HUNTSVILLE – When Sam Houston State baseball coach Matt Deggs helped put together the 2016 Louisiana-Lafayette schedule as an assistant with the Ragin’ Cajuns, it probably never dawned on the Bearkats’ second-year head man he’d be in the opposing dugout for the matchup.
Sam Houston opens its 56-game schedule with a three-game set Feb. 19-21 at Louisiana-Lafayette, the first of six squads the Bearkats will face who made the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
“Lafayette was really good to me and my family,” Deggs said. “I recruited a lot of guys that are on that team. That’s a ball club that’s coming off back-to-back Super Regional appearances and I promise they’re only getting better. That’s a great test right out of the gate.”
The Bearkats will find out what they’re made of early, returning to Don Sanders for seven straight games beginning with the home opener against UTSA on Feb. 23. The following night, Sam Houston hosts Texas Tech before opening a three-game set against perennial power Oklahoma from Feb. 24-26. The Kats close out the home stretch with Baylor on March 1 and Rice on March 2.
“This schedule is as tough out of conference as anyone in the country,” Deggs said. “Our league is always a dog fight but inside of that we need to make sure our RPI is taken care of. It’s super important for us to win non-conference weekends and midweek. We’ll have no excuses – this is a schedule where we can do that.”
The Kats hit the road for key visits to Wichita State (March 4-6), Texas (March 8), Rice (March 29), Texas Tech (April 12-13), Baylor (April 19) and Houston (April 26). Sam Houston also hosts Texas State on March 28 and Houston on May 3.
“From day one since we get got here, Coach (Jay) Sirianni and I sat down and said we’ll play anybody and everybody and that’s part of our game plan,” Deggs said. “We have to make sure that our RPI is inside the top 40 and the only way for us to do that is to take on all comers and that’s what we’re doing.”
Sam Houston opens Southland Conference play with a three-game set beginning on March 11 at New Orleans. The Kats league home opener takes place March 18-20 against Northwestern State. The squad hosts a pair of key series, welcoming Stephen F. Austin for three from April 8-10 and close out the regular-season May 19-21 against defending league-tournament champion Houston Baptist.
The Bearkats play 28 games at Don Sanders Stadium in 2016, three more than in 2015, something Deggs and his staff excited about looking ahead.
“At a mid-major, any time you can be even on home games and away games that’s big time,” Deggs said. “We had fewer home games than road games last year and that was something I wanted to address. The following year in 2017, we’re at 34.”
The 30th Southland Conference Tournament takes place at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, home of the minor league Skeeters from May 25-28. Sam Houston is seeking its seventh NCAA Regionals appearance since 2007. For the latest on the Bearkats, following @BearkatBaseball on Twitter or visit GoBearkats.com.
2016 Sam Houston State Schedule
