May. 2, 2005

HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team returns to action when it meets city rival Texas Southern at 7 p.m., Tuesday, in a make-up game at Cougar Field.

Although they lost two of three games at No. 28 TCU last weekend, the Cougars left Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday afternoon with a good taste in their mouth after winning the series finale 6-1.

This will be the start of an eight-game stretch against non-ranked opponents for the Cougars, doubling the previous longest stretch to date.

The showdown against Texas Southern was a late addition to the 2005 Cougar schedule after rain and cold weather forced cancellations against Texas Tech in Midland, Texas on March 15 and at Conference USA rival Cincinnati on April 1-2.

As this new addition to the schedule will replace a road game and was not a part of the original season-ticket package, season-ticket holders and all fans may buy a general admission ticket for $5 (adults) and $3 (youth). There will be no reserved seating for the Texas Southern game.

Tuesday's game will be the first time since 1997 that the Cougars have met Texas Southern on the baseball diamond.

The game can be heard live over the Internet at www.UHCougars.com with former UH letterwinners Nick Torina and Pat Cauley calling all the action. Fans also can follow play-by-play action by clicking on the "Live Stats" link at www.UHCougars.com.

Tickets or a valid student ID will be required for admission to the game. Gates will open one hour before first pitch.

Freshman righthander Aaron Brown makes his third consecutive Tuesday start when he takes the hill against Texas Southern at Cougar Field. This season, Brown has compiled a 1-0 record with 16 strikeouts and a 6.00 ERA in 18.0 innings. At 6 feet, 6 inches tall, he is the tallest Cougar player since Bryan Moore measured in at 6-8 during the 1999 season.

In his last start, the League City, Texas, native allowed four runs (three earned) off five hits with five strikeouts in four innings of work at No. 14 Rice during Game Four of the annual Sterling Bank Silver Glove Series at Reckling Park. However, he did not pick up the decision as Rice rallied late and took the victory with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

This will be the first time that Brown has faced Texas Southern.

Sophomore infielder Brad Lincoln leads the Cougars with a .361 batting average, while sophomore shortstop Dustin Kingsbury is tops with five home runs and 40 RBIs.

For the first time since 1997, the Cougars will meet Texas Southern on the baseball diamond. UH owns a perfect 21-0 record against TSU in the all-time series, which began in 1987 and was played at least once each year through the 1997 season. Historically, the games have not been close with UH winning by an average of 9.9 runs per game.

The Cougars claimed a 13-1 win on April 9, 1997, in the last meeting between the two teams. It was the second of two encounters during the 1997 season as UH took an 8-4 win on Feb. 25.

The Cougars are a perfect 20-0 (1.000) against Texas Southern at their home park. In addition, UH has posted a perfect 5-0 record (1.000) against the Tigers at the friendly confines of Cougar Field. Those games have not been close with UH winning by an average of nearly 10.0 runs per game.

Junior outfielder J.D. Stewart leads Texas Southern in all three Triple Crown categories, racking up a .367 batting average with nine home runs and 37 RBIs.

The Tigers (18-19-1) come into the game on the heels of a 13-3 loss against Sam Houston State on April 26.

Head coach Candy Robinson had not announced his starter as of Tuesday evening.