Temple University Athletics
Thursday, May 15
Camden, N.J.
3:00 p.m.
Temple University
vs
University of Houston
1B Robert Amaro
Photo by: Cameron Resnick
Baseball Closes Out Regular Season with #16 Houston
5.13.14 | Baseball
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FIRST PITCH
Temple closes out the regular season with No. 16 Houston on May 15-17 at Campbell's Field in Camden.
The first pitch on Thursday, May 15 is slated for 3 p.m. The series resumes on Friday, May 16 at 3 p.m. Play concludes on Saturday, May 17 at 11 a.m.
Owls TV will videostream the games live online with Justin Diaz calling the action.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
The Owls, under third-year head coach Ryan Wheeler, stand 13-29 overall and 8-13 in American Athletic Conference play.
After 42 games, senior 1B Robert Amaro is the Owls' leading hitter with a .333 batting average. He has 24 runs, a team-best 53 hits, three home runs, and a team-best 37 RBI in 42 starts. A starter in all 42 games, sophomore OF Jimmy Kerrigan (.286) follows with 13 runs on 44 hits and 13 RBI. Senior 3B Derek Peterson (.267) has scored a team-best 28 runs on 43 hits with a team-leading 23 doubles. Senior OF Bobby Heitzman (.222) has scored 13 runs on 18 hits and has eight doubles, a triple, and 12 RBI.
On the mound, senior RHP Matt Hockenberry (3.74 ERA) sports a 4-5 record in 79.1 innings pitched, the most of any Owl. He's fanned 61 batters and walked 20. Redshirt senior RHP Ryan Kuehn (3.80 ERA) has pitched in 13 contests with eight starts. He has fanned 20 batters and walked 16. Freshman RHP Patrick Vanderslice (6.00 ERA) has appeared in 15 games with six starts. He's struck out 22 batters and walked 15.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
The No. 16 Cougars, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Todd Whitting, stand 40-13 overall and 13-8 in American Athletic Conference play.
R-senior 1B Casey Grayson (.335) leads the Cougars in hitting with 34 runs, 65 hits, 14 doubles, six home runs, and 40 RBI. Junior OF Michael Pyeatt (.307) follows with 15 runs, 42 hits, and 17 RBI. Sophomore IF Justin Montemayor (.299) has 26 runs, 60 hits, and 27 RBI. Sophomore OF Kyle Survance (.298) has a team-best 27 (of 31) stolen bases.
On the mound, sophomore RHP Jake Lemoine (2.07 ERA) is 6-4 in 13 starts. He has pitched 87.0 innings, fanned 79 batters, and walked 21. Junior RHP Aaron Garza (2.16) is 7-4 in 13 starts. He has pitched a team-best 91.2 innings and has 51 strikeouts and seven walks. Senior LHP Tyler Ford (1.05 ERA) is 6-0 and has three saves. He has pitched 51.1 innings with 31 strikeouts and three walks. Sophomore LHP Jared West (2.64) has pitched 47.2 innings in 12 appearances. He has 39 strikeouts and 18 walks.
SERIES VS. COUGARS
This is the first meeting between Temple and Houston on the diamond.
LAST UPSET
Temple's final two series of the regular season are against nationally ranked opponents.
Last weekend, the Owls claimed a 4-2 upset victory over No. 5 Louisville on May 10 at Campbell's Field, their first of the 2014 season.
TU's previous upset of a nationally ranked foe came during the 2013 season when TU claimed a 7-3 win at No. 24 Virginia Tech (Feb. 23, 2013).
The Owls' last upset of a Top 10 team(s) came during the 1972 College World Series. Temple, which finished the season nationally ranked No. 3 behind national champion USC and runner-up Arizona State, beat Connecticut and Iowa in world series play. The Huskies finished the season ranked No. 6, while the Hawkeyes were No. 7.
OWL NOTES & TRENDS
• Temple stands third in the American in triples (12) and first in least home runs allowed (9).
• Three Owls— Robert Amaro, Jimmy Kerrigan, and Derek Peterson— have started every game this season.
• Senior Matt Hockenberry has been the Owls' No. 1 pitcher all season. In the American Athletic Conference, he is ranked No. 3 in strikeouts looking (23), No. 8 in strikeouts (61), and No. 9 in innings pitched (79.1). Hockenberry is tied for first in home runs allowed (0).
• R-junior Zach Batchelor is TU's top reliever. He is now tied for seventh in career saves for Temple with six. He is also tied for fourth of the season record for saves. Batchelor is tied for ninth in the conference in saves (4).
• Senior IF Derek Peterson ranks No. 1 in the American and No. 3 nationally in doubles (23). His 23 doubles tie the single-season record, set by Steve Nikorak in 2011.
• In the American senior Robert Amaro is No. 6 in RBI (37) and No. 5 in putouts (372).
• Sophomore C Michael D'Acunti's home run against in game 3 against No. 5 Louisville was Temple's first home run at Campbell's Field.
• The Owls' upset of No. 5 Louisville on May 10 was the 50th career win for head coach Ryan Wheeler.
• Temple played its first home game of the 2014 season on April 1 vs. Delaware.
• Mother Nature has not been kind to Temple this spring, cancelling or postponing
all home games until April 1. Overall, a total of 19 games have been cancelled or rescheduled.
• TU opened American Athletic Conference play at Memphis, capturing two wins.
• The Owls hosted Cincinnati in their first American Athletic Conference home games, claiming two victories.
• Temple's final game at Skip Wilson Field was against No. 5 Louisville on May 9.
• Senior Robert Amaro is the nephew of Philadelphia Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro.
• Four conference schools— Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, and Memphis are first-time opponents.
UP NEXT
The American Athletic Conference will announce the bracket for the 2014 championship on Saturday, May 17 following all regular-season play.
Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., will host the inaugural American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship on May 21-25.
Only the top eight teams in the final regular-season standings qualify for the 2014 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship, which will utilize a pool format that comprises 13 games. Each team will play three games in a round-robin format within its pool, and the winners of each pool will meet in the May 25 final.
The tournament Champion will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament bracket.
Games through semifinals will be televised on the American Digital Network. The championship game on May 25 will be televised live on ESPNU.
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FIRST PITCH
Temple closes out the regular season with No. 16 Houston on May 15-17 at Campbell's Field in Camden.
The first pitch on Thursday, May 15 is slated for 3 p.m. The series resumes on Friday, May 16 at 3 p.m. Play concludes on Saturday, May 17 at 11 a.m.
Owls TV will videostream the games live online with Justin Diaz calling the action.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
The Owls, under third-year head coach Ryan Wheeler, stand 13-29 overall and 8-13 in American Athletic Conference play.
After 42 games, senior 1B Robert Amaro is the Owls' leading hitter with a .333 batting average. He has 24 runs, a team-best 53 hits, three home runs, and a team-best 37 RBI in 42 starts. A starter in all 42 games, sophomore OF Jimmy Kerrigan (.286) follows with 13 runs on 44 hits and 13 RBI. Senior 3B Derek Peterson (.267) has scored a team-best 28 runs on 43 hits with a team-leading 23 doubles. Senior OF Bobby Heitzman (.222) has scored 13 runs on 18 hits and has eight doubles, a triple, and 12 RBI.
On the mound, senior RHP Matt Hockenberry (3.74 ERA) sports a 4-5 record in 79.1 innings pitched, the most of any Owl. He's fanned 61 batters and walked 20. Redshirt senior RHP Ryan Kuehn (3.80 ERA) has pitched in 13 contests with eight starts. He has fanned 20 batters and walked 16. Freshman RHP Patrick Vanderslice (6.00 ERA) has appeared in 15 games with six starts. He's struck out 22 batters and walked 15.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
The No. 16 Cougars, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Todd Whitting, stand 40-13 overall and 13-8 in American Athletic Conference play.
R-senior 1B Casey Grayson (.335) leads the Cougars in hitting with 34 runs, 65 hits, 14 doubles, six home runs, and 40 RBI. Junior OF Michael Pyeatt (.307) follows with 15 runs, 42 hits, and 17 RBI. Sophomore IF Justin Montemayor (.299) has 26 runs, 60 hits, and 27 RBI. Sophomore OF Kyle Survance (.298) has a team-best 27 (of 31) stolen bases.
On the mound, sophomore RHP Jake Lemoine (2.07 ERA) is 6-4 in 13 starts. He has pitched 87.0 innings, fanned 79 batters, and walked 21. Junior RHP Aaron Garza (2.16) is 7-4 in 13 starts. He has pitched a team-best 91.2 innings and has 51 strikeouts and seven walks. Senior LHP Tyler Ford (1.05 ERA) is 6-0 and has three saves. He has pitched 51.1 innings with 31 strikeouts and three walks. Sophomore LHP Jared West (2.64) has pitched 47.2 innings in 12 appearances. He has 39 strikeouts and 18 walks.
SERIES VS. COUGARS
This is the first meeting between Temple and Houston on the diamond.
LAST UPSET
Temple's final two series of the regular season are against nationally ranked opponents.
Last weekend, the Owls claimed a 4-2 upset victory over No. 5 Louisville on May 10 at Campbell's Field, their first of the 2014 season.
TU's previous upset of a nationally ranked foe came during the 2013 season when TU claimed a 7-3 win at No. 24 Virginia Tech (Feb. 23, 2013).
The Owls' last upset of a Top 10 team(s) came during the 1972 College World Series. Temple, which finished the season nationally ranked No. 3 behind national champion USC and runner-up Arizona State, beat Connecticut and Iowa in world series play. The Huskies finished the season ranked No. 6, while the Hawkeyes were No. 7.
OWL NOTES & TRENDS
• Temple stands third in the American in triples (12) and first in least home runs allowed (9).
• Three Owls— Robert Amaro, Jimmy Kerrigan, and Derek Peterson— have started every game this season.
• Senior Matt Hockenberry has been the Owls' No. 1 pitcher all season. In the American Athletic Conference, he is ranked No. 3 in strikeouts looking (23), No. 8 in strikeouts (61), and No. 9 in innings pitched (79.1). Hockenberry is tied for first in home runs allowed (0).
• R-junior Zach Batchelor is TU's top reliever. He is now tied for seventh in career saves for Temple with six. He is also tied for fourth of the season record for saves. Batchelor is tied for ninth in the conference in saves (4).
• Senior IF Derek Peterson ranks No. 1 in the American and No. 3 nationally in doubles (23). His 23 doubles tie the single-season record, set by Steve Nikorak in 2011.
• In the American senior Robert Amaro is No. 6 in RBI (37) and No. 5 in putouts (372).
• Sophomore C Michael D'Acunti's home run against in game 3 against No. 5 Louisville was Temple's first home run at Campbell's Field.
• The Owls' upset of No. 5 Louisville on May 10 was the 50th career win for head coach Ryan Wheeler.
• Temple played its first home game of the 2014 season on April 1 vs. Delaware.
• Mother Nature has not been kind to Temple this spring, cancelling or postponing
all home games until April 1. Overall, a total of 19 games have been cancelled or rescheduled.
• TU opened American Athletic Conference play at Memphis, capturing two wins.
• The Owls hosted Cincinnati in their first American Athletic Conference home games, claiming two victories.
• Temple's final game at Skip Wilson Field was against No. 5 Louisville on May 9.
• Senior Robert Amaro is the nephew of Philadelphia Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro.
• Four conference schools— Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, and Memphis are first-time opponents.
UP NEXT
The American Athletic Conference will announce the bracket for the 2014 championship on Saturday, May 17 following all regular-season play.
Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., will host the inaugural American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship on May 21-25.
Only the top eight teams in the final regular-season standings qualify for the 2014 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship, which will utilize a pool format that comprises 13 games. Each team will play three games in a round-robin format within its pool, and the winners of each pool will meet in the May 25 final.
The tournament Champion will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament bracket.
Games through semifinals will be televised on the American Digital Network. The championship game on May 25 will be televised live on ESPNU.
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