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POSTSEASON NOTES
• TWO COLLEGE WORLD SERIES APPEARANCES • FOUR NCAA SUPER REGIONAL BERTHS - LAST IN 2014 • 20 NCAA REGIONAL APPEARANCES • EIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES • FIVE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT TITLES • 13 SEASONS OF 40 WINS OR MORE (2014 & 2015)
PROGRAM SUCCESS
• 11 USA BASEBALL NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS • 144 SELECTIONS IN MLB DRAFT • 24 ALL-AMERICA HONOREES • 17 FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA HONOREES • FOUR CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS • ONE NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR - BRAD LINCOLN
3
COUGARS IN THE DRAFT PLAYERS TAKEN IN FIRST ROUND
17 23 35 144
OF LAST 18 YEARS A COUGAR HAS BEEN SELECTED
COUGARS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES
Michael Bourn ‘03
COUGARS SELECTED IN MLB’S TOP 10 ROUNDS
COUGARS TAKEN ALL-TIME IN MLB DRAFT
MAJOR LEAGUERS
Brad Lincoln Garrett Mock Rob Johnson Ryan Wagner Michael Bourn Jesse Crain Chris Snyder Jeff Banister Steve Cummings Mike Walker Anthony Young Shane Nance Matt Beech
Jason McDonald Chris Tremie Vaughn Eshelman Scott Sheldon Ben Weber Woody Williams Tom Paciorek Gary Weiss Doug Drabek Donnie Joseph
2015 SUCCESS
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43-20 overall record … Back-to-back 40-win seasons (2015 - 43; 2014 - 48) Finished year ranked No. 18 in the nation - second straight Top 20 finish for Houston Won the American Athletic Conference regular-season title - first league title since 2002 Was honored as the No. 1 seed and hosted an NCAA Regional at Cougar Field - first since 2000
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26-8 home record at Cougar Field … most home wins at Cougar Field Notched a 16-8 conference record - most conference wins since 2006 Cougar Field notched program-record attendance numbers, averaging 1,832 fans per game Won the Silver Glove Series for the second straight year over Rice - first ever back-to-back wins
2015 SUCCESS
• Head Coach Todd Whitting named ABCA South Central Regional Coach of the Year • Team tallied eight shutouts, five weekend sweeps and won its final six conference series • Andrew Lantrip became the first All-American for Houston since 2006 after being honored as a Third Team All-America selection by Perfect Game; led conference with 115 strikeouts • Seth Romero was tabbed the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and a Freshman All-American; led conference with a 1.94 ERA • Seven Cougars were named to American Athletic Conference Teams • Pitching staff finished Top 10 in the nation in four categories (ERA, WHIP, shutouts, K-BB ratio) • Eight Cougars were selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft - the most since 11 in 2000
2014 SUCCESS
• 48-18 overall record … 48 wins tied the program win record (last coming 2002, 2000) • Won its first conference tournament title (American Athletic Conference Championship) since 2008 with win over Louisville • Won the Baton Rouge Regional with back-to-back wins on the road at LSU … fourth NCAA Regional Championship win in program history – first since 2003 • • • •
27-5 non-conference, regular-season record … most non-conf, reg.-season wins since 27 in 2002 Opened 2014 with a 9-0 mark – best start since a 10-0 mark in 1993 Swept the first four weekend home series – first time in program history No. 1 non-conference RPI in the nation
2014 SUCCESS
• Swept Rice in three games for the first time since 1991 – claimed Silver Glove trophy … first since 2000 • 40-0 in 2014 when leading after the eighth inning; nine shutouts as a pitching staff – most since 12 in 1991 • Ranked among the nation’s Top 15 during the final 11 weeks of the season, polling in as high as No. 5 (week before Super Regional by NCBWA) … No. 5 ranking was the highest ranking by any poll since March 26, 2002 (also at No. 5) • Led the nation in ERA (2.04) and WHIP (1.00) following regular-season play • Nine Cougars earned All-Conference honors, led by Andrew Lantrip with Rookie of the Year and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors • Josh Vidales (American Championship Most Outstanding Player) and Kyle Survance (Baton Rouge Regional Most Outstanding Player) earned postseason accolades • Chase Wellbrock broke Houston’s all-time saves record … totaling 12 in 2014 for 24 in his career
COUGAR FIELD
COUGAR FIELD UPGRADES DURING THE TODD WHITTING ERA ... • Installation of FieldTurf playing surface • Installation of largest college baseball video display • New stadium lighting system • Renovations inside clubhouse area • Redesigned bullpens for home and visiting teams • Installation of padded outfield wall • Installation of dugout railings for each team • Upgrades made to accomplishment board • Designs approved for Baseball Development Center
HOME BULLPEN
With a Major League style look, the Houston home bullpen is equipped with three dirt mounds and turf surface throughout. The bullpen area provides the Cougars with a short-game practice area, while being fully lit for night practices and workouts.
INDOOR HITTING FACILITY
The Cougars can take advantage of one of the region’s top indoor hitting facilities, located along the west end of the stadium. The practice facility is designed to allow hitting, pitching and infield practice throughout the entire year.
CLUBHOUSE
CLUBHOUSE
SPORTS MEDICINE
ELMER REDD
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING CENTER
UPGRADES MADE IN 2015 • Completed upgrades totaling more than $300,000 • New flooring covering nearly 20,000 square feet • Integrated lifting platforms with floor • Improved audio system
INDOOR MULTI-PURPOSE FACILITY Hall of Fame area 120-yard indoor practice field Indoor track Batting Cages Four Indoor Tennis Courts Hardwood Basketball Courts Hardwood Volleyball Courts Two SportCourts Locker Rooms 16,500-square foot weight room Athletic Training Room Academic Center for Excellence Meeting Rooms / Dept. Offices Student-Athlete Dining Hall
Houston’s Athletics/Alumni Center is a 220,000-square foot indoor facility that was funded by alumni John and Rebecca Moores for 29.1 million. The center is a multi-purpose facility that houses Houston Athletics staff and features several high-class amentites for all student-athletes.
DEVELOPMENT CENTER (COMING SOON) ...
FIRST LEVEL Batting Cages Players Locker Room Coaches Locker Room Players’ Lounge featuring a Cafe Laundry / Storage Video Room SECOND LEVEL Suite / Lounge Observation Deck Overlooking Field Kitchen
The Houston Baseball Development Center will feature a facility that totals 20,645 square feet designed with state-of-the-art amentities for the Cougars right outside the confines of Cougar Field.
THE LOOK OF THE COUGARS - UNIFORMS
EQUIPMENT
• NIKE • RAWLINGS
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Ranked third-toughest conference in the nation (2015) behind SEC and ACC Four American Athletic Conference teams played in an NCAA Regional (2015)
www.theamerican.org
HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC @ MINUTE MAID PARK
Houston competes in the nation’s top college tournament, the College Classic, held every spring at Minute Maid Park - home of the Houston Astros.
TRADITION
MEDIA COVERAGE
• Nine television affiliates in the city of Houston available to cover the program • Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas; UH has its own beat writer for coverage • Houston Chronicle is ranked among the nation’s Top 10 for daily and Sunday circulation
CAMPUS LIFE & STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON STUDENTS RECEIVE
FREE ADMISSION INTO ALL HOUSTON ATHLETICS EVENTS INCLUDING HOME FOOTBALL GAMES
ON-CAMPUS HOUSING
LIVE + STUDY + PLAY
CULLEN OAKS
HEAD COACH TODD WHITTING
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2016 will mark sixth year as Head Coach at Houston Is a University of Houston alum (‘95); Named head coach on July 1, 2010 Honored as 2015 ABCA South Central Regional Coach of the Year Was Associate Head Coach at TCU for seven years Coached at Houston as an assistant for eight years before going to TCU Coached in 15 NCAA Regionals, six Super Regionals and made one trip to the College World Series in his 19 years of coaching • Has coached over 80 players that have been drafted by Major League organizations • As recruiting coordinator, signed four classes that were ranked in the Top 10 in the country • Has coached 16 Major League Players
HEAD COACH TODD WHITTING
What they are saying ... “I associate Todd with the greatest period in Houston baseball history, so obviously it made sense that UH went after him. He did a great job building TCU to what it is today with the constraints that it had being a private school. By putting Todd at UH where he doesn’t have those constraints, where he is working at a public school in an urban area with a lot of recruiting possibilities, I believe that Houston can succeed like a Texas or a Cal State Fullerton. Todd’s work in recruiting over the years speaks for itself. It’s an excellent hire for Houston, and it’s the best hire that they could have made.” -Kendall Rogers, D1Baseball “Coach Whitting is a great players’ coach who relates well to all of his players. He was the main reason that I came to Houston when he recruited me. He is one of the top recruiters in the country and is going to continue to bring outstanding players to Houston.” -2006 National Player of the Year and MLB pitcher Brad Lincoln
@toddwhitting
ASST. COACH/RECRUITING COORD. TRIP COUCH
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2016 will mark 12th year at Houston Recruiting Coordinator Has brought Top 30 recruiting classes into Houston Scouted for the Arizona Diamondbacks for nine years Also coached at Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas Member of USA Baseball’s Team USA coaching staff in 1999
@TripCouch11
ASST. COACH/PITCHING FRANK ANDERSON
• 2016 will mark fourth year at Houston • Coached pitching staff to four Top 10 rankings (ERA, K-BB ratio, shutouts, WHIP) in 2015 • Led nation in ERA during 2014 regular-season; Saw eight pitchers drafted in 2014 and 2015 • Coached American Rookies of the Year Seth Romero & Andrew Lantrip to All-America honors in ‘14 and ‘15 • Considered one of the top pitching coaches in the country AT OKLAHOMA STATE • Has nine years of head coaching experience at Oklahoma State • Led Cowboys to six Regional appearances; Recorded three straight 41-win seasons (2006-08) • Led OSU to its first Big 12 crown in program history in 2004 AT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS • Served as pitching coach at the University of Texas from 2000-03 • Led UT to the 2002 National Title; Helped the Longhorns to three College World Series appearances AT TEXAS TECH • Spent nine seasons (1990-99) as an assistant at Texas Tech prior to joining UT’s staff
ASSISTANT COACH GREG EVANS
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2016 will mark first year with Houston Baseball 20-year coaching veteran Spent nine seasons as Associate Head Coach at Oklahoma State Coached nine seasons at Texas Tech Coached 12 teams to postseason play Considered one of the top infield coaches in the country Produced defenses that ranked among the nation’s Top 5 at prior stops
DIR. FOR PLAYER DEVELOPMENT RYAN SHOTZBERGER
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2016 will mark fifth season at Houston Named Director for Player Development in 2014 Spent two seasons as Assistant Coach Coached a Johnny Bench Award winner (Bryan Holaday at TCU) Has coached over 40 players that have been drafted Coached at TCU for five years prior to Houston Coached in Omaha in 2010 @ryanshotzberger
STRENGTH COACH LEE FIOCCHI
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2016 will mark the fourth season with Houston Baseball Certifications: Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) & USA Weightlifting (USAW) Founder and Director of Dynamic Sports Training Worked under world-renowned performance specialist Pete Bommaritoat at Perfect Competition in Davie, Florida Became the Director of Major League Baseball off-season training Works with numerous MLB stars including most notably Magglio Ordonez, Houston Cougar Michael Bourn, Carl Crawford, Trevor Bauer Has trained over 30 MLB players, over 100 NFL players, and prepared over 100 for the NFL Combine Graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a B.S. in physical education Played football at EIU Helped team to Bowl and Conference Championship wins as well as the program’s highest national ranking in 2001
MENTAL TRAINING COACH BRIAN CAIN
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Has been working with Houston Baseball since Fall 2010 One of the world’s most sought after mental conditioning and peak performance coaches One of the top young motivational speakers and a #1 best-selling inspirational author Former high school teacher, coach and athletic director as well as college baseball coach and college adjunct professor of sport psychology • Works with over 40 NCAA schools all over the country helping them to become NCAA Champions • Comes to campus and trains coaches and athletes to specifically apply the most beneficial mental toughness training techniques and peak performance coaching to baseball • Spends anywhere from one to four full days at a time and comes to campus one to five times a year depending on your commitment to the mental conditioning program
TEAM NUTRITIONIST GLENDA BLASKEY
• Joined the University of Houston Department of Intercollegiate Athletics as its performance nutritionist in 2014 • Involved in nutrition education and program operations for all 17 athletics teams. • Assists with menu planning, food service operations, catering for team travel and pregame meals • Oversees body composition testing and assessment for all student-athletes • Worked four years as a registered dietitian with NASA/Johnson Space Center prior to Houston • At NASA, planned and implemented wellness and health programs and events for employees and contractor personnel • Received bachelor’s degree in biology from Angelo State in 2001, earned master’s degree in nutrition with a special concentration in sport/exercise nutrition and exercise physiology from Texas A&M in 2005
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
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Achieved highest cumulative GPA in program history in 2014-15: 3.09 grade point average 24 student-athletes carried a 3.0 or higher overall GPA (as of Spring ‘15) Notched a 2.97 in Spring 2015 - fourth highest in-season GPA ever 100% of the 2015 team landed in good academic standing Tutors provided for all players when needed Full-time academic support staff is available for every baseball student-athlete Tier One University - only three in Texas Academic Center includes student-athlete-only computer labs, large classroom and breakout study rooms for small group projects
OUR UNIVERSITY
TIER ONE UNIVERSITY • Tier One University, placing UH among institutions known for worldclass research, academic excellence, exceptional student body and the highest levels of innovation, creativity and scholastic achievement • 560-acre campus abounds with parks, fountains, plazas, sculptures, trees and recreational fields • Faculty members who hold the Nobel Peace Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, the National Medal of Science • More than 41,000 students attend 12 academic colleges and the multidisciplinary Honors College • Offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors • Awarded more than 250,000 degrees with approx. 80 percent of alumni remaining in the Houston metropolitan area • Founded in 1927
OUR UNIVERSITY
• Joined the ranks (2011) of the top research universities in the nation with the announcement by the Carnegie Foundtion for the Advancement of Teaching that placed UH in its top category of research universities • One of only three public Carnegie-designated Tier One research universities in Texas, along with the University of Texas and Texas A&M • A Tier One University provides a nationally-competitive learning environment for its students. • Students compete in the global marketplace and their skill set needs to be globally competitive. • Provides greater opportunities for students to work with world-class faculty in nationally-ranked programs and engage in cutting-edge research and learning • Degrees have a brand that is nationally-recognized and globally respected.
OUR CITY
OUR CITY
FOURTH-LARGEST CITY IN U.S. • Top attractions include Space Center Houston, the Houston Zoo, Downtown Aquarium, The Galleria, Moody Gardens • Home to Houston Astros, Houston Texans, Houston Rockets, Houston Dynamo • Leading city in energy, medicine and aerospace industries • More than 300 days of sunshine annually • Average high temperature in winter - 66 degrees
SUMMER LEAGUES & USA BASEBALL PARTICIPATION
Houston has been well represented on Team USA: Seth Romero (2015 - Collegiate) Jake Lemoine (2014 - Collegiate) Michael Bourn (2006 – Olympic) Rob Johnson (2005 – World Cup) Jesse Crain (2003 – Olympic) Brad Sullivan (2002 – Collegiate) Chris Snyder (2001 – Collegiate) Shane Nance (1999 – Collegiate) Kyle Crowell (1999 – Collegiate) Shane Nance (1998 – Collegiate) Assistant Coach Trip Couch (1999 - Collegiate - Coaching Staff)
University of Houston players play summer ball all across the country in some of the nation’s top leagues: Cape Cod, Coastal Plain, Northwoods and Alaska.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
@UHCougarBB #M64 /HoustonCougarBaseball UHCougarBB UHCougarBaseball www.CougarBaseballCamps.com
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