The Houston Cougars baseball team is set to begin a nine-game homestand on Tuesday, hosting Sam Houston for the second game of the Don Sanders Cup at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The annual series honors Don Sanders for his contributions to both programs. In the opening game of this year’s series, Houston defeated Sam Houston 5-4 in Huntsville on February 24.
Tuesday’s matchup coincides with Rodeo Night, celebrating the start of the Houston Rodeo at NRG Stadium. The event will feature country music throughout the game and rodeo-themed promotions for fans.
Additionally, Baseball Bingo will debut at Schroeder Park during midweek home games, allowing attendees to compete for prizes based on in-game events.
Houston enters this contest after an 8-2 win over Alabama at the Frisco Classic. Pitcher Kendall Hoffman delivered a strong performance, while Blake Fields and Dylan Maxcey contributed significantly at the plate. In their previous meeting with Sam Houston, Alex Solis recorded six strikeouts and senior Dylan Maxcey hit his first home run as a Cougar.
This season, Houston has played against teams from 11 different conferences, including all Power 4 leagues, securing victories against opponents from each conference. The Cougars began their season with four wins at the Puerto Rico Challenge—including a victory over No. 21 Wake Forest—which helped them receive votes in national polls such as the NCBWA Poll.
Junior Tre Broussard has been recognized as an MLB Draft prospect by several outlets; MLB.com ranked him No. 46 on its Top 100 Draft prospects list for 2026.
Houston returns five position starters from last season—among them Tyler Cox—and retains much of its offensive production and pitching staff from last year. Nearly 60 percent of innings pitched and over half of strikeouts return this season.
The Cougars’ schedule includes five teams that finished in last year’s Top 25 RPI rankings and features numerous matchups against top-tier NCAA Tournament participants.
Historically, Houston leads Sam Houston in their all-time series (93-88) and holds an advantage when playing at home (47-35). Under head coach Todd Whitting, they have won 19 out of 33 meetings between these two programs.
Fans can support Houston Baseball through NIL opportunities or by joining the Dugout Club to provide additional financial backing beyond operational needs.
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