people when there are only a certain amount of scholarships available. This will all take care of itself in due time. Until all the grades are in and decisions are made, we will continue to look at possibilities to improve our basketball program. We feel good about the guys we have signed up to this point, and when the dust settles in the next couple of weeks the makeup of our team will be complete.
Jason Hooten
Head basketball coach
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Andres looks to make it 24
Hitting streaks can be fun to watch. Each day presents a new challenge and a new set of hurdles. Right now Sam Houston State designated hitter Chris Andres has a pretty good run going.
The junior from Brenham has hit successfully in 23 straight games going back to the Texas Southern game April 7. The streak is the third-longest in school history behind Terry Pirtle’s 34-game streak in 1987 and Andrew Kasparek’s 28 game streak in 2003 and the first game of the 2004 season. The streak is currently the 8th-longest current streak in the nation. Florida International’s Garrett Wittels is on an amazing 45-game hit streak.
Three players in the Southland have had longer streaks this season with one still current. Northwestern State’s Eric DeBlanc is on a 24-game hitting streak. Tanner Hines at SFA had a 24-game streak snapped and Jermaine Marek had a 25-game streak this season.
Taking a look at the hitting streak for Andreas, his average during this span is .383 and he has eight multi-hit games during the streak. Nine times he extended the streak in his first at bat, and one of those times it was a pinch-hit homer against McNeese, his only at bat of the game.
Twice, Andres pushed the streak to his last at bat of the game, and both times were late in the streak. He picked up a single in the eighth against Southeastern Louisiana to extend the streak to 18 games. The hit to extend the streak to 22 games might have been the most dramatic of the streak.
He did it on the bottom of the ninth this past weekend against Central Arkansas. With two outs, Andreas ripped a single to extend the streak. The story there happened the play before, however. With two outs, Braeden Riley hit a grounder on the infield. Payton Wisner was at first base and hustled to second, sliding in just ahead of the throw to keep the inning alive.
With three games left in the season, Andreas has a chance to extend the streak to 26. He then will have nine months to think about game No. 27.
The junior from Brenham has hit successfully in 23 straight games going back to the Texas Southern game April 7. The streak is the third-longest in school history behind Terry Pirtle’s 34-game streak in 1987 and Andrew Kasparek’s 28 game streak in 2003 and the first game of the 2004 season. The streak is currently the 8th-longest current streak in the nation. Florida International’s Garrett Wittels is on an amazing 45-game hit streak.
Three players in the Southland have had longer streaks this season with one still current. Northwestern State’s Eric DeBlanc is on a 24-game hitting streak. Tanner Hines at SFA had a 24-game streak snapped and Jermaine Marek had a 25-game streak this season.
Taking a look at the hitting streak for Andreas, his average during this span is .383 and he has eight multi-hit games during the streak. Nine times he extended the streak in his first at bat, and one of those times it was a pinch-hit homer against McNeese, his only at bat of the game.
Twice, Andres pushed the streak to his last at bat of the game, and both times were late in the streak. He picked up a single in the eighth against Southeastern Louisiana to extend the streak to 18 games. The hit to extend the streak to 22 games might have been the most dramatic of the streak.
He did it on the bottom of the ninth this past weekend against Central Arkansas. With two outs, Andreas ripped a single to extend the streak. The story there happened the play before, however. With two outs, Braeden Riley hit a grounder on the infield. Payton Wisner was at first base and hustled to second, sliding in just ahead of the throw to keep the inning alive.
With three games left in the season, Andreas has a chance to extend the streak to 26. He then will have nine months to think about game No. 27.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Martin to face Strasburg on Tuesday
EDIT (5-19-10): The game was rained out on Tuesday, and will be played tonight. It will be video streamed on www.milb.com
Former Sam Houston State outfielder Dustin Martin is on a pretty good run right now at AAA Rochester. He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, including seven straight. He also has five consecutive multi-hit games.
Martin is now hitting .339, with five homers and 31 RBI, which leads the team in all three categories.
He will get a chance to test himself against the best on Tuesday when the Red Wigs welcome Stephen Strasburg and the Syracuse Chiefs to town.
It will be Martin’s second outing against one of the top pitching prospects in Minor League Baseball. Last week, Martin faced Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, and was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs. Chapman signed a $30.2 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason and entered Friday’s game with a 2.84 earned-run average.
Strasburg, 21, who entered the 2010 season as Baseball America’s No. 2 prospect (Atlanta outfielder Jason Hayward No. 1), was the first overall pick in the 2009 June baseball draft.
In seven minor league starts between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, Strasburg has a 5-1 record with a 1.06 ERA. In 34.0 innings of work, Strasburg has allowed nine runs (four earned) on 14 hits while walking eight and striking out 40. Opponents are batting just .121 (14-for-116) against him.
In his two starts for Triple-A Syracuse, Strasburg has a 2-0 record with a 0.00 ERA. In 12.0 innings of work, Strasburg has allowed just one hit and struck out 13.
There is no live video of the game listed, but if you want to give it a listen, the Red Wings offer free audio.
Former Sam Houston State outfielder Dustin Martin is on a pretty good run right now at AAA Rochester. He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, including seven straight. He also has five consecutive multi-hit games.
Martin is now hitting .339, with five homers and 31 RBI, which leads the team in all three categories.
He will get a chance to test himself against the best on Tuesday when the Red Wigs welcome Stephen Strasburg and the Syracuse Chiefs to town.
It will be Martin’s second outing against one of the top pitching prospects in Minor League Baseball. Last week, Martin faced Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, and was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs. Chapman signed a $30.2 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason and entered Friday’s game with a 2.84 earned-run average.
Strasburg, 21, who entered the 2010 season as Baseball America’s No. 2 prospect (Atlanta outfielder Jason Hayward No. 1), was the first overall pick in the 2009 June baseball draft.
In seven minor league starts between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, Strasburg has a 5-1 record with a 1.06 ERA. In 34.0 innings of work, Strasburg has allowed nine runs (four earned) on 14 hits while walking eight and striking out 40. Opponents are batting just .121 (14-for-116) against him.
In his two starts for Triple-A Syracuse, Strasburg has a 2-0 record with a 0.00 ERA. In 12.0 innings of work, Strasburg has allowed just one hit and struck out 13.
There is no live video of the game listed, but if you want to give it a listen, the Red Wings offer free audio.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Kats set for double-dip today at The Don
The Bearkats are set to play a double header today (assuming the weather permits) against Central Arkansas. This series will g a long way in determining if the Bearkats will be in Corpus Christi for the Southland Conference Championship in two weeks.
This will be the fourth double header day for the Bearkats this season and the third time against the same team. This year, the Kats are 3-3 this season on double header days. They were swept in the home opening series against Utah on Feb. 27. A week later, the Bearkats took two from Creighton and Northern Colorado. They have one Southland Conference double header this season, splitting a pair with Texas State in Huntsville.
The Bearkats enter the day 1 ½ games back of Nicholls, which lost last night to Texas State, for the eighth and final tournament spot. Since the Colonels have the tie breaker, the Kats will have to finish a game ahead of them.
In Mark Johnson’s four years in Huntsville, the Bearkats are 23-17 on double-header days with six sweeps. In double headers played in Huntsville the Bearkats sport a 17-9 record, and they are 17-11 in double headers against the same team.
This will be the fourth double header day for the Bearkats this season and the third time against the same team. This year, the Kats are 3-3 this season on double header days. They were swept in the home opening series against Utah on Feb. 27. A week later, the Bearkats took two from Creighton and Northern Colorado. They have one Southland Conference double header this season, splitting a pair with Texas State in Huntsville.
The Bearkats enter the day 1 ½ games back of Nicholls, which lost last night to Texas State, for the eighth and final tournament spot. Since the Colonels have the tie breaker, the Kats will have to finish a game ahead of them.
In Mark Johnson’s four years in Huntsville, the Bearkats are 23-17 on double-header days with six sweeps. In double headers played in Huntsville the Bearkats sport a 17-9 record, and they are 17-11 in double headers against the same team.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Katy chipping in to help Southland Tournament
In three years of hosting the Southland Conference basketball tournament in Katy, the crowds have steadily increased. This past March when the Bearkats knocked off SFA in the championship game, it featured the largest attended championship game the Southland has had since moving back to a neutral court. In fact, this year's game had a larger crowd (3,573) than the previous two years in Katy combined (1,006 in 2008 and 2,531 in 2009).
Now the city of Katy wants to do its part to ensure the tournament is a success and continues to grow. The City of Katy is awarding a $110,000 grant to the Southland Conference to help fund promotional and operational costs of the 2011 college basketball tournament at the Merrell Center.
Council unanimously approved the Convention and Tourism Bureau application request during a regular meeting Monday night. The amount includes last year’s request of $65,000 for tourism-related advertising and promotion of the city, as well as an additional $45,000 for facility rental and operational cost.
“On the days they play, we actually get national coverage on ESPN, and that’s the only national thing we have in Katy,” city finance director Byron Hebert said. “Hotel money can be used to promote the city, and that’s probably the biggest stage we can do at this time.”
Read the rest of the story in The Katy Times
Now the city of Katy wants to do its part to ensure the tournament is a success and continues to grow. The City of Katy is awarding a $110,000 grant to the Southland Conference to help fund promotional and operational costs of the 2011 college basketball tournament at the Merrell Center.
Council unanimously approved the Convention and Tourism Bureau application request during a regular meeting Monday night. The amount includes last year’s request of $65,000 for tourism-related advertising and promotion of the city, as well as an additional $45,000 for facility rental and operational cost.
“On the days they play, we actually get national coverage on ESPN, and that’s the only national thing we have in Katy,” city finance director Byron Hebert said. “Hotel money can be used to promote the city, and that’s probably the biggest stage we can do at this time.”
Read the rest of the story in The Katy Times
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
An unexpected record
It is always fun at the end of the season to go back and add the stats from the year to the record book. Every year, players move up the career lists, and on occasion set a new school record.
Most of the time, the accomplishment is not unexpected. During the year we are checking the record book to see where people stand. Sometimes, you do get a surprise.
We got one today when updating the softball record book – sort of. Amy Brown has been a four-year starter for the Bearkats at first base. The nature of the position will get you a lot of putouts over a career.
So when Amy was added to the top of the list for career putouts with 1,734, it was really no surprise. She was at the top of the list to start the season. Even the fact she beat Kim Nevil by more than 500 is also not a huge surprise.
However, we had no idea how quickly she was climbing the NCAA all-time list. Although the national list won’t be updated until the end of the season, Brown ranks in a tie for No. 10 on the list for most putouts in NCAA history.
Oddly enough, the player she is tied with is also a Southland Conference softball player. Shante Jones of Northwestern State had the same number of putouts during her four-year career with the Lady Demons from 1996-1999.
The NCAA doesn’t keep up with fielding percentage, but I’d have to think Amy’s would rank pretty high. In 1,837 career chances, she committed just 18 errors.
Most of the time, the accomplishment is not unexpected. During the year we are checking the record book to see where people stand. Sometimes, you do get a surprise.
We got one today when updating the softball record book – sort of. Amy Brown has been a four-year starter for the Bearkats at first base. The nature of the position will get you a lot of putouts over a career.
So when Amy was added to the top of the list for career putouts with 1,734, it was really no surprise. She was at the top of the list to start the season. Even the fact she beat Kim Nevil by more than 500 is also not a huge surprise.
However, we had no idea how quickly she was climbing the NCAA all-time list. Although the national list won’t be updated until the end of the season, Brown ranks in a tie for No. 10 on the list for most putouts in NCAA history.
Oddly enough, the player she is tied with is also a Southland Conference softball player. Shante Jones of Northwestern State had the same number of putouts during her four-year career with the Lady Demons from 1996-1999.
The NCAA doesn’t keep up with fielding percentage, but I’d have to think Amy’s would rank pretty high. In 1,837 career chances, she committed just 18 errors.
Bearkats in the News: Former baseball player Todd Sebek
Tivy-ex Sebek content without baseball
By Richard Oliver, San Antonio Express News
Todd Sebek says he doesn't harbor bitterness today. But it doesn't mean that he doesn't have a long memory.
The former Kerrville Tivy star recalls his 2007 summer with the Alaska Baseball League, leading the circuit by hitting .440. He remembers his All-America senior season at Sam Houston State, collecting nearly 100 hits, 33 for extra bases, en route to a .356 average.
But he also recollects sitting in front of his computer for long hours in June 2008, shell-shocked as his name failed to appear in 50 rounds of selections in the major-league amateur draft.
“It was heartbreaking,” said Sebek, 24. “I'm an All-American, and I'm not picked up in 1,500 picks? I was as blue-collar a player as they come. I thought I was the prototype of the kind of person you want in the ring with you.”
Instead, today Sebek sells medical supplies in San Antonio, more content to pick up a fishing rod than a bat. He's a baseball fan, no longer a player, and claims to be perfectly content with that evolution.
Read entire story
By Richard Oliver, San Antonio Express News
Todd Sebek says he doesn't harbor bitterness today. But it doesn't mean that he doesn't have a long memory.
The former Kerrville Tivy star recalls his 2007 summer with the Alaska Baseball League, leading the circuit by hitting .440. He remembers his All-America senior season at Sam Houston State, collecting nearly 100 hits, 33 for extra bases, en route to a .356 average.
But he also recollects sitting in front of his computer for long hours in June 2008, shell-shocked as his name failed to appear in 50 rounds of selections in the major-league amateur draft.
“It was heartbreaking,” said Sebek, 24. “I'm an All-American, and I'm not picked up in 1,500 picks? I was as blue-collar a player as they come. I thought I was the prototype of the kind of person you want in the ring with you.”
Instead, today Sebek sells medical supplies in San Antonio, more content to pick up a fishing rod than a bat. He's a baseball fan, no longer a player, and claims to be perfectly content with that evolution.
Read entire story
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Bearkat minor league baseball update
A pair of former Bearkat baseball players are off to great starts this season at the AAA level. Dustin Martin who finished his career at SHSU in 2006 is currently playing for the Rochester Red Wings in the Minnesota Twins organization. Robert Manuel, who was an SHSU pitcher in 2005, is playing at Pawtucket in the Boston Red Sox organization. Another former Kat, Ryan Tepera is 2-0 at the Class A level.
Martin is currently hitting .298 for the Red Wings, and leads the team in home runs (3), RBI (11) and stolen bases (2). He is second on the team in runs (11).
Last week, Martin was named the Red Wings player of the week.
At Pawtucket, Manuel has been dominant on the mound. In eight appearances this season, he has yet to allow a run. The right handed pitcher has worked 12 innings this season and has a 2-0 record and a save, all in relief. He has struck out 10 batters while allowing just one walk and seven hits. Opposing batters are hitting just .167 against him.
The two former Kats faced off against each other on April 18. Manuel entered the game in the fourth inning and Martin singled off his former teammate. Martin later homered in the game off a different pitcher, but Manuel picked up the victory.
You can read more about Manuel on the PawSox blog.
One other former Bearkat is also off to a good start. Ryan Tepera is currently 2-0, playing for the Lansing Lugnuts, a Class-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. He picked up his second win of the season last night, tossing 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run.
Tepera currently has a 3.98 ERA in four starts this season. In his second start of the year, threw seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball to pick up the win.
Martin is currently hitting .298 for the Red Wings, and leads the team in home runs (3), RBI (11) and stolen bases (2). He is second on the team in runs (11).
Last week, Martin was named the Red Wings player of the week.
At Pawtucket, Manuel has been dominant on the mound. In eight appearances this season, he has yet to allow a run. The right handed pitcher has worked 12 innings this season and has a 2-0 record and a save, all in relief. He has struck out 10 batters while allowing just one walk and seven hits. Opposing batters are hitting just .167 against him.
The two former Kats faced off against each other on April 18. Manuel entered the game in the fourth inning and Martin singled off his former teammate. Martin later homered in the game off a different pitcher, but Manuel picked up the victory.
You can read more about Manuel on the PawSox blog.
One other former Bearkat is also off to a good start. Ryan Tepera is currently 2-0, playing for the Lansing Lugnuts, a Class-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. He picked up his second win of the season last night, tossing 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run.
Tepera currently has a 3.98 ERA in four starts this season. In his second start of the year, threw seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball to pick up the win.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Chris Andreas homer from Sunday
Here is the blast Chris Andreas hit on Sunday against Nicholls. It is one of the farthest home runs I have seen at this stadium and I have only missed a handful of games here in the last five years.
Volleyball set to wrap up busy spring
We have been quite busy this spring with training, fundraising, recruiting, scheduling and all the normality and craziness that is involved in any sports program, so we apologize for the delay in blog posts, as we always want to keep the fans involved!
Here's a recap of what we have been up to lately:
Spring Competitions - we played two home tournament/single match events in March, playing local junior colleges from around the area. We were a little sluggish in the first four-team tournament, splitting with Lee, Blinn and San Jac, while beating Paris 2-0. When Blinn came up to Huntsville on March 31, we ended up losing in five sets, 12-15 in the fifth, they are quite the squad with great athletes going to some top 25 programs, but we should have found a way to win. Playing with some people out of position and players recovering from injury this spring isn't an excuse, we need to execute.
We played at the University of Houston on April 7, and won in a sloppy, but needed 3-1 match. We improved from our previous dates of competition, and saw some good things out of our new kids. Overall, we still needed to cut down on the errors. We finished our fourth date of competition on April 10th at Texas A&M in their practice court, which was about the same size as Lamar's regular playing gym, but very nice. We ended up taking one set from them, but could have won two more, losing 1-4. It was good to see where we stack up against the Aggies, considering they made it to the NCAA Sweet 16 last year -- we can play with any team that we want to -- but must find a way to really 'dial in' and focus when we are in the last 5-7 points of a set and find a way to victory. That being said, it was an overall good day for the team.
We are finishing up with individual practices this week to end our spring.
Fundraisers - We always have various fundraisers throughout the year to help the program raise money. We sold roses on Valentine's day, and sold out in just our pre-order sales. It was the first time in the 7 year history, pretty impressive! Two weekends ago, our third annual golf tournament was another record setting success, and you can read a more detailed recap on the official site, but we had 13 teams of four golfers, more than 50 hole sponsors, and raised more money for the program than the past two years!
Recruiting - we signed two great young ladies when the spring signing period started on April 14th, Lakeshia Craft, a 6'0" Middle Blocker junior transfer from Blinn (Junior) College, and Tarona Williams, a 5'11" Middle Blocker senior from Hightower HS (just southwest of Houston). Lakeshia we have targeted for awhile, and has been committed for a few months, will help us tremendously in the middle right away, gaining valuable experience playing for the 2008 NJCAA National Champions. Tarona was a late find for us, but what a gem she will be in the classroom and on the court - she has a high ceiling, and we can't wait to get her in the gym and training with us! Both of these young ladies will enroll for the summer II session in July to take a class and be able to work out with our strength and conditioning coach to get ready for the fall.
Last night we had the SHSU All Sports banquet which awards all sports, coaches, trainers, managers and the staff associated with everything that we all do. Our team had many honors, including our team MVP, Senior Middle Blocker Anna Ferguson. Outside Hitter Carli Kolbe was named the SH Award winner, which goes to the top sophomore female athlete in the entire athletic program. Anna Ferguson was also named the top female student athlete of the SHSU athletic program. She spoke well, and it was a great night for our volleyball program!
Hope y'all are doing well, and glad you are reading!!
-- Joe Lind
Assistant volleyball coach
Monday, April 26, 2010
Soccer wraps up spring practice
Coach Neal has done another outstanding job with improving the strength of our players. Although most of our fitness testing will be done this week, one important statistic is that our team averaged more than a .2 second drop in their 40 yard dash. This is a very positive change for a team that already had quite a bit of speed. The strength training combined with our functional speed training will help us as we move into next season. Coach Neal has said repeatedly that this has been the best spring in the weight room for women's soccer. By recruiting soccer players who are better athletes and keeping past players who are willing to work hard in our system, we feel this hard working culture will help us be successful in the future.
For the 2010 season, we will return 13 of the 16 players who started games this past season. We also return 3 of the top 4 goal scorers from last season. All 3 players who earned all-conference honors return also. One player who will be missed will be freshman Shelby Grissett. She scored 7 goals last season, including the game winner in the conference playoff victory, despite missing 9 games due to a concussion. Due to her history of concussions, it was felt best if she stopped playing. We will miss Shelby and wish her the best! The team will have to work hard to replace those goals next season.
After just two seasons and one recruiting class the team has been able to post the first winning season, the highest finish in the Southland Conference regular season, and the most shutouts in one season. We hope with the addition of our second recruiting class this August, the team will be primed to reach even more heights next year. Please come out and catch us when the Bearkats play their home opener against the University of North Texas on September 3.
-- Tom Brown
Head soccer coach
Friday, April 23, 2010
Six months until the Battle of the Piney Woods
We have the auction tonight and the Orange-White game on Saturday, so football is on the mind right now. It is never too early to start looking ahead to football season in the fall and today seems like the perfect day to do that.
Today marks six months from the Battle of the Piney Woods making the move to Reliant Stadium. The annual SHSU-SFA rivalry will begin a four-year partnership to play the game in Houston on October 23. If you are a season ticket holder, that game is part of your season ticket package.
We are not going to limit you to just your season ticket amount, however. Hopefully you will take some friends with you to the game in Houston. Just let us know how many more tickets you want for that game and we will make it happen for you. We want to see as much orange in Reliant as possible.
If you are not a season ticket holder, but are still planning on making it out to the game, don’t wait to buy tickets. They are on sale right now in the Bearkat Ticket office here at the Mafrige Field house or by going online and purchasing your tickets.
This is going to be an exciting event and it will be here before you know it. Don’t wait. Make sure you get all the tickets you want and get them together by purchasing now.
Today marks six months from the Battle of the Piney Woods making the move to Reliant Stadium. The annual SHSU-SFA rivalry will begin a four-year partnership to play the game in Houston on October 23. If you are a season ticket holder, that game is part of your season ticket package.
We are not going to limit you to just your season ticket amount, however. Hopefully you will take some friends with you to the game in Houston. Just let us know how many more tickets you want for that game and we will make it happen for you. We want to see as much orange in Reliant as possible.
If you are not a season ticket holder, but are still planning on making it out to the game, don’t wait to buy tickets. They are on sale right now in the Bearkat Ticket office here at the Mafrige Field house or by going online and purchasing your tickets.
This is going to be an exciting event and it will be here before you know it. Don’t wait. Make sure you get all the tickets you want and get them together by purchasing now.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Looking forward to a great auction
Some of the highlights include hunting trips, fishing trips and a couple of very nice dinners. Some of the stuff I am most excited about is the autographed items we are going to have up for bid.
I have had these things in my office the last few weeks and it has looked like a museum in here. We have some great stuff here that I would be real tempted to buy myself.
A few of my favorites are the jerseys. We have a signed jersey from Earl Campbell, Drew Brees, Gayle Sayers and maybe my favorite, a jersey combo of LaDanian Tomlinson with a signed TCU and Chargers jersey.
If you are a fan of the college game, then we have the piece for you. We will have a football up for auction that is signed by 17 Heisman Trophy winners included Mark Ingram, the 2009 winner. This one will be a hard one to let leave my office, I can tell you that.
In addition to all the great items up for bid, I would love to just have everyone come out to the dinner so I can get a chance to meet you. That has been one of the best things since starting this new job is getting to meet all the fantastic Sam Houston State football fans out there.
So come on out and please come by and say hi.
-- Willie Fritz
Head Football Coach
Soccer signees pick up postseason honors
After successful high school careers, several players we signed to join next season's soccer team have been recognized for their play on the field.
Defender Carly Rheman, from Katy H.S. and midfielder Kelsi Brown, from Atascocita H.S. were named First Team All-Greater Houston by the Houston Chronicle today. Rheman, who has been one of the area's top defenders the last three years, was also named District 17-5A Defensive Player of the Year. Brown, who scored 39 goals and had 10 assists this season, was the District 19-5A Most Valuable Player.
After helping The Woodlands to the 5A State Championship, goalkeeper Mallory Garthwaite and defender Natalie Johnson were both named to the District 14-5A All-District First Team. Midfielder Tricia Mallory, of Klein H.S., was also named First Team All-District in District 13-5A.
-- Tom Brown
SHSU soccer coach
First few weeks going well
I finally got moved into Coach Marlin's office and it sure is nice to have new furniture and my own space. Feels like I can get so much more done now, or it may be because I got so much more to do, lol. You really start to appreciate how valuable you were as a head assistant when you now are doing the head coaches job and the assistants’ job.
It has really been a lot of fun and I haven't been able to let it soak in due to Neil leaving and I have no help. I'm BUSY! Recruiting is going really good. Can't comment much on that but I feel good about where we are. Have a couple of really good assistants in mind and I think they will be tremendous when that time comes.
We had our first team meeting with all the guys and it was really positive. Then I brought each one in individually and that was productive as well. Our goal is to finish the semester strong in the classroom and in the weight room. Emphasizing CLASSROOM.
Josten and Lance will graduate after the first summer session and walk in August. Corey will finish in August, and Arthur graduates in May. Preston will finish next fall due to heavy lab work load. He will then go to PT school for a couple of more years. Ashton has officially signed with an agent out of Houston and he is very happy. Corey will sign with his high school AAU coach who now is partners with another guy.
The Rangers are playing really well even though the record isn’t really showing it. Lost several in the 8th or 9th inning so we could be much better. I'm feeling a PENNANT in Arlington!
-- Jason Hooten
Head Basketball Coach
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
First bowling signee has strong senior year
Sam Houston States inaugural bowling signee Kimi Davidson has made a strong finish to her high school career and is looking to have a very promising summer as she travels to some of the largest youth national tournaments in the country. Despite mid-season injuries Kimi concluded her high school career on a very positive note by bouncing back and winning the Fort Worth-South-Regional High School Individual Championship as well as played a key contributor to her teams success in qualifying for states for Azle High School.
Kimi had a strong appearance at States held at Bandera Bowl in San Antonio where she qualified for the semifinals as the 11th-seed overall, finished with a top ten finish and concluded her 2009-2010 high school bowling season with one of the top 20 averages in the state of Texas.
There's no doubt in my mind that Kimi's level head, willingness to learn and excel will be a very key contributing asset to this teams success next season.
-- Brad Hagen
SHSU head bowling coach
Monday, April 12, 2010
State championships for three future Kats
Three incoming freshmen will bring state championships with them when they report to training camp in August. The Woodlands won the 5A state soccer championship with a 3-2 score. Mallory Garthwaite started in goal and Natalie Johnson started in defense. Last year, The Woodlands lost in the championship game.
Gayle Ziegler won her second consecutive 4A State Championship with a 3-0 win. Ziegler started as a left midfielder for Richardson Pierce.
-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach
Gayle Ziegler won her second consecutive 4A State Championship with a 3-0 win. Ziegler started as a left midfielder for Richardson Pierce.
-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Future Kats on verge on championship
Three incoming freshmen have powered their high school teams into the state soccer tournament this weekend in Georgetown.
Goalkeeper Mallory Garthwaite and defender Natalie Johnson helped The Woodlands to a 2-1 win over Westwood High School. The 5A semifinals will begin on Thursday.
Defender Gayle Ziegler helped lead Richardson Pearce to a 1-0 win over Longview. The 4A semifinals will begin on Friday. Good luck to them!
Go BearKats!
-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach
Goalkeeper Mallory Garthwaite and defender Natalie Johnson helped The Woodlands to a 2-1 win over Westwood High School. The 5A semifinals will begin on Thursday.
Defender Gayle Ziegler helped lead Richardson Pearce to a 1-0 win over Longview. The 4A semifinals will begin on Friday. Good luck to them!
Go BearKats!
-- Tom Brown
Head Women's Soccer Coach
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Hooten: A little more about me
I just wanted to catch you up on who I am and where I’m from. I was born and raised in the Central Texas city of Killeen. Killeen is known for neighboring the largest army base in the world, Ft. Hood. Although my life consisted of military friends and nights of lying in bed listening to bombs going off, my family was/is not military.
I come from a very athletic family. My father played baseball for 1 semester at Sam Houston State, and then transferred to Tarleton State to play baseball but only stayed there 1 semester. Now that I look back, it's kind of weird that he went to school at both places I’ve worked, just reverse order. He really didn't like college so he moved back home and ran my grandfather's Texaco gas station.
After meeting and marrying my mother, he went to work for a construction company for the next 30 years. Got to work around 5am every morning and off at 6pm for 30 years. Probably missed a hand full of days in 30-plus years and those were to come see me play ball! That's kind of who I am, get up no matter what every day and go punch the clock.
My uncle was a great pitcher at Blinn JC and then transferred to Rice where he had a tremendous career. Killeen, Texas was a rough and tough city. I was a good baseball player growing up and everyone just knew that this would be my ticket. Somewhere around my junior year in high school basketball started to become really important to me. Not sure if the years of constant baseball and expectations just got to be dull.
Basketball was exciting, fast paced, and something that no one expected me to excel in. My junior summer was the first time UIL would allow summer league basketball to take place. We went up to Waco, 1hr, once a week and played in a very competitive league. College coaches could attend the games and I will never forget the feeling I got knowing those guys were watching us play. I still believe to this day that the rush and excitement I got from that summer is what led me to continue playing basketball and enjoying recruiting as much as I do.
From there I had to choose between playing baseball or basketball in college. I obviously chose the basketball route and looking back it's the reason I am where I am today. I ended up at McLennan Community College and played for a tremendous coach named Ken DeWeese (he is now the Head Coach at Mary-Hardin Baylor who is on our schedule next season).
In my second year at MCC an assistant coach from Houston Baptist walked in the gym one day to come see a player they had put into MCC. That guy’s name was Bob Marlin. Isn't it weird how small of a world we live in. After my 2 years at MCC I transferred to, at the time a small NAIA school, Tarleton State University. Played on 2 championship teams and after a year of doing my student teaching/part-time assistant coaching at Weatherford JC for my former high school coach, I went back to Tarleton State as an assistant coach at the ripe age of 23.
In August of 1993 I signed my contract to be an assistant coach, teach four classes and be the head tennis coach, LOL, not even going to say for how much $. Oh and I almost forgot, my boss was not only the head basketball coach, but also the AD! I walked in that office the first day, he tossed me a phone card and a couple of scouting services and said we need to bring in 3 players, and you got about 2 weeks to do it. That's where it all got started!
I come from a very athletic family. My father played baseball for 1 semester at Sam Houston State, and then transferred to Tarleton State to play baseball but only stayed there 1 semester. Now that I look back, it's kind of weird that he went to school at both places I’ve worked, just reverse order. He really didn't like college so he moved back home and ran my grandfather's Texaco gas station.
After meeting and marrying my mother, he went to work for a construction company for the next 30 years. Got to work around 5am every morning and off at 6pm for 30 years. Probably missed a hand full of days in 30-plus years and those were to come see me play ball! That's kind of who I am, get up no matter what every day and go punch the clock.
My uncle was a great pitcher at Blinn JC and then transferred to Rice where he had a tremendous career. Killeen, Texas was a rough and tough city. I was a good baseball player growing up and everyone just knew that this would be my ticket. Somewhere around my junior year in high school basketball started to become really important to me. Not sure if the years of constant baseball and expectations just got to be dull.
Basketball was exciting, fast paced, and something that no one expected me to excel in. My junior summer was the first time UIL would allow summer league basketball to take place. We went up to Waco, 1hr, once a week and played in a very competitive league. College coaches could attend the games and I will never forget the feeling I got knowing those guys were watching us play. I still believe to this day that the rush and excitement I got from that summer is what led me to continue playing basketball and enjoying recruiting as much as I do.
From there I had to choose between playing baseball or basketball in college. I obviously chose the basketball route and looking back it's the reason I am where I am today. I ended up at McLennan Community College and played for a tremendous coach named Ken DeWeese (he is now the Head Coach at Mary-Hardin Baylor who is on our schedule next season).
In my second year at MCC an assistant coach from Houston Baptist walked in the gym one day to come see a player they had put into MCC. That guy’s name was Bob Marlin. Isn't it weird how small of a world we live in. After my 2 years at MCC I transferred to, at the time a small NAIA school, Tarleton State University. Played on 2 championship teams and after a year of doing my student teaching/part-time assistant coaching at Weatherford JC for my former high school coach, I went back to Tarleton State as an assistant coach at the ripe age of 23.
In August of 1993 I signed my contract to be an assistant coach, teach four classes and be the head tennis coach, LOL, not even going to say for how much $. Oh and I almost forgot, my boss was not only the head basketball coach, but also the AD! I walked in that office the first day, he tossed me a phone card and a couple of scouting services and said we need to bring in 3 players, and you got about 2 weeks to do it. That's where it all got started!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Bearkat Elite adding extra incentive for football
All semester, the Bearkat football players are participating in a weekly competition called Bearkat Elite and the prize at the end of the week is a pizza party.
“Just like everything in life there is a winner and a loser,” Fritz said after practice on Friday. “I like guys who are competitive on the field and off the field. I like them competing on the football field, the weight room, the classroom and compete to be a good person.”
Fritz said they broke into eight different teams, had a draft with eight players on each team. They compete for points on a variety of different competitions that range from class work to attendance at other sporting events on campus.
“They get positive points for things and they get negative points for things,” Fritz said. “The winners get a pizza party at the end of the week and the losers have some sort of punishment. We are competing and a lot of it involves peer pressure.
“They get points for study hall, sometimes I have guys go to a game and the team with the most guys there gets the most points,” he said. “Miss class you get a negative point. We check grade cards and the guys who have A’s and B’s get plus points and the guys who have C’s, D’s and F’s get minus points.”
A ring ceremony honoree
At the end of practice on Friday, Fritz called Michael Pittman to the front of the team and congratulated him on getting his ring from Sam Houston State and going through Thursday’s Ring Ceremony at Austin Hall. He told the team what a great event it was and urged more players to take part in it next year.
“I am a graduate of Sam Houston myself and that is a really neat deal that Dr. Gaertner started,” Fritz said. “I just wanted to make sure the guys hear those sort of things. That is the goal. I tell them all the time, ‘if you come here and play football for five years and don’t get your degree, you are really wasting your time.’”
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