Sam Houston State Bearkats
Overall Rank: #30
Conference Rank: #1 Southland
Sam Houston State has made the NCAA Tournament five times in the last six years. Last year the program made the Super Regionals for the first time, beating Arizona and Texas Tech along the way. The Bearkats have turned a corner and they are not going anywhere. With that said, this group of Bearkats could take a step back without Heath Donica on the mound. He pitched 110.1 innings last season and went 9-3 with a 2.53 ERA. Hayden Wesneski is certainly ready to take over the top pitching job and Seth Ballew and Dakota Mills are experienced hurlers, but Donica was the dominate force on the mound for SHSU in 2017.
2017: 44-23, 19-11
2017 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Matt Deggs
Key Departed Players:
Bryce Johnson, OF, .350 BA, 0 HR, 43 RBI
Robie Rojas, C, .342 BA, 7 HR, 45 RBI
Taylor Beene, IF, .292 BA, 2 HR, 40 RBI
Lance Miles, IF, .280 BA, 1 HR, 33 RBI
Heath Donica, P, 2.53 ERA, 110.1 IP, 109 SO
Key Returning Players:
Blake Chisolm, IF, .343 BA, 4 HR, 35 RBI
Hunter Hearn, OF, .326 BA, 2 HR, 42 RBI
Andrew Fregia, IF, .302 BA, 7 HR, 48 RBI
Clayton Harp, OF, .289 BA, 5 HR, 50 RBI
Hayden Wesneski, P, 3.93 ERA, 84.2 IP, 47 SO
Projection:
Sam Houston State was very productive at the plate in 2017 too. And that should not change. Some big bats are gone, but Coach Matt Deggs has plenty of returning talent with proven hitters. Blake Chisolm led the team with a .466 on-base percentage and added four homeruns and 35 RBIs. Andrew Fregia should be the team’s top power hitter this year after belting seven homeruns last year. He also hit .302 on the year and he could emerge as a Southland Player of the Year candidate during his junior campaign. With Clayton Harp and Hunter Hearn returning to the outfield, Sam Houston State has enough offensive firepower to win another Southland title and get another shot at making some noise in the tournament.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
